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East Los Angeles College Campus News, Monterey Park, Calif.
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Staff WriterSergio Berrueta
Staff WriterDanny Vasquez
CENTER Continued on page 3
Men’s and Women’s P.E. Departments may combine
Adelante to reshape program
Volume 71, Issue 3 Wednesday, september 25, 2013sIngle copy free - addItIonal copIes 50 cents
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Boyle Heights store introduces Chicano art See Page
4
News BriefsNews Briefs
Staff WriterJesus Figueroa
The Los Angeles Community College District, Van De Kamp Innovation Center, splits 14 classes between East Los Angeles College and Los Angeles City College to determine if more classes will be added in the future.
This is the first time ELAC has offered courses at the center. Originally, the center was meant for LACC students and the Glassell Park community.
ELAC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Richard Moyer, Ph.D., said LACCD Interim-Chancellor Adriana Barrera, Ph.D., had the idea to offer classes at the center.
“ELAC is the most successful college in the LACCD. We are the largest college and we have a financial surplus that we were able to generate. We’ve done well in terms of attracting and retaining students and it was (Barrera’s) belief that ELAC would be in a position to kick off this project,” Moyer said.
The center’s use was to provide
an outreach toward the community with technological education.
For about 10 years, Van De Kamp was leased by the LACCD to outreach more students in the community and provide LACC more space for classes. Before becoming a center, it was formally the Van De Kamp bakery and needed to be remodeled to house classrooms.
“It cost a large amount of money to refurbish that facility and all they left of that front building was the facade and the foundation, and they had the high school in the back,” Moyer said.
The use of the center was to provide technology classes for a community that was outside of district lines. The center is located a good distance away from both ELAC and LACC on 2930 Fletcher Drive in Los Angeles. Students would need to consider transportation before attempting to take a class at the center.
Two years ago, classes were taught at the center until a coalition of community organizations and citizens filed a lawsuit claiming misuse of public funds.
The Men’s and Women’s Physical Education Departments looks at the viability of combining departments to become one Kinesiology Department, as recommended by the Enrollment Management Committee.
In combining the two P.E. Departments, the dance discipline, which is part of the Women’s PE Department, is recommended to separate from the Kinesiology Department and either become their own department or join
another department.“The committee struggled in
trying to find a reason to keep the departments separate because that seemed to be where the faculty wanted to be,” Associate Dean of Research Ryan Cornner, Ph.D., said.
The decision to become one department will be decided by a vote by both departments faculty before the beginning of the 2014-15 school year.
The merge of departments will bring up issues that will affect students and faculty.
The major change, after the merge, affecting students at ELAC
would be the ability to repeat courses. Under the new discipline, there would be no repeating of courses allowed instead leveling courses to keep students advancing.
“Because we move to the Kinesiology discipline will mean all our students get restarted,” Cornner said, “even if they took physical education 1 and 2, they can still take the kinesiology version because it’s seen as a new course by the state,” he said.
Students would have a chance to repeat courses they have already completed.
The repeatability of a course will be affected immediately.
“The other thing is the leveling of courses, which the women did a lot of and the men didn’t do any of, will save the students by allowing them to repeat as long as they are moving along the level progression,” Cornner said.
The new department would have to set up a course schedule that would keep students moving forward with each course progressing in level, as satisfactory completion of each course is achieved.
Instructors might be affected in a negative way as they would have to choose one subject in the department to have seniority.
“There could be issues if you have somebody who has seniority in both departments because the contract does not allow them to have two seniority classes unless they were grandfathered in a long time ago,” Cornner said, “technically speaking within a department you have to choose the discipline you want to have seniority in,” he said.
The newly formed Kinesiology Department will need to vote on a new dean, each department has a dean, at the moment, it would go down to one dean for the new department.
The merge would also eliminate
overlapping courses.“Over the past three years, Men’s
(PE Department) has offered 46 different courses and the Women’s (PE Department) has offered 106 different courses. Together the departments have offered 123 different courses,” Cornner said.“You’ll notice that 46 and 106 do not add up to 123. That’s because of the overlap,” he said.
There are 29 of the courses that overlap representing 23.6 percent, with men having a large amount of overlap courses and women’s having less because of the dance discipline being part of their department.
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The Adelante First-Year Program at East Los Angeles College has undergone a viability review in order to reshape the program and expand beyond the focus of first-year students.
The Adelante Program is known for being a program giving a number of first-year students a leg up on the college campus in order to transfer to a four-year university.
Adelante has worked on methods to reshape the program for fall 2014, including not limiting to recent graduated high school students, but rather newcomers coming in regardless of the age.
Another step in reshaping the program is to expand beyond first-year students and extending to second-year students.
Many students under Adelante are full-time, but Adelante may move forward focusing on part-time students that make up most of the enrollment at ELAC.
“All changes of the viability review go into effect in the next year,” Program Director of Adelante Jessica Cristo said,
“As with all completed viability reviews”
Adelante’s current program has yet to reach the 50 percent enrollment rate. The enrollments are lower than the average rate and decline by 30 percent of students enrolling in the program.
The program has faced a decrease in degree and certificate attainment from students that struggle in courses not related to Adelante and the Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) pathway of classes. The number of students in the program earning a degree or certificate have decreased from 26 percent in 2007 to 12 percent as of 2009.
These issues stem from many students coming from the grade school atmosphere rather than the program focusing on a multigenerational group.
“Last year, we had the most issues with discipline and the larger population sees that we have had disciplinary issues,” Cristo said.
The program is also looking for a full-time faculty and counseling staff that is committed to the program, including a dean position, that can help regain the program’s momentum.
Interact with Campus NewsInteract with ELAC Campus News on social
media using the page hashtags #ELACCN, #ELACCNFront, #ELACCNOpinions, #ELACCNNews, #ELACCNFeatures, ELACCNArts and #ELACCNSports.
Correction:In the first issue this semester of Campus News, Breeno
Moreno was reported as setting a school record for a punt return for a touchdown, when Moreno tied for the record. The record was set in 1958 by Roger Williams.
Transfer Center to hold college fair The transfer center will hold a college fair next
Thursday in the Parking structure 3 walkway and swim stadium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Van De Kamp’s to host coursesThe old Van De Kamp’s building will open it’s doors and provide seven courses each for East Los Angeles College and Los Angeles City College
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013Opinion2 EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
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Vatican must address issues
Student driving raises concern
Six months ago the Vatican named Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio its new pope, marking the first time a pope has been appointed from the New World
Pope Francis I took over the reins of a church that had been rocked in recent years by child molestation scandals that had some Catholics leaving the church in droves.
In addition to the well-publicized scandals, the church has continued many of its long-standing policies that have alienated a large number of its 1.2 billion members.
Issues such as birth control, abortion, female clergy, divorce, same-sex marriage, celibacy and gay rights have shaken the very foundation of the church’s base and has Catholics throughout the world calling for change.
Last week the pope shocked the Catholic world by warning the church that it may “fall like a house of cards” if it does not address its rigid views on these issues with emphasis on abortion, contraception and gays.
Long before the misconduct scandal surfaced, I had been long disillusioned with the church’s refusal to join the 21st Century, but the pope’s comments last week has given me renewed hope that change may be coming.
Francis called these issues divisive and that the church must become a more “merciful and welcoming
place for all,” reinforcing comments he made this summer about the three issues.
“The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules,” said Francis to La Civilta Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit magazine
While making his historic
comments have been encountered with open-arms by progressive Catholic liberals, especially in the United States, there also exists the conservative hard-liners that want to keep the status quo.
Although Catholic liberals and conservatives each have a unique take on the pope’s comments,
It seems that driving at East Los Angeles College and the unspoken decency that comes with driving has been lost.
Students driving at ELAC seem to have forgotten that they are all human beings and they will get to their destination sooner or later
Getting out of a parking spot in one of the several parking structures at ELAC has now become a trial of how fast drivers can reverse.
Frequently drivers have to shoot out before the next passing car comes and does not allow the driver to get out of their parking spot.
Is it going to make you that much later if you stop and allow one car to get out of their parking spot?
Grand Theft Auto is a video game and should not be used as a demonstrational video game of how to drive in the real world.
Students have to remember that these other drivers getting out of parking stalls are also their fellow classmates, teachers and potential friends.
S tuden t s shou ld no t be burning those bridges before they are even built.
First impressions can go a long way. Students can be remembered
as the driver that cut another student off and might not receive the same help from fellow classmates as another student who allowed a classmate to cut in front of them.
Drivers should show empathy towards other drivers trying to get out of their parking spots.
After all, we have all stretched to the far back seats of our cars to find that perfect time to shoot out into cross-traffic.
Students have to also realize that the same rules that apply to pedestrians walking on the street, apply to pedestrians walking in the parking structure.
If drivers see students about to cross a crosswalk, they should slow down.
Beating a pedestrian to a pedestrian crosswalk will only make you look impatient.
Fur thermore , i t migh t be embarrassing if you are unable to beat the pedestrian to the crosswalk and come face-to-face with the person you are racing.
When speaking of driving conditions, the pedestrian can never be left out.
Please realize that there are as many responsibilities as driving when acting as a pedestrian.
Drivers do not solely carry the full blame when talking about the rules
one fact remains - nothing has changed within the church because of his comments.
What he has done is bring to light the issues that have divided Catholics in recent years, which is a positive thing.
If the pope has opened a dialogue that addresses these very important
issues to debate, he falls short in other areas, specifically the role of women in the church.
In late July, while on a flight from Brazil to Rome, Francis seemingly opened his arms to the gay community, but at the same time ignored the plight of possibly the most disenfranchised members of the church – women.
Calling women in the church more important than any priest or bishop and even more important than the apostles, he added that women would never be included into the ordained ministry.
This contradiction boggles the mind.Why is it OK to start a dialogue that would embrace one minority, while at the same time continue a hard line against another?
Francis freely admits that women play a large role in the Catholic community serving in many capacities including as nuns and lay teachers.
What type of message is the pope sending to young girls who are born into the church and are discovering the church regards them as second-class citizens?
If females are such an integral part of the church, why would the pope disallow their ordination into the priesthood?
Although it can be argued that Francis has made great ripples in the fabric that is the Catholic Church, I would implore him to not stop short of his ideals and include all members of society in his vision for the new church.
of the road. Pedestrians need to be careful that
they are not walking in the middle of the road, where they can get hit.
Often t ime, students walk too far in the middle of the parking structure.
I understand that there are no walkways for pedestrians in the parking structures but don’t take that out on drivers.
Your walking partner won’t mind if you walk in front or back of them in order to save your life.
Be considerate of the fact that pedestrians and drivers have to share the same road.
Students aren’t proving a point if they are walking in front of moving cars and drivers also don’t prove anything flying past a group of students walking in the structure.
The main thing we have to keep in mind about driving is patience.
Understand that you will get to your class or destination at some point.
Students should re-evaluate the time they leave home if they are rushing to class and having to speed through the parking structure.
Traff ic in Los Angeles is inevitable. Learning how to deal with traffic in a parking structure might help your driving career and make you a better person.
C A M P U S V O I C E :
“I think its more professional to contact them through a school website.”
Jennifer GonzalezEnglish
“It’s nice. You can communicate better. Everyone uses Facebook.”
Geovanny VargasEngineering
“Facebook is distracting, I think Moodle is a better choice.”
Analisa ZamoraPolitical Science
“Its really helpful. A lot of students can easily access it instead of going through emails
Logan PinaGraphic Design
What do you think about professors using Facebook as a method of communication?
www.ELACCampusNews.com
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 News 3
“The unique advantage
of Facebook is that many students are
already using Facebook.”
Dr. Daneil Waktola Professor
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Staff WriterFreddy Monares
Students, faculty use social media
The art of obtaining a college degree is evolving and the world of social media is opening the lines of communication.
College is now a little easier through the access of Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets that connect students with professors and other classmates.
Groups specifically made for East Los Angeles College textbook sales, ELAC in general and other issues surrounding our college are popping up on social media sites.
The Los Angeles Community College District organized a special training program named Faculty Teaching and Learning Academy this January.
Adjunct assistant professor Daniel Waktola, Ph.D., was in attendance at the training program. Dr. Waktola says that included in this training was the use of social media in the classroom.
“In most courses, students meet once a week and their interaction with classmates are very limited. Facebook enables the interaction- seven days a week,” says Dr. Waktola.
Dr. Waktola has implemented Facebook this year in his Physical Geography and Earth Science course and has already seen the
impact of social media on his classes.
Students get much of their coursework done outside of the classes and social media site proves to be advantageous for students taking the course.
“The unique advantage of Facebook is that many students are already using Facebook, and spending [a] considerable portion of their time,” says Waktola. “I can reach them in a simple, fast and efficient way.”
Another advantage the group offers is it encourages students to post events related to the class on the group wall.
“Students post pictures taken during picnics during their weekends such as landslides, clouds, deserts, smog and parks…. which adds new dimension to the course and get it linked to their daily life.” Waktola says.
Waktola says most conversations posted on the group’s wall include ques t ions abou t dead l ines , comments on new mater ia l posted by the instructor, helping fellow students better understand homework assignments and find cheaper textbooks.
In another Facebook group, “ELAC Students TxtBk – Buy, Sell, Trade,” students from ELAC can post and sell or trade books no longer useful to students.
“What gave me the idea to create the group was the frustration of buying textbooks,” said group
administrator and third-year ELAC student Anna Figueroa.
Students have figured out how to corner the market and really use networks to do what they are intended for, networking.
Through the organizing of the student body, they are inadvertently e a s i n g t h e w a y students are going about schooling.
“I kind of got the idea from Facebook where they use groups to do the same thing with other i tems; shoes, clothes, etc. It’s also easier than selling (books) back to websites or Amazon,” Figueroa said.
The group was founded about a year ago and currently reaches more than 200 members.
“I feel l ike the growth of this group is slow. I do my best to try to encourage people to add their classmates on here, to share the groups, or search us,” Figueroa said.
Instead of textbooks gathering dust in student’s desks, they are being re-circulated with the use of the cyber-world.
Figueroa and the textbook buyback group have eased this process immensely.
The use of this group may also help clean up the campus. The
boards on campus have too many fliers that often times end up on the floor, littering the campus with unwanted ads of used books.
“I’d like for there to be space to put some flyers about school activities and clubs,” Figueroa said.
Figueroa hopes that the use of the club alleviates some of the postings on the bulletin boards around campus.
Waktola says the integration of Facebook with his courses can also build bridges for students who are interested in the same area of study. “They could be invited as a guest to share their ideas/experiences to junior students who are going to enroll in my course next semester,” Waktola says.
Waktola encourages other instructors to
include social media to better reach the students they are teaching.
“Whether we like it or not, Facebook and other social media tools are the most important modes of communication amongst our students,” Waktola says.
If you would like to be a part of Figueora’s textbook buy-back group visit the group’s site at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ELACStudentTxtbks/ or contact the group at [email protected].
Center: ELAC tests out new satellite
Continued from page 1
Instead of leaving the center empty, the LACCD allowed the Alliance Charter School to use the property alongside LACC.
The district asked both ELAC and LACC to provide classes as an experiment to see how the center will progress and to determine future use. Classes at the center will start on Monday for 12 weeks.
“Based on that we would determine whether we would offer more classes or perhaps somewhere down the road look at it as an educational center like South Gate,” Moyer said.
LACC and ELAC will each offer seven evening courses, Monday/Wednesday classes and Tuesday/Thursday classes for three hours each class session. All courses at the center are three transferable units courses.
Three classes are filled and classes such as Administration of Justice 001, Chicano Studies 002, Communication studies 101 and Health 08 are still open at the center.
The facilities will be shared with the charter high school and classes will seat 35 to 40 students. Moyer said that the rooms are small and if the center would succeed, there would be need to expand.
“The district has owned the Van De Kamp for quite some time and they haven’t yet decided on the purpose to serve. The community would like some classes there and we would like to teach classes there as a district,” Moyer said.
To add courses vist laccd.edu/Students/Pages/Current-Students.aspx and, for new students, apply at laccd.edu/Students/Pages/ New-Students.aspx.
#elaccn
www.ELACCampusNews.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013Feature4 EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
Staff WriterAlejandra Carrillo
Staff WriterAgustine Ugalde
Staff WriterSergio Berrueta
Espacio 1839 promotes Chicano culture
Former golfer teaches theater
ESL instructor helps students with robot project
the spot—Espacio 1839 displays a wide variety of books for adults and children courtesy of Elisa Garcia, the owner of Imix books. David Garcia, one of the owners, also supplies the store with a selection of vinyls.
black market— Radio Sombra’s Nico Avina, left, records and broadcasts George Vallejo and Angel Chang, members of the band Buyepongo, for his show Merkado Negro at Espacio 1839.
cN/erIk lUNa
cN/YeseNIa martINeZ
An unyie ld ing pass ion to introduce and develop artistic interest into eastside community youth is the driving force behind Espacio 1839 in Boyle Heights.
Part retail store, part radio station and part community service organization, Espacio 1839 brings together four artisans dedicated to spreading the eastside culture through their work.
Co-owners Nico Avina, Elisa Garcia, Marco Amador and David Gomez bring their talents to the organization that range from music, to painting and graphic design, according to Avina.
Avina, who was born and raised in Boyle Heights, said the four friends have known each other for a number of years but didn’t know they were destined to begin a business together.
“We weren’t looking to open up a store,” Avina said.
Avina was approached by the building owner while displaying his art at the Boyle Heights Farmer’s Market during a Caminarte (art walk) event, setting-off a series of events that led to the founding of Espacio 1839.
Avina said the owner was impressed with his art and with the work the artists were doing within the community and offered him the space.
The espacio in Espacio 1839 translates to “space” from Spanish
Professor Ron Chang Lee, Ph.D. strives to help people learn English with computer technology.
Lee was born and raised in China. While living in China, he graduated from Suzhou University with a bachelor’s in English.
He then s t a r t ed t each ing English as a foreign language to science and engineering college students in 1980.
“There were not many English teachers in China at that time and there were too many people wanting to learn English,” Lee said.
Lee came to the United States with a goal in mind, which was to create an electronic English tutor that people around the world can access for free.
He attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a master’s in ESL and a Ph.D. in
to English and helps define the type of organization it is.
It is more than just a retail outlet and more than a radio station; it is a space where the community can learn about its culture.
The organization engages the community with panel discussions about issues that affect the east side through meetings, art receptions and film and by offering artistic workshops to community youth.
Radio Sombra plays a variety of music rooted in the eastside culture
ranging from local artists to music dedicated to the plight of the people of color, according to Avina.
“We wanted to build community pride and a sense of being proud of where you came from,” Avina said.
The organization caught the eye of Mexican-born, rapper/singer, Maya Jupiter, who was so taken by the work being done by the cooperative that she came to Boyle Heights to get involved.
Her radio show, Black Beans, Brown Rice, Radio, strives to
create awareness of social issues and injustices that exist for people of color.
The self-described social activists felt an immediate connection with Espacio 1839 and the surrounding community.
“It felt very comfortable to have my show hosted by Radio Sombra. It has a very family oriented, supportive feel to it,” Jupiter said.
She has been actively involved with weekend youth workshops that takes students through the radio show production process culminating in the “Por Vida Youth Radio,” an all-student show.
“This is a center for community building,” Jupiter said.
Al though Avina owes h is inspiration to the murals and local music he experienced while growing up in Boyle Heights, he has been greatly influenced by the late, Jose Alfredo Jimenez.
He cites an inspirational, Spanish quote by the Mexican singer/songwriter which roughly translates to, “the day the community is no longer supportive of us, we know we are no longer reflective of the community.”
The group’s long term goal is to expand its workshop sessions and to continue to instill a sense of cultural pride and community in young people.
“We know we want to be here for a long time,” Avina said.
Espacio 1839 is located on 1839 First St., Los Angeles, Calif 90023 and can be reached at (323) 265-3730. Radio Sombra’s web address is radiosombra.org.
educational technology in 1998. After graduating he worked at a
company that d e v e l o p e d E n g l i s h l e a r n i n g s o f t w a r e . H e b e g a n t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h a a s e c o n d language at E L A C i n 2006 and still continues to do so.
L e e ’ s ESL Robot p r o j e c t b e g a n i n 2 0 0 6 a f t e r he became the recipient of a $30,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Lee’s ESL Robot placed third in the Online Robots Contest, “2010 Chatterbox Challenge” and
a year later took first place in the 2011 Loebner Prize in Artificial
Intelligence Junior Challenge.
He tied for first place in the Junior Contest and won s e c o n d p l a c e i n t h e g e n e r a l c o n t e s t d u r i n g the International L o e b n e r P r i z e Contest 2013.
The ESL Robot “English Tutor,” otherwise known as “Mike,” is an application that can
be downloaded into mobile devices.
People can also use “Mike” by visiting Lee’s websites, www.rong-chang.com and www.eslfast.com/robot.
“It is a conversation system. If a person does not have someone to talk to, to practice English, they can
use this,” Lee said. “Most of the other contestants
make programs for entertainment, not for learning. P e o p l e w e r e surprised that I won because I was new to this and they had not heard of me,” Lee said.
Lee’s program a l lows h im to check each and every question or conversation people have with it so that he can learn what people struggle with the most.
“I put time and effort into this program and find ways to make it more efficient. I think my linguistic knowledge helps me and because I have that knowledge I can always make the program work better,” Lee said.
Lee feels that technology will keep evolving over time and it
will continue t o r e s h a p e education.
H e h o p e s t h a t p e o p l e take advantage o f th i s f ree p r o g r a m not only for t h e b e n e f i t o f l e a r n i n g English, but also to reduce e r r o r s i n wr i t i ng and improve skills
in typing. Lee encourages
his students to use the program and has had positive feedback from students that have used it.
Shawn Png and Li Chen, two of Lee’s students this semester, have started using the program and have
found it to be helpful.“It has helped me in many ways
like in my grammar and speaking. It is also very interesting to chat with. It keeps me entertained. I will continue to use it even after the semester ends,” Png said.
Chen who also uses the “Mike” said that it has helped him improve his writing, typing and conversation skills.
“In the past you had to have a teacher in the classroom to learn, but I think the Internet has been revolutionizing education. With the help of computers, learning will become more individualized,” Lee said.
According to h is webs i te statistics, about 6,000 users visit the website weekly for his ESL Robot. Aproximately 30,000 visit for both of his websites daily.
“I feel good about helping that many people learn English and I can feel that my students do improve by the end of each semester,” Lee said.
Golfing was always a passion for East Los Angeles Theatre Arts Department instructor Natalie Wong before she came to ELAC to help teach the community she lived in.
Wong built a small, yet illustrious professional career in golfing for 10 years while attending Yale University.
“I played junior golf, high school golf, college golf (at Yale) and mini-tour golf. Pretty much, every level of golf except for the highest level, so I retired. It was something on the side,” Wong said.
Wong’s father, Bing Wong, taught her the sport of golf at a young age.
Wong played golf since she was 11-years-old. She won even t s d u r i n g m i d d l e s c h o o l , h i g h s c h o o l a n d college.
“On the pro side, I was a really steady player. I would always make the cut and finish around 20th or 30th. My best finish was finishing 2nd in an event. I didn’t win it and I didn’t really make it onto the big tour,” Wong said.
Wong started here after getting offered a position at Mission College’s financial aid office, but ultimately ended making the move to be a part of the ELAC theatre arts team.
“I did not want to be part of financial aid and could not make the drive. I eventually got interviewed for two positions here and thought that theatre (department) would be fun,” Wong said.
Wong was hired as a secretary despite not having a background in theatre.
“I could have gotten hired for the English Department or the Journalism Department. Luckily, the department was big enough being alongside Speech and Broadcasting in order to get someone like me.
“I have learned so much. I totally did not look at this part of education or even the arts at all growing up – since my parents were never around theatre people,” Wong said.
Rodney Scott, a fellow professor who works with Wong in the Theatre Department, says that the addition of Wong to the department has boosted morale.
“She is hardworking, very organized, efficient and a good personal role model. She gets along with everyone here and helps us. There is not a teacher in this
department that can say she is not a benefit. We all recognize her worth to us,” Scott said.
With the new experience, Wong found theatre to be similar to the work that one may find in the real world.
“We are rehearsing and working long hours. It is a fun department and feels real compared to sitting down, taking notes and doing examinations. It prepares you for what is out there,” Wong said.
Wong grew up in the East Los Angeles area in Montebello and attended Montebello High School. After high school, Wong studied at Yale and majored in Geology.
“I was actually thinking of majoring in geology in order to teach geology here at ELAC. I thought I
would be more successful in the science field since all
these smart people were taking English and
History. “ I s w i t c h e d
m a j o r s a f t e r realizing it was not for me, but I always enjoyed the aspect of nature and the environment,” Wong said.
A t Ya l e , Wong went f r o m t h e familiar sights of Southern California to
the yet- to-be d i s c o v e r e d
Connecticut. “It was really
d i f f e r e n t , v e r y a c a d e m i c . T h e architecture is different with it being from the 18th Century. The people are different. There is a big culture shock, and you just
have to grow up. “You are pushed out of California,
you have no one to depend on, so you must make friends. It was hard, but fun. Going back after freshman year – you think ‘wow, I got this, I can do this’ and it makes you really grow.”
Wong takes classes alongside her occupation at ELAC diving into a bit of everything as a modern Renaissance woman from stage lighting to house management.
“The first semester I was at ELAC, I took stage management because I wanted to learn something about the theater department. I also took Microsoft Word and Excel,” Wong said, “And every semester, I take a dance class.”
Wong had a role as the Other Woman in the Spring production of the thriller Dead Man’s Cellphone, playing a mysterious femme fatale that is just one clue surrounding the mystery of the titular dead man.
Outside of ELAC, Wong is a self-made weekend warrior continuing her golfing with the Los Angeles Chinese Golfing Club and learning martial arts based self-defense at Fit from the Ground Up in Montebello.
RON CHANG LEE TUTOR MIKE
NATALIE WONG
www.ELACCampusNews.com
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 SportS 5
Staff WriterJC Casarez
Staff WriterWilliam Hernandez
Staff WriterDiego Linares
Volleyball loses close game
Football rallies in overtime
Huskies wrestle away two wins
Can’t CatCH me—Husky running back Namaan Young shows off his burst of speed and strength as he breaks a West LA tackle after receiving a short pass from quarterback Alek Barrera.
all wrapped up—ELAC wrestler, Levante Chism, takes control of his opponent from Rio Hondo College in the 174 lb class, with a double chicken wing during Saturday’s dual meet hosted by Mt. San Antonio College.
Cn/danny Vasquez
Cn/jC Casarez
Linebacker Darzil Washington was the difference maker as he blocked the game-tying point-after-touchdown kick in overtime, which resulted in a 21-20 Husky win over West Los Angeles College last Saturday.
Weingart Stadium was abuzz with cheering fans as Washington amassed 12 total tackles, 5.5 of those being tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, to go along with a forced fumble, which he recovered at a crucial point in the fourth quarter.
East Los Angeles College will take their strong defensive play into a South Coast Conference matchup against Mt. San Jacinto College, at Carl Quandt Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
ELAC quarterback Alek Barrera began his debut as starter with two interceptions in the first quarter allowing West LA to take advantage and strike first.
Husky running back Naaman Young helped his quarterback by being effective on 23 carries as he racked up 141 yards on the ground throughout the night.
“It’s a big effort on offense. All the kids are young and they all believe in each other and they work hard. (Offensive tackle) Steve Granillo showed a lot of poise. There was a point where he was getting beat a couple times, but just kept fighting,” ELAC Head Coach Steve Mojarro said.
Barrera seemed to gain rhythm after the first Wildcat score and ran the Husky offense well as he led them to two consecutive scoring drives in the first half. Although he was sacked twice, Barrera also showed off his athleticism scrambling out of the pocket when needed, keeping his eyes downfield for his receivers and scoring on a rollout in overtime.
The season officially got under way for the wrestling team as they competed last Saturday in the dual meet hosted by Mt. San Antonio College.
The team walked away with a team record of 2-2 having defeated Bakersfield College 27-15 and Rio Hondo College by a score of 25-15.
The Huskies next competition will be in another dual meet when they travel to Bakersfield College this Friday for two days of competition.
The team was competitive but came up short in defeat to Palomar College 13-30 and also lost to the host school by a team score of 13-33.
The event represented itself as the first of the season not only in terms of competition but also in a chance for Head Coach Ralph Valle to evaluate his squad.
New faces on the team were encountering their first taste of college competition.
“That’s typical for this time of the year. Guys are tentative and don’t know what to do. And other guys, this is their first time wrestling in college. I’ve got all of the above in situations and that’s just the way it is right now,” Valle said.
Overall the wrestling team faced some challenges because of
Despite a late rally the Husky women’s volleyball team lost a tough match to Los Angeles Mission College last Friday in a 3-2 result.
East Los Angeles College was neck-and-neck the entire game with the Eagles. ELAC came close to securing their second win of the season during the late stages of the final set, but they couldn’t find a way to finish off strong.
The Huskies will compete against the San Bernardino Valley College squad today as their matchup starts at 3 p.m.
“We played excellent, but just need to find a way to close out games,” ELAC Head Coach Elliott Walker said.
The Husky defense helped win the game by consistently getting to the quarterback and winning the turnover battle against the Wildcats. Two fumble recoveries and an interception off Wildcat quarterback Derek Stewart went a long way in the Husky victory.
“We are really starting to come together man. I think we have one of the best D-lines they said we ever had here. So, we had about four sacks tonight. I got a sack, my d-end Darzil got a sack. I am so lucky to have him beside me,” Husky defensive tackle and University of Southern California bound Mike Wyche said.
The Wildcat’s offense was h igh l igh ted by the p lay of quarterback Chase Crossley and running back Treviel Boone. The West LA offense went on to outgain the Huskies 322-297 in total yards.
“Well I thought we had the game won. The first quarter we had them on the ropes but our quarterback turned the ball over, gave them momentum. You know, teams like that you can’t give them momentum. So if we don’t turn the ball over as much as we do, we win this ballgame,” said Wildcats Head Coach Marguet Miller.
weight concerns early in the season seeing how making weight is a key component of the sport.
“Most of us are up a weight class today. There are only a couple of guys that are down in weight right now. All the other guys are going to drop at least a weight class,” Valle said.
Valle was happy with the performance of his team as a whole and had words of praise for two of his brightest stars in Davit and Rafik Hovhannisyan who competed in the 125 and 141 pound classes respectively.
“The Hovhannisyan brothers are just legit wrestlers. Very good, very focused young men. Great kids, so they’re probably my top performers today, no doubt about it,” Valle said.
These sentiments were echoed by teammate Andrew Reel who was competing at 184 lbs instead of his usually weight class of 164 lbs.
“They are two of the top wrestlers I’ve ever seen. They are legit. They won all their matches today, dominant like. They went in to battle hard. He (Davit) threw him around like a ragdoll. Both of them just dominate,” said Reel.
Reel had just returned from illness and had to consider his conditioning as a factor. His absence from practice played a role in him tiring in a previous match. His technique helped him deliver a quick victory in the last match.
“These are my first two days back. I’ve had mono for three weeks. I was dying, I was in bed sick.
“I was glad to end it early. Once I get into the second and third round I would have been too gassed. My body would have gave up, I’m not in the condition I need to be in yet,” said Reel.
Both co-captains of the team, Hugo Perez and Frank Aceves, faired well as they wrestled above their weight class in order to help the team win more matches.
“Frank is also doing well for us today. He got some wins for us. I can tell he’s huffing and puffing like I am but he is sticking it out and getting those wins. Absolutely up in weight, we’re not in our best shape right now, but we’re going to get down and we’re going to do well this year,” said Perez.
Perez himself got off to a slow start on Saturday but was able to build some late momentum toward some strong victories.
“(It was a) slow start, kind of getting my ass kicked at the beginning. Once I got a win in there – I got going.
“First win it was quick. I got a shot and took his back. Nothing to it, I just held him down and pinned him. The second one, it was a little bit tougher because I had to work. It wasn’t too much. I was just trying to work my moves and move around and see what was there,” said Perez.
In the first set, the Huskies were down, 18-15 then rallied with seven consecutive points. The Huskies then surrendered seven unanswered points, losing the first set, 25-22.
The Huskies did not make mistakes in the second set rolling 25-16, riding on the shoulders of outside hitter Eriazmin Mauries and middle hitter Monique Mendibles, who had seven kills each.
The Huskies seized the floor tempo in the third set, having no trouble rebounding from their second set collapse. Outside hitter Jessica Castillo led the Huskies on both sides of the floor, attacking with six sets and cleaning up Mission’s shots with eight digs.
Outside hitter Stephanie Ortiz gave the Huskies a lift with her five kills.
Riding on the shoulders of their skilled players ELAC closed out the fourth set winning 25-22.
ELAC was in great position to seize the win in the final fifth-game set. Husky outside hitter Stephanie Landry cranked a shot off an assist by setter Nissa Gamez for an 11-9 ELAC lead. The Huskies then surrendered two quick points to Mission and then lost the set 15-13.
Walker as well as the players remain optimistic though they lost.
“It’s a tough loss but they understand what they need to do in order to secure the win,” Walker said.
Other key contributors to the game were Gamez who set up 40 assists and Hung Che Shian who was digging up Mission attacks all game long with 18 total digs.
Women’s Water Polo
After starting off the season at 1-4, taking a loss to Ventura College last Saturday, the water polo team will go on the road as they go against Mt. San Antonio College today at 5:15 p.m.
Men’s soccer team
The ELAC men’s soccer team lost to Southwestern College, 2-1 last Friday.
The Husk ies k ick-off conference play next Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Long Beach City College at Weingart Stadium. ELAC has a 2-5 overall record while the Vikings are 3-1-3.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team, who sport a 3-3 record, will travel to Devore Stadium to take on Southwestern College at 4 p.m.
Cross Country
The cross country team travels to Irvine Park tomorrow to take part in the Biola Invitational for an all day event.
www.ELACCampusNews.com
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 Arts 6
Staff WriterSergio Berrueta
Staff WriterEvelyn Sanchez
Staff WriterJesus Figueroa
“Even though
there was numerous
signs saying ‘no pictures’ I still took a
few”
Shizu Saldamando
Artist
Gogo’s Bistro offers fresh taste, unique flavors
Local artist meets First Lady
VPAM opening ceremony produces strong debut
The arTisT’s poinT of view—ELAC alum and artist John Valadez, center, talks with visitors of his “Santa Ana Condition” exhibit in the Large Gallery of the Vincent Price Art Museum.
Cn/Jesus figueroa
Cn/evelyn sanChez
Gogo’s Bistro’s personal motto “We don’t make it ‘til you order it” serves the bistro just right.
Hidden just 3.3 miles away from East Los Angeles College stands this bistro sit-down style café. With several tables and booths, Gogo’s Bistro serves as being extra student-friendly.
With bright lighting, urban music and several outlet plugs available for anyone in need, this casual dining restaurant is a must go too.
The ambiance of the café is comfortable with several chairs and booth and tribal African folk-type music. They also have books on display and a television with several DVDs along side the front of the restaurant opening.
After being seated, a menu is brought out. The waiter also mentions several items that were not in the menu that are available if
Artist Shizu Saldamando, whose work is currently displayed at the Vincent Price Art Museum, was among the artistic elite who attended the White House Historical Association Arts Reception this past June.
The reception involved many prominent f igures f rom the American art scene. It was meant to show the importance of art and about nurturing the White House collection.The invite only event was not something Saldamando was expecting to be doing over the summer.
“At first, I didn’t think I could go considering all the deadlines with planning the catalog, the exhibition itself and then, on top of that, working on a commission for the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority),
“I didn’t know if I should view it as a big deal or not, since I come from a pretty leftist family and they always sort of hate who ever is in government, and never really trusted anyone who would be in the White House, no matter what,” Saldamando said.
Saldamando had too much to consider before making her decision to attend the event.
“I called my dad and told him about it and asked him what he thought about it,” Saldamando said.
To Saldamando’s surprises her father was excited for her to go to Washington, D.C. so the only problem was finding a way to get there. She had to miss work and find a way to afford the trip.
“My boyfriend was extremely busy as well, being in the middle of this huge motorcycle build, but he was willing to drop everything and go too,” Saldamando said.
The Vincent Price Art Museum filled its three floors with visitors thrilled to interact with the three artists in attendance for the opening reception of their exhibits last Saturday night.
“I am thrilled with the turnout. The exciting part is the range of age from children to adult,” VPAM Director Karen Rapp said.
“Santa Ana Condition: John Valadez,” an exhibit by ELAC alum John Valadez, focusing on the Chicano lifestyles in East Los Angeles, past and present.
“When You Sleep: A Study of Shizu Saldamando” and “La Luz de Germs” by Jaime ‘Germs’ Zacarias had opening receptions as well, despite having opened on Sept. 10.
Valadez was ecstatic about his exhibit opening up for a new generation of East LA residents.
“I think it is still the way it was back then. People change with different styles, but the same drama is in the culture,” Valadez said.
The three artists walked around their exhibits talking with those who had questions regarding their artwork.
“It was an awesome turn-out and I’m so glad I got to be a part of
off The BarBie—Gogo’s Bistro serves a dish of plump grilled shrimp along with cocktail dipping sauce with a side order of homemade fries and a side salad filled with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes
requested. A salad also comes with each dish with whatever choice of dressing upon availability. The location serves dine-in, take out and also offers a catering service.
Apart from the many seating choices, the café also offers student-friendly meals and prices. Some choices include sandwiches, hamburgers, and dinner plates including meatloaf and seafood, along with salads with several dressings to choose from. Appetizers are also freshly made with organic vegetables. All the dishes are under $10.95 with refills included.
All dessert is also made from scratch. The most popular is the brown cheesecake. It is what the café owners pride themselves on. Other cheesecake flavors include regular New York-style, strawberry and berry cheesecake. They also serve freshly baked muffins and a variety of cookies.
Some of the cafe’s most popular items on the menu include: fried wings for lunch and chicken Alfredo
and spicy cajun fish for dinner. Many of their ingredients are not only organic, but all of their appetizers are made from scratch and personally brought out by the chef. Since the restaurant is so small, it allows for a personal style of service.
Flavoring is Gogo’s Bistro acclaimed specialty. The café posts a sign by the register, which reads ““We don’t make it ‘til you order it. Please be patient,” insinuating the food is to be made with extra care and attention which was completely true after trying the food.
The grilled shrimp was plump and crisp; the side salad was tangy and fresh. The fries were also soft and different from any other restaurants style of French fries.
The thing that makes this restaurant extrordinary and unique is their choice of spices.
Gogo’s Bistro cooks also like to mix-in organic vegetables into their dishes like both red and green organic vegetables into the chicken
Saldamando thought an opportunity like this would never happen again, so she decided that maybe she should go.
The realization of just how important and prestigious this honor was did not set in until Saldamando was actually there ready to enter the reception.
With so much on her mind, questioning her trip to the White House and how everything would work out, the prestige of the event did not set in until she was in line waiting to get into the event. The concerns of everything going on around her clouded the purpose of her visit.
“Standing in the security line to get in was the first sort of realization
of what a huge deal this was. The title of the reception was American Arts, so I started to recognize various artists that I had studied about in l ine with me,” Saldamando said.
T h e f i r s t l a d y M i c h e l l e O b a m a thanked the artist. She told the story of Barack Obama and her first date being to a museum.
“(Michelle Obama) met everyone and took pictures and we all
mingled and even though there were numerous signs saying ‘no pictures.’ I still took a few on my phone,
“I was geeking out at all the presidential portraits, since of course portraits are my favorite thing ever. I couldn’t resist taking pics of those,” Saldamando said.
Being able to be around the art community from around the United States helped to make her experience great. She gained so much from being able to be around the art elite.
“All-in-all I had an amazing time and am so glad I went,” Saldamando said.
Cn/Jesus figueroa
a lighT ThaT never goes ouT—One of four lamp sculptures light up “La Luz de Germs” exhibit by Jaime “Germs” Zacarias at the Hoy Space Gallery at the Vincent Price Art Museum.
Cn/Jesus figueroa
unCanny resemBlanCe— Artist Shizu Saldamando displays her painting of ELAC alum and fellow artist Rafa Esparza at the Small Gallery of the Vincent Price Art Museum.
such an amazing line-up of artists,” Saldamando said.
Zacarias was enthusiastic about his exhibit being a part of such a group of artists as he did not only stay at his gallery as he wandered around to mingle among the crowd.
“It’s amazing. I get to be with a lot of my peers. Each of them inspire me and my art every day,” Zacarias said.
Saldamando’s realistic influence, her friends, and unique use of materials, create art, which provides balance to Valadez’s broad sense of influence and traditional style.
“Shizu has influences of Valadez, but she has her own perspective,” Rapp said, “Shizu uses her friends as the majority of her subjects, where most of John’s subjects are complete strangers. Shizu narrows it down while John has it broad.”
With these three artists on display, it delivers a wonderous look at the culture of today and the culture of the past.
“It is impressive with Valadez’s years of experience next to two 30-something artists that show their own style and influence,” Rapp said, “To have Valadez’s exhibit, with art from his 30 years of work, to art produced this summer is quite thrilling.”
All three exhibits close on Dec. 7.
Alfredo. This café is family owned.
Gogo’s is named after the owner Selena Sweetwine’s mother. Her brother cooks and follows their mother’s recipes.
H e r f a t h e r b a k e s t h e i r grandfather’s recipes. Sweetwine also added that she has another sister who helps out with service on the weekends.
Family-friendly service is more than words can say about this restaurant. The chef continued to bring out the plates of food to customers. He also was descriptive about the specific vegetables and spices in the dishes.
The waitress was very attentive to the customers needs with refilling drinks and asking if the food was just how the customer ordered it.
Gogo’s Bistro is open Monday through Friday until 9 PM and closes at 10 PM on weekends.
Gogo’s Bistro is located at 2415 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90033.
