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INSIDE
ROUND OUNDUP
PHOTO ESSAY: TATTOOS . . . SEE PAGE 4
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Volume 118 – Issue 5
March 27, 2013
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Free tax preparation
Volunteers file for low-income residents Aarica Roberson /Roundup
aroberson.roundupnews@gmail.com
Mohmmad Djauhari / Roundup
ELITE MOVES: Andrea Lavine, Kristin Vasoyan, Julio Alanya, and Jamell Anderson practice their routine for an upcoming competition in the North Gym on March 24.
Team cheerful after win Elite Cheer Squad takes first place at national competition
Ethan Hanson / KPCRadio.com ehanson.kpcr@gmail.com
Pierce College’s year-old Elite Cheer Team cartwheeled into first place at the JAMfest National Series, a two-day cheer and dance competition in Long Beach, Calif., just over a week ago. The team’s victory came as a surprise to cheerleader Roshanda DuQuesnay, who said the team struggled with a lack of execution on the competition’s first day. “I was shocked,” DuQuesnay said. “It was completely unexpected. The first day was really hard, but the fact that we were able to pull through it and get the win is amazing.” The 15-member cheer competition team was first formed in the spring of 2012 by coach Jenny Ghiglia. Ghiglia said she started the team because she wanted to show that cheer is around to support all the sports and give cheerleaders at Pierce a chance to compete. “I wanted to do this as a way to give the kids who work hard the chance to compete,” Ghiglia said. “I also wanted to do this to get the name of Pierce out to maybe recruit kids to the program and also help the teams around Pierce.” Both parts of Pierce’s cheer program, the competition and the team that cheers at sports events, had to go through
cutbacks in order to maintain their program. For instance, in the summer of 2011, the cheer team went from being a part of the athletics department—which funds Pierce’s sports teams—to being part of the physical education department. When the program was on the verge of being cut two years ago, Shilo Nelson, physical education department chair, fought to keep the program. “Nelson came up huge for us,” said Ghiglia, who has been coaching at Pierce for 12 years. “Without his help and without his support, we would not exist.” Although the cheer team was able to keep their program, the amount of time they get for instruction has been cut back. Up until the spring 2012 semester, the cheer team had six hours of instruction during fall for football games and three hours for spring. “It’s really hard not being able to be given the time we need,” Ghiglia said. “There is so much chemistry involved with having a cheer program. It takes time and a lot of effort to make sure everyone is on cue. . . by the time football season begins, we are unprepared.” The cheerleading team has been getting help from outside sources, including the Simi Valley Cheer Force, to get necessary equipment such as spring mats.
In addition, Marwin Lopez and Zack Harris of the Simi Valley Cheer Force have been providing dance instruction and choreography to help the Brahmas succeed in competition. “Simi Valley Cheer Force has been huge,” Ghiglia said. The Brahmas’ elite cheer squad placed second in a competition in Las Vegas, Nev. before coming in first place at JAMfest, which has been their third competition in less than a year. The Brahmas’ first tournament win came after they bounced back from opening the tournament on shaky ground, but squad member Adrienne Willis said Ghiglia gave the team advice that helped them seize victory on the competition’s second day. “She told us that we could hit stunts,” Willis said. “We just had to work hard and shake off the first day jitters.” Following the victory, the competition team is preparing for next month’s JAMfest Nationals Series in Las Vegas, where the team placed second a year ago. Cheerleader Andrea Henderson says there is still more to do before they head out in April. “We’re going to have to step it up. We’re going to have to increase the difficulty on our stunts and practice harder. If we do that, we can win first place,” Henderson said.
Board of Trustees reallocates reserve funds to colleges District divides $10 million among the nine colleges to keep colleges running Nicole Pinto / Roundup
npinto.roundupnews@gmail.com The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees approved a nearly $10 million increase in funding for its nine schools at its Wednesday meeting.The funds will account for 2.5 percent of the LACCD’s Contingency reserve, according to the meeting’s agenda, according to the meetings agenda. Mona Field, former president of the Board, said she is cautiously optimistic. “You can safely say things are getting better, but I don’t think it’s enough yet,” Field said. Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, president of West Los Angeles College, said this fiscal adjustment will allow the colleges to again offer services that were cut back. “This will allow the colleges now to start growing our offerings and to start rebuilding
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some of the programs that tallied. we had cut back on in the “Last year, we were The current redistribution of pre-Proposition 30 days,” in very difficult fiscal funding according to the Board of Abu-Ghazaleh said. times,” Abu-Ghazaleh Although Proposition Trustees agenda will go as followed said. “The Board chose for each LACCD campus: 30 passed last Nov. and to increase our budget kept school’s state funding reserves at the district City: $1,431,448 from plummeting, the level to make sure that, East: $2,164,559 Board’s Second Vice if Proposition 30 did Harbor: $661,269 President Nancy Pearlman not pass, there would Mission: $599,213 said the reallocation be sufficient reserves Pierce: $1,425,617 of funds isn’t directly to keep our colleges Southwest: 499, 674 connected. operating.” Trade-Tech: $1,192,075 “Proposition 30 gave Field said that the Valley: $1,278,391 us enough money so that Board’s goal is to get as West: $692,921 we didn’t have to make much money as possible more drastic cuts. It is to the colleges. not a long-term solution,” “These funds will Pearlman said. basically help us operate at a manageable Proposition 30 was a relatively close call at level,” said Abu-Ghazaleh. “It also means that the polls, and Abu-Ghazaleh said the LACCD we can start looking at some of the students put away some money before the votes were success programs, and maintenance issues
P I E R C E The Pierce College Weather Station has provided meteorological data to national agencies since 1949. The information in this graph was provided by our weather correspondent, Sean Clemmons.
Wednesday March 27 High: 69° Low: 52° Partly Cloudy
that we have been skimping on.” LACCD schools are also looking into hiring full-time faculty, according to AbuGhazaleh. “There will be more student access when it comes to classes, and student services like counseling, tutoring, financial aid and staff,” said Field. “All the things that they were squeezing and cutting back, we can now enhance again hopefully to enough.” The conservative approach the Board took to addressing the budget cuts helped the District get through some difficult years, according to Abu-Ghazaleh. “Our colleges are always in need of dollars, and we don’t want to cut classes,” Pearlman said. We want to be sure that people can get the classes they need to get through the programs fast and efficiently. “We need to be able to do proper maintenance and operations.” [See FUNDS, Page 3]
W E A T H E R Thursday March 28 High: 71° Low: 55° Partly Cloudy
Friday March 29 High: 78° Low: 53° Sunny
A free tax-preparation service will be hosted twice a week on Pierce’s campus until two days before the mid-April tax-filing deadline. As a member of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, Pierce welcomes anyone who makes $51,000 or less to receive help preparing their income tax returns from the volunteerbased service, according irs.gov. The service, hosted by the Pierce College Business Administration Department, is offered twice a week in Business 3218 until April 13. “It’s free. The state provides state materials and the IRS provides the federal stuff,” Assistant Professor of Business Administration Robert Foster said. “It’s ideal for single moms and students.” The Business Department, the IRS, and the California Franchise Tax Board have worked together for nearly 40 years to provide this service to LA residents.
To get your taxes prepared for free: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance is offering free tax preparation to families with annual incomes of $50,000 or less every Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. in BUS 3218. Services end on April 13.
For more info: Robert Foster: 818-710-4397 David Braun: 818-719-6479
California State University, Northridge’s Business Department is also a VITA member, but the program limits its volunteers to university business students. Foster and his team of IRScertified tax-preparers includes students studying tax preparation as well as community volunteers working together to ensure that clients’ taxes are prepared by the April 15 deadline. Some of the preparers were in the beginning stages of preparing their taxes, but there were also preparers who had volunteered themselves, some having years of experience with VITA. “Once the student prepares the taxes, they get the tax return checked by one of our experienced volunteers,” Business Department Chair David Braun said. “They check to make sure that the student has done everything exactly the way it needs to be done” Clients are asked to bring their W-2s and supply personal information so the preparers can thoroughly coach their clients through all of the details to ensure the largest refund possible. [See TAX, Page 3]
R E P O R T
Saturday March 30 High: 76° Low: 51°
Sunday March 31 High: 70° Low: 49°
Monday April 1 High: 70° Low: 49°
Sunny
Showers
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Tuesday Wednesday April 2 April 3 High: 71° High: 71° Low: 47° Low: 48° Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy