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Woodland Hills, California One copy free, each additional copy 50¢Volume 110 - Issue 02 March 11, 2009
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Rounduptheroundupnews.com
Professors at Pierce College, recognizing how expensive textbooks are despite their lack of good information, have started writing their own.
During their years of teaching, many professors realized they don’t need a lot of books to teach their classes and present the information students need.
One such professor, Jack Sterk, wrote “Understanding Argumentation” for his speech classes.
“I can’t charge $90 for a book if my students are going to be giving speeches most of the times,” said Sterk, who has been a teacher for more than 15 years.
His idea was to write a book that covers the content of the class while staying affordable. Because it his own book, he has the flexibility to give a student a book if they do not have the money to buy one.
In a speech class, Sterk said that students need to be able to discuss what they are learning. When the teachers know exactly what is in
the book, they don’t have to lecture “by the book.”
“I think it’s a great idea that the teacher writes the book because we read it and then we discuss what is in the book in class,” said speech student Patricia Cardona.
Anthropology professors Diane Levine and Bruce Rowe wrote “A Concise Introduction to Linguistics” because there was no book that approached a special class like linguistics in an appropriate way.
“Students had to buy two or three books for the class because all we need wasn’t in one book,” Levine said. Their book is a “vanilla” version, as Levine describes it, with few pictures and no color at all — giving the students what they need at a low cost.
On the other hand, a book written by a professor can be beneficial not only because of the cost but also because of the customized content.
“I think a book written by the instructor of their course can be a positive for the students
Alejandra Cruz / Roundup
Writing chapters cuts cost
Homer Perez / RoundupTHE HARD SELL: Pierce College Bookstore employee Marc Robinson charges Chanele Cuaresma, 20, $175.80 for two books on March 9.
Students, faculty and administrators of California’s 110 community colleges can breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing the California state budget impasse, which was finally resolved Feb. 19 will probably not result in funding cuts for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
“It’s clear in the final budget deal that community colleges came out very well,” said Kenneth Takeda, vice president of Administrative Services at Pierce College. “Much better than the UC system. Much better than the CSU system.”
Those two programs must now face combined cuts of more than $278 million, according to the budget, while the community college systems funding remain
virtually unchanged.“For the governor and legislators not to cut
community colleges funding, with education being such a huge portion of the state budget, you have to consider that a victory,” Takeda said. “It seems that (they) feel that because of the current economy, they didn’t want to cut off access for all students to higher education.”
That puts Pierce, and other community colleges, in the position of being a safety net for students who can’t afford the raised tuitions at the CSU and UC systems, and for recently unemployed adults looking to acquire new job skills.
The 22,500 competitive Cal grants that are issued statewide every year, which help disadvantaged or low-
income students pay tuition, were spared after being slated for elimination in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original budget proposal.
“We were concerned about the status of Cal grants,” said Anafe Robinson, Financial Aid director at Pierce. “We got lucky they didn’t cut any of the Cal grants.”
Pierce students may feel some effects relating to the new budget. Takeda explained that about 150 low-demand class sections face cancellation, out of more than 4,000 total classes offered each academic year.
“We’re not looking to cut classes just to cut classes,” Takeda assured. “What the budget climate is forcing us, and other colleges in the district, to do, is to just get more efficient.”
The budget also funds a 1.2 percent increase in student enrollment for this fiscal year, while the actual increase in enrollment is projected at more than 5 percent. The college must pay the cost of this increased enrollment without help from the state.
That collective sigh of relief may be short lived, though. The community college system may still face cuts if the budget is not stabilized by the passing of certain ballot measures in the upcoming May 19 special election.
Jared Iorio / Roundup
Professors are finding new ways to save a dollar for students tired of prices
Gerard Walsh / RoundupA NOTE ABOVE: Cathryn Tortell plays “America the Beautiful” while conducting the Spring Choir (Music 501) in the Music building.
If you want to be a famous singer like Beyonce Knowles or Lenny Kravitz, try starting out
with the choir—that’s what Knowles and Kravitz did. Music 501 at Pierce College is waiting for students to come check out.
Music 501, also known as the “choir,” meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in the Room 3401 of the music building. The class is open to all students at Pierce and anyone in the community, regardless of experience or vocal skills.
The Pierce choir has a wide array of participants, ranging from beginner freshmen to experienced seniors and everyone in between.
“It’s an amazing class,” said Limor Golan, a second semester choir student. “I’m learning a lot here even though it’s my third year in choir. First-year college choir, but third year in choir.”
The choir class teaches the basics across the board such as musical theater, classical, gospel, folk or traditional and many other styles. The basics also include how to read music and learning how to interpret a
“Choral Octavo” among other taught skills.
All students who are in choir take part in the concerts put on twice a year in the Performing Arts Building. Lots of practice, combined with intense but rewarding instruction, helps students overcome issues of insecurity and hesitation to perform on stage.
“This is my third semester here and I am improving,” said student Fabiola Lopez. “The first time I didn’t know anything, but now I am getting a little familiar with everything.”
The choir class also collaborates with some of the better soloist singers from Dennis Parnell’s music class, and their friends and family are welcome to come and participate. The choir class promotes teamwork and helps students realize that.
“Music transcends ethnicity, religion; you name it, all kinds of aspects of our life,” said Cathryn Tortell, adjunct music instructor. “You get a bunch of people together in there from all walks of life, just amazing—and yet you come together for the greater good, the music, and
Gary Moratz / Roundup
See Music on Page 6
501—as easy as ‘do, re, mi’
Community Colleges winners in budget battleCal Grants saved by the arrival of a new state budget, Financial aid students breathes a sigh of relief
A colorful canvas: Taboo or art - See Page 6
All it takes is an add slip and a willingness to take a chance to join the choir
See Books on Page 3
Letters to the editor6201 Winnetka Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91371Room: Pierce College Village 8211
Phone: (818) 719-6427Fax: (818) 719-6447
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Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms or initials will not be used, but names may be withheld upon request and approval of the Editorial Board.
The Roundup publishes “Letters to the Editor” that are not obscene or libelous and do not contain
racial denigration. Writers are given the opportunity to revise
unacceptable letters.The Pierce College Roundup will not publish,
as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter.
The deadline is noon Thursday prior to the issue date.
Editorial Policy:The Pierce College Roundup position is
presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the
editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup.
The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program.
The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff.
Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.
Roundup
Editor in chief ....... Gil Riego Jr.Managing & Blog Editor ...... Antonio HernandezAssistant ME & Opinion Editor .... Laura GonzalezCopy Editor .............................. Aaron SheldonNews Editor ............................... Rocio Romero
Assistant News Editor ........................... Rachel RothPrint Photo Editor ............................. Marion KimbleOnline Photo Editor ................................. Aisha AhalArts and Entertainment Editor ........ Arnavaz FatemiFeatures Editor ................................... Melissa MeekSports Editor ........................................ Dan CromarAssistant Sports Editor ..................... Philip GeorgeAdvisers .......................................... Amara Aguilar...................................... Stephanie Stassel-Bluestein............................................................. Jill Connelly.............................................................. Rob O’Neil
............................................................ Roger VargoAdvertising Manager ........................... Julie Bailey[For advertising call Julie at (818) 710-2960]
Reporters: Katherine Acuna, Jose Albarran, Tokahiro Aono, Alyssa Attakamon, Asmaa Aziz, Jessica Bernal, Christina Colucci, Alejandra Cruz, Greg Donnell, Harold Goldstein, Chris Hurst, Jared Iorio, Emily Kelley, Octavia McClain, Emily Medders, Gary Moratz, Oscar Ortega, Anibal Ortiz, Kori Neal, Heidi Paul, Irina Pearson, Nicolas Priga, Petrina Roudebush, Kirsten Sharaf, Melody Soto, Christine Stunder, Brenda Zamago
Photographers: Arash Akhtari, Burke Bryant, Randy Chueng, Benson Chin, Courtney Coles, Trever Fenner, Amanda Fox, Latoya Hawthorne, Louie Heredia, Sevasti Iyama, Matt Kessler, Shant Kiraz, Annie Krikorian, Chet Lee, Melissa Keyes, Sean MacDonald, Mik Millman, Jordan Monroe, Carlos Montecinos, Kathleen Ocampo, Moniqe Padilla, Homer Perez, Petrina Roudebush, Alina Popov, Hanh Tran, Gerard WalshSpecial Thanks to Kelly Goff and Erin Hoover
PIERCE COLLEGE
www.theroundupnews.com ROUNDUP: March 11, 2009Opinion2
The stands at Pierce College are full of roaring
fans going crazy every time the team scores.
This sounds amazing. Rather it would if the
fans weren’t here for the opposing team.
Looking at the Pierce side of the stands, you can see
family, friends and other athletes, but rarely do you see
students coming to support our teams.
When our women’s basketball team played their first
playoff game ever two weeks ago, the student turnout
was slim to none.
What’s keeping students away? Home games take
place right here on campus, and only playoff games cost
anything to get in.
Complete schedules for every team are on the Pierce
Web site, and the Athletic Department will occasionally
put advertising in the Campus Mall for big games.
Athletic Director Bob Lofrano doesn’t think that more
promotion would boost attendance.
“I think the advertising is enough that if people are that
interested, they’ll find out about the events,” he said.
A lot of people think that these games are meaningless
because they’re just community college games. The fact
is that a lot of good players come through here on their
way to bigger and better things. Prominent Pierce alums
include Coco Crisp, who won a World Series with the
Red Sox in 2007, and American League Cy Young Award
winner Barry Zito.
School spirit at CCs can be hard to come by since a
lot of the students are planning on transferring to other
schools after a couple years.
“You find more students going back to their high
school games then supporting their college team…at the
community college level,” said Lofrano.
The fact is that even if students aren’t planning on be-
ing here for very long, they’re here now..
So get out there an support your Brahmas. You never
know if that pitcher you’re watching will one day be a Cy
Young Award winner.
Editorial Column
Off the couch, on the stands
For another opinion piece about teen pregnancy by Alejandra Cruz online
at www.theroundupnews.com
Audrey Jung an Aisha Ahal / Roundup
Sharing is a good thing. Right? Not always, as Facebook users recently learned the hard way.
Thousands of devoted users of the popular social network became upset when they discovered their personal pictures and
everything else they put on the Web site is not really their exclusive property.
Facebook shares the privilege of using the contents for any purpose they find suitable.
Ironically, this should hardly come as big news. Every user has to sign an ac-ceptance agreement when opening up an account on Facebook where it is stated that the owners “are not responsible for circum-vention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the side.”
In other words, Facebook, like any smart business, has hired an attorney to draw out a contract that was smart enough
to protect the company and long enough to discourage people from reading it.
“People never read those type of con-tracts,” said math professor Allen Epstein, who posts video lessons on the Internet. “It sure seems like it, judging from how upset Facebook users became once they learned they were generous without their knowledge.
Scrolling down to skip through to the long list of legal statements so that they can connect with friends, post vacation pictures and have fun, turned out to be a dangerous practice,” he continued.
That’s how they get us. While people
enjoy becoming more connected by find-ing friends, family members and col-leagues all over the world, they also forget about the downside of such wide network-ing — the loss of privacy.
In today’s world, anyone can become a celebrity overnight thanks to the power of the Internet. But sometimes people go to extremes to be noticed.
“I think Facebook started this uproar on purpose,” said Katya Paduano, 30, a student who models. “Because there are so many different social networks out there, the company needed some publicity to stay popular.”
Paduano does not have a Facebook account, but she used the Friendster and Classmates Web sites before canceling both. She is used to seeing her modeling images in print and commercial advertise-ments, but she is careful about keeping her information private.
The lesson learned is not new: Any good idea can be used in a wrong way. Sharing is good, but being responsible is just as important.
With the new terms and conditions Facebook wants to implement, do we really have control of our lives?Two of your friends signed their lives over to Facebook
Students pay $27 to park closer yet they still have to park on the street
On the first day of the spring semester, students found them-selves driving around what seemed to be forever in search of parking. This is not unusual for the first few weeks of the semester. But for the last two sessions, it has become a big problem. You may have experi-enced it yourself if you drive — it is impossible to find a parking spot at any school parking lot.
Perhaps you may have seen a few construction sites around campus. Well, I am a believer of improvements and that our school was due for a makeover. I also believe students should receive some consideration from school administration.
We (students) pay a $27 fee for “Preferred” parking or a $20 fee for restricted parking. But it seems that Pierce’s administration sells parking permits like they are sell-ing “hot tamales” and there are not enough parking spaces on school property. I have a so-called “Pre-ferred Parking” pass and I have been obligated to park on Victory Boulevard or adjacent streets.
To my own surprise, I realized I am not alone. While I was walk-ing toward school, I saw many cars with the same parking permits as mine parked off-campus.
You may say it is understand-able because enrollment has gone up, and I agree. But what I don’t understand is why, despite the school administration giving a portion of Lot 7 Section “A” to the construction workers and marking the spots accordingly, the work-ers are parking outside of their designated spots. Where is parking enforcement when you need it?
I think the following example is perfect and needs to be mentioned: One Monday morning there was a construction truck parked at Park-ing Lot 1. It was using not only one, but four parking spaces.
We are not only spending lots of time searching for parking spaces, but we are adding more pollution to our environment while
doing it. Like this city needs more pollution.
I have to toss this question to whoever redesigned Lot 1: Did you consider motorcycle parking spaces? Many motorcycles are parking in spots assigned to cars and they don’t even have parking passes displayed. Or do they?
To add more to our desperate search, Parking Lot 6 East is under construction for this semester, which adds more to the insanity of finding a parking spot.
Déjà vu! Remember last fall when Parking Lot 1 went under construction right before the begin-ning of the semester?
I have some suggestions: How about scheduling these kinds of projects at the end of the spring semester and during summer sessions? Perhaps it may be less intrusive. And why not assign Lot 4 to the construction workers?
Aren’t we, the students, the ones who bring revenue to the school?
School administration should be more considerate to students. I understand that $20 or $26 is nothing these days, but for students it is a lot. Considering the price of books and other school necessities, it adds up.
Please give us some consid-eration and make sure parking enforcement is doing their jobs. That is all I ask.
Preferred parking, regular treatment
Column
WRITTEN BYirina pearson
WRITTEN BYoscar ortega
for a number of reasons,” Rowe explained. “For one, it fits to what the instructor thinks is important. Secondly, depending on how the teacher presents the material, it provides a guide to student studying for examinations and quizzes.”
Levine describes the book as a student-friendly introduction to general linguistics, with special attention to linguistic anthropology. She said it is a combination of text and workbook, in that exercises follow explanatory text to help the student process new information.
Linguistic student Mollie Knute said this helps students save money and feels the book is well written
because it has a co-writer.Although they are not planning
to write more books, they will keep updating their books once a year. Some of these books are used not only at Pierce but also in other community colleges and around the world. For example, Levine said “A Concise Introduction to Linguistics” has been translated to Korean and is also used in Europe.
These books can be sold back to the Pierce Bookstore for half the new price, or directly to students. But with these affordable books, Sterk said, students don’t lose anything even if they choose to keep it.
ROUNDUP:March11,2009 w w w . t h e r o u n d u p n e w s . c o m News 3
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Reports from Sheriff ’s Department
Feb. 25 through March 2
SHERIFF’S BLOTTER
• Feb 25, 2 p.m. A diabetic student felt ill after not eating the night before. She was transported to the hospital.
• Feb 28, 8:56 a.m. A student was escorted off campus after harassing other students. • march 2, 11:45 a.m. A student was transported to the hospital because of intense abdominal pain.
• march 2, 1 p.m.A suspect struck a victim on the head in an attempt to take a purse. LAFD responded however, victim refused treatment.
Savings between the lines
A rally in support of California’s public higher education system will take
place the morning of March 16 in Sacramento.
“The March in March,” as it is officially titled, aims to bring a voice to the issue of keeping student fees and tuition low, as well as keeping admission open to all colleges and universities.
Originally organized before the new California state budget passed, and with the potential for community colleges to get hit hard financially, this march began as a protest.
Brad Saenz, an ASO adviser, explained that whenever there are threats to the budget, new proposals or possible fee increases, students always organize a two-hour march
to the Capitol steps in March.Now the march has become
an effort for awareness. Political science professor Kathleen Holland said the march is “to remind the legislature of the importance of continued and increased funding for community colleges.” Holland adds, “students are especially concerned about whether or not there’ll be enough funding to meet
the demand for increased class sections, and to keep the $20 per unit fee from getting increased.”
Saenz believes the key issue has become about Cal grant funding. If there are cuts, some students may not be able to attend school as not enough money will be given out, or not enough students will receive money.
Students, staff, administrators
and all others who wish to lend their voices of support are encouraged to gather at 8 a.m. in Raley Field in Downtown Sacramento. The march will begin at 10 a.m., followed by speakers at the Capitol.
Speakers include some politicians, but are mostly comprised of student government leaders from many community colleges in
the state of California.
A full list of speakers is available on iwillmarch.com.
Pierce College has been active in getting the word out and has received applications for students wishing to attend.
ASO has sponsored airfare for 50 students to fly to Sacramento for the march. The attending students will be split into teams of 10, headed by a student leader and a faculty adviser.
All supporters, including Saenz, are hoping the outcome will result in support for community colleges and that legislative leaders will become “empowered” to help California students.
Marching on a journey to seek funding
Homer Perez / RoundupWALLET BUSTER: Pierce College student, Vilma Figueroa, 23, criminal justice major spends $242.60 on three books in the student store on Monday, March 9, 2009.
Emily Medders / Roundup
The march in March targets the importance of the state budget from colleges to universities.
Continued “BOOK” PAGE 1
[The march is] to remind the legislature of the importance of continued and increased funding for
community colleges. -Kathleen Holland
Political Science Professor
“ ”
CORRECTIONSIssue 1: March 4
• Page 2 A photo credit for Audrey Jung named her as “Audry” Jung. • Page 2 The staff box was missing these photographer names: Arash Akhtari, Melissa Keyes and Alina Popov.
• Page 7 A photo caption for Tessondra Williams named her as “Tessandra” Williams.
• Page 8 Bakersfield College was misspelled “Barkersfield” in the upcoming games calendar.
www.theroundupnews.com ROUNDUP: March 11, 2009PhotoEssay4
Whether it was a day at the beach, a trip to outer space, a pirate adventure, a visit to the ice cream
shop and bakery, or even to a restaurant, children from the Pierce College Child Development Center had a chance to do it all Monday.
The events were set up by students in the CDC.“They only had a couple of days to plan the events
for the kids,” said professor Joleen Voss-Rodriguez. “I am really pleased with the events they have set up for the kids.”
Voss-Rodriguez said students in the CDC are “pre-school teachers or want to be pre-school teachers.”
The children, aged between 3- to 5-years-old, had a chance to play as if they were anybody from cashiers to pirates to NASA astronauts. Voss-Rodriguez said
the activities were called “Dramatic Play,” by which children “learn through playing.”
“This class is really cool,” said Madison McGee, who worked at the “Mini Camps” event Monday. “I took a child development class before and this class is way better. Kids show up and I get hands-on experience. It’s like I’m playing, I’m having fun.”
The Child Development III class meets the state license and child-development permit requirements, and counts toward an associate degree, according to Voss-Rodriguez.
“Dramatic Play” is only one out of four projects the students will work on throughout the semester. Voss-Rodriguez says the next event will be in April.
Adventures in IMAGINATION
Photos by Louie Heredia Story by Octavia McClain
Top left- Nalani Nuri grabs the wheel to the pi-rate ship and sets sail for imagination.
Center left- The mini camp gave kids the feel of be-ing in the wilderness providing a make-shift campfire and s’mores.
Center- Octavio Orozco plays “rock star” in the music area complete with an array of instruments for the children.
Right center- “Captain” Jonathan Majd takes a look at his treasure map while at the wheel of his very own pirate ship.
Bottom Left- Ashley Drosman (Left) gives Nalani Nuri an extra hand with her saxophone (right) while Delilah Barnett (center) takes the lead with vocals.
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13
Can you say
Lock the doors.Close your windows.Friday the 13th is back for a rematch of the second part to the
back-to-back thriller of the year. No, the masked character of
Jason Voorhees will not jump out of this page to rip you to pieces.
Rather, for the second-straight month this year there will be an-other Friday the 13th. “It can be disabling,” said Ed-ward R. Mazeika, chairman of the Pierce College psychology depart-ment. “I think for most of us we’re just kind of aware of it. We get just a little tinge of anxiety and we get over it.” Mazeika explained that not only do people avoid the day, but some people avoid the number in general. “There are some people where it actually becomes a full-blown pho-bia where anything related to 13 creates major anxiety and they will go out of their way in an irrational way to avoid anything related to 13,” Mazeika said. Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, combined with the fear of Friday, friggaphobia, creates paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th, according to Mazeika, “Before the 19th century,” said anthropology faculty adviser Noble Eisenlauer, “it wasn’t superstitious. “In his 1869 biography, Gioachi-no Rossini was the first to publicly declare Friday the 13th as a bad day,” Eisenlauer said. “Ironically, he died on Friday the 13th, Nov. (1868).” Eisenlauer explains that “Friday” was named after Frigga, a Norse Pagan goddess. Labeled a witch, Frigga was said to have gathered with 11 other witches and the devil on what came to be known as the “Witches’ Sabbath.” “Thirteen by itself is looked at as unlucky, something to be avoided,” said Mazeika. “The connotation is something evil, something bad...for example, (in) the city of Santa Monica they have a 15th Street, a 14th Street and then they have
Euclid Street, then they have 12th street. So they totally avoid 13.” Mazeika included that “Many, though not all, buildings avoid a 13 floor. They might call it 12-A or something. “A lot of people see the number 12 as a number of completeness. Twelve months, 12 hours in a day. Thirteen is an irregular number,” he said. Mazeika explains that a phobic can be any type of person, be they intelligent, wealthy or poor. “A phobia is an irrational fear of a stimulus which is not dangerous or where the danger is magnified out of proportion,” he said. “In this case the stimulus, the number 13—there is nothing dangerous about it, but yet some people at-tribute something awful to it.” Mazeika said people who avoid doing anything on Friday the 13 create a pattern. “They avoid (doing anything) and then nothing bad happens. So what happens? Their avoiding it gets rewarded. (In turn) they avoid it again,” he said. Matthew Arnold, an 18-year-old computer science major, talked about his grandfather’s fear of the day. “He’s a big believer of Friday the 13th. He’s very careful with every-
thing he does,” Arnold said. Another student gave Friday the 13th a little bit of credit. “I think there is a slight chance more than any other day that something bad may happen that day,” said Jeff Torres, a 19-year-old business major. However, most people toy with the idea of an unlucky day. “I just play around with it,” said Marina Raya, a 19-year-old wild-life biology major. “Just say, ‘Oh wow. It’s Friday the 13. I better be careful.’” Mazeika says some people may use the day as an excuse to not place blame on themselves. “Part of it, I think, is that people attempt to control things in their life that they don’t have control over. There’s what we call an illusion of control, with the idea that if something bad happens on Friday the 13th, it’s because of that particular day,” he said. Mazeika believes the phobia is losing its impact on some people. “I don’t know if it’s as profound as it was years ago because you no-tice a lot of athletes (who) proudly wear 13,” he said.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia?Anibal Ortiz / Roundup
Looking into the fear, hi s tor y and l ore o f Fr iday the 13th .
Gerard Walsh / Photo Illustration / RoundupPARANOiA: Beware of broken mirrors, black cats, walking under ladders, walking on cracks on the side-walk and knife-wielding murderers on Friday the 13th.
I think for most of us we’re just kind
of aware of it. We get just a little
tinge of anxiety and we get over it.
-Edward R . MazeikaPsychology department chair
“ ”
Check out Teacher Features online at http://www.theroundupnews.com/
Fun facts about the number 13
From livescience.com
• Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).
• butch cassiDy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.
• FiDel castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.
• Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.
• superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.
• Mark twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend. “They only had food for 12.”
www.theroundupnews.com ROUNDUP: March 11, 2009A&E6
Marksof self-expression
Petrina J .Roudebush / RoundupCAMPUS iNK: Pierce College bookstore employee, Michael Matsumoto, 27, shows off his Japanese traditional style back tattoo outside the Freudian Sip March 6, 2009
How did tattoos emerge from being associated with sailors, gangsters and tribal heritage to being a part of mainstream society?
Diversity at Pierce College may contribute to the large variety of tattoo styles seen on campus.
The cultural status of tattooing has gradually become more about the art than rebellion. Tattoos are one of the oldest and most meaningful forms of art and self-expression.
Malcolm Collins, guard for the Pierce basketball team, revealed his tattoo with pride and expressed the personal meaning behind why he chose to get the tattoo.
“[My tattoos are] my Nigerian and African name,” said Collins, 18. “It means ‘The First Son.’”
Tattoos have become a way to express oneself without vocal explanation. But even with the growing subculture of tattoos, there are still many individuals who feel that getting a tattoo is unneeded and against their religious beliefs.
A student who requested to remain unidentified said, “No, I do not have any tattoos. I was raised in an Orthodox (Jewish) family and if I had a tattoo I would not be able to be buried in the family plot.”
Since the 1960s the cultural status of body modification has greatly changed and has become embraced rather than ridiculed.
Graphic design major Ian Goodchild, 18, chose to get his tattoo because of his interest in the main character from the movie Army of Darkness.
According to the article “The Changing Cultural Status of Tattoo Art” on tattooartist.com, tattooing has become the sixth-fastest growing retail business in the United States.
An article by Time Magazine said, “as an art, tattoos have been traced back 4,000 years to the Egyptians, (and in modern times) they have adorned the arms and chests of sailors, roustabouts and construction workers. Now, after a decade or two of decline, tattoos are enjoying a renaissance. They have become the vogue of the counterculture.”
Petrina J. Roudebush / Roundup
Courtney Coles / RoundupDiNiNG OUT: Laura Lussier, 41, and Solina Tabrizi, 45, at Follow Your Heart, a vegan and vegetarian cafe and market in Canoga Park.
Online Exclusive - Restaurant Review Music to their earsContinued from Music on Page 1
that transcends everything.”“I love my teacher, love, love,
love,” Jennifer Durant, sixth semester Pierce choir student said. “I have a lot of respect for her.”
There are a couple of concerts coming up, including one in spring semester and one sometime in the fall for the winter solstice. The fall date will be set sometime in December. The concert in May will take place the 29th at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building (3500) and will also include a special guest appearance by the San Fernando Valley Men’s Choir.
The men’s choir will perform for about 15 to 20 minutes alone before doing some collaborative pieces with the Pierce choir. The Men’s choir will be lead up by Sheldon Cohen, who used to be the arranger for the “Tonight Show” band when Johnny Carson was the host.
Interested students are invited to visit the Music 501 class Mondays or Wednesdays starting at 11 a.m., as long as they get there on time.
For the full review by Alyssa Attakamon of the restaurant, Follow Your Heart, go to www.theroundupnews.com
ROUNDUP:March11,2009 w w w . t h e r o u n d u p n e w s . c o m Sports 7
Throughout the Brahmas’ recently concluded season, one player has literally and figuratively stood taller than the rest.
They call her “Lucky,” and she has truly lived up to the moniker.
For her contributions to Pierce College’s 2008-09 campaign which culminated in the first postseason berth in the history of Pierce women’s basketball, Tiara Richardson has been crowned Most Valuable Player of the Western State Conference North Division.
“I’m a really humble player so I just took it as ‘Oh, that’s nice. Now let’s go win the championship,’” Richardson said moments after learning of her achievement during the team’s Feb. 23 practice.
With an early exit at the hands of the Citrus College Owls in the southern regional bracket’s play-in round, Richardson and Pierce did not win their championship, but assistant head coach Ralph Wesson maintains that without their star center, the Brahmas may not have even reached that far.
“She’s a rebounding machine,” he said. “I don’t think we would have won most of our games without her rebounding.”
Standing 6’1” above the hardwood, Richardson led the conference in rebounds with 481, dwarfing her nearest competitor (Nikki Graham of Santa Barbara City College with 280). She also finished tied for second in blocks (48) to edge out Ventura College’s Michelle Santizo and Moorpark College’s Tiffany Hurd for the award.
Richardson was also elected first team all-conference for her second season in a row, as well as second team all-state.
“Her presence alone is a really big deal,” said sophomore guard Bridget Jenkins, Richardson’s closest friend on the team. “I think she worked hard last year and this year to improve on little things and she was the toughest to guard in the league.”
“She’s an intimidating factor,” Wesson said. “When a player from the other team comes down the middle and sees her, she can get up and jump so quick that she alters people’s shots.”
The intimidating aspect, however, is that Richardson’s basketball career has merely begun.
“I’m actually new to the game of basketball and a lot of people don’t know that,” she said. “I really got serious about basketball my junior year in high school but I rode the bench. In my senior year, I played for a nice travel team over the summer and I dominated and got recruited.”
Fresh out of Palm Harbor University High School in Palm Harbor, Fla., Richardson chose to spend the 2006-07 season as a red-shirt freshman at the University of West Florida, a Division II school in Pensacola.
“I chose to red-shirt there because my skill level wasn’t where it should have been and I had a bunch of seniors ahead of me,” she said. “I didn’t like the environment of where I was, so I left and came to California.”
Now a sophomore, Richardson joined the Brahmas last season and immediately impressed the coaching staff with her athletic ability.
“We had been e-mailing each other and she had been bragging about how athletic she was,” said head coach Jim Couch. “She didn’t lie.”
Aside from pure talent, Richardson brought something else to the Brahmas.
“I bring a lot of attitude to our game,” Richardson admitted. “We have a
lot of lax players but I get them pumped up on the court and ready to dominate [by doing it myself]. Follow the leader.”
“She’s a character,” Wesson agreed. “She’s matured in some ways and still, she’s just a big kid. She’s a free-spirited human being.
“In some ways, it helps her game because she is able to ease her athleticism and in some ways
it hurts it because she doesn’t always do the fundamentals correctly. If a shot should
be a fundamental shot, she does it her free-spirited way,” he continued.
He smiled. “But that’s Lucky.”That kind of free-spiritedness and
quirkiness, although something her teammates and coaches can chuckle at now, had a somewhat irksome effect upon Richardson’s arrival.
“I didn’t really respect her game that much until she proved she was actually there for the team,” Jenkins said. “She’s really come a long way in my eyes. I feel like we really need her out there on the court. With her out there, it helps the rest of the players out.”
But aside from Richardson’s raw talent, athleticism and a little
attitude, she claims to have a secret weapon – the wildly patterned socks
she trots out in each game she plays.“I’m a more standout-type person and I
felt that regular socks were too plain,” she explained. “It just got routine that I would wear
a different pair of socks with something on them. I can never wear a plain pair of socks. If I
even try to wear a pair of plain socks, I’ll probably break my leg or something.
“I got a pair that has different color stripes on them. They trip me out so I got them. I love to wear
them because they don’t match with anything and the coaches hate them,” she continued. “They’re like, ‘Lucky,
follow the rules.’ I’m like, ‘No, they’re my socks.’”The socks, of various brands, colors and designs come from
a wide variety of locations, but one pair remains Richardson’s favorite.
“I’ve got tons of socks, thousands of socks, a lot of socks,” boasted the center. “I can get them from the mall, Zumiez, Journey’s
— I can go into a Chinese hair store and see a pair of socks and be like, ‘Oh yeah, those will definitely go with the uniform.’
“My favorite socks: Last year, Valentines Day, [former Brahma] Emmilee Ringelberg gave me a pair of Spider-man socks. They’re my
absolute favorite pair of socks. I love Spider-man.”Richardson recalled wearing her Spider-man socks when she and the
Brahmas clinched their postseason spot Feb. 21 against Cuesta College, and plans to wear them again at the California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Sophomore Showcase this Friday in Fresno. Afterwards, she and her footwear will decide their future.
Richardson is currently weighing a list of options including Hawaii Pacific University, Providence College, Pepperdine University, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Monterey Bay and U.C. Santa Barbara.
LUC
KY
CH
AR
MBrahmas star center is named
WSC North MVP after leading
women’s basketball to
its first playoff
423Points
Philip George / Roundup
13.6 Pts./gm
15.5Reb./gm
.482FG%
48Blocks
She’s a character. She’s matured in some ways and still, she’s just a big kid. She’s a
free-spirited human being.
-Ralph WessonWomen’s basketball assistant coach
“ ”
UPCOMiNGGAMES
Volleyball3/11, 6 p.m.@ Moorpark
3/18, 7 p.m.vs. Long Beach
Baseball3/12, 2:30 p.m.@ West L.A.
3/14, 1 p.m.@ Mission
3/17, 2:30 p.m.vs. Mission
Softball3/12, 1 & 3 p.m.vs. Moorpark
3/17, 2:30 p.m.vs. SBCC
Tennis3/17, 2 p.m.@ SBCC
Swimming3/27, 2:30 p.m.@ Citrus
ForfullschedulescheckthePierceCollegeathleticdepartmentWebsite.
Louie Heredia / RoundupMVP: Tiara “Lucky” Richardson helped lead the women’s basketball team to their first playoff berth ever.
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www.theroundupnews.com ROUNDUP: March 11, 2009Sports8
Despite putting their best foot forward, members of the Pierce College men’s basketball team ended their tumultuous season with a final tally of only nine wins, three of which were at home.
“As someone who coached for 35 years, I always thought a successful season would be making the playoffs,” said Pierce athletic director Bob Lofrano. “I’m sure for the basketball players, not obtaining that there’s a little disappointment.”
As far as the home record goes, Pierce lost seven out of the 10 at home.
Early in the season they faced challenges that would have been enough to make any team quit, but they did not.
The Brahmas lost two of their key players early on due to personal problems at home and another two due to injuries.
“At the start of the year we were counting on a couple of kids playing for us,” said head coach Ed Babayan. “Two of the kids ran into some personal problems family-wise, we lost another guy to an ACL tear and the combination of all that really hurt us.”
Sophomore and center Arash Riahi, a big asset to the Pierce team, blew out his knee early in the season, forcing the coaching staff to move players around to help compensate.
Assistant coach Sean Edwardsen attributed the rocky season to a lack of leadership on the team.
“The problem we had last year was not really offensively or defensively,” Edwardsen said. “We had no leadership.”
He added that the “little things” cost them the games most nights.
“We turned the ball over, (made) stupid mistakes,” he said.
Guard Juan Gill agreed with the assistant coach.
“We worked really hard last season but we couldn’t finish,” he said. “We had the talent but we weren’t mature enough (to finish).”
“The coaches will all be back, and they just have to go out and recruit because at this level you’re only as good as the players
you recruit in,” Lofrano said.Which is exactly what the coaches have
been doing.“We have more than enough to be a really
good team next year,” Babayan said. “We are waiting on a couple more high school kids to finish playing.
Between the high school kids we are bringing in, the couple kids we have transferring in and the kids we have returning, we are going to have a really good team.”
One of those new kids is freshman point guard Ever Lopez.
“He is going to help us out big time,” Edwardsen said.
Lopez hopes to bring “a winning season, a better attitude and leadership” to the Brahmas.
Six of the nine players from last season will be transferring to four-year schools. Three of them will be graduating and the other three are looking to get scholarships by the end of the year.
Peter St. Hubert, who won All League, is graduating at the end of spring and will be at a four-year school next year.
Justus Von wright, Honorable Mention award recipient, is hoping to transfer as well, and Babayan says he has been “getting a lot of good looks from a lot of really good schools.”
Malcolm Collins, Juan Gill and Ritzie Williams will all be returning for their second season as Brahmas.
The members of the basketball team are holding their heads high and going into next season with optimism and an ultimate goal — playoffs.
“We’re looking for 17 or 18 wins and making a run at playoffs next season,” Edwardsen said.
His goal for the upcoming season: “Win every possession and not make the stupid mistakes we made this year.”
The team may have had its share of down moments, but don’t count them out just yet.
Optimism in the aftermath of adversityMen’s basketball learns lessons from a rough seasonKirsten Sharaf / Roundup
Louie Heredia / RoundupDRiVEN: Justus Von Wright (24) is one of the Brahmas key players from this season who is hoping to transfer before next season.
SPORTSBRiEFBaseball
The Brahmas • swept a two game series with Valley College, winning 11-4 at home on Thursday and 7-4 at Valley on Saturday.
Men’s Volleyball
A seven-game • winning streak to start the season was snapped on March 4, as the Brahmas fell to Santa Monica College 3-1.
For full coverage see www.theroundupnews.com
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