E7 BUILDING HISTORY
1933
1933
E7’s file with the Division of State Architect is closed without certificaton due to deficiencies dealing with unresolved safety issues.
2008
2012
An internal document from the LACCD detailed consequences of closing projects without certification, including transfer of personal liability from the AOR to ELAC and members of the Board of Trustees.
Documents showing inadequate pressure for a permanent water supply.
20072004
E7 first opened its doors to students and faculty on August 30, 2004 although certain floors remained closed for further construction. At the time, the building was not certified.
E7’s file is once again closed by the DSA without certification. The cause is a temporary diesel-powered device in place in the basement of the building.
2010
2006
Community colleges were given the option of choosing to design and construct under local building codes or under the Field Act through a clause in Assembly Bill 127.
Volume 70, Issue 11 Wednesday, december 5, 2012sIngle copy free - addItIonal copIes 50 cents
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E7 safety concerns remain
Almaraz exhibit comes to a close
FAME AND FORUTNE—Dan Guerrero, left, and Cheech Marin discuss one of the iconic artworks in the Carlos Almaraz exhibit at the Vincent Price Art Museum on Saturday.
News Briefs
District suspends vote on future construction projects
The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees suspended the vote to approve the DLR Group for architectural design at Los Angeles City College. No date has been set for the vote to take place.
Associated Student Union to host scavenger hunt
ASU will host “In the Eyes on an Artist” at the Vincent Price Art Museum tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. The event is for students only. Food and refreshments will be provided.
Campus News will not print during winter intersession
Campus News will publish stories online at elaccampusnews.com. For updates ‘Like’ Campus News on Facebook and follow @ELACCampusNews on Twitter and Instagram.
Correction:In the pup edition, Proposition 30 was
wrongly stated to project $7,592,097 to East Los Angeles College each semester in the infographic. This number is a projection for each year, not each semester. Ehecatl Negrete was not credited in “ELAC seeks leader.”
By LOURDES ESPINOZA &
BRIAN VILLALBA
Staff Writer
O n l i n e ScOOp
Surrounded by Mounties, Aaron Cheatum, right, prepares to pass the ball to Dushon Carter, who slammed a basket with 15:03 left. No. 13 ELAC lost a 71-63 non-conference game to rival and No. 4-ranked Mt. SAC.
CN/TADZIO GARCIA
For this complete story visit elaccampusnews.com.
The E7 Technology Center at East Los Angeles College remains occupied in spite of safety issues because of exceptions to Division of State Architect certification.
The DSA certified buildings have historically proven safe and have lowered maintenance costs more than buildings that go without certification.
The Tech Center hosts a total of nine departments and plays a vital role for thousands of students and faculty.
E7 is equipped with a basement photo lab/studio, radio station, newsroom and Learning Assistance Center along with a faculty meeting room.
Safety challenges have plagued the five-story building, as it has gone without certification by the DSA three times. E7 remains without certification.
In 2006, community colleges were given the option of choosing
to design and construct under local building codes or under the Field Act through a clause in Assembly Bill 127.
This “quake clause” in AB 127 contradicts recommendations the California Seismic Safety Commission offered the state regard ing publ ic educa t ion buildings.
C o m p o s e d o f members from state and local government, this group opposes any legislative actions that remove public school buildings from DSA certification.
They recommend no publ ic school building in California should be exempt.
The commission has also stated that schoo l bu i ld ings constructed under the Field Act have performed extremely well in earthquakes since 1940, and no DSA certified buildings have collapsed.
E7 first opened its doors to students and faculty on August 30, 2004
although certain floors remained closed for further construction.
At the time, the building was not certified. This was 11 years after the planning of E7 began.
It was closed without certification in May of 2008 due to deficiencies dealing with unresolved safety issues.
In January of 2010, the file of E7 at the DSA was once again closed without certification.
A temporary device powered by a diesel engine is what is in place in the basement of the Technology Center, preventing the project from complete certification.
D o c u m e n t s required for project c e r t i f i c a t i o n , a s l i s t e d u n d e r t h e DSA website deal with the provision of permanent water supply with adequate
pressure.This has yet to be resolved since
2007 and is still in construction per Diran Depanian, Architect of
Record and TDM Architects Inc. senior partner, who declined to comment on the specifics.
LACCD required, without exception, that all projects close with certification.
A n y d ev i a t i o n f r o m th i s contractual obligation would suspend any AOR future eligibility to work for the District.
In March of this year, an internal document from the LACCD detailed consequences of closing projects without certification.
One of the consequences is the transfer of personal liability from the AOR to ELAC and members of the Board of Trustees.
The LACCD contracted TDM Architects Inc. for the 105,000 square-foot E7 building costing $22.4 million of which $5 million was funded through bond funds such as Measure K.
Enacted in 1933, the Field Act came into effect after the 6.3 magnitude Long Beach earthquake that affected more than 230 school buildings that were either destroyed, suffered major damage or were deemed unsafe to occupy.
The 1933 Long Beach earthquake happened at 5:55 p.m. on a Friday.
Schools would have been full only a few hours earlier.
As a result of the Field Act, the DSA was founded.
S e i s m i c s a f e t y i n California’s early public education building sites increased for all public educat ion const ruct ion p r o j e c t s g r a d e s K - 1 2 i n c l u d i n g c o m m u n i t y colleges.
Approval is required through the Architect of Record upon completion of any project.
There are two exceptions to a closed project without certification. One involves missing documents and/or reported deviations in construction.
In this case, deficiencies have caused such delay.
Regardless of the fact that certain safety issues are in question, TDM Architects Inc. received the American School and University-Outstanding Design Award in 2004 and the Community College Facilities Coalition Award of Excellence in 2005.
“Safety challenges h a v e p l a g u e d t h e f i v e - s t o r y building, as i t has gone without certification by the DSA three times. E7 remains without
certification.”
By JESUS FIGUEROA
Staff Writer
After three months and six successful events, the “Carlos Almaraz: A Life Recalled” exhibit will be on display for the last time this Saturday.
On display are not only well known paintings of Carlos Almaraz, the late Los Angeles artist, whose work was popular during the Chicano art scene that developed during the 1970s, but some that had never before been seen.
The exhibit has brought Elans, friends of the artist and members of the community to the museum.
Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria went to the opening reception in September.
Price voiced her delight to be able to exhibit such beautiful artwork at the Vincent Price Art Museum.
She stated that events like this would help to make the VPAM the center of this community like her father always envisioned it to be.
A long w i th t he a r twork , photographs, postcards and journals, the exhibit had two hit performances
of the national one-man comedy “¡Gaytino!”
A panel “The Artist as a Friend,” brought ELAC alumnus Dan “Eddie” Guerrero back to moderate a panel of artists who were friends and colleagues of Almaraz.
The panel consisted of Frank Romero, who knew Almaraz from college, Barbara Carrasco who met Almaraz after college, John Valadez who met Almaraz during the United Farm Workers Chicano movement and Richard Duardo who met Almaraz in the ’70s.
All shared their personal stories about Almaraz with the audience.
The stories ranged from the first time they met Almaraz to how they felt when he died.
Almaraz’s widow Elsa Almaraz and daughter Maya Almaraz guided a special tour last Saturday through the exhibit.
Elsa told stories, gave a brief history and explained some of the symbolism in the artwork of her late-husband.
Another panel “The Artist in Context” followed the tour.
Howard Fox modera ted a
CN/JESUS FIGUEROA
see ALMARAZ, page 3
“The Importance of Being Earnest” hits the stage.
See page 5
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EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS4 OPINION2 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
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FEATURE EDITORAmanda Mayberry
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SPORTS EDITORLiliana Marquez
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COPY EDITORAugustine UgaldeRodolfo Trujillo
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CARTOONISTKien Ha
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STAFF WRITERSCarlos Alvarez, Sergio Berrueta,
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Food should be handled in clean work space
Construction raises safety concernsBy JERRY CASAREZ
Staff Writer
Public safety should be a high priority concern for everyone at East Los Angeles College.
Students and faculty should feel safe on campus at all times of day, but because of the construction taking place on campus, the safety of all has been compromised.
With ongoing construction taking place, many walkways and routes students use to get to and from class have changed.
Some of these temporary routes are dark and lonely depending on how late in the day they are used.
It can get confusing as the walkways seem to change from day to day.
Students who attend class twice a week will notice what was there yesterday is gone tomorrow.
While this may seem like nothing to be alarmed about, it is something that happens without students being made aware about the changes.
The more important issue is that these areas must be patrolled or monitored by cadets or sheriffs on campus to assure that all is well.
Due to construction, security attention has been divided between the new parking structure and other buildings.
So now that there is more area to patrol and less visibility in others, what is being done to keep Elans safe on campus?
Patrols should use every measure to assure that no student gets robbed.
The incident that happened a few weeks back when someone attempted to rob a student near
the F7 building should raise safety awareness-issues.
According to the ELAC website, a bulletin on the main page indicated that this was the second attempt of this type near that area of campus.
While the alert on the website does help spread the message, more should be done to prevent this from happening again.
Just last week a fence was placed alongside the E7 building blocking the view to the bookstore.
This should be a concern because students who leave the E7 building late or walk alongside the fence can’t be seen.
Another area of concern is the walkway from the library toward the S2 building alongside the old auditorium.
The area is now less populated because of fencing, and is not visible as the day goes on.
These areas require more attention to make people feel safe as they walk through campus.
By no means should sheriffs on campus be blamed. It is the district officials who are entrusted with students’ safety.
The question must be asked what student groups such as ASU are doing to spread the word and prevention during this period.
I think students can benefit from ASU taking a more active role in crime prevention by spreading the message of this matter to all.
The message here is to all parties to take an active role and learn from what occurred to prevent it from happening again.
Students at ELAC should continue to feel safe no matter what time of the day they attend class.
Good instructors in high demand among students
With the end of fall semester and finals approaching, registration period for spring 2013 begins.
Counselors tell students what classes are required to continue taking the next step to achieving educational goals.
Students should not only consider the classes they take, but also who the professor or instructor will be.
The professor does in fact matter because their teaching skills will determine what a student learns.
Yes, students are expected to do their part in making sure they stay current with a class and maintain a grade.
But when are teachers held accountable for lacking teaching skills?
Previous experiences of other students go a long way toward making the right decision when choosing a professor.
It seems that this topic is not
By JERRY CASAREZ
Staff Writer
discussed enough because students rely on word-of-mouth and rating sites to determine if classes they are taking are from preferred teachers.
In a soc ia l media wor ld , reputations can be made both in a positive and negative manner.
If a student has a bad experience,
the world will know about it overnight. Some students do not even wait for the semester to end before making up their mind about a particular class.
Students will drop classes because they do not like the way the professor is teaching.
The issue here that needs to be approached is when large numbers of students drop or withdraw from a class due to a bad instructor.
Students go through the process of signing up for a class only to have the person teaching not be up to student’s standards.
Students are being held to a “three strikes and you’re out” policy but those that teach with poor results should be held accountable.
Higher education is not only a financial investment for students but one that requires time.
I have experienced this issue first hand.
No matter the changes and commitment invested into the class, the subject being taught was not being done in a manner fit to my standards.
How does a class go from being full to practically empty during a semester and no school officials notice?
It is not a coincidence when classes are in demand because of a particular professor teaching.
The experiences of previous students spread enough that during registration, recommended instructors’ classes are highly sought after.
It’s time that not only students get the message but also those that make important decisions in the district.
By ALEJANDRA CARRILLO
Staff Writer
Clubs and groups at East Los Angeles College frequently hold bake sales or other types of food sales in order to raise money.
It is admirable that students put hard work and effort into raising funds for the clubs they are members of, but they should be doing it in a sanitary way if they are dealing with food.
A couple of days ago, I was walking around campus trying to figure out what I should eat.
Coming across building E7, I saw that a club was holding a bake sale so I approached it.
They were selling crepes, muffins, cupcakes and brownies.
The treats looked delicious.I was looking forward to buying
a crepe when I realized that the club members serving the treats weren’t wearing gloves.
One student was preparing the crepes with his bare hands. He was stuffing the crepes with whipped crème and topping them with strawberries and powdered sugar.
I was shocked. I did not know if whether I should recommend that they put gloves on or just walk away
as if I saw nothing.I walked away. I hesitated in
saying anything because there were a couple other people already buying these baked goodies.
I thought to myself, “Hey if I noticed, chances are others saw too but did not care.”
After asking a couple of friends what they thought about this disgusting scenario they all seemed shocked and grossed out.
They even suggested that I should have confronted them about it.
Maybe the people buying the food really did not notice.
I would like to think that I am not the only one on campus who cares about hygiene.
Perhaps, the club members holding the sale forgot to buy gloves or maybe they did not think it was necessary to wear them.
I’m sure they do not intend to get any customer sick.
There are just so many problems with serving food without gloves and hair nets.
Although, many people do not find that wearing a hair net is important, it is.
It is very unpleasant to find a stranger’s hair chillin’ in your food right before you take a bite out of it.
No customer looks forward to finding a hair in their food or getting
sick from dirty hands touching the food.
According to website livestrong.com, not washing hands before dealing with food can lead to diseases such as salmonella, giardiasus, commonly called “beaver fever” and other bacteria-borne diseases.
It is important that everyone, especially if dealing with food, washes their hands often because it is an easy way to prevent a dangerous infection.
I do not want to bash the club that made this mistake because I do not want to ruin future sales they might hold.
However, I am warning students to be more aware and notice things like this.
Yes, as students, we do get hungry and will buy whatever we come across that is affordable but we should be a tad more cautious of what we purchase.
Being hungry should not be an excuse to buy food from sellers who have an unsanitary workspace.
Next time you see a stand in campus selling food, do not hesitate in recommending they wear gloves or hair nets, if they aren’t already.
It might sound somewhat blunt but it truly should be seen as a nice gesture that can prevent you from getting sick.
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS 3NEWS
www.ELACCampusNews.com
By MEGAN PERRY
Staff Writer
“The reaction from serious
people, art critics,
patrons and everything have been fantastic,”
said Guerrero
Wordsmiths write Milestone
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Writers for this year’s Milestone poured out their thoughtful words to an anticipating audience at the release party last Thursday in the P2 Proscenium Theater.
The Milestone is an annual literary magazine that gives students at East Los Angeles College an opportunity to have their creative writing pieces published.
This year was the first year in more than 30 years that the English Department published and put out the Milestone with funds from book sales and last year’s leftover money.
Joan Gurfield, English professor and Milestone editor, said the budget doesn’t allow for any more money for student services like the Milestone, so they had to find funds elsewhere.
Although a number of writers were published, only six writers took their turn at the podium to read their literary pieces aloud to the audience.
This was Joshua Castro’s first time being published in the Milestone, and he wanted to make it memorable.
Castro read his short story “Julio Buys a Skirt” wearing a T-shirt covered in printed mustaches and a knee-length skirt.
Castro said that he wrote this short story as a comical social satire to let others know that it’s OK to embrace the fear of things unknown. “It’s just telling guys don’t be afraid to try it,” he said.
A lot of the short story is based off Castro’s personal experience with wearing a skirt, Castro said.
Julio was a man who was nervous and embarrassed about buying a kilt, but loved the way it felt when he wore it.
“The person in my head who I envisioned was a friend of mine, but a lot of his (Julio’s) personality traits
are kind of like mine,” Castro said.He said he put Julio in a skirt just
to see what would happen, what he could do with and to see how others would deal with it.
“I appreciate that ELAC has Milestone for people who want to write and share their stuff. It’s not really easy nowadays, because a lot of people don’t read,” Castro said.
Castro needed an outlet for his creativity. “I had to search for magazines who accepted short
stories and stuff. They’re really hard to find, so to find one here on campus is really convenient.”
Another writer who spoke to the audience was Micheal Alexander Bercerra.
Bercerra wrote a short story entitled “The French Press,” which was about a racist coffee maker.
Berce r ra rece ived s t rong reactions from the audience, one member saying “that was genius” as Bercerra walked off stage.
“The French Press” was different, yet interesting.
It was about a coffee machine that talked and would say racist remarks at inappropriate moments to unexpecting people, which the audience enjoyed.
Ehecatl Negrete kicked off the reading with his poem entitled, “Is It Normal for an Eight-Year-Old?,” which was not published in the Milestone.
Negrete walked on the stage with an enormous personal journal and read the words right out of the place he created them.
He read with such passion and emotion, the audience couldn’t help but feel for his powerful words.
Negrete then read the published poem “Covered in Mold.” He said he didn’t send in the most updated title to his poem, which he said was “Purple Jelly.”
Mouths dropped and minds wondered as Negrete read his thoughtful words aloud:
“I extend my arms to smear the purple jelly on my inner thighs. My fingers are dancing in a rotten ballroom. Sheepish hair, concealing mysterious bruises, I stand up and face a wall.”
Gurfield felt the Milestone went well this year.
She is one of the judges and editors for the annual publication, and said that she judges based on ideas.
Gurfield said she wants to see something fresh, creative or interesting. She likes to see a different slant on something or an expression of individuality.
Since they only accept about one-third of the applicants, she said submission does not necessarily mean acceptance.
Castro said a short story that took him about three hours to write, wound up costing him a year in rewriting and editing for publication.
Gurfield said, “Its a good opportunity for young students to express who they are...schools need a venue where students can do that.”
Almarez: Exhibit ends with success
CN/DANNY VASQUEZ
Student, Susie Marquez searches around the student ceramic sale, looking for a piece of ceramic art to purchase. Students in the advance and beginning ceramics classes submit their creations for sale and set up their own price ranges. The prices vary. Most of the profit went to the students who participated in the ceramics sale. The rest goes towards the ceramics program at East Los Angeles College. The ceramic sale is located by the new parking structure near the elevator. The sale continues today through Dec.6 from 10 a.m. to 7:00 pm. .
Shopping for clay
Howard Fox moderated a three-person panel discussion.
The panel included Loyola Marymount University professor of Chicana/o studies Karen Mary Davalos, art appraiser Patrick Ela, and former art critic for the Los Angeles Times Suzanne Muchnic.
Each panelist had contact with Almaraz during his life in one form or another, and each held their separate views on what made Almaraz such an important artist.
The tour and panel discussion also brought actor/comedian, and collector of Almaraz’s art, Cheech Marin to the VPAM.
“I’m a big Carlos Almaraz Collector. I came to see the show, listen to the talk and meet old friends,” Marin said.
M a r i n w a l k e d around the exhibit paying close attention to much of the art and talking with Guerrero, Elsa and other guests in attendance.
“The discuss ion was interesting as it starts at a very deep level of understanding. It’s not like you have to explain to everyone who Carlos Almaraz was. Everybody knows him and the discussion was about the issues in depth, rather than exploratory issues so it was really good,” Marin said.
Guerrero brought the idea of a Almaraz exhibit to Karen Rapp the director of the Vincent Price Art Museum.
Together, along with others who contributed art, they put together
a very personal art showcase of Almaraz’s work.
“I always say legacies don’t stay alive by themselves and you have to remind people. He (Almaraz) has been gone a long time now. So I’m thrilled and Karen did such an amazing job on it,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero expressed having many memorable moments throughout the duration of the exhibit.
“It’s very trippy to see things that you have had hanging on your bedroom wall for 35 years in a museum setting,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero took a m o m e n t t o t h i n k before express ing how important it was that this exhibit show not only the artwork of Almaraz, but his personality as well.
It was exactly what he saw happen.
“I think people leave there feeling that they kind of know about him and that was very important to me,” says Guerrero.
Guerrero said, “The reaction from serious people, art critics,
patrons and everything have been fantastic and I’m just thrilled and sad. But, you know what? This is just the beginning. Hopefully this will kick off lots of exhibitions and lots of other things. That’s what I’m hoping.”
“Mexicali Biennial” will be the next exhibit to open at the VPAM once the Almarez exhibit is finished.
The new exhibit opens Jan. 18 next year, with an opening reception at 6 p.m.
CN/DANNY VAZQUEZ
Continued from page 1
pASSioNAtE poEtrY— Ehecatl Negrete read “Purple Jelly” and “Is it Normal for an Eight Year Old,” to celebrate the release of Milestone, an annual literary publication, in the P2 Auditorium on Thursday.
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EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012FEATURE4
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Carlos Gomez, a Psychology major at East Los Angeles College and self-proclaimed as Christina Aguilera’s number one fan, began a fan page dedicated to her that has gotten a little over 3 million hits.
Gomez, who is soon to be a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles University, started his fan page three years ago with hopes of connecting Aguilera fans worldwide.
He became a fan of Aguilera in 1999, at the age of 12.
During Gomez’s school years, his f r iends did not appreciate Aguilera as much as he did, but that did not get in the way of his admiration for her.
“When I was in h igh school my friends would make fun of me but now they accept it. They even give me stuff with her face on it,” Gomez said.
He has met her more than ten times at CD signings and at concerts. Gomez’s extensive Aguilera collection ranges from 1000 cut out pictures of her to all her albums and even a $70 collectors’ edition vinyl set.
“If I were to estimate, I’d say everything of hers that I own could be worth a couple thousand dollars,” said Gomez.
Adding to this, Gomez also has a perfume bottle, a couple magazines,
Some see football as just a sport, something that serves as entertainment for those that watch and recreational for those who participate in it. For some it means more, something that changes lives, as in the case of Bryan Munoz-Alvarez.
The football season has come to an end and among the standout players on the ELAC Football team is Munoz-Alvarez.
The 22-year-old sophomore wide receiver had his best year on the field leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. He also tied for second in the conference for most touchdowns.
And, to th ink tha t i f not for a change in schools and a recommendation from his mother, Munoz-Alvarez may have never played football. Originally a student at South Gate High School, the city had constructed a new school on
The musical genre of Son Jarocho is the inspiration for Las Cafeteras first studio recorded album release “It’s Time.”
The album was produced by Alexandro D. Guiterrez and released independently on September 6 of this year.
The Jarocho music genre originated in Veracruz, Mexico as slave music for the oppressed people of the city.
It consists of nine songs including their single “La Bamba Rebelde” which is their Jarocho interpretation of the popular song “La Bamba” by Richie Valens. The album also consists of “El Chuchumbre” and “El Zapateado.”
The song “La Bamba Rebelde” introduces the group and their overall message of change and respect in the Hispanic community. Las Cafeteras purpose is to also
Football changes player’s life
CN/tadzio garCia
off aNd ruNNiNg— In a 40-13 win over Los Angeles Valley College in the opening game of the 2012 season Bryan Munoz-Alvarez races 21 yards to the LAVC 17-yard line.
By JERRY CASAREZ
Staff Writer
the other side of town to help with overcrowding.
The change for Munoz-Alvarez would be a blessing in disguise. At the time he admits he was hanging with the wrong crowd and going down the wrong path in life. Once he arrived at his new school, the experience would serve as a second chance at life and soon he would find football.
“They were sending flyers for all the sports they were opening that year for South East, and my mom showed me this flyer. She said I should try out for football because I have speed and played soccer. That’s how I got into football, my sophomore year was my first time playing,” Munoz-Alvarez said.
While soccer was his sport of choice at the time, once he played football there was no turning back and soon it became his priority. He admits that the learning curve was there at the beginning, but soon his natural abilities along with hard work started to pay off.
While his accomplishments
on the field are impressive for his 5’11”, 185lb frame, it’s the manner in which he has handled issues off the field that are the most inspiring.
Dedicated Christina Aguilera fan gets 3 million views
While in his senior year at South East High School, he would find out that his then girlfriend was pregnant with his son, who is now
four years old. As one of the city’s brightest
talents, Munoz-Alvarez had visited La Verne University, UCLA and San
Diego State as possible schools he considered attending.
Two years would pass after high school where he wouldn’t play football. In his senior year he would make the decision that he wasn’t going to continue to play football.
“I wasn’t going to continue playing football because she was pregnant and I wanted to take care of them,” Munoz-Alvarez said.
Being stuck in a daily job with no real future wasn’t the life he wanted. This contributed to the thought of returning to school and maybe football would be in his future again.
It was ELAC’s coaching staff that kept in contact with him and helped him realize that he had to return to football and school in order to better his future for his son and him.
“I decided to go to ELAC and give it a shot. If my skills were still there from High School, I would continue, said Munoz-Alvarez.
CourtESY of PiEro f. giuNti
tiME to SHiNE—Las Cafeteras members Annette Torres, left, Hector Flores, Leah Rose Gallegos, Daniel French, Jose Cano, Denise Carlos and David Flores released their Son Jarocho album earlier this year.
By DULCE CARRILLO
Staff Writer
encourage pride in the Hispanic community.
The band which consists of Annette Torres, Daniel French, brothers Hector and David Flores, Leah Rose Gallegos, Denise Carlos and Jose Cano formed in El Sereno where they had their first performance at the Eastside Cafe in 2005.
Group members Torres and David Flores were both students at ELAC.
Each of the seven members plays three instruments or more. Each contributes to the band with their various talents and alternate between both dancing and singing. The many different talents of each member helps to keep constant creativity flowing.
Denise Carlos, who grew up dancing folklorico and zapateado, had a difficult time at first to learn to dance and to follow their music.
“We’re still students learning the music,” Hector Flores said.
Even though the band members know how to play Jarocho well,
they still don’t believe that they know everything. The group often makes trips to Veracruz to learn more music and get ideas for their new songs. They consider Veracruz their second home and say these trips play an important role to their music.
Las Cafeteras uses this style of music as a powerful weapon that they hope will motivate Hispanic communities.
Las Cafeteras group members have all earned university degrees in varying fields. In spite of their many different backgrounds and interests they all come together to unite as Las Cafeteras under the sound of Son Jarocho.
Annette Torres, majored in communication and public relations. Off stage, she handles most of the business side of the group.
Las Cafeteras were mentioned on KMEX Channel 34 for the Dia de los Muertos celebration. They have been motivating the Hispanic community with their Jaracho style.
Las Cafeteras sings for change
By ALEJANDRA CARRILLO
Staff Writer
CARLOS GOMEZ
a book and a CD all autographed by Aguilera.
“I am not planning on selling anything of hers [that I own]. Maybe when I am older but I really don’t think so,” said Gomez.
Gomez’s apprec ia t ion for Aguilera is beyond her looks, lyrics and music.
He admires her generosity to charities such as the World Food Program (WFP). In fact, Gomez adds how Hilary Clinton recently awarded Aguilera with the humanitarian award.
“I like how s h e s t a y s humble about her donations I also believe she is the first musician to be honored with that award,” said Gomez.
G o m e z b e c a m e c o m p u t e r savvy af ter h e w a s introduced to Mypsace.
M y s p a c e helped him famil iar ize
himself with HTML coding, which is the foundation for creating a website.
It was then that he, along with a friend, decided to start a fan page for Aguilera.
“It started as a hobby and took us a little over a year to get one million hits/views,” said Gomez.
Gomez adds how he did not expect much from this website. His intentions were to simply connect Aguilera fans that appreciate and admire her in a positive way.
“There are many other Christina Aguilera fan pages that have negative comments towards her. There are also many fan sites that are not daily updated,” Gomez said.
There is a promising future ahead for aguileronline.com, Gomez’s site. According to Gomez, he interacts with Dateline NBC, MTV and a couple other well-known networks via online.
These networks contact Gomez so that his site helps them trend stuff.
Most importantly, this fan page has helped him keep in contact wi th Agui lera’s bodyguard , choreographer, hair and make-up artist, wardrobe stylist and of course, other fans.
Gomez hopes that this fan site brings him closer to Aguilera so that she knows more about the site and becomes more vocal about it.
If he would ever be face to face with Aguilera, Gomez says he would be too excited to say anything.
“I would get excited and star struck, I don’t think any words would come out my mouth,” Gomez said.
Gomez believes Aguilera has not yet contacted him because then she would have to get to know more fans.
“I’m sure she knows about me. She just doesn’t communicate with me because then she would have to communicate with all her fans,” said Gomez.
Gomez does not plan on taking the site down any time soon. He hopes that people become more aware of it so that he can sell advertising space.
“If I become too busy I will probably stop updating the site daily but I am still going to update it more than other sites and I am not taking it down,” said Gomez.
Elan rediscovers volleyballArriving to the United States
from Taiwan with a great passion to play volleyball, Che Shian Hung made it in time to join the 2012 East Los Angeles College women’s volleyball team.
Before coming to the US, Hung played sports in her high school. She was in boxing, played volleyball and participated in other school activities.
“My school was small and wasn’t great in sports, but I can’t live without sports,” Hung said.
When she joined the ELAC team, she had to learn to play volleyball with rotations that she never encountered before. “Playing volleyball here in ELAC was different from the way I would play it in Taiwan,” Hung said.
She played volleyball by having the six players on both sides of the court and just tossing the ball back
By DULCE CARRILLO
Staff Writer
CHE SHIAN HUNG
and forth.Hung’s positions on the ELAC
volleyball team are as a setter, middle front and sometimes played back row.
“ C o a c h Walker really knows how to play the sport, and he made me love the s p o r t m u c h more,” Hung said.
B e f o r e trying out for the team, she was nervous and d id not know anyone. However, once she made it in the team e v e r y t h i n g changed. She met new people and the team helped Hung feel welcome at ELAC.
Since she was new to ELAC and
to the country, she considers her volleyball team her second family and a great source for help and support.
“When I would h a v e t r o u b l e with some words i n E n g l i s h , I would go to my teammates fo r help,” Hung said. She also said that her team taught her a few words in Spanish including how to count from one to ten.
Even though, she enjoys going o u t w i t h h e r teammates, her g r a n d m o t h e r , who she l ives w i t h a t t h e moment , does
not let her out much because she is new here.
Outside of the women’s gym,
Hung is hoping to transfer from ELAC to a UC and major in economics. “Since I’m going to need money in this country, why not learn how to make good money?” Hung said.
She said that this fall semester will probably be her only easy semester. She is taking two math classes and she finds math easy.
Since she will be living in this country for a while, she believes that learning English will become easier and she knows she will become fluent in the language with practice.
Hung is in the International club and through it has met people born and raised in Taiwan like herself. She feels at home when she gets to talk their language and get away from speaking English. She has also met people from other countries. The club is effective in helping students know they are not the only ones away from their hometown.
Hung is planning to return next year to play volleyball and learn more techniques in the sport.
For more of this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com
5
www.ELACCampusNews.com
‘Earnest’ warms up set with comedy By MEGAN PERRY
Staff Writer
By SERGIO BERRUETA
Staff Writer
“She was tireless in her quest
for the best methods of teaching.”
- Joan Gurfield
ARTSEAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS
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A warm set, fun actors and traditional costumes brought the “Importance of Being Earnest” to life during opening night on Friday at P2 Proscenium Theater.
Audiences were seeing the play the minute they stepped into the house and received a program.
The program usually lists the names of the characters and the names of the actors playing them, but this program remained true to the traditional time period.
Actors were listed under such names as Mr. Jaime Ramirez, Miss Stefanie Mazariegos and Mrs. John M. Gilb.
It’s interesting to see the actor Gracie Gilb listed under her husband’s name, but added to the overall theatrical experience since then women were seen as inferior in the late 1800s.
Making everything feel as if the audience members were in the late-19th century enhanced the play’s themes and motifs.
It’s a play of lies, deceit and love.“The Importance of Being
Earnest” is about a man who struggles with honesty in his love and personal life, which eventually blow up in his face.
Oscar Wilde’s wittiness is seen in the title of the play, as he makes a play-on-words with the word earnest which means honest.
The setting and costumes were done beautiful, especially the scenery in the second act.
The second act was set in an exquisite, hand-painted garden at a manor in the countryside.
The background flats were full of detailed red, pink and white roses that gave the feel of being in a real meadow.
Jessica Hansen is the costume, makeup and hair designer. She kept to the 19th-century conservative
impression, which stuck to that traditional feeling.
The women in the play wore ankle-length skirts, button-up shirts, corsets and fashionable hats.
Floral prints flooded the costume fabric, along with everything else in the play.
Men wore suits, neckties and various types of hats such as bowlers
Kiss me— Gwendolen Fairfax, left, played by Karnen Barraza draws into a romantic kiss with “Earnest,” played by Jaime Ramirez, after “Earnest” purposed to Fairfax in “Earnest’s” living room.
and top hats. Most men walked around with a
cane or a pocket watch. The costumes gave the audience
a feel for the characteristics of people in Wilde’s aesthetic world.
Living at a manor in the country, John Worthing is a sneaky, sly character who will do and say whatever it takes to get his way.
Ramirez played Worthing the way Worthing should be played.
Worthing, ironically, lied for years about having a younger brother named Ernest, who lives in the city.
When he’s in the city, he pretends to be Ernest.
This charade he plays for years catches up to him eventually, which is fun for the audience to watch unfold.
Wilde couldn’t ask for a better actor for the part.
It was his slicked back black hair and skinny black mustache that gave him that old-fashioned feeling, which coupled well with the character.
It was the little quirks that Ramirez added to the character that really brought Worthing out.
One quirk he played was his pronouncing of the letter P.
He added emphasis to it, the audience might want to wear a raincoat when watching.
It made it the play quite enjoyable, because Ramirez made it his own.
Wilde didn’t write in the play that he wanted to emphasis the ‘P’ in every word, yet Ramirez felt it was what the character needed to come to life.
It worked. He and Peter Mendoza, who
played Algernon Moncrieffe, interacted well with one another.
Mendoza’s charac te r was a definite contrast to Ramirez’s character, which could be seen throughout the play.
Moncrieffe was a charming, witty, light-hearted character, who didn’t let too many things trouble
him, which seemed to be a personal reflection of Wilde himself.
Wo r t h i n g w a s a f r a n t i c , mischievous man, who was either plotting a scheme or worrying about the scheme blowing up in his face.
“Truth isn’t what you tell an extraordinary woman like Gwen...,” Worthing said as he concocted a plan to win over the woman he loves.
Moncrieffe was always selfishly looking for a way to keep himself entertained.
“Three is company; two is not,” Moncrieffe said as he looked for an activity to entertain him.
Unlike Worthing, whenever Moncrieffe stepped onto stage, it was with a slow strut.
He always kept his cool, unlike Worthing,who was always anxious about anything that happened.
Problems didn’t seem to affect Moncrieffe, yet he actually seemed to enjoy when things went wrong.
It was entertaining to him. Mendoza is versatile actor, and
can play any part well in anything he does, so he played this part superbly.
The ending was the most interesting part with a twist that wasn’t expected.
The third act made the entire play worth sitting through, since the drama finally was brought to light and the audience could finally see what the actors built up to.
Everything up to this point was explanation and background for what happened in the third act, and gave everything the audience learned some context.
Overall, it was a beautiful play with an interesting premise.
Jazz concert ends with bang
Music students intrigue audience
Milestone honors late English teacher
By TIERRA OLIVER
Staff Writer
By AUGUSTINE UGALDE
Staff Writer
Students in the applied music program showcased their progress and intrigued the audience with lively, pleasant music at the student recital last Wednesday.
The recital featured students in applied violin, guitar, piano and voice classes. Held in the S2 recital hall, class piano and applied piano instructor, Lucy Nargizyan, Ph.D accompanied the performers on piano.
Soprano singer Sushien Chang opened with a lukewarm performance of “Caro Mio Ben,” an 18th century Italian aria composed by Tommaso Giordani.
Though her vocal set-up remained strong throughout the piece, she started off sounding a bit shaky. As the song progressed, Chang sounded more relaxed and was able to project the song clearly.
Sig Li followed Chang’s performance. Li sang “Una Donna A Quindici Anni” from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, beginning strong with a rich glottal onset, sustaining excellent support singing in her upper register at the song’s buildup.
Li’s use of appropriate dynamics paired with her ability to move through notes with agility kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
The only guitarist and first instrumentalist to take the stage was Cesar Clemente with Fernando
Sor’s “Andante in C Major, Op. 35, No.1.”
Throughout the piece, Clemente seemed unsure of the correct chords, taking away from the overall interpretation of the Spanish guitarist’s original composition.
There was no definite ending to the performance, making it unclear whether he had come to the end of the song, or walked off before making it all the way to the end.
Pianist Francisco Lopez performed Bach’s “Prelude No. 1” to a level of mastery. He set the tone building up the piece with his execution of dynamic. Romantic crescendo and decrescendo
The First Friday Jazz Concert ended the series with a bang with the East Los Angeles College Jazz Band finally taking the spotlight.
Music Director and instructor Bob Dawson lead the band, kicking off with the Buddy Rich classic “Monitor Theme” setting the tone for the night filled with rousing songs from classic jazz standards, blues, R&B and funk. Dawson took the hosting duties providing humor throughout the show.
“I am aware it is November 30th, and this is the December concert. Just try to imagine snow and Christmas trees around you,”
Touching tributes to the late Carol Lem, coupled with original student literary work spanning a variety of subjects, highlight the latest edition of the Milestone.
Editors Joan Gurfield and Susan Suntree, along with Stanley Oropesa, each contributed heartfelt tributes chronicling their personal experiences of the former English Department instructor who died Feb. 11.
Gurfield wrote of the incredible dedication Lem had for the students of East Los Angeles College and how she shared her best teaching method of with other faculty members.
“She was tireless in her quest for the best methods of teaching and spent many hours at her desk at ELAC, patiently working with students and many hours talking to other teachers,” Gurfield, said in writing.
Gurfield also detailed Lem’s love for poetry and her shakuhachi flute. She also shared how Lem was not only her colleague and mentor, but also her friend.
Oropesa wrote of how both he
techniques brought passion of this beautiful 18th century classic to life.
A violin and piano duet of “Sonata in D Minor,” composed by Arcangelo Corelli followed with Miguel Lopez, who played violin.
The song got off to a rough start and sounded harsh through key changes. The song choice, however, was a good one. The nostalgic string tones of the violin paired with the sweet piano notes satisfied the sad love song.
and Lem joined ELAC’s faculty 35-years ago and how both promised to retire at the same time, only to have Lem beat him by two years because “she had too much in her life to tend to,” outside the school.
The 2012 edition of Milestone is dedicated to Lem’s memory, where she is credited as editor emeritus, and much of her artwork appears in its pages.
It is also the first edition to be published in its entirety by the English department, without outside funding, according to Gurfield.
Student literary work includes a wide range of poetry, short stories and essays that vary greatly in tone, content and complexity, delivering deep-rooted messages of life’s triumphs and struggles.
“Kiss Me,” by Dario Serrano, speaks of love
and relationships that challenges readers to ask themselves, “When was the last time you committed yourself truly to love?”
Michael Alexander Becerra’s, The French Press, delivers a delightful story of a coffee-maker with an attitude that provides great coffee and equally great distress to its owner.
The restless kitchen appliance
manages to insult people of all races that come within ear-shot as well as being homophobic and misogynistic.
An untitled and touching piece by Berta A. Luviano has the narrator questioning her decision to come to this country at the expense of losing her native land’s tradition and culture.
She goes on to describe how alone she feels and how her sons sing songs, not of her country or culture, that are foreign to her and how much she misses her mother.
Ariana Renteria’s, Chagrin, begins with vulgar, and perhaps unnecessary, language before settling-in to detail the complexities modern relationships can involve.
It is a truly impactful piece that highlights this complexity through a women’s point-of-view.
This edition of Milestone delivers on many levels, from the light and whimsical, to the complex and cryptic pieces that are best left to greater literary minds to interpret.
The publication offers all ELAC students, not just English majors, the opportunity to submit their work for publication and is currently accepting submittals for the next edition.
Students are asked to provide three copies of their work that includes their name, phone number and email address to the selection committee to be considered for publication.
Dawson said making fun at the odd dating of the concert. “We hope you get your money’s worth since this was free,” he said.
The next song on the program, “Tumbleweeds,” gave the old country western song a new jazzy spin with John Nunez and Mike Julian delivering fantastic solos on the alto sax and trombone.
Performing the jazz standard “Corner Pocket,” former pianist for artist Pancho Sanchez, Dave Torres, shines with brilliant piano taking charge alongside Alfredo Valdez’s stellar tenor saxophone performance.
ELAC’s Mike Julian created the arrangement for the next piece known as “Gentle Rain,” a Latin flavored bossa nova tune. The tune had a mellow vibes throughout
the performance with some James Bond theme flair with trumpets blaring with seductive sounds.
Valdez once again delivered another winning performance on tenor sax. For the next song, “Just Friends,” the trombone section finally had time to steal the spotlight. The trombones traded notes with ease with the rest of band slowly creeping in to deliver a wall of sound experience.
Guitarist Juven Zapata proceeded to delight the audience with the classic funk tune “Squib Cakes,” from Tower of Power, which had a terrific solo.
For more on this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com
For more on this story, visit www.elaccampusnews.com
CN/DaNNy Vasquez
CN/OLiVeR BLaNCO
Key NOtes— Jerome de Los Santos, pianist, plays “Etude in E Major, Op. 20 No.3” by F. Chopin in the S2 recital hall last Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
www.ELACCampusNews.com
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012
Women’s basketball team returns second-best
CN/LINDSEY MAEDA
Wrestlers advance to state finals By SERGIO BERRUETA
Staff Writer
By WILLIAM HERNANDEZ
Staff Writer
CN/TADZIO GARCIA
SPORTS6
The women’s freshman-laden basketball team took second place at the Cypress College Lady Charger Classic last weekend.
Husky Karina Ortiz was named in the All-Tournament team last weekend.
The Huskies beat West Los Angeles College, 82-81.
“They played with a lot of heart. They grew up fast in those three games,” Husky Head Coach Bruce Turner said regarding the team’s cohesive-growth.
In their game against Santa Monica College last Friday, the Huskies executed on all cylinders, breezing through Santa Monica, 68-55.
Ortiz controlled the paint, crashed the boards for 14 rebounds while she blocked two shot attempts and contributed with 12 points.
“All around Ortiz’s been our best player. She does a lot of good things for the team, brings a lot of energy and athleticism.
“She plays smart, aggressive and can handle the ball pretty well for her size,” Turner said.
The Huskies won a last-second thriller beating West Los Angeles College, 60-59, last Saturday.
ELAC had been up the entire game, until West LA changed their defensive strategies, going from a half-court defense to a full-court press.
West LA took the lead, 59-58, with nine seconds left in the game.
Point-guard Dioseline Lopez then penetrated into the paint before dishing it to De Laura Castanada who scored a layup for the win.
Castanada finished the game against West LA with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Husky Lopez said that the Huskies had a mental lapse when West LA came with the pressure.
“We made a lot of mental mistakes. It caught us off guard, but we practice that in the game. We just weren’t mentally ready for it,” Lopez said.
In Sunday’s game against
TIED UP—ELAC’s Alex Contreras, left, competing in the 141 weight division, attempts to retain position over Max Ramirez of Bakersfield College with a leg hook. Ramirez recorded a fall at 5:40 over Contreras last Saturday during the South Regional Championships hosted at ELAC.
DRIVING WITH DETERMINATION— De Laura Castanada drives for two of her six points for ELAC as she gets by Katey Kanamoto of Cypress College. Crypress won its own tourna-ment over ELAC, 57-45, last Saturday.
tournament host Cypress, the Huskies showed some fatigue, shooting well below average from the floor, with a shooting percentage of 22.9, making only 16-shots-out-of-70 attempts.
Saturday’s hero Castanada fouled out of the game with 13 minutes left.
“Cypress played well, it felt like we were five-on-eight, because along with going up against Cypress’s five out on the floor, we
Five Husky wrestlers advanced to the state finals out of the 2012 South Regional Championships, which were hosted by ELAC last Saturday.
T h e W r e s t l i n g S t a t e Championships will take place at West Hills College Lemoore, Friday and Saturday.
West Hills won the regionals and the Huskies placed seventh by upsetting Cuesta College by half a point.
Husky Joshua Newman advanced to the finals after taking third place in the 174-pound weight class.
He overcame an injury during the quarterfinal championship loss.
Newman earned a pin at 3:11 against Edgar Cortez of West Hills.
A loss against Tyree Cox of Cerritos College kept Newman out of the championship match.
Newman grabbed third place after he pinned Broderick Goens from Mt. San Antonio College at 38 seconds.
ELAC’s Julian Zuniga, ranked third statewide in the heavyweight division, overcame an injury to advance to the state finals after taking fifth place.
Zuniga won against Rio Hondo College’s Nick Auxier with a pin at 3:48. He then faced Santa Ana College’s Ari Ekezian losing 10-8 while suffering a pulled muscle, which he overcame in a rematch against Auxier to place fifth overall.
“I had a close chance of placing at the top, but when I pulled the muscle I knew I was nearly done for. I am however glad that I managed to get fifth and advance to the state finals,” Zuniga said.
Michael Middlebrooks was the
only Husky who advanced to a championship match. He lost a 5-2 decision in the 184-pound class to Mt. SAC’s Kennet Breaux, the state’s top-ranked wrestler.
Middlebrooks qualified for the state finals. He is ranked No. 7 statewide in his weight class also won over Santa Ana’s Don Hernandez in a 12-4 decision and No. 8 Adrian Garcia of Rio Hondo, 6-4.
Husky Hugo Perez advanced to the state finals after winning a challenge over Santa Ana’s Brandon
Brown in the 125-pound weight class. Brown challenged Perez who won sixth place. Perez overcame the face-off with a decision over Brown.
Perez lost a 12-0 major decision Gabe Ballesteros of Cerritos and a 4-0 decision to Matthew Correa of Cuesta, the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 125-pounds.
Perez also defeated Ballesteros in a rematch, 10-4.
ELAC’s Omar Ochoa, who took sixth place on Saturday in the 149-pound weight class, lost a challenge match to Bakersfield College.
Ochoa keeps his sixth place medal, but does not move on to the state finals.
Ochoa started strong against Santa Ana’s Nathan Matteo winning 13-9, but lost against Cuesta’s Dolin Minnini, 11-9. In a rematch against Matteo, Ochoa lost 10-7.
Ochoa advanced to the Southern Regionals by beating veteran teammate Adrian Virgin, a state finalist last year.
“Ochoa is a tough guy from a family of wrestlers,” ELAC Head Coach Ralph Valle said.
Husky Victor Cisneros advanced to the state finals after winning the fifth place match at 197-pounds.
Cisneros who normally wrestles at 157-pounds has been bumped in weight classes all season.
Cisneros won his first match by default over Rio Hondo’s Daniel Lemus.
“It was a tense match. By the end of the second period, he (Lemus) was injured. It may have ended quick, but it was worth it,” Cisneros said.
Cisneros scored upsets in every
match he won. He lost to No. 4-ranked Tyler Smith of Cerritos 13-4.
He came back in the semifinals to beat Jared Matanane of Mt. SAC in a huge offset, a 3-2 decision to take the fifth place medal and advance to the state finals.
He advanced to the finals despite being injured in a match earlier with Derek Jaurigue from Cuesta where he lost 9-1.
ELAC’s Joseph Padilla, opened the day losing a 9-2 decision against No. 1-ranked Juan Jaime of Santa Ana in the 133-pound weight class.
Padilla continued on to place seventh against Mt. SAC’s Hector Lopez, scoring a 10-6 decision.
“I expected Padilla to advance to the state finals,” Valle said.
At 157 pounds, Husky Andrew Reel delivered a 21-6 technical fall over James O’Neill from Victor Valley College. Reel lost a tense 8-6 decision in the seventh place match to Eddie Rogers from Cerritos.
At 141 pounds, Husky Alex Contreras lost a 6-1 decision early on to Cuesta’s Julian Purdy.
Contreras was pinned by Max Ramirez from Bakersfield at 5:40.
At 197 pounds, Francisco Aceves also lost two matches, which were against Cuesta’s Jonathan Urango, 21-6, and to No. 5 Sergio Guerrero of Mt. SAC, 6-2.
“I haven’t wrestled for two years since high school and came up short. This season at ELAC was my first stepping-stone. Next year, I’ll be back and you’ll hear me make noise,” Aceves said.
“We are taking five to the finals. I thought it would be more also with Aceves and Reel advancing,” Valle said.
The Huskies are ranked No. 12 statewide and also upset No. 8 Bakersfield for the first time in tournaments.
had to compete against the refs as well,” Turner said.
Husky Stephanie Rodriguez said that by playing against a variety of non-conference opponents, the team is well suited for any type of scenario.
After losing to Cypress, the Huskies are 8-2 overall.
The Huskies will play San Francisco for the Golden Gate Classic this Friday.
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