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Check out the finals schedule Today is the last day of instruction. Finals week is Dec. 12-17. LMC will be closed for winter break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2.
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Big changes in the works BOG restrictions proposed
By SAMUEL GONZALEZ Staff Writer
The Task Force on Student Success was created in Jan. to come up with a big plan to help California’s community college students complete more degrees, certificates and transfers. The Task Force brought their recommendations before the public two months ago, and quickly learned
that not everyone agrees that their ideas are what’s best for students. Among some of the Task Force on Student Suceess’ recommendations: n Develop and implement a common centralized assessment test. n Require students to declare a program of study early in their academic careers. n Require students recieving BOG fee waivers to
meet various conditions and requirements. n Develop and support a stronger community college system office. Each of these, and other recommendations, goes into more detail, and that’s where the trouble begins according to Kevin Feliciano, the one voting student member currently serving on the Task Force.
“I don’t think it would make sense to give more time... I don’t Photo by Callib Carver know how we could’ve had a more transparent meeting”
See TASK, page 7
Are you for reel?
Get cash for those old books
Talk to transfer representative Representatives from fouryear colleges and universities visit the LMC Transfer Center often throughout the semester. To make appointments, call 439-2181 ext. 3124. CSU East Bay n Dec. 15, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. by appointment. 12-1 p.m. drop-in. UC Davis n Dec. 13, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. by appointment. San Francisco Art Institute n Dec. 13, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. info table near cafeteria.
Textbook buybacks from Dec. 12 to 16
By PETE YEPEZ Staff Writer
Student activity fee spring 2012 Los Medanos College’s student government will be collecting a $5 student activity fee beginning next semester to provide scholarships, leadership opportunities, and other curricular programs. The fee is refundable within the first two weeks of the sememster upon completion of a refund from.
Scholarship and aid advice If you need assistance paying for college, Alpha Gamma Signma invites you to attend a scholarship and financial aid workshop on Dec. 7 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop will be held in the Science Building, Room 136. Refreshments will be provided.
Last minute consultations The Center for Academic Support is open during finals week. Limited reading and writing consultations are available Dec. 12-14. Dec. 14 is the last day to submit papers online . Any submissions sent after 4:30 p.m. will not be
— Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott
Photo by Callib Carver
Jake Aria dreams of being a filmmaker and his passion inspired him to create “Jake 2.0” for Curtis Corlew’s Honors Art class. Aria plans on entering his project in the student art show next semester. “The original concept had more camera parts on it,” Aria said, “but that was too abstract for tastes.”
In an economy where most are having a hard time making ends meet, Los Medanos College offers students the opportunity to buy and sell back previously used books. With the rising cost of textbooks this helps students get cash back at the end of the semester and buy books at a discounted price for the next term. “This program not only helps LMC but us as a bookstore,” Bookstore manager Bob Estrada said. LMC is an independent bookstore and thrives with all of its own proceeds, and the book buyback program helps them stay afloat, without help from LMC or state money. The bookstore holds the book buy back twice a year, during finals week. The process involves a used book company representative who examines and appraises the books, allowing LMC to have first priority to fill book quotas for needed books on campus that semester. LMC often will give up to 50 percent back to the student if a returned book meets standards of maintenance such as binding must be in good condition and pages must be clean and legible. After LMC’s bookstore buys all the books it needs for the next semester the book buy back remains open, with the company purchasing books to sell to other schools. “We suggest that students come in the first couple days to receive the most cash back,” said Estrada. The used book representative will pay on average only 20% of a book’s original price, then ships them to other schools that are in need of the books. “At LMC we like to use the book edition till no longer possible” said Estrada so students save more money. Estrada suggests that LMC students bring all books they no longer need to see if they are buyable. Books will be appraised using computers in the bookstore that indicate if it’s needed at LMC or elsewhere. Student Melanie Fountain wondered, “how do marks in the book affect our price?” LMC tries to make the buybacks as easy for students as possible, allowing them to notate and highlight the book. “We want students to learn, and notating helps that,” said Estrada. This program is a chance for everyone at LMC to save money. By teachers being prompt in ordering books for the next seSee CASH, page 8
Honors programa hosts inmigracíon forum Panel discusses controversial topic
Grupo examina tema controversial
By PRISCILLA SANDOVAL
By PRISCILLA SANDOVAL
It was a windy afternoon as spectators made their way to the science lecture hall for a Honors Program sponsored panel discussion on the hot button issue of illegal immigration on December 1. The panel members were Sean Ackley, Krsna Avila, LMC alumna Andrea Lopez, and Allen Payton. The diverse backgrounds of the panelists made for a lively discussion with varying perspectives. The discussion centered on three topics. First was the Dream Act, which gives undocumented students a conditional pathway to citizenship upon following the requirements set forth by the legislation. Also on the agenda, were the topics of Alabama’s HB56 immigration law that
Era una tarde ventosa cuando los espectadores se dirigíeron al salón de lecturas en el edificio de ciencia de Los Medanos College para escuchar una discusión patrocinado por el programa Honors sobre el tema controversial de la inmigración ilegal el primero de Diciembre. Los panelistas fueron Sean Ackley, Krsna Ávila, Andrea López, alumna antigua de LMC y Allen Payton. El pasado diverso de los panelistas hizo una discusión viva con perspectivas variadas. La discusión fue centrada sobre tres temas. Primero se discutió el tema del Dream Act, una legislación federal que da un camino condicional a estudiantes indocumentados hacia la ciudadanía si siguen los requisitos
Staff Writer
Donate to the food drive today The Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano County, along with AGS and the Mighty Mustangs are sponsoring a holiday food drive. Look for red barrels at the Student Life Office, information desk, library, math and science buildings. Donate non-perishable foods such as peanut butter, soups, rice, beans and canned foods. The food drive runs until Dec. 15.
See FORUM, page 8
Staff Writer
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Antioch Herald publisher Allen Payton speaks as a panelist in the Honors immigration forum with panelist Krsna Avila. Editor’s note: This coverage of last week’s immigration forum is printed in both English and Spanish in recognition of our local Spanish-speaking community.
See FORO, page 8
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“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
— Dr. Seuss
Rachel Ybarra
Alexandra Walton
GUEST COLUMNIST
GUEST Columnist
Don’t buy into consumerism
Black Friday’s destructiveness
Singing holiday songs, decorating your home, baking holiday treats, sharing this time of year with loved ones — this is what the holidays are all about. Or are they? Have the holidays turned into something else, such as a rat race for consuming? The time for giving seems to be the time for spending. Last year, the National Retail Federation’s Holiday Consumer Intentions and Action Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found United States consumers planned to spend an average of $688.87 on the holiday shopping. Some may think this isn’t so much to spend on the holidays. I believe it is. On average, Americans are spending about $700 just for the holiday season. I surely will not be spending that much on my holiday shopping because I can’t afford it. The holidays are about giving, but what happened to homemade gifts? Gifts with thought and time and love, are these not the valued gifts? It seems these days an iPod says,“I love you” more than a knitted scarf. The things people will do to consume what they seem to need for the holiday season is ridiculous, and what’s worse than how much money Americans will spend on the holiday is how much Americans will try to save. Americans cannot help but move on from consuming items for one holiday to consuming items for the next holiday even faster. Before this year’s Thanksgiving had even passed, Americans were camped out in front of stores such as Best Buy waiting for midnight openings along with the Black Friday sales. It was heartbreaking to see people missing out on time with their family on Thanksgiving, of all days, just to wait in these lines. Black Friday has a reputation for being a crazy day for both retailers and consumers. This year on Black Friday in southern California, a women pepper sprayed at least 10 others at a Walmart. Events like this just show us how frantic the holidays have really become. Many people get second jobs just for the holiday season because department stores do a lot of hiring preparing for the rush. It’s a kind thought to know people are working extra hard during the holiday season to get someone they love something extra special this year. But these jobs may also interfere with the family time. What if your loved one said they didn’t want an expensive gift this year but your company instead? I would consider someone’s company on Christmas day a gift enough. Giving is what the holidays are all about but there is no definition of what should be given. We determine the gifts that are given. It seems that material things are worth more to us these days than people. With the amount Americans consume during the holidays, I question whether how much someone has or how much someone gives in material things determines how much they are loved. This holiday season avoid the hectic malls and department stores. This holiday season don’t spend all your free time working over time or a second job. This holiday season, spend your free time with your family and remember what the holidays are all about. Make some homemade gifts that take well spent time and love. They should mean more to the people that you love than lavish gifts. One of the best gifts I ever received for Christmas was a handmade blanket from a friend. It is still my absolute favorite blanket. The time for giving doesn’t have to mean the time for spending money and consuming items. Instead, spend time with your family and consume each other’s love. Doing so could be the best Christmas gift that you could possibly give to yourself and your loved ones, that’s the kind of gift that is priceless.
Pepper-sprayed customers, robberies, shootings, stabbings and violence erupted in retail stores across the country on this year’s Black Friday. But how is it exactly that a day of deals turned into a nightmare of bloodshed? The answer involves more than one reason, but the most obvious being that the deals were better than ever this year. Wal-Mart offered its customers a 51-inch plasma screen HD TV for $498 that normally retails for $750. Newly released videogames were also on sale, games that normally cost $50 were only $28. The Sony Play Station 3 was also offered at a cheap price. It came in a bundle pack of the system, extra controller, and two games for $199 which is regularly $425. Other stores also had great deals. Best Buy gave away its $150 Samsung Stratosphere 4G Android phone for free on a two-year Verizon contract and sold a Blu-ray player for only $39.99. Staples offered the new Kindle Fire tablet for just $100 with a free $20 gift card for the Kindle store so you can buy a few books for free. Target sold the Xbox 360 4G for $139.99. Retailers opened earlier than ever this year, many on Thanksgiving at midnight. The reason for this was to entice customers to spend money even though the economy is weak. But the deals this year were so great that they caused people to go crazy for the bargains. People knew there were limited quantities of each item being sold so they did almost anything to get what they wanted. These deals not only encourage an obsession with bargains, but also impulse buying that caused violent competition for the items being sold. A perfect example of this was a woman that was shopping at a Los Angeles Wal-Mart. She pepper sprayed 20 other customers in order to get at a crate of Xbox video game consoles. When asked by authorities if she felt threatened, she stated that she used the spray in order to gain a “competitive edge” over other shoppers, not to protect herself. This violence was not an isolated incident, it occurred all over the country. In New York, crowds looted a clothing store in Soho. In Phoenix, a police officer hit and bloodied an elderly man thought to have shoplifted a videogame. In San Leandro, a man was mugged and shot for his Black Friday purchases while in California, a man was stabbed outside of a mall. Black Friday has always had great deals, but the crumbling economy is what really caused shoppers to become aggressive. Many people are still out of a job this year causing them to be tight on money. This in turn makes Christmas shopping more difficult. People don’t want to disappoint their families during the holidays so they did whatever was necessary to get the merchandise. This shows truly what Christmas has turned into, a selfish, give me what I want holiday. It used to be about giving and spreading happiness to others, but this year’s Black Friday has shown that today it’s about buying the best stuff at the best deal, no matter how others are negatively affected. It’s truly ridiculous that people are willing to hurt and even kill other people for material possessions. The violence displayed this year should be enough to put an end to Black Friday. It would be highly unethical to keep this tradition going especially since people have already died just for the sake of a good deal. Enough is enough, no one else should have to get hurt in order to put a stop to all of this insane madness.
Cartoon by Alissa Garcia
Editorial
Give the gift of volunteering
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he end of the semester is just around the corner. Soon winter break will be upon us bringing rest and relaxation before the Spring semester begins. During this break it’s important to make good choices instead of being unproductive. Since it is the holidays how about helping out by volunteering your time?
There are many things you can do such as donating food to the needy, work-
ing at a soup kitchen or even helping out at an animal shelter. There are many volunteering opportunities available. Doing a quick Google search can get you on the right path. If you don’t have the time you can still help make a difference in someone’s life, here at LMC you can help out a child by visiting the Angel Tree near the cashier’s window in the Admissions office. Many children go without opening any presents for Christmas so what you can do is visit the tree and pick off an angel (which has a child’s age and gender on it) and buy the child an unwrapped age-appropriate gift and bring it to either the Presidents Office or Business office. The last day to bring a gift is Dec. 15. Help out someone in need out by donating just a bit of your time. Not only will it make you feel better knowing that you made a difference in someone else’s life but it’s also not a bad way to end your year and begin the next.
Handicapped affected by broken buttons Dear Editor: I think it’s ver y important to make sure everything works in the school. Especially the handicap buttons that make the doors open. Someone either needs to put an out of order sign on them or have someone standing there to open the door for people with wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, etc. I understand that there is construction going on, but for someone with a wheelchair or walker to have to struggle to open a door (especially when we all pay money to attend this school) is a safety hazard. What happens if that handicap person were to fall? That would be a lawsuit against the school, plus that person could get hurt worse than they already are. I was on crutches heading to class, I found out the hard way that the handicap button was broken. I struggled with the door ten minutes before someone walked by and helped me. I was late for class because of the fact that the handicap button did not work. This made me irritated as well as mad. I don’t see why people that need to use that button even attend this school. In fact, hardly
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any of the buttons work. If I were permanently handicapped I wouldn’t attend this school. I wouldn’t even attend any school in the district. This incident showed me that the school doesn’t care about their students. Maybe no one knew the handicap buttons weren’t working. Yet again, maybe they knew and just didn’t care. Now that I’m definitely off of crutches, I’m still debating on whether or not I would like to continue my schooling here. I’m sure some administrator or student senator or even campus police know that the handicap buttons don’t work which is another reason I get so mad. I get so mad, they really need to put an out of order sign up on the button or better yet put one of the police aides by the door. It’s not like they have anything better to do. They can sit in their carts and open doors. This incident has made me believe that the only time the school will do anything about it is after someone gets hurt and after the school gets sued. This is very irresponsible on the colleges behalf. — Chelsey Daquidag
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“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” — Thomas Jefferson
Editor in Chief ........... SAMUEL A. GONZALEZ Perspectives Editor ........... MARK MARTINEZ . Campus Editors ................... NICK CAMPBELL and MARK FRANCIS
“Care Bears underwear.” — Malcolm Meggerson
“Really ugly clothes.” — Briana Newman
Features Editors ........ ANGELICA GONZALEZ. and SKYE SALA
“Socks.” — Travis Dawsea
“A sweatshirt that was way too big for me.” — Elen Bronce
“Nothing.” — Marquise Zanders
“My husband got me turtles.” — Brooke Guevara
Sports Editor .................... LAURA CRABTREE Photo Editor .............................. LISA CASSIDY Assistant Photo Editor.............. JESUS CHICO The LMC Experience is published Fridays by the journalism program. The newspaper serves as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amendment forum for campus communication. Opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.
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Campus Newswatch LMCAS introduces activity fee
Los Medanos college associated students (LMCAS) will be introducing a Student Activity Fee that will allow the LMCAS Senate to provide scholarships, leadership opportunities, cultural programs and other curricular programs beginning in the Spring 2012 semester. The cost for the Student Activity Fee will be $5.00 per a semester — fall and spring only — with it being refundable within the first two weeks of a semester. Benefits include current sponsored activities and services such as Mustang Madness, academic competition, textbook reserve program and ICC & club activities sponsorship. Proposed activities and services may include Brentwood Center outreach, increased scholarship funding, discounted buss passes and more.
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“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”
— Edward Everett
Start a new club
Muslim unity group on campus
The Muslim Student Association is here to unite Muslims and non-Muslims together in harmony. Meetings are held every Monday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Music Room 710. For more info email sehrarahmany@yahoo.com
UMOJA accepting applications
Interested in achieving your academic dreams while being part of a supportive learning environment? Become an UMOJA Scholar. The scholars are currently accepting applications for their new spring cohort. UMOJA is a program that addresses student needs through academic support services and a curriculum that focuses on African-American literature and history. You must enroll in Math 12 and either English 70, 90, 100, or 221 in Spring 2012. If you want more information or need to print out an application, visit UMOJA online at www.losmedanos.edu/ umoja/ or contact A’kilah Moore at 439-2181 ext. 3243.
Check out the Inter-Club Council
Inter-Club Council meetings are held on Mondays from 3 p.m – 4 p.m. in the Library, Room L-106 (Conference Room 2). Each club can be represented in the ICC, which promotes engagement in community college activities. If your club is a member of ICC, it is imperative that your ICC representative attends the meetings on a regular basis.
Visit Cuba for New Year’s Eve
Celebrate a joyous New Year’s Eve in Cuba with the sizzling rhythms and passion of music and dance – the soul of the Cuban people. The trip will be led by Professor of Anthropology Lenore Gallin, who has directed five previous trips to Cuba. The trip will last from Dec. 27 to Jan. 11. For further information, contact Professor Gallin at 925685-1230, ext. 2772.
Apply for a scholarship for 2012
Vanguard Minority Scholarship Program gives out meritbased scholarships, up to $10,000, to students who are entering either their junior or senior year of college during the upcoming 2012 Fall and Spring semesters. For an application or more information, please visit the Vanguard website at www.vanguard.scholarshipamerica.org
Alumni Raider tickets on sale
The LMC Alumni association has teamed up with the Oakland Raiders once again this season to offer you tickets at a discount rate. When you purchase these specially priced tickets, LMC receives $20 of each ticket sold and proceeds go to support the LMC Bookstore’s textbook rental program. Contact Claudia Acevedo at 439-2181, ext. 3130, by email cacevedo@losmedanos.edu, or by fax at 432-3261 for more information.
Come to heal and connect
The Healing Circle provides a unique opportunity for both students and staff to share their stories; helping others while they help themselves. Through information, discussion, and support, they provide a comfortable and safe place for sharing feelings related to the stress of balancing college and personal life. Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 12 p.m in Room 473 (upstairs from Admission). If you need more information, contact Phil Gottlieb at ext. 3382, or Francis Moy at ext. 3136.
Photo by Lisa Cassidy
LMC student Tyreece Jackson signs up for the Anime Club during Mustang Madness earlier this semester.
Students can spark up new endeavors By VANITA TIMOTHY Staff Writer
Ever wonder how you can start your own club? But perhaps the club you would like to join does not exist yet. If you want to create your own club you can go to the LMC homepage to start it. Download the Student Charter Packet that contains step-by-step information on ways you can start one. Then get in touch with the Inter Club Council (ICC) for help.
ICC member Jessica Juauregui said that after downloading the packet, two members of the soon-to-be club must attend an orientation. To qualify to be a member, or to start a club, you must be a student at LMC with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. You will also need a club advisor who must be a full-time employee at LMC. “It is not hard to find teachers who are willing to help,” said Juauregui. Additionally, you’ll need four
members who will ser ve as the officers of the club, and a constitution written based on guidelines in the charter packet. You will also need to set a time and find a place for your club to meet. Meetings must be held on the LMC campus, and the club should meet weekly; also ICC meets with all the clubs once a week. “This meeting is really important to keep your club updated,” said Juauregui.
ICC also helps all clubs set up for fundraisers around the campus and assists clubs with their finances. ICC can also help advertise your club so interested students can learn about it. There are many advantages that come along with being a part of a club, Rotaract President, Samantha Willis shared how being active on campus can be beneficial to your future. “Colleges love to see that a See CLUB, page 8
Watch out for tickets By LYNDSEY MICHELLE BRANDON Staff Writer
To students who pay for both tuition and textbooks, a parking ticket placed between their windshield wipers can take a chunk out of their wallets, so they should think twice before parking without a permit. At the beginning of each semester, advertisements on Web Advisor direct students on how to pay for a $40 parking permit that will last all term. Already facing high costs for college, some students may be tempted to park without a permit. But they are setting themselves up for a parking ticket, which costs $40. The absence of a permit is not the only possible parking violation drivers may encounter. Students should also avoid parking in a no parking zone, along a red curb, or at an expired meter. Parking tickets will also be served to students parked in staff slots and staff parked in student slots, or to those illegally parked in disabled parking. All of these tickets can be disputed. Drivers who feel they were given a ticket unfairly can dispute them. The process begins at Police Services, located on Level 1 of the main college complex. There you can ask for a form that will provide information both See WATCH, page 7
Photo by Callib Carver
A maintenance worker tends to a campus permit dispenser in lot C.
Get help transferring Helping out the needy By ALEXANDRA WALTON
By IRVIN TRIGUEROS
Even though the turnout to the UC Application workshop was small, Frances Moy, the counselor teaching the workshop, had immense knowledge to share with the students who attended. This workshop was specifically for students who were ready to transfer to either a UC or CSU. Moy did however, answer questions and offered important advice. “Research your major,” said Moy. “There’s nothing worse than getting your education and realizing you will have no job after you finish.” One tool Moy recommended is for students to use www.assist.org. This website not only tells you if there will be jobs in a particular field in the future, but also which classes you need to complete at LMC for your major before transferring to the school of your choice. “I found this website extremely helpful in deciding what my major would be,” said LMC student Aaron Smith. “I decided on becoming a history teacher based on the classes I need to
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday at the end of the year, we all want a warm home to stay in, a warm meal to enjoy in, and family to come over to for the holidays. Unfortunately, some people sometimes don’t get any one of those qualities. Some people sleep in the night without a warm meal in their stomachs, or a cozy bed to sleep in. There’s no clean home to reside in. There’s not even a place for them to be. Demetria Lawrence, Student Life Coordinator for the Student Activities department says there are ways for students to help others in these situations have a good holiday this year – and a good life. “There are a number of ways students can help,” said Lawrence. “They can volunteer at a local church, pass out meals, donate to a can food or warm coat drive, donate toys to the Salvation Army.” Currently at LMC, a food drive sponsored by the AGS (Alpha, Gamma, Sigmas) and The Mighty Mustangs, is taking place.
Staff Writer
Carla Rosas leaves transfer center Interim Transfer Center Coordinator Carla Rosas said goodbye to the LMC Transfer Center last month. Carla spent the last 2 months at LMC as an integral part of the Title V HSI Transfer grant. After this week, Ms. Rosas will be returning to DVC where she works in the Financial Aid department. — Compiled from press releases and staff reports
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See HELP, page 7
See NEEDY, page 8
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“What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets.”
— Anonymous
Baked goods
Ceramics in LMC gallery By CHUCK BUCK Staff Writer
Ceramics professors from across the Contra Costa Community College District gathered Thursday, Dec. 1 in the Art Gallery for a reception in honor of Los Medanos College’s latest show highlighting their work, “Baked Goods.” The teacher-artists chatted excitedly among themselves at the first cross-district art show at LMC, conceived by Gallery Director Judi Pettite. Featured artists who attended the gallery’s reception included Richard Akers and Jian Jun Lu from Contra Costa College, and Roger Yee and Lucy Snow from LMC. Show-goers talked openly about the artists’ work with the creators. In his work, Akers uses a “green” process that takes less energy and studio space to produce. His sculptures are stored in the firing kiln while still wet and left to dry before taking only a single firing to finish.
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Photos by Chuck Buck
Left: “To memorialize Mr. SJ, American Eagle” by Jian Jun Lu. Above: “Rigoberta Menchu Bust” by Lucy Snow. Instructor Lu paints his pieces with a bronze-like pigment and then fires them at a low temperature. The pigment he uses imitates the look of aged bronze patina when fired this way. Some of the interesting results of this method include the bust of the late Steve Jobs that Lu created and presented
Zelda breaks habit By MARK FRANCIS Staff Writer
Nearly each Nintendo video game system that is released, are always book ended in their console life by at least two Legend of Zelda games — with the Super NES being the only one with one Zelda game — the Wii however, is no exception to this formula. Considered, by many, to be the swan song to the dying system before the systems successor, the Wii-U is released sometime next year, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword brings true 1:1 motion controls — with the motion plus Wii Remote add-on — and massive amount of innovations to the series, that seems to break up that classic Zelda formula. However, is Skyward Sword a Zelda that is worthy for fans of the series? I am never a strong advocate of motion controls, the only time I find motion controls to be fun and easy to use would be for any light rail game similar to Duck Hunt; for all other games, I prefer to stick with a control. However, Skyward Sword has now firmly made me a believer in what motion controls can bring to gaming when it is done right. The game, thanks to motion plus, uses actual sword movements — done with the Wiimote — to breath new life in the series. Players have full control on nearly every action that the silent protagonist Link, can do. Be it from not only the sword strikes but to tossing/bowling bombs at enemies to even
at the show. LMC’s Yee made sculptures using the Raku technique he teaches in his night classes. The Raku process results in interesting looks with the glaze of the pottery as seen in those Yee displayed at the show. As explained by fellow artist Akers See ART, page 7
aiming weapons like the bow and slingshot with pinpoint accuracy. Also, if at anytime the controls may seem off the players can re-calibrate the Wii Remote and be back to normal. On top of this, combat is now a tactical affair in which players will have to attack with either precise swings or shots, you can
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no longer wildly swing and hope it hits; the game will simply laugh at you and then proceed to punish you. This alone, brings something remarkable and not rarely seen in this long running series, innovation. What else is innovated is the fact that many things found in past games are either changed or flat out removed. Shields can break and the over-world of Hyrule’s fields are completely removed. Players are tasked to repair shields on their spare time or stock up on repairing potions for it, and the paths to the various temples in the game See ZELDA, page 7
Photo by Irvin Trigueros
Silvester Henderson leads his choir in a gospel experience to an awed audience.
Gospel choir performs By MADELINE HENDERSON Staff Writer
The LMC Gospel choir under the direction of Professor Silvester Henderson walked on to the stage in the auditorium. The LMC Gospel choir began to sing their first song “Be Thou Exalted” accompanied by the band and Henderson on the piano. The song was so beautifully performed that there wasn’t a dry eye in the auditorium The LMC Gospel Ensemble sang “All of My Help” by Hezekiah Walker and “Love“ by Kirk Franklin under the direction of Co-Student Director Richard Hayes. Judith Allister brought the auditorium to their feet dancing and clapping to
Magic of the winter choral Staff Writer
See MAGIC, page 7
See CHOIR, page 8
Drake steps up his game
By LYNDSEY MICHELLE BRANDON
“Good evening, I am so excited to see all of you,” greeted Silvester Henderson once the lights dimmed, darkening the recital hall of the LMC Winter Choral Concert last Tuesday. He smiled, quite widely, as the seated crowd offered applause. The audience, loud and excited, sat mainly in the front, in dark red foldaway seats that descended, as they grew closer to the lighted wood stage. Many of the singers, even the soloists, had taken to these seats. The audience had listening ears, as well as many of the performers themselves. This created a somewhat laid-back atmosphere, as the performers would speak with one another or with attending family and friends on numerous occasions. Henderson’s opening speech was rather short. The concert began immediately after his explanation of eventual perforPhoto by Lisa Cassidy mances, which were also detailed Natalie Hurtado, Alto in a paper booklet handed to viewers upon payment and entry. Soloists were introduced by name followed by their song title. Numerous titles were from musicals, a seeming favorite for the soloists. After every performance — starting with Natalie Hurtado and ending with Natalie Galav — followed quick and passionate applause, partnered with yowls and calls by viewing friends and family. There was barely a pause between each soloist for a short thank you issued by Henderson and an elegant bow from the soloist. Following the soloist performances was the chamber chorale, in which some of the soloists and other, previously unseen faces, emerged to sing as one. The chamber vocalists were all dressed
the song, “Hallelujah You’re Worthy to be Praised.” There was guest recording Artist Casey and Erica Pringle, Angelo Luster, Nona Brown and Special guests Derrick Hall &Company from the Bay Area. Pastor Br yant C. Wyatt from Sacramento and family. Many of the students shared about the class and the instructor, how they enjoy being a part of the LMC Gospel Choir, Ron Vieira has been in the choir for five years. He use to go to LMC but is no longer attending but loves being in the choir so he continues to come. “He likes the way Professor Henderson teaches you how to sing,”
By JUSTIN BRITTON Staff Writer
Fire and Ice album makes its way up By CORRINE ALLAN Staff Writer
DJ/ Producer Kaskade, born Ryan Raddon, released his seventh CD Fire and Ice on Oct. 22 in Australia supported by Onelove Records and on Oct. 25 in The United States by Ultra Records. The album started at #17 on the Billboard Top 200, and soon made its way to #1 on the Billboard Dance/ Electronic Albums. The whole album consists of two discs, the first has Kaskade’s usual quick-paced and upbeat melodies with harmonic lyrics while the second disc serves almost as a contradiction to the first. Each song from disc one is duplicated for the second but with
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See FIRE, page 7
2011 sophomore album “Take Care” is the Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham’s evolution album. He has become one of the leading artists in Hip Hop for the past three years. Drake is a great rapper but also successful as a singer and has created a sound first introduced on the 2009 “So Far Gone” album. But Drake has improved and almost mastered the sound on “Take Care.” The sound is hard to describe but it is mellow, designed to complement his voice and crafted so well that it’s hard for other people to rap/sing on. This album is an improvement from his debut album “Thank Me Later” released just last year, which shows how far Drake has come as a singer, a songwriter and an overall artist. The album features collaborations and production including Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, André‚ 3000, Boi-1da, Noah 40 and others.
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It starts off with “Over My Dead Body,” which features fellow Canadian artist Chantal Kreviazuk and is a nice track filled with Drake’s thoughts of his success. The next track, “Shot For Me,” talks about past relationships and the first single “Headlines” capitalizes on his own fame. Drake sounds, as some women might say, “extremely wonderful” when he uses his singing voice more, and the title track “Take Care” is a perfect example of what he is capable of. Featuring Rihanna and a nice Gil-Scott Heron sample, this is easily one of the most artistic songs on the album. “Marvin’s Room” really demonstrates Drake’s storytelling ability. Using his acting skills, he plays a drunk despairing over a past relationship making the girl regret what she left behind. After the primary song has ended, listeners are treated with a surprise from Kendrick Lamar with an interesting verse. “The Real Her,” which features Lil Wayne and legendary Andre See DRAKE, page 7
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“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
— Mark Twain
Could movies replace books in the classroom?
By JARED THOMSON, AUDREY GERTZ, LAURA CRABTREE, BRANDON RIBERGAARD and NATHAN PECORARO Staff Writers
The verdict is in: according to a recent Los Medanos Experience survey, books are out of style, service and stock. And movies—accessible, social, and quick—are replacing them as the effective way to make people think. In early 2011, CNN reported that 7 percent of all U.S. citizens now subscribe to Netflix, an internet-based movie rental company, which saw a stout growth of 70 percent in subscribers from 2010 through 2011. Netflix also earned $60.2 million in the first quarter of 2011, almost double of what they made the previous year. Borders, one of the largest international book and music retailers, filed for bankruptcy and announced it would be closing 400 of its stores nationwide. As of September 18, no stores exist across the country, and the remaining stores around the world have closed or been placed under different ownership. With the loss of Borders, a 40-year old media company, former customers were directed to shop at Barnes & Noble and the media giant Amazon. com. Netflix also benefitted from the defunct Borders when consumers strengthened their interest in divorcing from the book format as a main source of media intake. The question now remains. Why was it only Borders that failed? What kept Barnes & Noble, its direct
competitor, afloat with Netflix all on the go. and Amazon.com? Barnes and Technology is leaving printed books Noble, it seems, continued to furnish in the dust and students couldn’t be the always-advancing lifeboat. happier about the possibility of movies finally replacing their 19th century The rise of E-Readers learning tools. Flash back to Summer 2010 at a Barnes & Noble store in downtown E-literature is still long-form Pasadena: a neon blond male in an Despite the booming portability of urban outfit, accented with white books, courtesy of e-readers, books still tones and edited accessories (one take a significant amount of time to read. chrome watch, complimentary black Students, who face the task of catching shoelaces), greets incoming pedes- up to the continuing events of history, trians with cool excitement. Next to don’t always have a lot of time in their him is a black and white sign with a lives to review the details of the past. free-rounded font that reads, “Nook.” Could movies replace books as a The large, yet understated, letters valid tool for teaching, learning, and emulate the bold, clean aesthetic of measuring critical thinking? Some professionals. people are visual learners, while oth“Hi,” he said, using direct, blue eyes ers are oral learners. With children and a friendly smile. “Try the Nook. being exposed to technology at such It’s the perfect, convenient, reading a young age where they have access tool for the working person and/or to cell phones, iPods and video games, modern student.” where do paper printed books stand in His conviction was warranted. the future? Barnes & Noble avoided bankruptcy In a survey of 120 students at LMC, because it followed the tech boom. a strong 52 percent voted for movies According to CBS sponsored blog to be used exclusively in school curZDnet, “[Barnes & Noble] sales in the riculum. 7 percent did not care and the first quarter were up 21 percent from remaining 41 percent said that teaching a year ago to $1.4 billion.” and learning critical thinking skills was This increase is thanks to its Nook, a better deal when it involved books. which allows readers to load thousands “We need books, but for school, movof digital books on its internal hard ies would be great for visual students,” drive. Consumers can easily browse said LMC student Leatrice Tuland, through their book collection using “maybe give students the option to use the Nook’s “Simple Touch” screen and books or videos.” select from favorites on their commute. Tuland said that movies could reach a For the multi-tasking crowd, con- broad range of learning types in a reasonvenience is a primary factor in choos- able amount of time with the way they ing media intake. E-reading devices, engage viewers, but the underdogs had like the Nook and Amazon’s Kindle, strong remarks to support their view. are miming the advances of mobile “Reading books should not be phones, which permit use of Internet, replaced by technology,” said LMC music storage, and movie streaming, student Beverly Slovick. Slovick said books play a foundational role in our critical thinking process. She does not think the movie medium should completely replace reading tools in social settings and classrooms. “Reading engages the mind in a different way than watching a movie,” said Slovick, who is also a supporter of advances in technology. Slovick only watches films about twice a month, but reads daily. “I try to read something every day to keep my mind active,” she said. She thinks reading is a sensor y experience and says using multiple facilities to learn increases the potency of new knowledge. “I believe the more senses you use during the teaching and learning process, the more likely a concept sticks in the brain,” she said. “I don’t think books will ever be fully replaced, but we may move to e-books.” She is also conscious of the malleability of information and recognizes the role of technology for expanding our imaginations. “Technology should not be rejected as part of the educational process,” said Slovick, “Many books have successfully adapted into film. These can and should be used to supplement the educational process.” And supplement is the keyword for the offspring of books. LMC student Erin Willis felt ripped off when an overdraft of movies marked up her former English course syllabus. “Our imaginations are completely deteriorating as each day goes on,” Willis said, remarking on classroom pupils who are unwillingly fed movies
Best learning medium
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52% Movies 41% Books 7% Either
“Our imaginations are completely deteriorating as each day goes on.” — Erin
Willis, LMC student
in lieu of books. When Willis was 13, her middle school English teacher replaced the eighth grade literature curriculum with the movie versions of classic novels. It left her feeling short of an education. “Never read a single book,” she said. “I was about the only kid in class feeling cheated.” Willis, now 21, became a supporter of learning with written work. She embraces reading as a key way to nurture our notions of invention and hopes the movie medium will not dominate classrooms. And Willis is not alone. Current LMC student Bobby L. Hughley Jr. shares Willis’s enthusiasm for using literature to grasp concepts. “Movies are good for visual learning, but I don’t believe that they pack more information than books,” said Hughley, who was given the chance to test both types of media in his journalism class. But some students were on the fence about sticking to the book, and were specifically concerned about their aesthetic appeal. “Books are totally going out of style,” said LMC student Elena Konkina. She says that if kids aren’t given a variety of reading materials to browse at a young age, they will not be interested in books. Classmate Wesley Darrow supported Konkina’s view of books as an accessory. “I believe that books are becoming outdated, at least in the eyes of youngsters,” he said. “We’re in a new age where technology is taking over our lifestyle.” LMC student Alvaro Alfaro had another view. “Technology is a good tool for education, but it has its limits. Books are no longer the main source of education, but they still serve a purpose,” said Alfaro.
The need for balance LMC student Alissa Garcia shares similar views on the power of books, but sees each medium as having its own strength. She feels strong about books having their own place in our social and academic sphere. “I don’t mind movies being brought in to benefit students in literature classes, but I do not think that books should be replaced by them,” Garcia said. As a Fine Arts major who draws, paints, and designs websites, Garcia understands the visual power of movies as an educational tool, vital to critical
thinking. “Sometimes seeing a visual aid helps the student when writing for critical thinking,” she said. But she hopes that books will continue to thrive as a source of entertainment and vehicle for discussion. “Replacing books altogether would be utterly ridiculous in my opinion,” said Garcia. English teacher Lisa Kingsbury drives the nail in about the absurdity of leaning on film to teach critical thinking. “It takes away your critical thinking when you watch a movie,” she said. Kingsbury’s viewpoint is worth its weight. She divides her professional time between teaching at the community college and preparing students at Dozier-Libbey Medical High School for a higher education. “[Movies] fill in the blanks for people,” said Kingsbury. “This should be left to our own critical connection. We mentally cast our own vision of a movie while reading. Movies, videos, and TV shows all steal away critical thinking from people, and give it to them on a platter.” Her sentiment, however, conflicts with the point colleague Milton Clarke makes about visual translation. “I don’t agree with movies in the classroom. There is always that high potential of whether or not someone is engaged watching or not,” said Clarke. Clarke, a history teacher, understands the value of translating information quickly and effectively. He stands by the mantra that a picture is worth a thousand words, and believes that Americans understand more through pictures than they do words, which are not always direct, despite their intention. In other words, when we see it, we believe it, and consider it. Antioch High School teacher and former LMC student Jason Ebner offers a balanced view of swapping books for film. He believes the foundation for ideas only happens in text. “Deeper thought can only be achieved through deep ideas. These ideas come through the written word,” he said. Ebner is not opposed to using movies in the classroom, but would like to see them used concurrently. He sums up the student body opinion neatly by describing his technique. “I would rather use the movie adaptation simply because students lose interest in a prolonged presentation,” See BOOK, page 8
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Sports 6 Stangs trample the Wolves “The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.”
— Charles Barkley
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Basketball wins 83-26 By LISA CASSIDY Staff Writer
The Los Medanos College Mustangs trampled the obviously unprepared Monterey Peninsula College Wolves by a whopping 83-26 Wednesday night at home. Free chili and cornbread was given out to the fans as a thanks for supporting the team and support the team they did, as the crowd cheered and loved every minute of the Mustang preseason domination of the Wolves. It was clear from the start that Coach Richard Villegas and his players were out for blood, as the Stangs looked sharp and played tough with their defense and offense firing on all cylinders. They had the size and strength to do whatever they wanted on the court, as they made the Wolves look like a high school JV team. The Wolves, who are 0-3 so far this preseason, had trouble with defense from the start as their early game plan seemed to involve manhandling the bigger, tougher Mustang players down low and sending them to the foul line. This was fine with the Stangs as they went 8-10 in the first half, for a total of 15-18 at the stripe. The Mustangs, who are 4-4 so far this season, ran their plays at will and constantly fed the ball down low to their All State/All Conference powerhouse star. Center/forward Shelby Secor (40) continued to shine with 14 total points and went 8-8 at the line. With 6’1” Secor hogging up the real estate in the paint area, the Stangs took full advantage of the height differential, limiting
the Wolves to only 26 points for the entire game. Most of the Stangs points were scored easily and fairly predictably, with leading rebounders Secor or Kimberly Moffett (33) either scoring themselves or grabbing the defensive rebounds and throwing outlet passes down court to one of the team’s faster players. One of the players, All Conference guard Khyia Slone (32) had 6 first quarter points and went 2-2 at the line for a game total of 13 points. Even though the Mustangs’ scoring plays seemed predicable, the Wolves still couldn’t figure the strategy or keep up the pace with the faster, more condition Mustang front line, as the score at half time read 51-13. With the game so lopsided to start the second half, the Mustang starters had a chance to rest, and the four new freshman players had a chance to shine. Two of these freshman, Imana Samuels (11) and Kaprice Simmons (12), stood out with their incredible speed and scoring abilities and combined for 21 of the Mustangs’ 83 total points. Even with some of the Mustangs backup players on the court, MPC couldn’t keep up. The Mustangs have so much talent coming off the bench this year it wasn’t much relief to the struggling Wolves team. “This season we have size, quick guards and are better shooters,” said Villegas, “plus, we have a more consistent defense this year.” The Mustangs next game is a home game and takes place during winter break on Jan. 4 at 5:30 p.m. versus the Yuba College 49ers.
Photos by Lisa Cassidy
Left: All State/All Conference center Shelby Secor (40) boxes out her defender and goes hard to the hoop scoring in the second half of their 83-26 victory over the Mendocino Peninsula College Wolves. Right: Kimberly Moffett (33) one the Mustangs top rebounders battles for the ball and scored over a taller Wolves defender.
Ulloa rules the court By BRANDON RIBERGAARD Staff Writer
At almost six feet tall, Jessica Ulloa dominates Los Medanos’s volleyball court. She has been playing since freshman year in high school. Before that, she played soccer for several years. Ulloa has not decided on a major at this point, so she is currently focusing on general education and of course, participation in sports. However, she is considering a career in psychology. “I would really like to go to UC Davis,” said Ulloa. Motivation is what really keeps her going. “In whatever I decide to do with my future, I just want to be successful and provide for my family,” said Ulloa. She is a very family oriented person. The words she uses to describe her parents, sister and brother are “supportive” and “caring.” Ulloa and fellow teammate Shyla Palmer have been close friends since freshman year of high school. Palmer respects Ulloa’s focus on the volleyball court and the way she is always pushing herself to improve and become a better player. “She cares about her family and friends more than anything. She will not go two
“Jessica Ulloa exemplifies what a student athlete should be.”
— Elissa Hemauer
days without spending time with her mom, which I admire,” said Palmer. What she did with her time on Thanksgiving Day describes what type of person she is. Ulloa volunteered with a local soup kitchen helping the homeless. Her position on the court is Outside Header, which allows her to spike the ball, where she is most effective. “It is exciting. If you get a good kill where no one can touch it, you just feel powerful,” she said. Elissa Hemauer has coached Ulloa for the past six years. “Jess is a dedicated player. She is quiet but has a strong presence on the court. And she had the talent and height, but had to be taught proper technique,” said Hemauer. Ulloa likes making plays that amaze and
shock her teammates and opponents alike. “I do have my competitive side. But, in a way that is still fun. I was originally a soccer player. But I wanted to try something new. I did cheerleading, track and field and tennis,” she said, “But volleyball is the only thing that really stuck.” Hemauer says that, compared to others, she has always had the dedication. First one there, last to leave and she is always looking to improve on her skill. “Jessica Ulloa exemplifies what a student athlete should be,” said Hemauer. She hasn’t done a whole lot of traveling but it is definitely on her bucket list. One of her dreams is to vacation in Australia. “I love accents. British and Australian are my favorites,” said Ulloa. Her philosophy on life is to work hard at everything she does. She is never disappointed in herself if she knows that she gave 110%, no matter what the outcome may be. Church life is important to Ulloa. She is a devoted Christian and attends Golden Hills Community Church in Brentwood. She loves serving others and volunteering her time for those in need. Jessica’s favorite Bible verse is Psalm Photo by Laura Crabtree 118:24 – This is the day that the LORD Mustang Jessica Ulloa (17) goes in to spike the ball. has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
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Photo by Callib Carver
Neftali Jimenez, left, and Tj Spadini, right, perform an improv game called freeze for the improv show.
Show brings laughs Shenanigans entertains students By VANITA TIMOTHY Staff Writer
The week before finals is always chaotic and stressful, filled with tons of homework and last minute assignments. Thursday night’s Improv night, sponsored by the drama group Shenanigans, is exactly what
the doctor ordered to ease the tension of finals week, at least for a short while. The show was a great surprise. It was creative and entertaining from beginning to end and the cast kept the show light and fun. From the moment the show started the cast jumped right into their roles and into the game. The cast had quick reactions for all the situations they were put in and each and every character on stage was fun to watch. The show began with a short stand-up skit by a cast member and was followed by games that were played between actors. Each game was different from the last, and it was awesome to see how creative the
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do in turn feel like a dungeon in-and-of-itself. Players are also limited as to what type of side items they can take with them when they are not at the main hub and city of the game, Skyloft. At first, for life long players of the series, this may seem jarring and weird, but over time it becomes quite natural and feels very progressive for the series. The game itself outside of these new things, feel ver y much in tune with the other Zelda games. The plot presented in here see’s Link setting out to search for his best friend and perhaps maybe even lover, Zelda, who vanishes one day from Skyloft — at a floating town in the sky surround by miles of clouds. Though the graphics may be misleading with it’s cartoonish nature, it is perhaps the third most mature game in the series behind Majora’s Mask and The Wind Waker. By the time the credits begin to roll, you’ll end up liking nearly all of the characters and the deep plot. With all of this praise, I must say that this game does have it’s low points, and that being a
game-breaking glitch that can happen if one of the later quests in the game is done out of order. But this can be completely avoidable if everything is done in order as the game tells you. A lot of younger gamers may not come to enjoy the combat since it requires precise movement and not just wagging the controls blindly in the air like a fool. Yet, these are the only two points that bring this 50-hour game down. Everything else is remarkable and gives reason to play on the Wii again. Honestly, it feels that the Wii was only made to see this game get made; everything else — besides the first party Nintendo games — you have played over the years on this console will feel like shovel-ware compared Skyward Sword. For a game that was made by actual fans who grew up with the previous games in the series, they honestly have brought innovation with this latest entry and it clearly shows. And yes, it’s just that good of a game that all Wii owners should experience at least once before the system is taken down in favor of the Wii-U next year.
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complete and because I want to teach people.” During the workshop Moy also mentioned associate degrees called AA-T degrees that let you immediately transfer from LMC to a CSU. “There are transfer admissions guarantees,” said Moy. “If you complete certain classes with a certain GPA, you are guaranteed to get into a CSU.” The LMC majors that are currently part of the AA-T with this program include sociology, psychology, child development and communications. More majors have been submitted for review and are waiting to be approved.LMC student Jonathan Flores has
cast members were with each game. Ideas came from the audience and the actors had to respond accordingly. The cast did a great job of involving the audience, which made the show even easier and pleasant to follow. It was great to see the talent that we have brewing within our own campus. The improv show kept the audience laughing throughout the show. There were some slight moments of dullness but overall the show was a nice end of semester treat. The next time there is an improv show, make sure you take the time to check it out because it’s worth the laughs.
decided to take advantage of the AA-T degrees. “I’m really glad I attended one of these workshops,” said Flores. “If I didn’t, I never would have found out about this program that would allow me to get into San Jose State easier.” For students wanting to get more information about transferring to a CSU, a CSUEB representative will be at the LMC transfer center on Thursday, Dec.15. Two workshops will be held to accommodate all interested students. The first one starts at 9:30 a.m. and ends at noon, the other will be from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. To RSVP for the event, call the Transfer Center at 439-2181 ext. 3124.
a huge twist. DJ Kaskade slowed every track, added strings of guitar, cello and violin. Songs like track 10 on Ice, “Room for Happiness” combines the very beautiful and amazingly majestic vocals from Skylar Grey with his superb use of soft keys of a grand piano. The song overcomes selfdestr uction and a sense of emptiness by accepting the loss of love. It gives listeners the sense of striving for a better you, to find center and completeness in your life by telling the audience, “Don’t be fooled by your emptiness, there’s so much more room for happiness.” Other songs from the complete album Fire and Ice continue to carry the same common theme of love and loss. Kaskade unifies the variety of featured personalities on each track throughout the album as Billboard tells us, “With his singular ability to imbue the utilitarian thump-thump of dance with musicality as well as emotion.” The Fire disc embodies a whole different feel when it is compared to Ice. It’s fast paced tempo and quick beats makes the CD suitable for anyone who wants a good speedy tap of the foot or even just a full on dance party. It still has the same lyrics as its duplicate songs on Ice so the emotions are still present but they are taken on by anyone who listens in a whole new way. Fire has so much power and determination, while Ice gives its listeners a sense of Kaskade’s weakness as well as his vulnerability. As a reflection of the last 10 years of DJ Kaskade’s career Fire and Ice will serve him to opening new doors. After being used to quietly releasing hit tracks like “It’s you, it’s me” and “Raining” from previous albums, a huge debut is something so new and fresh for the young DJ and is beginning to set up the path for a whole new approach to his music.
“It’s an ambitious set of plans, but the devil is in the details,” Feliciano said last Wednesday at the monthly Task Force meeting which was held in Sacramento at the Le Rivage Hotel. “There are some good changes but we need to make sure we’re not pushing more students out.” The Task Force’s report says that only 52 percent of degree seeking students ever achieve a certificate, degree or transfer preparation. The repor t also says that students who declare a major in their first year are twice as likely to complete their goals as students who enter a program after their first year. The Contra Costa Community College district, in their official response to the Task Force report, said that the recommendations “will change the mission priorities of community colleges and the way we have traditionally interacted with our students...” The college district asked for six more months to evaluate the draft recommendations, citing that “The six week period given to us does not provide adequate time to thoughtfully consider the draft recommendations. We strongly recommend extending the review process...” As of now it appears that community colleges will not get extra time to examine the Task Force’s ideas becasue the Task Force is bound by law to follow the timeline that has been set up. “ I don’t think it would make sense to give more time... we’ve had open discussions, were doing a lot as far as getting input... I don’t know how we could’ve had a more transparent meeting,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott during a lunch break at the Task Force meeting last Wednesday. The Task Force has appeared before thirty different groups, and has held four town hall meetings across the state in order to get input from the public. After gathering and considering all the input, the Task Force went back and revised their document. They removed a few provisions, but for the most part the original draft remains intact. The revised
“The end of labor is to gain leisure.” — Aristotle
draft has 22 detailed recommendations within it. Jef frey Fang, the student trustee of the San Francisco Community College District, said at Wednesday’s meeting that the Task Force should start all over. “There are some good points,” Fang said, about the Task Force’s recommendations, “ Unfortunately if you really go through it only about 30% of the recommendations actually help students.” The Task Force came about as a result of Senate Bill 1443, authored by Senator Carol Lui. Senate Bill 1443 required the Board of Governor’s to establish a task force to examine best practices and to adopt a plan for improving student success within the California Community colleges system. According to the law, the Task Force will finalize their plans in January 2012 and will send a final report to the state legislature in March. The Task Force is made up of 22 members, consisting of community college leaders, faculty, students, researchers, staff, and external stakeholders. There are two students on the task force, and only one of them, Feliciano, has a vote. The Task Force on Student Success is scheduled to finalize their plans at the next Board of Governor’s meeting on January 9-10, 2012. At Wednesday’s meeting the Task Force members noted that they are still considering public input and that many of the recommendations cannot be implemented without new legislation. The next Board of Governor’s meeting will take place at the state chancellor’s of fice in Sacramento at 1102 Q Street. The Jan 9 meeting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m, and the Jan 10 meeting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. To see the Task Force’s Recommendations in full go to www.cccco.edu and click on the Student Success Task Force link on the top right hand of the page, or call the chancellor’s office at (916) 445-8752 and ask if they can send you a copy of the report.
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paying a ticket and disputing it. What are the possible outcomes for disputing a ticket that is issued to you? “Honestly, it’s a 50/50 chance by a neutral third party, said Traffic Officer Michael Hotton. “Depending on the circumstance and/or letter of recommendation.” Theater major Richard Sutton was given a ticket recently and tried disputing it, but his dispute failed. “My temporary parking permit fell off my dashboard,” said Sutton. “I was on campus for half an hour, it happend to of fell off my dash and I went to the police.” Sutton provided his bank statement as well as the permit, but received a late letter describing that his issue wasn’t deemed unfair and that he could take the ticket to court to dispute it. The letter also informed him that he owed a late fee. Combined with the late fee, his ticket cost would range an upwards of $100. Not all students and teachers dispute their tickets, however. Instructors receive a free permit, but if they happen to not place this permit on their dashboard, they will also be fined. Biology instructor Margaret Kenrich said she often forgets to place hers on the windshield and as a result, said, “I get about one per year here,” adding that since it is her own fault she has not attempted to dispute a ticket yet. According to Campus Police Services, 1,500 to 2,000 citations are written at LMC each semester. So where does all the money from parking tickets go? “The tickets are broken up into portions,” explained Hotton. “They portions end up going to the county, the state of California, they pay for court fees, the processing of the ticket and also to the Police Department.” The Campus Police Services uses its portion of the money to help them pay for police aides, equipment and other police operations.
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in black. The chorale was partnered with two soloists in between, this being a performance by alto Sandy Quintero and tenor Richard Hayes. Both were praised and gained moments of spotlight as Henderson explored their future and past accomplishments. Once the chamber chorale had reached completion, Henderson spoke up once again explaining that he always had something special in store for the audience during the winter concert. In this case, the surprise was featured singer Ivanna Taratula, a Ukrainian opera singer who currently teaches in Walnut Creek. “She’s a very talented lady. She’s from Ukraine,” said Henderson upon introducing the singer to great applause. Ivanna explained to the audience that she had selected dramatic pieces for this concert. During her performance, she was dramatic indeed, complete with hand gestures and topped with facial expressions. Ivanna brought daughter Juliana-Maria with her to the concer t, and they sang two Christmas songs. “ … From our heart to yours,” said Ivanna as they sang the Ukrainian Christmas carol. The
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in a comment on the works, they display a connection to the nature of the clay material’s qualities “with a surface quality that reflects the firing process.” Snow’s own method gives more control over the final result. Hers is a multi-fired process that develops the clay in stages to strengthen it. Glaze is applied to the sculpture before the last firing, which melts it to give it a glass-like quality. One of Snow’s pieces can be seen on the fliers around campus advertising the new show. “I have to compliment Pettite on her handiwork. She’s done a great job with the show,” said Snow remarking on the show’s success.
Photo by Lisa Cassidy
Geoffery McAnally sings ‘Since I gave my heart away’ during the Winter Chorale concert held on Tuesday. duo then stepped away from the microphone, allowing for the final event of the night — five soloists performing pieces of G.F. Handel’s “Messiah” ultimately leading to Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” where the entire chamber sang together once more. The entire crowd stood for this number. “We truly hope that you have enjoyed yourself this fine evening,” Henderson said, “Thank you once again and Merr y Christmas to you.”
“Baked Goods” will be open to the public Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. through December 15. If you are a fan of art, find a way to squeeze it into your busy finals week schedule.
DRAKE From page 4
3000, follows the concepts from Drake’s past song Houstatlantavegas where he once again sings great on. The best song on this album, “Look What You’ve Done,” is a love letter to his mom. This is the most personal song Drake has ever made in his career and the story is touching.
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The Food Drive allows student to donate and submit any nonperishable food (peanut butter, canned vegetables, canned chicken, cereals, etc.) into “Red Barrels,” which are kiosks that are visibly seen throughout campus. Locations include the Student Life Office inside the cafeteria, the Library, the Math & Sci. Building, and the Info Desk. Students can also be a part of Umoja, an LMC program that addresses student needs through academic support services and a curriculum that focuses on African-American literature and history, but anyone is welcome. In the past, they’ve held barbecue and holiday events to build up money and support toward the less fortunate. Sitty Muktari, an Economics student major and treasurer of the program, always enjoys giving a hand to people, and says she’s learned a lot about herself though Umoja as well. “As a person, well really from this program, I really like helping, [like] I’m one of the first people that want to volunteer and do stuff,” said Muktari. “Like I always go to the Student Life, […] and I’d be like, ‘oh, what do you guys need me to help you with?’ We’d begin the semester helping them with stuff.” For disabled 24-year-old Cleveland, Ohio resident David Hawley, who in the past has done fund-raising live-streaming events for Water.org and the Japanese Red Cross Society, you don’t even have to go outside your home to help those in need. “These events consisted of me and my friends broadcasting ourselves playing video games for many, many consecutive hours, asking the viewers to donate,” said Hawley. So what does it take to be someone who wants to help the less fortunate? Lawrence thinks it doesn’t take a whole lot, as she believes that “all an individual needs to be able to help others is willingness. I have found that most students want to help, they may not be sure of how to or what they can do to help,” said Lawrence. In Hawley’s words, “anyone can help. With the right help, even people in comas have raised awareness for issues that affect them. Some people are more capable of helping than others, but even if you’re one of the less capable, there’s something you can do.” It’s not without any rewards. It shows yourself as a good character in social circles and you gain support from others. In Muktari’s case, in her words, “it just gives you just a backbone,” or a sort of support from others for her own needs. For the realistic Hawley though, the last thing to consider for anyone, should be what you get out of it. “Approach all of your charitable actions as if you will never be paid back for them,” he said. “Don’t just say, ‘I want to help somebody, so I might as well help the poor.’ If everybody helps the same cause, who will help the others? If you’re legitimately concerned about the poor, feel free to help them,” said Hawley. “However, it’s best to support a cause that already interests you. Everybody has at least one. Also, don’t think of it as selfish to support a cause that affects you or interests you.” For those who are in their own tough situations that prevent them from having a good holiday, Lawrence has advice for you. “Sur round yourself with people who love and care about you. The holidays can be tough on people for various reasons. The support of family and friends can help make the holidays bearable.” If you’re interested in helping people for the holidays, Hawley suggests, “treating every day like a holiday. That is, every day should be a day to help.”
said Ebner. “Movie clips are quick, often painless, and instantly engaging. Literature introduced after a visual introduction equates to a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down.” Film loosens the boredom in the classrooms, pulling students in by tapping their other visual senses. But is it the better way for students to learn in schools?
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CHOIR From page 4
said Vieira. “She is leaving the choir after three years being a part of it,” said Sandra Brown. “She says she is really going to miss the members and the Professor.”
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Ultimately, the rise of movies as the preferred media among college students is rooted in a statement of convenience. The lean toward film is not telling of an actual intellectual gain. Students use movies to grasp larger concepts and free up their time, but movies don’t prove to develop a sharper mental skill set. As Ebner pointed out, film is useful for one occasion. “Teaching surface or basic concepts, yes,” he said. “Deep learning and critical thinking, no.” “As a librarian, I support all modalities of education,” said Christine Park, technical services librarian at LMC. “I recognize that current students have grown up in a multimedia society and feel comfortable using many different formats for learning.” Park noted that movies based on novels can’t always convey the author’s voice, as well as other factors that go into the learning experience, such as the time period the novel was written in. “I think movies are a great supplement, but I don’t think they will ever replace print in the classroom,” she added. LMC art professor Lucy Snow
agrees with that sentiment. “Students need [to] read the book and see the movie, then discuss, write, compare and contrast. This is critical thinking,” said Snow. Opinions are mixed among students as well as teachers when it comes to teaching and learning methods. Tue Rust, ACE coordinator and math instructor at LMC, leans more toward the popular student preference. “Movies are more efficient than books for certain learning experiences,” said Rust. “In ACE (Academy of College Excellence), we teach students how to understand people’s working styles through analyzing characters in famous movies. The ACE program is an accelerated learning environment available at LMC, offering students a more personal and in-depth education in math and English that differs from typical college courses. With both the sales of Netflix subscriptions and e-readers up, students and teachers are supporting both mediums. “I learned how to speak English reading books and watching a lot of movies,” said Heriberto Diaz, LMCAS president. “I think that movies are a good way to project a different teaching style, however, the use of books is also important.” It is likely that film will find its rightful place in the classroom, and the book will continue to educate willing minds in paper and digital format. As long as students continue to learn from the ways, innovative or traditional, that teachers utilize in instruction, they will be in good hands on their path to graduation.
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Firm figures and opinions
Photo by Callib Carver
Michelle Malcolm, right, and her father, left made Renaissance clothing for their Art 7: Western Art History II final. The class is taught by Ken Alexander. If you are interested in taking it in the spring look it up in the course catalog.
FORO From page 1
de la legislación. También en la agenda se anotaron temas de la ley de inmigración en Alabama HB56 que requiere prueba del estado legal de estudiantes para la inscripción a escuelas públicas, y el programa del Department of Homeland Security, Secure Communities que fue diseñado para identificar a inmigrantes en cárceles en los Estados Unidos quienes pueden ser deportados bajo las leyes de inmigración. Se le dieron tres minutos a cada panelista para explicar su posición en cada tema, y después un minuto para seguimiento sobre el tema o para discutir la posición de otro panelista. Las cosas empezaron con cada miembro dando información sobre su pasado, dándole a la audiencia un sentido sobre su
posición en el tema. Krshna Avila cautivo a la audiencia contando su historia de ser traído al país a los cuatro meses por sus papás y como ha vivido como indocumentado. “Venimos aquí de niños sin consciencia moral de nuestras acciones,” dijo Avila. Los panelistas estuvieron de acuerdo en casi todo los temas. Todos estuvieron de acuerdo que las familias no se deben de separar y que ciertas excepciones debieran de hacerse. Allen Payton dijo más de una vez que, “Hay leyes y hay excepciones a las leyes.” Solamente una vez se puso acalorada la discusión. Cuando hablaron sobre la prioridad de la reforma migratoria en la agenda del gobierno, los panelistas tuvieron posiciones diferentes. Andrea López tuvo una respuesta ferviente a la noción que la
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reforma migratoira es de baja prioridad y que la economía es número uno. “Dile eso a los millones de gente indocumentada que están aquí. Eso es su vida. Eso es algo con lo que tienen que vivir todos los días,” dijo López. La discusión duro dos horas y los panelistas tuvieron la atención de la audiencia durante todo ese tiempo. El miembro del programa Honors, Lingyiqian Luo dijo, “Pienso que fue estupendo porque escuchamos opiniones diferentes, escribimos un ensayo sobre el Dream Act donde tuvimos nuestras propias opiniones. Fue estupendo saber lo que ellos piensan.” Busca fechas para eventos como la discusión sobre la inmigración ilegal por internet en www.losmedanos.edu/calendar.
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student has been involved with extra curriculum activities,”said Willis, adding that “depending on what club you are involved with, you can also use it on your resume.” Willis said that if you are planning to start a club you should be willing to dedicate the time it takes to make it successful. “A lot of my time goes to organizing club activities, but the all the work is very rewarding,” said Willis, adding that if you have made a decision to start a club it is important to get people involved who can help your club grow. “Get to know each member of your club to see who does what they best,” said Willis. Once you have a club up and running you can re-charter it every semester if you want to.
-mester, the bookstore is able to get books back from students to create a system in which everyone succeeds. “Book buy back helped bridge a gap between the beginning of the semester and receiving financial aid,” said former student Jenna Sanchez. Most students face an ongoing dilemma of purchasing books when their financial aid money was not disbursed. The Book buy back gave them extra money to begin the process. Students will find book buy back signs posted around campus, displaying the annual book drive. The future buy back will be held, Monday through Friday, on December 12 – 16 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. So bring all unwanted textbooks for a chance to get back some of what you put in.
FORUM From page 1
requires parents prove the legal status of their children upon enrollment at a public school, and the Department of Homeland Security program Secure Communities, which is designed to identify immigrants in U.S. jails who are deportable under immigration law. The panelists were each given three minutes to give their position on a topic and then were allowed a one minute follow-up to touch on anything they may have left out or to comment on the position of another panelist. Things started out with each member of the panel giving some background information on themselves, which gave the audience a sense of where their stance on the subject was coming from. Krshna Avila captivated the audience with his back-story of being brought to this country by his parents at only four months and living most of his life with no documentation. “We come here as little children with no moral conscious of our actions,” he said. For the most part, the panel agreed on all of the topics. Everyone agreed that families should not be split up because
of illegal immigration and that certain exceptions should be made. Allen Payton said multiple times throughout the discussion that, “there are laws and there are exceptions to laws.” Only once did the discussion really get heated. When speaking of the priority of illegal immigration reform on the government’s agenda the panel had opposing views. Andrea Lopez had a fervent response to the notion that reform is a lower priority issue and that economics were number one. “Tell that to the millions of undocumented people who are here. That is their life. That is something that they have to live with everyday,” she said. The discussion lasted two hours and the panelists had the full of attention of the audience the whole time. Honors member Lingyiqian Luo said, “I thought it was great because we heard dif ferent opinions, we wrote an essay about the Dream Act and had our own opinions. It was great to know what they think.” Find dates for on-campus events like the illegal immigration panel discussion online at www.losmedanos.edu/calendar.
Professor Henderson started teaching music at LMC over 19 years ago. He has been working with young and older student in training their voices on certain levels of voice range. Professor Henderson shared about his life and love for music, as well as the desire to see people fulfill their dreams in music.
“It is very important that we don’t let the young people lose out on what life has for them,” said Professor Henderson. “My goal in my life is to see the young people reach their fullest potential in their life. “ The concert was amazing for the closing of the semester and getting ready for the holidays.
healthy
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HELPING YOU thrive
‘Tis the season…to stress By Mary Klemm, DO
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owever you celebrate the holidays, and whoever you’re celebrating with, if you’re like most of us, stress is part of the picture. Shopping, cooking, traveling, entertaining—there’s so much going on at this time of year it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Here are a few tips for keeping your cool and enjoying the season instead of suffering through it:
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Plan ahead. You’ll have a better holiday if you don’t wait till the last minute. Make time for yourself. Maintaining your fitness activities, eating healthily, and getting enough sleep are the best gifts you can give yourself. Don’t overdo. Set realistic limits on holiday spending, eating, and alcohol consumption. Going overboard won’t make it a better holiday—but will add to your stress. Let it go. Accept that you can’t make everyone happy or control how everyone behaves. Do your best, then relax and focus on the pleasures of the season. Volunteer. Doing something special for the less fortunate in our world expresses the true holiday spirit and will lift your spirits, too. For more tips on managing stress and staying healthy, visit the Kaiser Permanente website at www.kp.org.
This article is proudly sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Mary Klemm, DO, is a Physician Site Leader for the Antioch Medical Center.