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A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Woodland Hills, California Volume 124 - Issue 5
Inside: Elite Cheer champions
Roundup
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Hazardous material found at site
Open House plans finalized
Administration hopeful new event draws crowd
Contamination at chemistry building halts construction
TANYA CASTANEDA & RANDI LOVE
TANYA CASTANEDA & SAMANTHA BRAVO
tcastaneda.roundupnews@gmail.com rlove.roundupnews@gmail.com
tcastaneda.roundupnews@gmail.com sbravo.roundupnews@gmail.com
Soil contaminated with toxic lead and mercury surrounding the old chemistry building, first discovered in the 1990s, continues to be an issue and has forced a delay in construction. The problem is a result of improper disposal of chemicals over the years. A lack of knowledge led students and professors to pour chemicals, such as lead and mercury down the drain, according to Izzy Goodman, adjunct professor of Chemistry. When the problem first surfaced in the 1990s, Pierce College replaced the pipes underneath the chemistry building but new tests show the chemicals still exist. Pierce College President Kathleen Burke said with projects taking place in the area, it is vital to completely get rid of the issue before they can finish construction. The college plans to remove the chemicals by vacuuming the soil. “I mean both options are acceptable, both options are safe, vacuuming out the soil is an abundance of caution,” Burke said. “You take the soil away to a certain level, you vacuum it out to a certain level and then you take it away to toxic storage and that is the option we have planned on doing.” Burke said the new building will open later than others due to vacuuming the soil. According to A Citizen’s Guide to Solidification and Stabilization by the EPA published in September 2012, solidification is the use of materials such as cement to trap the soil into place while stabilization causes a [See Soiled soil, pg. 3]
More than just the girl next door
Former Disney actress opens up about her journey and ambitions
MARIELLE STOBER Features Editor
mstober.roundupnews@gmail.com
Wearing a warm smile that reaches to the edges of her bright blue eyes, Oana Gregory, 20, greets her friends after leaving Broadcasting 1. Like a ritual, the women spill the details of their day before heading out to lunch. This is the usual for the business
Calvin Alagot / Roundup
Cole Cook and Vince Cusimano on stage during a preview performance of “Waiting for Godot.”
Godot finally arrives
Samuel Beckett’s existential play brought to life at Pierce KELLAN BRADLEY Campus Lifestyle Editor
S
kbradley.roundupnews@gmail.com
amuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is a classic play that has always been open to interpretation. Some think the play is about God, death, or even just about life in general. Instead of worrying about meaning of the play, audiences should ask three questions: Does the meticulously crafted language sound natural? Does it feel as though things are happening? And most important of all, is it funny? In the Pierce College production, which runs through April 3, the answer to all three is a hearty yes. Waiting for Godot begins with two men on a barren road by a leaf less tree. Vladimir (Cole Cook) and Estragon (Vince Cusimano), who are also known major who is in her sophomore year at Pierce College. However, those passing Gregory on the mall would not know that the petite blonde has been acting since she was 10 years old. “At first, I didn’t want people [at school] to know that I act,” Gregory laughed. “I wanted to have a normal life outside of work. Only my close friends and a few professors know about it.” Gregory, who recently ended her contract with the Disney Channel, started her career shortly after joining the International Models and Talents Association or IMTA. It was her mother, Mariana Grigorut who suggested that Gregory enroll with the organization. The goal was to combat Gregory’s immense shyness. “I went to what I thought was an etiquette school because my mom
as Didi and Gogo, are waiting for a man whose named Godot. During the entire play they can’t be sure if they’ve met Godot, if they’re waiting in the right place, if it is the right day, or even whether Godot is going to show up at all. While they wait, Vladimir and Estragon fill their time with a series of random activities and trivial fast paced conversations interspersed with more serious ref lection. The friends are soon interrupted by the arrival of Lucky (Bryan Hampton), a man/ servant/pet with a rope tied around his neck, and Pozzo (Joshua Celaya), his master, who is holding the other end of the long rope. The four men proceed to do together what Vladimir and Estragon did earlier by themselves, nothing. Lucky and Pozzo then leave so that Vladimir and Estragon can go back to doing absolutely nothing by themselves. The nothingness is quickly interrupted by the arrival of
the Boy (Giovanni Collins) who reports to Vladimir that Godot isn’t coming today but will be there tomorrow. Dubious, as Vladimir’s suggests that the Boy has said this before. Estragon and Vladimir then continue to talk and then decide to leave, since it’s nightfall and they no longer have to wait for Godot. Of course, having resolved to leave, neither one of them moves, and the lights go out on Act I. The lights come up for Act II, which is strangely similar to Act I. The men are still sitting around waiting for Godot and try to fill the idle hours in the meantime. Lucky and Pozzo show up again only this time Lucky has gone mute and Pozzo is blind. Vladimir starts to gets poetic wondering if maybe he’s sleeping, agreeing with Pozzo’s claim that life is f leeting, and concluding that habit is the great deadener of life. Pozzo and Lucky leave again, just in time for the Boy to show up again and
Taylor Arthur / Roundup
Oana Gregory is an actress who is best known for her roles in Disney’s “Kicken’ it,” “Lab Rats” and “Crash & Bernstein.” wanted me to learn how to be like the other girls in my class,” Gregory said. “She noticed that I was having a hard time so she thought it would be a good way of learning how
things work here [in the US].” Years earlier, her parents had left the town of NegrestiOas in Romania to begin a new life for the family in the United States. Once her
tell Vladimir that Godot isn’t coming today either but will be there tomorrow. Vladimir and Estragon then contemplate suicide, but have no rope. The men once again decide to leave since it’s nightfall and they no longer have to wait for Godot, but neither man moves and the theatre lights fade out. The play ends but I think everyone knows what happens next. Overall, the cast of Waiting to Godot did a great job portraying each character in Beckett’s classic play with wonderful direction by Valorie Grear and amazing set design by Michael Gend. It’s something you shouldn’t miss. But be sure if you see this play to pay attention because it may be called Waiting for Godot but you definitely won’t be waiting long for a great performance. Waiting for Godot runs through April 3 in the Dow Arena Theatre
mother and father had secured visas and a home, Gregory and her older brother, Dorel Muresan joined them in Chicago, Illinois. Muresan, 28, remembers how his sister used to “play tough” when she was little. Though she was always chipper by days end, Gregory encountered numerous difficulties. Most apparent was the language barrier between her and the rest of the class. “We didn’t speak any English when we came to Chicago,” Muresan said. “Oana used to get into fights with the boys at school because they would make fun of her. She was a little tomboy back then but she’s grown a lot since.” Growing up, the two lived with their grandparents in Romania until the time came for them to reunite with their parents. Muresan was 14 years old when he saw his mother
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KIIS FM radio station will play music at the Pierce College Open House on Sunday, April 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rocky Young Park, which will include food, a petting zoo, pony rides for children and carnival games. The Pierce College Council addressed the event on Thursday, March 24. There will be designated locations for each discipline, meaning club and department information tents nearby will be relevant to one another. Each tent will include a table and two chairs along with items of interest that representatives feel best portray their purpose. Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher said the goal is for everybody to have a great time and Pierce College is integrating what has been successful at other campuses into the Open House. “They’re [open houses] great at infusing a community spirit and bringing people, not just for the disciplines but to understand what the college is about,” Schleicher said. “It makes your local community perspective on what’s going on at the college too. Sometimes they see it as a neighbor but they’re not engaged.” Deputy Al Guerrero presented a new policy at PCC limiting the use of golf carts on campus to only those licensed to drive them, including for passengers. Exceptions are for cadets and injured athletes who are driven by their coaches. Some faculty questioned the impact the restrictions will have on campus. Beth Benne, director of the Student Health Center, said she uses the golf carts to transport injured parties to the health center. “The health center sometimes needs to pick up someone who is having a medical emergency and we don’t have access to the golf carts that can carry a gurney.” Benne said. and father again. Gregory was six. “It was a difficult transition going from our home [in Romania] to Chicago because we didn’t have any other family there,” Muresan said. “All of our friends and everyone we knew was somewhere else. So it was hard for Oana and I.” This changed for Gregory soon after her enrollment with the IMTA. Winning “Actress of the Year” in the preteens group and placing second for “Model of the Year” in the 2006 contest, Gregory fast became a beacon for Hollywood talent agencies. Within the year, 54 different agencies and managers had [See Hollywood magic, pg. 6]
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