THE UNION
Established 1946
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SEPT. 12, 2019 Follow us @ECCUnion
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
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Campus-wide power outage caused by equipment failure Elevators out of service restored the following day Merritt Ryan Albin Copy Editor @merritt_media
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union Roxann Toshiko Tomiyasu heads over to the Schauerman Library to do homework for her classes Monday, Sept. 9. Tomiyasu is homeless and slept in Parking Lot F but was asked to leave by El Camino police last summer.
Proposed law addresses housing insecurity If passed, homeless students would be allowed to park on campus overnight News Editor @omarsrashad
F
AND
Jose Tobar
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionTobar
or 65-year-old El Camino College student Roxann Toshiko Tomiyasu, her car serves as the last refuge from the many dangers that of homelessness and sleeping on the streets. After receiving associate degree in automotive technology last spring, Roxann was allowed to sleep in her vehicle overnight in one of the campus parking lots but was eventually asked to leave by campus police who cited safety concerns over wild coyotes. Assembly Bill 302 (AB 302), also known as the safe lot bill, has been making its way through the California State Legislature. If passed, AB 302 would mandate California community colleges to allow homeless students to park their vehicles on campus lots and sleep in them overnight. Tomiyasu told The Union she was hopeful the bill would pass because it
could improve the living situation of students impacted by homelessness. Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), the author of AB 302, has expressed dissatisfaction following a set of amendments made by the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) to the bill Friday, Aug. 30 and decided to place it on hold until the California Legislature reconvenes in January 2020. Since AB 302 was first introduced in January, the bill received bipartisan support from state legislators and non-profit organizations and garnered opposition from dozens of community college districts, including the ECC District. Berman said the idea for this legislation came from trying to find solutions to basic insecurities and homelessness among students in California. As Chair of the Select Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education in California, Berman held hearings in Sacramento, San Jose, [See Safe lot bill, page 5]
Construction workers extinguish second-floor fire Group of students and faculty smelled smoke, alerted work site personnel, official says Copy Editor @ryanefarrell
New budget approved
Storming the art world
One gamble leads student journalist on a whirlwind year with The Union and helps to reaffirm her passion for journalism.
Retired art professor gets his first art gallery exhibit at El Camino College.
One gamble leads student journalist on a whirlwind year with The Union and helps to reaffirm her passion for journalism.
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See page 4
ARTS
Taking risks
NEWS
OPINIONS
Ryan Farrell/The Union A construction worker welds a metal beam at the Pool and Classroom Building construction site Thursday, Aug. 29. Welding was the cause of a small fire on the building’s second floor on the second day of the fall semester.
Construction workers put out a fire that occurred on the second floor of the Pool and Classroom Building construction site on Tuesday, Aug. 27 after being alerted by students and faculty, a construction official said. A group of El Camino College students and faculty smelled smoke coming from the construction site, which sits adjacent to the Student Activities Center, and alerted two construction workers with Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc.; they used a fire extinguisher to put out the smoldering plastic insulation, President of Tilden-Coil Constructors Inc. Brian Jaramillo said. “Debris started to burn, students and staff noticed and [construction workers] Syed Jafri and Luis Bautista put the fire out with an extinguisher,” Jaramillo said. Hot drips of molten metal from welding, known as slag, landed on plastic insulation, causing it to burn and release smoke, Executive Director of Facilities and Planning Services Jorge Gutierrez said. “Welding sparks fell and hit
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plastic that caught on fire. There was no structural damage, just melted plastic,” Gutierrez said. After welding, company safety procedures require construction workers to remain on-site for 30 minutes to verify that slag or sparks do not cause a fire at the construction site, Jaramillo said. The smell of smoke was reported to construction workers after they had already waited the mandatory 30 minutes, Jaramillo added. When alerted, construction workers extinguished the fire before the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) arrived on scene and no injuries were reported, LACFD Captain Ernie Lopez said. The building was in no danger of burning down since it’s composed of concrete, metal studs and drywall, which are noncombustible materials, Jaramillo said. Robert Brobst, assistant director of Facilities and Planning Services, said the fire was unrelated to the power outage that occurred the same day. Gutierrez said that he is still confident in the safety procedures of Tilden-Coil after the construction site fire.
FEATURES
Ryan Farrell
Wireless internet upgraded and network name changed
Signal strength at dead spots on campus improved Juan Miranda
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJuanM
El Camino College’s Wi-Fi networks are set to be renamed Monday, Sept. 9 as part of a project to upgrade wireless internet coverage on campus. “This is part of a bigger project on the campus, in terms of dealing with the dead spots on campus and trying to upgrade the technology and infrastructure for students,” Vice President of Administrative Services Iris Ingram said. The current campus Wi-Fi networks, ECCWireless and ecc_ staff, was going to be renamed as Warrior1 and Warrior2 on Monday Aug. 26, the first day of the fall 2019 semester, according to an email that was sent out by administration on Thursday, Aug. 22.
“We originally talked about Warrior1 and Warrior2, but then decided that maybe that wasn’t distinct enough in terms of people remembering which is which,” Ingram said. A second email sent out by administration revealed that the Wi-Fi renaming project would be postponed, and, instead, would be implemented on Monday, Sept. 9. A third email sent out on Friday, Sept. 6 explained the new Wi-Fi network will be known as Warriors, along with a link for those who may need assistance. “We pushed back the roll out date because we wanted to make sure everything worked seamlessly,” Ingram said. The delay mostly had to do with district-issued computers and ECC administration wanting to make [See Network changes, page 4]
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union Students work on essays during their English 1A/1AS class Thursday, May 9. El Camino College wireless networks’ signal strength were improved Monday, Sept. 9 and were renamed Warriors.
A world of adventure
Men’s soccer undefeated
Geography professor sets his sights on traveling to all 195 countries in hopes of sharing experiences with students.
Warriors’ men’s soccer team outlast Glendale College with penalty kick in 90th minute to move them to 3-0-1 on the season.
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SPORTS
Omar Rashad
A Southern California Edison (SCE) equipment failure caused a grid-wide power outage that affected El Camino College at 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27, authorities said. SCE restored power to the ECC campus at 3:40 p.m. by rerouting electricity from a neighboring SCE power grid for temporary use, Assistant Director of ECC Facilities and Planning Robert Brobst said. The power grid that normally services electricity to the ECC campus was restored at 5:42 p.m. SCE spokeswoman Taelor Bakewell said the power outage was caused by an equipment failure at one of their sites. She said she could not comment on the specific details of the incident other than that it was an equipment failure. Bakewell could not comment on how many people the outage impacted but said it affected 1,959
customers which SCE defines as facilities it services. Bakewell added that SCE records stated the power outage began at 2:34 p.m. During the power outage, elevators in six different buildings sent out emergency distress signals and returned to the ground floor of their respective buildings according to the ECC Facilities and Planning Department. Chief of the El Camino College Police Department (ECCPD) Michael Trevis confirmed that one elevator entrapment occurred in the library due to the power outage. The passengers in the elevator were evacuated by Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) firefighters who arrived on scene shortly after the initial report according to the ECCPD. The elevators in all six buildings were out of service until the following day at 2:30 p.m. when technicians approved the elevators to return to service after performing safety tests and maintenance, Brobst said. [See Power outage, page 4]
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EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
2 THE UNION
SEPT. 12, 2019
OPINION
Illustration by Kaylynn Myles/The Union
Let homeless students park on campus overnight
Proposed law would not solve California’s housing insecurity issues but it would be a start
G
et out of bed. Brush. Shower. Eat breakfast. Get in the car. Head to class. That’s how most days begin for college students. For many homeless students, mornings aren’t that simple. Their daily lives are filled with anxieties. Where will I get my next meal? How will I get to class? Where will I sleep tonight? They don’t have basic privacy and sleep in the streets or, if possible, in their cars. They may struggle with their academics, doing homework by moonlight or huddled underneath a streetlamp. But our society is structured in a way that makes social mobility impossible without education. Homeless students should be allowed to park their cars on campus overnight at El Camino College regardless of Assembly Bill 302 (AB 302), also know as the safe lot bill. The proposed law has moved through the California State Legislature which would, if passed, mandate community colleges to allow homeless students to park their vehicles on campus overnight to sleep. In a 2018 campus survey that received responses from 1,633 ECC students, 39% experienced housing insecurities while 13% were homeless. Being able to park their cars in a safe place instead of on a random street corner would give homeless students agency in knowing where they will sleep at night. Recent amendments made by the Senate Appropriations Committee have weakened the bill’s premise. Colleges within 250 feet of an elementary school are exempt.
It’s easier to opt-out and the implementation date of the bill has been delayed 15 months from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021. ECC already gives away hotel vouchers which is one of the opt-out provisions, allowing the college to claim an exemption. ECC President Dena Maloney does not think the proposed law will fix the housing and affordability crisis that students are faced with, according to a letter of opposition she wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Maloney believes AB 302 would increase costs at ECC, according to the letter. She also believes ECC does enough through its initiatives to help students in need and that a parking lot is not sufficient for ECC’s homeless students, according to the letter. But students that don’t know where they will sleep each night still deserve a safe place to rest. What better place than colleges that claim their campuses are where students belong and where they’ll succeed? It is harder than ever before to earn a degree. It becomes much more difficult to reach your goals with countless obstacles placed in the way. Many colleges have resources to help students, including those with housing insecurities. According to a survey by The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, which received responses from 40,000 community college students at 57 California community colleges, 19% of all community college students are homeless, while 60% face housing insecurity.
Editors’ thoughts: Thumbs up, thumbs down The Extended Opportunities Programs and Services, which offers counseling and other services for students, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. More money will be allocated from the ECC fiscal budget towards the Warrior Food Pantry, which assists students facing basic need insecurity.
THE UNION
Vol. 75, No. 1 September 12, 2019
Contact: eccunion@gmail.com Newsroom: (310) 660-3328 Advertising: (310) 660-3329
Editor-in-Chief...................................... Fernando Haro News Editor, Managing Editor..............Omar Rashad Features Editor,......................................Roseana Martinez Arts Editor............................................. Justin Traylor Sports Editor..........................................Kealoha Noguchi Opinion Editor.......................................Giselle Morales Social Media Editor...............................Anna Podshivalova Photo Editor ..........................................Rosemary Montalvo Copy Editor............................................Merritt Albin Copy Editor............................................Ryan Farrell Senior Staff Writer.................................David Rondthaler Senior Staff Writer.................................Diamond Brown Senior Staff Writer................................. Jose Tobar Senior Staff Writer..................................Matthew Sandoval Senior Staff Writer..................................Devyn Smith Senior Staff Writer..................................Oscar Macias Staff Writer.............................................Cameron Woods Staff Writer.............................................Juan Miranda Staff Writer.............................................Khalida Jamilah
Orange Coast College (OCC) has made an effort to push for on-campus student housing with 323 units and 814 beds, which is expected to be ready by fall 2020. Although OCC is using private funds to build housing, by raising the issue, their administration has taken the initiative to put their students first and promote equity. We know a lot of the money can’t be moved around because several funds are restricted, but ECC can look into private funding like OCC did. Homeless students deserve more than a parking lot. The Union understands that AB 302 isn’t a permanent fix, but it is a start that would help homeless students feel safer. There are 10 parking lots at ECC, with several being able to house more than 190 students. California law, AB 1994, already mandates community colleges give homeless students access to shower facilities. Allowing them to sleep on campus is not a wildly uncalled for progression in bettering services to students who lack basic needs. Creating temporary housing for students is possible, it’s just not the priority. E d i t o r i a l s a re u n s ig n e d , w r i t t e n a n d v o t e d u p o n b y t h e e d i t o r i a l b o a rd .
The opening of the new Gymnasium has been delayed again, it was scheduled to open in spring 2019. The 2019 to 2020 fencing plan for the demolition of the old Student Services Building and Student Activities Center will make it more difficult to get around campus.
Staff Writer..............................................Mikayla Schwartz Staff Writer..............................................Patrick Ezewiro Senior Photographer................................Mari Inagaki Senior Photographer................................Viridiana Flores Photographer...........................................Alejandra Diaz Photographer...........................................Angelica Zatarain Photographer...........................................David Alonso Photographer...........................................David Odasanya Photographer...........................................Eduardo Jimenez Photographer...........................................Erleen E. Barrett Photographer...........................................Jaime Solis Photographer...........................................Jennifer Ramirez Photographer...........................................Keenen Crawford Photographer...........................................Keiji Shiraki Photographer...........................................Lillee Ambro Photographer...........................................Monica Crisostomo Photo Adviser..........................................Luis Sinco Advertising Manager...............................Jack Mulkey Adviser....................................................Stefanie Frith
The Union is published on designated Thursdays by Journalism 11 and 14 students at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, and is free to the student body and staff. Unsigned editorials and cartoons are the opinion of the editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the views of the student body, staff or administration. Letters to the editor must be signed and must be received one week prior to publication in the Union office, Humanities Building Room 113. Letters are subject to editing for space, libel, obscenity and disruption of the educational process. Single copies of the Union are free; multiple copies can be requested through the Union.
College Media Association Newspaper of the Year Award 2015, 2016 (2nd) Associated Collegiate Press Regional Pacemaker Award 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012 California News Publishers Association General Excellence Award 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 Journalism Association of Community Colleges General Excellence Award 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 (eccunion.com)
OPINION
SEPT. 12, 2019
THE UNION 3
Learning to take risks leads to leadership position CAMPUS VIEWPOINTS: Experience with The Union helps resolidify student journalist’s passion for journalism FAVORITE CLASS Anna Podshivalova Social Media Editor @ECCUnionAnna The Union recently asked El Camino students about their favorite classes.
Dafne Garcia, 18, a nursing major
“My favorite class is chemistry,” Garcia said. “I took it in high school and I really enjoyed the professor and what we learned and the things we did like experiments.”
Margarito E. Navarro, 21, sign language/interpreter major “My favorite class is American sign language,” Navarro said. “Because just like the fact [that] I am a part of this major and it is a new language, new culture, new concept, the language [is] different from English and [has a] different sound structure.”
Giselle Morales Opinion Editor @ECCUnionGiselle
A
pplause, cheers and tears filled the room as I announced to my family that I was the new editor-in-chief for The Union. My uncle’s eyes welled up with tears. Soon after, my mom began to cry. It was only once a year that we all got together on my late great-grandmother’s birthday to celebrate her life. I had gotten the news from my professor a week prior and was so excited to tell my family. As I stood there listening to my family congratulate me, I was filled with a mix of emotions ranging from happiness to self-doubt. Disappointing my family was one of my biggest fears; I always want them to be proud of me and being editor-in-chief was a huge responsibility. Though I was still hesitant about embarking on this new journey, I realized that none of it would’ve happened if I didn’t take a risk and apply to become a part of The Union staff. I’ve always been the type of person
Julio Meneses, 19, biological and biomedical sciences major
“My favorite class would be between anatomy and physiology,” Meneses said. “Because I want to be a doctor someday and those are the most basic classes any doctors should know or either know how our body works. Those classes [are] my favorite because it’s the first time that you really feel that you trying to be a doctor especially because you start to learn everything about your own body [and] how the things work.”
Although this new position came with a new level of responsibility and discipline, I soon realized how much I liked it. I went home that night and told my mom that I was the new opinion editor and she was so proud of me. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone else I knew. As each newspaper deadline came and went, I felt like I was getting the hang of it. With every page design I improved more and more. I was proud of myself for not giving up because I realized the other editors saw the potential in me that I hadn’t seen in myself. I was determined to see the semester through. As the semester came to an end, it was time for staff members to reapply for the upcoming spring. I remember checking off the opinion editor position, but found myself hovering over the editor-in-chief position a few times. Being editor-in-chief meant twice the responsibility, the person who is in charge of the entire publication. I wasn’t convinced that I had it in me. I turned in my application and the following day I asked my professor how many people had applied for the editorin-chief position. She told me that only two people had applied and there was another interview spot open if I wanted it. Once again, I was faced with the same uncertainty. I was terrified, but I remembered that I had made the right decision by following my gut the last time, so I said yes. The nerves were insurmountable leading up to the interview. I had no clue what my professor was going to ask me and as much as I tried to
prepare, nothing seemed to stick. To my surprise the interview went smoothly. It was in that moment I realized how much I wanted to be the next editor-inchief. Within 24 hours, I was. With the spring semester in full swing, I was struggling to embrace my role as editor-in-chief, the boss essentially. It seemed like every week there was another bump in the road. Through the trials and tribulations, we got through six amazing issues and it felt like I had reached the top of the mountain. The whole whirlwind year with The Union brought me back to the letter. When I was 12 years old, my seventh grade teacher had us write a time capsule letter to ourselves. She promised that she would mail them to us once we graduated high school. It’s been two years since I graduated, but I recently rediscovered the letter while cleaning my room. My 12-year-old self could never have fathomed being able to accomplish all of the things I have with writing, journalism and being editor-in-chief for The Union in such a short amount of time. In the letter I wished myself luck in whatever career I decided to pursue and said that I was proud of myself. That young and naive tween that I was, is a completely different person today. Without knowing it, that one small gamble resolidified my commitment to journalism.
Campus Corner: Alumnus reflects on time spent at ECC
Photo courtesy: Ivan Gargurevich
Rachel Maldonado, 23, communication major “I really [enjoyed] deaf culture, during the summer semester,” Maldonado said. She also added that the class was really interesting and she enjoyed it a lot.
who was afraid to take risks out of a fear of failure. Also, I always seem to self-sabotage situations. It was in my Journalism 1 class where the editor-in-chief announced that staff applications were available. Even though it sparked my interest, I kept telling myself that being a writer wasn’t what I wanted to do. As applications circulated the room, I began to think, “Why not take a chance; who knows what this could lead to?” The light bulb went off in my head and despite the trepidation, I decided to take the risk and apply for the position. Looking back, applying to become a staff writer for The Union was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The first day on the job felt like I had entered into uncharted territory. There were times when I felt like throwing in the towel because I thought I couldn’t handle it. Starting something and not finishing it was a pattern I had fallen into before. As the first few weeks went by, I hadn’t written any stories yet and was considering dropping the class even though I told myself I wasn’t going to quit. I decided to stick around for a few more weeks and suddenly an opportunity came up that changed everything. I was co-enrolled in the newspaper production class and in the advanced reporting and news editing class, which meant I was eligible to become an editor. I was offered the opinion editor position. All of a sudden I was designing pages, creating assignments, and was in charge of the opinions section.
After many years I happened to be in Los Angeles County, and I drove around El Camino College campus. I am a graduate of ECC with an AA degree with emphasis in chemistry. As I glanced at the campus and buildings and drove all around the golf course, my mind seemed to travel back in time to the years 1973-1976 when I was a very young student at ECC, and I also worked at the Records Office part-time to earn some money for expenses. Suddenly I felt a great need to write a letter to the editor of the school’s newspaper as a tribute to the wonderful experience and the gift of an education that ECC represented. I would like to fill in some blanks and note that after I left ECC I graduated with a BA degree in Chemistry from UC San Diego with minors in mathematics and managerial economics. Soon after I earned a Master’s Degree from UCLA in chemical engineering (Dr. Eldon Knuth, Advisor) and a late Doctoral Degree also from UCLA in chemical engineering with a minor in quantum chemistry (Dr. Selim Senkan, Advisor). I must upfront list some of the faculty in the chemistry department of ECC whom shaped my future path in education: Prof. Warren Ford, Prof. James
Campbell, and Prof. McQuarry. Who could forget as well the laboratory technician whose name unfortunately I could not recall. Prof. Ford always reminded us that as chemists or chemical engineers we would be responsible for the clean-up of the environment of this nation the United States of America. One semester he did not grant any A grades in the course. Only two students earned a B grade, I was one of the fortunate ones. He could always be found in his office drinking coffee and grading all of our homework problems. He was one to set high standards of excellence always. Prof. Campbell I can remember as always having conversations with students in the organic chemistry laboratory, his sense of humor and willingness to help students with such a difficult subject as organic chemistry. An extraordinary person and teacher. I still can remember the great sense of humor and jokes of Prof. McQuarry in qualitative analysis course. He never stopped telling us that we got the unknown chemical under our analysis wrong as a way to joking. Great humanity. Dr. Virginia Skinner taught calculus. She was a great personality and always spoke of her father as an electrical engineer. She had extraordinary abilities to teach advanced math. She may have been the reason I earned a minor in mathematics at UC San Diego and then later pursued quantum chemistry, a subject based on the understanding of higher mathematical concepts. I always took physical education activities from a fellow Croat Prof. Stanich. The man was a great personality and very approachable. Nothing but good memories of jogging around the
golf course in hot weather under his supervision. I must always reminisce about individuals that I came to know while working part-time at the Records Office: Virginia Erickson (Supervisor), Patricia, Dorothy, and most of all Maria Denouden an extraordinary woman of great humanity and ethics. I did not deal with him directly but I do remember the presence of the Director of Admissions Roy Brugman, a decent man. I believe that all of us who share of the ECC experience, most specifically the chemistry department had a sense of anticipation in achieving our goals of becoming chemists, engineers, physicians [and] instructors......For all of us it was not just a possibility it was a reality waiting to become. I think today the college experience is much more difficult for young people. Technology developments are having profound changes in our society, so quickly in fact, that society and the individuals are having a hard time to adjust and accommodate the impact of such changes in lives and social rituals or costumes. It is also obvious that the cost of living and education is higher today which impacts students and their expectations. This is a difficult issue. However looking back and thinking of today, the power message and example of the individuals and teachers at ECC remains the same, one of excellence and personal responsibility. As a result of my academic achievements I have been involved in past years on the development of facilities for destruction of obsolete chemical weapons within the USA and by
international agreement (under the supervision of a veteran of Korea and graduate of Annapolis). I was invited to make a presentation on my work with hydrogen sulfide combustion chemistry by a group, part of the Science Intelligence Community of the American Government (an invitation by a past member of NSA). I also had involvement as [an] independent consultant in the assessment of a device to protect against biological terrorism in the continental USA. I have been involved in the development of facilities to produce biodiesel, bioethanol, hydrogen (supervised by a past member of the USA Navy engaged in the design of nuclear plies for USA submarines). From all of this experience, one learns that we still live in a world with great need for economic development, but it is also still a dangerous world with the need of excellence and standards of conduct. It was at ECC, where all of the professors and members of the administration whom first exposed me to the concept of having the good fortune of getting an education and that we do not live in a vacuum but we do have a responsibility and perhaps thanks to our education, a role to play in the future of our great nation and make it possible to build a nation of wealth, prosperity, and freedom. Dr. Ivan Gargurevich, Principal Process Engineer ivan_gargurevich@yahoo.com
Students and members of the ECC community can submit guest columns and Letters to the Editor. If you are interested, email eccunion@gmail.com
CAMPUS VIEWPOINTS: FAVORITE UPCOMING HOLIDAY Khalida Jamilah Staff Writer @ECCUnionJamilah The Union staff recently asked students and staff what holiday they were looking forward to most and why.
Annette Weisse, 47, journalism major “I like spring break because usually if it was cold it’s not cold anymore and it’s not hot yet. It’s nine days if you count the weekend so you can leave town or you can stay home but you have nine days of rest,” Weisse said. “Last spring break, I went on a five day hiking trip with my family, backpacking and cross country to Catalina Island. I walked 53 miles in five days with a 30 pound backpack. We did something different everyday. One day it was hiking, one day we went to [an] amusement park. One day [we] visited relatives. [We] just [made] sure we did something everyday.”
Giancarlo Fernandez, 20, political science major “I think everybody likes Christmas. My family usually has a giant potluck and everyone brings gifts,” Fernandez said. “We also play a game called white elephant where everyone gets a number, everyone brings a gift and they fight for that gift. My favorite foods during Christmas are pozole and tamales.”
Fia Misipeka, 54, instructional services “I’m excited about Labor Day because I can have some spare time. I like going to the beach,” Misipeka said. “I’ll be celebrating my eleventh anniversary. We will go to San Diego. In my family, everyone is getting older and I miss those moments when we get together. We try to get together for Thanksgiving.”
Apps like Amazon which can make holiday shopping more convenient, offer student discounts for $59 per year.
NEWS
4 THE UNION
Police Beat Omar Rashad
News Editor @omarsrashad This is for the week of Monday, Aug. 26 to Sunday, Sept. 1. For updated Police Beats, visit eccunion.com. Monday, Aug. 26, at 6:20 p.m. A student reported a theft in Parking Lot C after she said she mistakenly left her vehicle unlocked and returned to find several electronic items missing from the backseat of her car. Monday, Aug. 26, at 9:40 p.m. A man and a woman were arguing in Parking Lot F. The dispute ended after officers responded to the scene. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 1:15 p.m. A woman was transported via ambulance from the Health Center to Memorial Hospital of Gardena by the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) after she said she was not feeling well. She said she has diabetes and high blood pressure and requested medical attention. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 2:50 p.m. The LACFD responded to an elevator entrapment in the Schauerman Library caused by a campus-wide power outage. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 3:10 p.m. The LACFD responded to a fire at the Pool and Classroom Building construction site. Construction workers had accidentally set fire to insulation on the building’s second floor and responding fire units extinguished the fire.
[Power outage, from page 1] “We have to wait for authorized technicians to come to the school and reset the elevators,” Brobst said. “We don’t have any staff on campus who work on the elevators.” Brobst added that the main issue associated with the power grid is its structure. “The electrical system is like a large wire-mesh,” Brobst added. “It is amazing that they rerouted the power so quickly after the outage was reported.” Brobst added that whenever there is an outage, the ECC Facilities and Planning Department monitors the situation live as updates are received from SCE. A small fire also occurred on the same day at the Pool and Classroom Building construction site within a half-hour after the power outage began. These two events were confirmed to be unrelated by Jorge Gutierrez, executive director of Facilities and Planning. Gutierrez said that sparks from welders in the construction zone landed on plastic directly below the welding site, causing it to burn. The fire was extinguished by construction workers on-site at the time, prior to LACFD firefighters arriving on the scene.
Officials approve $307 million spending budget for new year More money will be allocated to student service programs Fernando Haro
Editor-in-Chief @ECCUnionHaro
Ryan Farrell/The Union The lower level of the Student Services Center goes dark as the effects of the power outage are seen campus-wide on Tuesday, Aug. 27. One elevator entrampment in the Schauerman Library occured as a result.
Workshops to help students applying to transfer Counselors will guide attendees through applications and offer one-on-one guidance Mikayla Schwartz
Staff Writer @ECCUnionMikayla
T
he Transfer Center will be organizing transfer application workshops every week during October and November for students applying to transfer to four year universities next fall. Students should attend even if they think they already know how to fill out a college application because mistakes can be detrimental. Transfer Coordinator
Rene Lozano said. The Transfer Center provides two types of workshops to help students with their applications. The first workshop is a presentation that provides step-by-step instructions to guide students through the application process, including a mock application demonstration by staff. The second workshop is a lab where students can fill out the application with support and guidance from counselors. “What we do to help our students here is we do a mock application. We fill one out as if we were a student ourselves,” Lozano said.
Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 10:10 a.m. The LACFD transported a pregnant student from the Health Center to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after she said she was having difficulty breathing and felt like she was going to faint. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7:15 p.m. A female student reported a shirtless man for staring at women in Parking Lot D and other suspicious behavior. The shirtless man approached the female student, who was in her car, knocked on her car window and asked her to not leave the parking structure. ECCPD responded to the incident after the female student reported the man to police. Upon a records check, ECCPD discovered an outstanding $10,000 warrant for his arrest. When searched, drugs and drug paraphernalia were found on his person. He was then transported to the Torrance Police Department. Thursday, Aug. 29, at 4:00 a.m. The LACFD transported a woman to Memorial Hospital of Gardena after she called ECCPD via an emergency blue pole, saying she was feeling suicidal. Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6:00 p.m. A member of the El Camino College football team was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after sustaining a broken leg injury during a scrimmage against Allan Hancock College. Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6:30 p.m. A member of the ECC football team was transported to HarborUCLA Medical Center after sustaining a head injury during a scrimmage against Allan Hancock College.
Illustrations: Merritt Ryan Albin Omar Rashad
SEPT. 12, 2019
Viridiana Flores/The Union The Transfer Center at El Camino College will be organizing transfer application workshops for students applying to transfer to four-year universities. Counselors will walk students through applications and answer any questions that came up.
“That way, a student gets to see every screen, every drop-down menu and every section.” Students need to bring basic paperwork to fill out the application including transcripts from all colleges attended and background information of their family size and income. The applications require some high school information including the school names, years attended and graduation date. Qualifying students may receive up to four fee waivers for California State University applications and up to four fee waivers for the University of California applications. The fee waiver is connected directly to the application, Lozano said. Bri Mai, a second-year ECC student, said that she is interested in attending the workshops. “I am thinking of transferring fall 2021. I was actually thinking of going this year so I could get a plan ahead,” Mai said. When asked if she knew that the workshops had an overview and a guided lab to fill out applications for the UC and CSU school systems, she said she did not know. She thought it was just an informational overview about how to do the application, Mai said. Second-year student Martin Zambrano said he was unaware of the services provided in the workshop. “I didn’t know about that. It seems very helpful,” Zambrano said. He felt that the level of advertising was in the middle because he was aware of the workshop but did not fully know about the services provided within the workshop, Zambrano said. Lozano also said the workshops are open to all students planning on transferring and that the dates for fall college application workshops will be released soon.
Thousands of dollars more will be allocated to several programs at El Camino College this year along with the hiring of more staff and faculty, according to the El Camino College Community District (ECCCD) final budget for 2019 to 2020. After meeting once a week for three consecutive weeks, the Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the proposed $307 million budget Tuesday, Sept. 3, officials said. BOT officials praised the new budget comprised of local, state and federal funding along with other contributions as this year’s spending will be about 5.86% larger than last year, according to the ECCCD final budget for 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020. “That’s really good [because] we want to be able to continue the great programs and great work we do to help students meet their goals and this budget supports that,” Maloney said. Maloney said she considers this budget stable, considering ECC has had good and bad budget years. However, the total amount ECC will be receiving from all contributions is $422 million, roughly 7.2% less than last year’s budget, according to the ECCCD 2019 to 2020 final budget. The $422 million is spread out across 16 funds, 15 of those being restricted, meaning that money can only be used for very specific projects and expenses, ECC Business Manager Jeffrey Hinshaw
said. “All these other funds have special purposes, they have to be spent a certain way on certain things,” Hinshaw said. This includes the General Obligation Bond (Fund 42), which makes up about 12.5% of the total budget and can’t be used for anything other than construction on campus, Hinshaw said. Hinshaw said the college will be spending more this year despite having a smaller budget because of increasing expenses going towards staff salaries, new mandated hirings and increasing retirement rates among others. Hinshaw added that ECC will spend about 2.36% of the new total budget on a new Safety Training Center. “We have a special grant from the state to build basically a new facility for Emergency Medical Technicians and [firefighters],” Hinshaw said. ECC will be allocating $149,000 towards a “hunger free campus” grant that would help fund the Warrior Food Pantry, a program that assists disadvantaged students with food, toiletries and other resources. “Students shouldn’t have to come to school hungry,” Student Trustee Lindsey Lee said. More money will be also be allocated into more programs including the Veterans Resource Center and mental health services, according to the ECCCD 2019 to 2020 final budget. “Maybe a few years ago we didn’t care about these services but it’s great we are highlighting them now,” Lee said. “It opens up deeper conversations.”
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union The General Obligation Bond, also known as Fund 42, can only be used for construction. It makes up 12.5% of El Camino College’s total budget. [Network changes, from page 1] sure that all faculty were present to run tests, Ingram added. “We decided this was a change we could wait to announce and wait to implement because there is so much going on [on] the first day of school,” Ingram said. Ingram added that information about the network renaming project could have gotten mixed up with other information students receive during the first week of school, which is another reason why the renaming project got pushed back. Signal strength of campus internet will also be improved to accommodate more devices, she said. “It’s been a long time project,” Ingram said. “It was to extend coverage, bandwidth [and] usability [to make] sure the instructions for getting into the network are the same.” The Wi-Fi renaming project stems from the need for bandwidth
expansion due to the growth in both the student population and the number of devices that students carry. “What we’re trying to do is regulate the traffic to make sure that the people who need to get on—students, staff and faculty— can get on and stay on,” Ingram said. Computer science major Fernanda Rincon said campus WiFi is slow in certain buildings. “I don’t know if changing the name will improve the quality [of the Wi-Fi] or better it,” she said. Other students said they feel that the campus Wi-Fi works fine. “It’s pretty good, it always works when I’m at MBA,” undeclared major Dhezerie Hernandez said. Bryan Calderon, an art major, said he was unaware of the Wi-Fi network renaming project. “I didn’t know,” Calderon said, “I think we forget to look at our school emails.”
Support program for formerly incarcerated students approved Grant to fund intiative that will offer guidance, development and training Omar Rashad
News Editor @omarsrashad
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l Camino College will be receiving over $110,000 from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to establish an on-campus support program for formerly incarcerated students. The grant, dubbed the Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Students Reentry Program, is awarded by the CCCCO and was approved at a Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting on Monday, Aug. 19.
“It is designed to provide counseling, support [and] outreach to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students at El Camino College,” ECC President Dena Maloney said when introducing the grant listed under Action Items – Community Advancement 13.3 on the BOT meeting agenda. After the BOT meeting, Maloney told The Union there is a renewed interest in programs that support formerly incarcerated students, as offering a program of this kind will be a first for ECC. According to the BOT meeting agenda, the Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Students
Reentry Program focuses on offering guidance to students that can lead to the development of job skills, obtaining an associates degree and transferring to a fouryear university. While ECC does not have an approximation of incarcerated or formerly incarcerated students on campus, ECC staff and faculty have found the need for a program tailored to formerly incarcerated students, according to the grant application ECC submitted to the CCCCO. “Our staff was interested in getting a foundational grant to start this program so that we can
help people reform their lives after being incarcerated,” Vice President of Student Services Ross Miyashiro said. “We wanted to make sure that we have a place for formerly incarcerated students to come and help them get their lives in order and then get a new career going.” A criminal history follows people around on employment and college applications, but Miyashiro said that’s an example of how training via counseling services comes into play, to teach formerly incarcerated students how to talk around prior convictions in an interview setting while also showing promise as a reliable employee.
Miyashiro added that help for formerly incarcerated students needs to go beyond an informal group setting—they need to be given guidance and be put in a direction so they can learn how to study, write research papers, do higher level math and learn about next steps, like transfer opportunities. “We’re here to change people’s lives. We believe that everybody can add to society and we want to look at what people can do, not what they can’t,” Miyashiro said. “There are a lot of brilliant people that have been incarcerated for one reason or another but would be absolutely a benefit to society coming back to college.”
NEWS
SEPT. 12, 2019
THE UNION 5
Jose Tobar/The Union Parking lots J and K at El Camino College can potentially serve as sites that would provide homeless ECC students living in their cars with a safe place to park at night under Assembly Bill 302 requirements, according to the Food and Shelter Task Force. ECC’s opposition to the bill was made official in June after President and Superintendent of ECC Dena Maloney sent a letter to the CA Senate Judiciary Committee. [Safe lot bill, from page 1] Fresno and Riverside to gauge the issues impacting California college students. “In every hearing, I heard from students about the struggles they were going through with the cost of living, with experiencing homelessness, food insecurity and lack of access to mental health services,” Berman said. “Those were the three main things, but housing by far was the No. 1 issue that I heard from students.” While the long term solution is to build housing, Berman said that he wanted to make way for a short-term solution to make the lives of students experiencing homelessness safer. Berman added that instead of sleeping in their cars parked in alleyways or industrial parks, homeless students should at least have a safe place to sleep in their cars on college parking lots. The emergence of the safe lot bill has also caused an increase in awareness of the student homelessness crisis and has destigmatized the issue, Berman added. “A lot of times these students are embarrassed, they don’t want to talk about the troubles that they’re going through,” Berman said. “It’s our fault, it’s society’s fault that we haven’t built enough housing over the past 30 years and that the cost of housing is so high in California.” AB 302 would require community colleges to create safe parking programs at their respective campuses, fashioned after successful models like safe parking programs in Los Angeles, according to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s (SJC) legislative digest.
Amendments ‘weaken’ bill
On Friday, Aug. 30, the SAC passed the safe lot bill with a 5-2 vote; its committee members also made three amendments to the legislation, which, Berman said via press release, heavily weakened the bill. “I was sad to see the details of the amendments that were forced into AB 302 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which indicate a lack of urgency in addressing the community college student homelessness crisis,” the press release reads. Prior to SAC amendments, AB 302 mandated California community college compliance by April 1, 2020, also known
as the bill’s implementation date, and tasked colleges with forming a committee with student representation to create regulations for a safe parking program specific to a college’s respective community. However, if colleges were to show the State of California proof by the implementation date that they offer three specific homeless student housing services— emergency grants for housing, rapid rehousing referral services, and hotel vouchers via a public agency—they would be exempt from having to comply with the bill. The SAC amendments, which were added to the bill on Friday, Aug. 30, pushed back mandatory compliance to July 1, 2020, exempt colleges within 250 feet of an elementary school and changed the opt-out provision: if colleges provide one or more specified homeless student services—instead of all three of them—they would be exempt. The new amendments, Berman said in his press release, indicate a lack of urgency to solve the student homelessness crisis. In a survey by The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, which received responses from 40,000 community college students at 57 California community colleges, 19% of respondents said they experienced homelessness in the last year. At ECC, the 2018 Student Campus Climate Survey received responses from 1,633 students, and revealed that 39% of students experienced housing insecurity and 13% experienced homelessness.
Concerned ECC officials
The ECC District is joined by over 20 other community colleges and is one of over 40 entities that have expressed to the California State Legislature their opposition to AB 302. ECC President and Superintendent Dena Maloney submitted a letter of opposition to the SJC on Wednesday, June 26 after consulting with ECC’s Board of Trustees and College Council. When asked if she talked with students or homeless students at ECC, Maloney said she had not. While she appreciates the intent of AB 302, she does not agree with the approach it takes to remedy the issue of student homelessness, she told The Union. “I think the approach kind of
limits our thinking about what it is we need to be doing,” Maloney said. “It’s a very narrow and confined solution that doesn’t look at the bigger picture.” In the early stages of the bill’s path through the state legislature, Maloney said she had a few concerns about the cost and liability brought on by the bill. Amendments made over the summer to provide relief for colleges from liability made Maloney happy, she added. However, the costs that AB 302 would require community colleges to incur remains a concern for Maloney, she said. “The Department of Finance estimates that this bill will cost $70 to $80 million for the state,” Maloney said. “With that level of a state investment, we should expect more, we should expect more out of the bill, we should expect more than parking lots for our students.” While the California Constitution requires school districts to be reimbursed for state mandates, Berman said the process is not perfect and Maloney added that reimbursements are not usually the full amount. AB 302 does not contain any language that mandates community colleges to come up with a permanent plan for housing while creating a safe parking program for students. She added that there needs to be a better solution that puts students in housing, not cars and that an initiative driven by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) to define and create housing solutions for homeless students would be a better alternative than the safe lot bill. In her letter to the SJC, Maloney called the bill a one-size-fits-all mandate that overlooks initiatives community colleges have already undertaken to address student homelessness. Berman said the safe lot bill is not a one-size-fits-all mandate; it has provisions that allows colleges to decide how a safe parking program should be run in its district. “We want [safe parking programs] to be required, but we also want it to be as deferential as possible to the districts to tailor it to meet the needs of their individual districts,” Berman said. Berman said he acknowledges that he is asking a lot from community colleges, many things that have never been asked of them before.
“I’m sorry that I am doing that but the housing crisis and the student homelessness crisis is so severe that we all have to step up and do more than we have before,” Berman added.
ECC addresses homelessness
At ECC, the Food and Shelter Task Force has met regularly since 2017 to address food and housing insecurity among students. The Task Force consists of 31 members representing various programs and student services on campus like Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), the Warrior Pantry and the Outreach School Relations office, among others; it is chaired by the Dean of Student Services Idania Reyes, who was unavailable for comment after The Union made multiple attempts to reach her. The Director of Outreach and School Relations Julieta Aramburo, a member of the Task Force said the bill is a temporary fix that did not adequately solve the real issue students are confronted with in the South Bay, where affordable housing is lacking. A document prepared by the Task Force for Maloney’s office providing legislative feedback on AB 302, found the price for an apartment in Torrance runs at $1,980 on average; only 1% of rental units cost less than $1,000 per month. “There is no [affordable] housing in the South Bay that we can refer students to,” Aramburo said. Often when referrals for housing are made, they are far away from EC, in cities like Whittier, Wilmington, and downtown Los Angeles, she added. The Task Force document also designated parking lots J, K or L, to be used if AB 302 was passed and the college would have to comply with the bill, adding that the lots’ proximity to the El Camino College Police Department (ECCPD) and nearby restrooms made them the safest.
Overnight safety concerns
For ECCPD Chief Michael Trevis, his concern over safety involves having the manpower to provide adequate protection for homeless students participating in the overnight parking program, he said. It’s safe to park on campus at ECC and parking-related issues are uncommon, he added. “The only thing that concerns me is am I going to need more
resources to ensure safety,” Trevis said. “I don’t know that yet.” Another concern Trevis said he has is whether guests, mainly non-students, will be on campus overnight. “I am concerned about the guests,” Trevis said. “I think a number of incidents and issues on campus involves non-students.” Despite concerns over resources and the cost of a safe parking program at ECC, Trevis said he can also see how the bill can benefit students. “I think the positive is those students that are living in their cars, if they are allowed to park here with the proper rules and regulations in place,” Trevis said. “I feel they would feel quite a bit safer than parking out in the streets somewhere.” Feeling safer can give students confidence, which can translate into academic success, Trevis added.
Nonprofit organization support
The nonprofit organization Safe Parking L.A. (SPLA), that supports AB 302, has been operating eight safe parking programs across Los Angeles City districts including Koreatown, West Los Angeles, and Hollywood, since 2016. On average, SPLA serves between 125 to 150 vehicle dwellers (people living out their cars) per night, with plans moving forward to add an additional lot in Echo Park, Associate Director Emily Uyeda Kantrim said. “Our job is to figure out how to model and how to make a safe parking program scale to serve the needs of 15,000 [homeless] people who are living in their cars and [to] assure the community that this is a reasonable way of addressing someone’s housing insecurity in a temporary manner,” Kantrim said. Many of SPLA’s current sites belong to various governmental entities, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Health, the Veterans Administration and Los Angeles County public libraries, Kantrim added. “We have opportunities at city colleges that we don’t have at other places because we already have the parking lots that are not in use at night, with bathrooms, and security of some kind,” Kantrim said. “So all of the components of a safe parking program already exists.” In terms of safety, Kantrim added
that incidents involving crime have never occurred at safe parking lots because people parked in their cars overnight are only there to have a safe place to sleep.
College association in opposition
The Community College League of California (CCLC), a statewide membership association for all 73 community college districts in California, opposes AB 302 because the bill was not voluntary and carried no funding to back it up. President and CEO of the CCLC Larry Galizio said community colleges would be forced to bear the financial burden of an unfunded state mandate that could cost between $50 to $80 million a year to operate. “It’s the incredible cost of housing in California, the first and foremost reason that somebody is homeless or housing insecure,” Galizio said. “And you’re mandating the underresourced community colleges to solve a problem affecting the entire state.” Community colleges across the state have been doing their share to address the food and housing insecurities among students, and attempts had been made by a few city colleges including Cyprus College who attempted a similar safe parking approach, Galizio said. However, local ordinances limited their efforts, and neighbors rose up to disallow the attempt, he added.
Parking can lead to student success
For students like Tomiyasu, AB 302 can save them from the potential dangers of having to sleep in their cars located in unsafe areas, Tomiyasu said. Before she was told she would have to find another place to sleep at night by the ECCPD, she said she felt safe sleeping on campus during the night. Given the bill’s impact, Tomiyasu said she would like to see ECC officials be more open minded to its benefit. “This is an opportunity for people to go to school, for people to get ahead in life, so why would [they] want to stop [AB 302]?” Tomiyasu said. “I hope and pray that it goes through with God’s strength. People need it. Some people don’t even have parents or families. It’s just one more step for them.”
SEPT. 12, 2019
PHOTO ESSAY
THE UNION 6 Justin Traylor/The Union A glass case in the ECC Schauerman Library holds several pices of artwork created by Miriam Alonzo, also known as HHcita, and some of the color pencils used to make the art pieces, Tuesday, Sept. 3. All but two of the art pieces on display are on sale, with prices that vary from $25 to $1,500.
CANVASES ON CAMPUS
Rosemary Montalvo Photo Editor @eccunionrose
There are two art exhibitons on El Camino College’s campus displaying work from two of ECC’s own. ECC fine arts alumni Miriam Alonzo’s art is showcased in ECC’s Schaerman Library. Alonzo’s art is available for sale to the public and will be available until the end of September said ECC outreach librarian Camila Jenkin. Art work prices range from $25 to $1,500, for inquiries on sales contact Alonzo at HHcita@yahoo.com (310)259-7306. Library hours: Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday: 8 to 4:30 p.m., Saturday: 9:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Top: “Lets’ be kids again” a canvas print by HHcita located in the ECC Schauerman Library, Tuesday, Sept. 3. This print is available for purchase by the public for $150. Left: One of two canvases titled “Fantastic Sea” by HHcita located in the ECC Schauerman Library, Tuesday, Sept. 3. HHcita used Prismacolor colored pencils to create this piece that is being sold for $1,500
Retired ECC art professor Harrison Storms is showcasing his artwork in his first ever solo gallery, “Johns Canyon”, in the ECC Art Gallery. Stroms’ gallery is filled with a mix of acrylic paintings, ink drawings, and charcoal drawings on various canvases. Storms’ art gallery will be on display until Thursday, Sept. 19. Gallery hours: Monday and Tuesday: 8 to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday: Noon to 7:30 p.m.
Photos by: Justin Traylor/The Union
Top: Three canvases from the “Missing Persons” series of retired art professor Harrison Storms’ art exhibittion “Johns Canyon” located in ECC’s Art Gallery, Wednesday, Sept. 4. Storms worked as an art professor at ECC for over 30 years before deciding to retire to move on to making art in a studio fulltime according to the ECC academic website. Left: “Johns Canyon #057” displayed in Storms’ art exhibition “Johns Canyon” located in the ECC Art Gallery, Wednesday, Sept. 4. This piece was created in 2014 by using acrylic and limestone on a Masonite. Photos by: Rosemary Montalvo/The Union
ARTS
SEPT 12, 2019
THE UNION 7
TA K I N G
THE ART WORLD BY
STORM RETIRED PROFESSOR GETS 1ST SOLO SH0W Justin Traylor
Arts Editor @ECCUnionJustinT
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Justin Traylor/The Union Harrison Storms alongside the canvas of “Body # 003” during his art gallery receptionin ECC’s Art Gallery, Wednesday, Sept. 4.
xcited. Overwhelmed. Grateful. Stunned and truly in awe. These are the thoughts running through 75-year-old retired El Camino College art professor Harrison Storm’s head as he prepared to open his first solo exhibit on campus, Wednesday, Sept. 4. The Art gallery filled with students, faculty and the general public shuffling through the corners ceases of the reception halls. Storms taught life drawing at ECC for 30 years but soon after he retired Director and Curator of the Art Gallery Susanna Meiers offered him chance to have a solo show. “I make a policy to offer to any full-time faculty members in the Art
COMPAÑÍA NUESTRAS RAICES PRESENTS A NIGHT’S PERFORMANCE FILLED WITH MUSIC AND DANCE
Group aims to educate and promote Mexican culture at El Camino College Oscar Macias
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionOscarM
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l Camino College’s Center for the Arts will be hosting Nuestras Raices on Friday, Sept. 13. at the Marsee Auditorium at 8 p.m. Nuestras Raices will present ‘Noche Mexicana 2019’. The event was organized by ECC students and faculty with the help of Argelia Andrade the founder of Nuestras Raices. “This will be a celebration of Mexican music and dance with
the collaboration of Conjunto Hueyapan, Conjunto Chicontepec, and Mariachi Los Reyes,” according to the Center for the Arts’ information page. ‘Noche Mexicana 2019’ will also focus on presenting four different forms of songs and dancing traditions which include: Son Jarocho, Son Huasteco, Son Guerrerense, and Mariachi. Xocoyotzin Herrera, a history professor at ECC, said, “Noche Mexicana at the Marsee has been ongoing for a few years.” “As far as my enthusiasm for this show, it is very high. There
will be live dance and music which is unique,” Herrera said. In order to give the best performance, Nuestras Raices are practicing in their own studio. “We have our own studio in Gardena, California,” Andrade said. Andrade added, “’Nuestras Raices’ mission is threefold: to educate its members and the community about the Mexican culture in Mexico and in the United States, to foment a need in our members to become community leaders by obtaining a college education, and to create a space of social justice where education and
the performing arts intersect.” Tickets are available at the ticket booth outside of the Marsee Auditorium or online at www. centerforthearts.org. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase at the ticket office outside of the auditorium. Ticket prices range from $30 for the general admission, $25 for seniors and military, and $15 for students. Guests will still be able to buy tickets an hour before the event begins.
Department to have a solo show after computer science major, entered the art they’ve retired,” Meiers said. gallery just for his class requirements Storm expressed that his art form but walked into a bit of a surprise. is based on the study of anatomy and “It was more interesting than I made with acrylic paint. He usually thought it was gonna be; I started spends a lot of time creating each of noticing he does these 14-horizontal his pieces. its all experimental he never lines on most of them and he ingrains knows exactly how they will turn out. colors in the lines its pretty cool”, The motivation has consistently Edwards said. been experimentation and just trying Harrison Storms’s “Johns Canyon” to see what comes up,” Storm said. will be open until Thursday, Sept. 19. After, a month long process of Storm hopes his audience realizes deciding which pieces to include in through his work its that “art is his show, “Johns Canyon” is officially beautiful”. open to the public. Garrett Brown from Long Beach Art Gallery Hours who is looked very fascinate by each of the body of work that was on Monday and Tuesday display. “I really like wall series that he’s 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. done, I like the Leonardo Da Vinci like human figure one, and I like the risk that he’s taking on all of them”, Brown Wednesday and Thursday said. Noon to 7:30 p.m. Joshua Edwards, 20-year-old
UPCOMING SHOWS Seffarine, From Fez to Jerez Friday, Sept. 20 8 p.m.
The Janitor, a New Comic Opera Saturday, Sept. 28 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29 3 p.m
Byron Hurt Guest Speaker Tuesday, Oct. 1 7 p.m.
FEATURES
8 THE UNION
SEPT. 12, 2019
Anna Podshivalova/The Union
ECC geography professor of 30 years, Matt Ebinor, points to where the Namibia and South Africa border is located during one of his geography lectures on Tuesday, Sept. 3. When Ebiner is not teaching at ECC he organizes tours to different countries. “It keeps me busy and is a kind of extension of my geography teaching,” Ebiner said.
A WORLD OF
ADVENTURE
GLOBE TRAVELER VISITS 154 COUNTRIES WITH 41 MORE STILL IN SIGHT Anna Podshivalova Social Media Editor @ECCUnionAnna
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t the age of 19, his interest in traveling led to one of the most memorable adventures of his lifetime. After his first year of college, he set out to travel across the United States on his
bicycle. “I was interested in seeing new places,” geography professor Matt Ebiner said. “I was in good shape so I decided to ride my bicycle across the country.” His adventure started from the Mexican American border of Pacific and 48 days, 4,000 miles later he finished at the American Canadian border of Atlantic. “I did it by myself,” Ebiner said. “I did not have much money so I’d camp down in people’s houses.” With no knowledge on who lived in what house, Ebiner added that he would knock on random houses and ask to camp out in their yards for the night. “I met a lot of people and saw a lot of things,” he said. “I may be realized that the USA is a miracle country with all different landscapes and nice people we have.” For more than 30 years, Ebiner has been teaching geography at El Camino College and has visited a total of 154 countries, but his goal is to visit all 195 countries in the world to share the experiences with his students. But with plans to visit all the remaining countries, it requires a lot of time. “The next country I am not sure yet because in my free time I am leading the trips for other people,” Ebiner said. “Maybe I will try to go to the Maldives, also I haven’t been to East Timor yet.” Ebiner has been to places like Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and even Iceland. “I really like New Zealand; a lot for its nature, but there are so many countries that I enjoy,” Ebiner said. “I enjoyed Iceland’s beautiful nature and culturally I am interested in India.” Ebiner’s passion for travel led him to create his own tour company, GeoTours, which organizes tours to different countries for everybody. He founded his tour company in 2010 and characterizes his business with his second fulltime job. “It keeps me busy and is a kind of extension of my geography teaching,” Ebiner said. “It is a way for me to use my knowledge and experience to have a business, but it is very rewarding because I can get a share with other people.” ECC geography professor, Julienne Gard, met Matt Ebiner in 1999 through Los Angeles
Geographical Society. “Matt [is] the most travel[ed] person I have ever met,” Gard said. “He is probably the best lecturer and storyteller; he can weave a narrative in this gentle soft-spoken way and it is captivating in something so magical about his presentation in class.” Gard added that she went with him to Iceland in 2012 and is going on her next trip to Cuba, in February, with Ebiner through GeoTours. “It is a smaller group, great adventure with an educator,” Gard said. “He is there explaining everything in a political and economic way, texture and the landscape.” After Cuba, Gard plans on going to Peru with Ebiner as well. Ebiner’s interests don’t just stop at traveling, but he is also interested in photography and uses his photos in geography classes so that students better perceive information. “He is an A-class photographer and has been published in magazines,” Gard said. “Of course in his class setting, as well with all photographs that he takes by himself, you feel like you have been in these places when you attend one of his lectures.” ECC earth and science professor, Joseph Holliday, who worked with Ebiner for 28 years said he is a very well-liked professor and students are happy to attend his lectures. “He is very enthusiastic and students like it,” Holliday said. “He is always the No.1 that students look for, as teachers and professors.” Holliday added that Ebiner is very organized for his classes and it even helps international students because he uses presentations with photographs to understand better material. “He organized his classroom with guides and notes,” Holliday said. “Projector notes [help] for students whose English is a second language, so they really like his class.” His colleague Holliday has also traveled around the world with Ebiner. “I traveled with him during vacations,” said Holliday. “I have been in Guatemala, Central Asian like Kazakhstan, Serbia, Montenegro; it is fun.” Ebiner wants to get more people involved with being more aware and interested in the world around them through his class. “I like to share what I think is important as a teacher,” Ebiner said. “My teaching hopefully helps people better understand the world.” With hopes on more people joining geography, he said he wants people to be more excited about the world they are living in. “People so often focus only on work and school, it is a very tiny area they spend their life, but there are so many other experiences waiting for them.” Interested in traveling the world? Join GeoTours at www.geotours.us to check out the next available tours.
SPORTS
SEPT. 12, 2019
THE UNION 9
Women’s soccer team shutout at home by Fullerton College Warriors’ offensive struggles continue as they lose third straight game of the season Matthew Sandoval Senior Staff Writer
@ECCUnionMatthew The EC women’s soccer team (03) drops it’s third straight game in a 3-0 loss to the Fullerton College Hornets (3-0) on Friday. The Warriors’ offensive struggles continued early on in the match as they have yet to produce any points on the scoreboard this season. Fullerton College came out in attack mode to begin the game putting up 11 shots compared to EC’s two shots in the first half. “(Offensively) we’ve been struggling all year,” Assistant coach Darin Dunn said. “We’ve had a tough time creating chances for each other. It’s something that we are going to have to really focus on before we really get going into the season.” Solid defending from the Warriors’ backfield and goalkeeper Kelly Gallagher kept it a scoreless game after the first 45 minutes of regulation. Gallagher finished the match with a season-high 13 saves in goal for EC. “The first half (defensively) was our best that we have played so far this year,” Dunn said. “Our covering was very well and for the most part we were able to limit a lot of their big chances that they
had.” The Warriors began the second half aggressive on offense, dominating possession early but the Hornets’ transition defense proved to be too much for EC to overcome. Fullerton opened up the scoring in the 52nd minute of the second half with a goal from forward Jacqueline Ramirez. Hornets defender Kaelah Basurto added to the lead with a penalty kick in the 72nd minute. Hornets forward Rocio Martinez-Marquina capped off the scoring with a laser to the top of the net in the 86th minute. “I think we struggled a little bit (early) but in the second half we settled down and started playing our style of soccer,” Fullerton College head coach Pat Lewin said. “Our spacing got better and we were more disciplined, which resulted in scoring for us.” The Warriors added 2 shots in the second half of play resulting in a total of 4 shots (3 shots on goal) to Fullerton’s 30 shots (16 shots on goal) for the game. Fullerton defender Kaelah Basurto led all players with 7 shots (5 shots on goal). EC forwards Melisia Medina and Monica Bernardino put up one shot each. Defenders Alexandria Katsouridis and Joelle Niimi also tallied one shot each for the home team.
Rosemary Montalvo / The Union ECC Warriors women’s soccer player Ashley Herm (#13) looks to pass the ball while on the offensive attack against the Fullerton College Hornets, Friday, Sept. 6. This is ECC Women’s soccer team third straight loss of the season.
“We put in a good effort throughout the game,” Warriors midfielder Isabel Alba said. “Our (mindset) started to change as they scored on us so i feel we need to be stronger mentally. We need to improve on our team chemistry
and learn to work for each other.” ECC will look to earn its first win of the season on the road at San Diego Miramar College (0-2) on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 3 p.m.
Sports coverage for El Camino College athletics available on ECCUnion.com
Men’s soccer remains undefeated after win against Norco College
Practicing defense as a unit wins game, player says Juan Miranda
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJuanM
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fter having a header saved on the goal line by a defender, El Camino College Warriors captain Melvyn Perez-Cortez pushed in a rebound inside the six-yard box for his second goal late in the second half to seal the game for the ECC Warriors. The ECC men’s soccer team
shutout Norco 2-0 behind another strong performance from the defense and are now off to their best start (4-0-1) since the 2010 season. “We practice how to defend as a unit,” ECC Warriors defender Armando Alonzo said. “So far, we’ve done the job that the coaches are asking for, we’re organized in the back.” With both teams entering the match undefeated, the ECC Warriors extend their winning streak to three games as they handed Norco
College their first loss of the season. Norco was held scoreless but their offense scored eight goals in their previous three matches. Perez-Cortez’s opened the scoring in the 40th minute of the match with a potent shot from the edge of the 18-yard box that went past Norco’s goalkeeper. Perez-Cortez now leads the team in goals scored with three. ECC Warriors coach Michael Jacobson said he knew the opposing head coach well and anticipated a
tough match. “The defense did an amazing job,” ECC goalkeeper Luis Garibay said. “It’s cool to have that in our system.” The ECC Warriors have shutout four of their five opponents so far this season and have conceded just one goal in five matches. The lone goal given up came from a penalty kick against Glendale College. Jacobson is eager to restore the glory of ECC’s men’s soccer team and hopes that the whole program can become a shining light for ECC, similar to the teams from the
1980s and 1990s. “It’s been a couple of years that we haven’t been as good as we [want],” Alonzo said. “This year we have a good team, so we’re getting the results we want and hopefully we can [win] championships with this team.” The ECC Warriors have not won a California Community College Athletic Association state championship since 1992 when they defeated Chabot College in the final under head coach Jim Millinder. The ECC Warriors will look to keep their dream start going, as
well as their undefeated and winning streaks rolling, when they visit Moorpark College (1-2-0) at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.
El Camino College’s Men’s Soccer team (4-0-1) are off to their best start through five games since 2010.
Jaime Solis / The Union Warriors Midfielder Melvyn Perez-Cortez takes a shot at the Mustang goal during the second half of the game against Norco College on Tuesday, Sep 10. The Warriors went on to win 2-0 and remain undefeated for the season.
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miles surround John Britton during training sessions and games. The positivity he brings uplifts his players to perform to their maximum abilities. “He is humorous about things and doesn’t make you feel bad if you messed up,” Nancy Adams, a student in one of his soccer classes, says. Adams is one of many who attributes Britton’s humor as inspiration as Britton has been a part of the El Camino campus for 25 years as a badminton, men’s and women’s soccer coach. In addition, Britton was on one of the first ECC soccer teams and was on the junior and adult Scottish championship teams. He also played rugby, junior tennis and water polo in Scotland. Britton’s athletic versatility comes from his mother.
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John Britton has been involved with ECC athletics for the past 25 years
“My mother was really good at tennis, badminton, and running,” Britton says. “At the time she grew up, those days women didn’t play sports.” Britton started playing badminton in the 1970s, which he says “was quite a sport for guys and girls at the time, but it died out.” In1995 Britton became a coach for the soccer teams after helping colleagues at ECC. “The opportunity came about to apply for a job as a soccer coach,” Britton says, “so I became a fulltime faculty member in 1999 and coached badminton.” Britton is a good coach, Adams says, because he can evaluate his players’ wants and needs on any given day. “He can tell how far we can push things,” Adams says. “He kind of evaluates where your skills are and from there works on additional techniques.” Men’s soccer player Brian Burrell also admires his work.
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Mari Inagaki/ The Union John Britton, ECC instructor and women’s soccer coach exits ECC soccer fielf after practice, Monday, Sept.9. Britton has been the women’s soccer team’s coach at ECC for 25 years. “He was one of Scotland’s top players that ever came out,” Burrell said. “Soccer, badminton, croquet, tennis, water polo…he is the most prolific athlete we have here.” Throughout the years, Britton has created an easy work environment for his players at ECC and will
continue to do so in the future. “I really enjoy working at El Camino because it is a great environment with great faculty, staff and students,” Britton says. “Everybody in El Camino has always been extremely professional.”
Warriors baseball’s 10th man: groundskeeper Gary Crawford
He is not in the dugout but is a part of the team pride
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He has never had an at-bat or pitched an inning, but he’s on the field before every El Camino Warriors’ baseball game. “Every year he is in the team picture,” Warriors’ coach Nate Fernley said. “He is one of the guys. He is a part of our family.” Gary Crawford, groundskeeper for Warrior Field, El Camino College’s baseball field, makes sure the field is ready to go for every Warriors’ home baseball game. Crawford’s game day routine of preparing the field takes about six hours. He begins the job by mowing the visitor’s bullpen and works his way around the field. Crawford saves the warning track, the area of the field closest to the walls, for last. When his work is done, Crawford stays around the field to watch the first few innings of Warriors’ games and keeps updated on how the team is doing. Crawford is all about getting the job done right, Warriors’ assistant coach Nick Jones said. “[It’s] great to have someone who cares so much,” Jones said. Crawford didn’t immediately step into the role as groundskeeper. Warriors baseball coaches saw the
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David Rondthaler/The Union Gary Crawford is the baseball team’s groundskeeper. He cuts the lawn at Warrior Field conditions of the lawns he was caring for on campus and were convinced he was the man for their field. “I never met the coaches before getting the job,” Crawford said. “I saw the field before getting the job and wanted to work on it.” Crawford does a great job because he takes pride in his work, Fernley said. “It’s great, I have not seen someone have a lot of pride in what they do [like Crawford],” Fernley said. “He is a great guy, and we have a good working relationship.” In the beginning days of being Warrior Field’s groundskeeper, Crawford would look at the field,
reflect on his work and thought of ways he could improve the field’s conditions. Every time he noticed something he didn’t like he would take note of it and evolve his work. The process of improving never stops, even to this day. “Sometimes I google or go on YouTube to learn how to do new things,” Crawford said. It gives Crawford an inner satisfaction to making the baseball field look precise. Specifically, he takes a lot of pride in the foul lines coming out nice and straight. “The players work hard, so I try to help make the field look good,” Crawford said. Before being Warrior Field’s
groundskeeper, Crawford was a bartender and a fitness trainer. But one day, a parks department job at the city of Torrance appeared on his radar. “I have always been into gardening,” Crawford said. “I love it and it’s peaceful.” When the El Camino Warriors’ baseball team marches forward through their season, Crawford will follow, making sure both foul lines are straight, the warning track is flat and the pattern of circles radiating from pitcher’s mound are distinct enough that everyone can see at Warrior Field.
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UPCOMING GAMES ON CAMPUS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Canyons (2-2)
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Grossmont (5-0)
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Bakersfield
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WOMEN’S WATER POLO
Cerritos (0-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 18
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El Camino (0-0)
Women’s water polo team’s first game of season
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