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EL CAMINO COLLEGE
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946
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@ECCUNION
Nov. 16, 2023
ECCUNION.COM
Strip mall closure forces businesses out
City officials declare building unsafe after heavy rains left it damaged
Men’s soccer team wins South Coast Conference By Johan Van Weir
The El Camino men’s soccer team won their first South Coast Conference Championship final in a 3-0 shutout win against Mt. San Antonio College on Friday, Nov. 10. This was the Warriors’ first time making it to the South Coast Conference Tournament finals since the competition started four years ago. Last year, the Warriors fell in the first round of the tournament to Long Beach City College on penalty kicks. They ended up placing fifth overall. “We’ve been a strong program [in the past few years], but this group bought into how we want to play… special talent this year,” men’s soccer coach Mike Jacobson said. A woman walks past the now-empty El Camino Plaza in Torrance on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The plaza, which held several restaurants and businesses, was closed by the city of Torrance due to heavy rain damage. Photo by Ma. Gisela Ordenes
By Joseph Ramirez is Naz Pirshirazi who opened the Persian restaurant Chicken Chick in 2015 when she was still a student at El Camino College. “I had to let go of 16 employees, our insurance is not covering the damage done and I am not getting any clear answers from anyone,” Pirshirazi said. Pirshirazi describes the closure of the Chicken Chick restaurant as a devastating blow because of all the
effort she put into opening it. “Our restaurant was the most damaged by all the water damage from the rain because the building is at a tilt and our restaurant had so much flooding,” Pirshirazi said. Despite opening a second restaurant in 2019 named Toranj located in Westwood Village, the damage and fallout of the El Camino Plaza is still an ongoing problem for Pirshirazi. SEE PLAZA PAGE 4→
Campus housing project not possible, officials say Despite El Camino’s efforts, California yanks budget with promises of future funding Plans for an on-campus housing project at El Camino College have been put on hold due to a lack of available funds in the college’s tentative budget for 2023-2024. Ann Volz, president of the Volz Company — a real estate management firm based in
Irvine — presented a housing feasibility plan during the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 21, 2022. Vice President of Administrative Services Robert Suppelsa said due to a change of budget, on-campus housing is currently not possible. “While certainly a topic of interest for the Board and ECC
Losing my best friend
Police station generator
existing housing programs. According to the 2023-2024 student housing budget, $542 million was spread across and granted to 10 California Community Colleges for these schools to start construction on student housing during the 2022-23 school year.
By Nasai Rivas
El Camino College plans on changing the way class schedules are created for future semesters. Starting in the spring 2024 semester, smaller class schedules will be created instead of the current scheduling system. As classes are filled up and waitlisted, El Camino division deans will then add new classes for students to register. Previously, deans would create schedules with multiple classes and then cancel classes that haven’t been filled, Academic Senate Vice President of Educational Policies Darcie McClelland said during the Nov. 7 Academic Senate meeting.
SEE PLANS PAGE 5 →
SEE CLASS PAGE 4 →
Math, mahjong mentor
See Page 4
NEWS
See Page 3
OPINION
in general, changes in financial priorities at the state level since then indicate that funding for this topic is not currently feasible,” Suppelsa said. In 2021, the state established the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, which granted money to California Colleges to either add student housing or improve any
See Page 7
FEATURES
By Ivan Gonzalez
El Camino to reduce class schedule sizes
SCAN ME
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he city of Torrance declared the El Camino Plaza business center unsafe to occupy, forcing all stores and restaurants to close or move out, leaving many people without jobs. The building’s sudden closure came after excessive rainfall this year damaged the plaza to the point where many business owners had to shut down and lay off employees. One of the business owners affected
SEE SOCCER PAGE 8 →
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EDITORIAL
Nov. 16, 2023
The Union
The Union SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946
Vol. 78, No. 4 Nov. 16, 2023
EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NEWS EDITOR
Deashay Johnson | Special to The Union
Their student housing plan failed. But what else can El Camino do? By Union Editorial Board
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tudent housing on campus was being considered by El Camino College. California was giving out millions of dollars to create affordable living spaces for students. Then, the state slashed the budget and took away incentives to build student housing to salvage their growing budget deficit. With that, El Camino’s plan went down. The college’s dream to create on-campus student housing are now down the drain, and it looks like there’s no other place for students to turn to if they are unhoused, or in danger of becoming unhoused. Last spring semester, the college reported 48 unhoused students, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Data Mart. This is the highest it has been since it started reporting all unhoused students during the fall 2022 semester. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but whether a college has 10 unhoused students or 500, it’s still important to get them assistance to stay safe and help them succeed in education. The college does offer some services for those in need. The Basic Needs Center, located above the Bookstore, helps students with housing assistance with the college’s Housing Support Program. This service, however, is limited. It does not give students immediate emergency housing and is more of a referral program to outside services that may take time to process and provide housing for unhoused students. Homestays, a type of housing offered by El Camino’s International Student Program, may seem like another solution, However its price for students makes it unfeasible. Applying for and staying in a homestay can cost several thousands of dollars, as it is intended for international students who can pay the high price tag. Despite this setback, El Camino is not actively working with one company that could fill the gap left by the student housing plan’s failure. Jovenes, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides resources and shelter to unhoused youths and young adults. Even better, Jovenes made a point to work with community colleges to provide shelters and resources to students in need. Jovenes is partnered with East Los Angeles College, Long Beach City College, Los Angeles Southwest College, Cerritos College and more. At Cerritos, their partnership with Jovenes led to The Village at Cerritos College, California’s first-ever housing project for college students using what the college paid for with its budget cut. While Cerritos paid for the housing buildings, Jovenes leases it from the college and takes care of any costs with funding from several private donors and Los Angeles County District 4. El Camino can do this as well. In the past, the college owned an apartment building off-campus to rent to students before they sold the property off. According to real estate marketplace Zillow, there are several apartment buildings for sale close to the college, the price ranging from $2 million to $6 million. Following in Cerritos’ footsteps, El Camino could buy one of these buildings with some of its leftover $56 million budget, and then work with Jovenes to lease and manage the new apartment building for students. While this isn’t the all-encompassing solution of having student housing available for all. It is still an important step in assisting the most vulnerable students who can have immediate help provided to them. The state claims it will provide the full amount of the promised funding for low-cost housing sometime in 2025. That’s a full two years away. This also doesn’t factor in how long constructing the buildings will take by itself, including the capacity they will hold for students. For now, El Camino should do everything it can to help those students in need of housing.
ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR COPY EDITOR
Delfino Camacho delcam93@gmail.com Eddy Cermeno eddyrcermeno@gmail.com Ma. Gisela Ordenes theunionartsandfeatures@gmail.com Johan Van Wier jvanwier22@gmail.com Nasai Rivas eccunioncopyeditor@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS
Maddie Selack mselack19@gmail.com Kae Takazawa kaelealani@gmail.com
OPINION EDITOR
Nellie C. Eloizard neloizard@gmail.com
PHOTO EDITOR
Raphael Richardson eccunionphoto@gmail.com
STAFF Senior Staff: Joshua Flores Senior Photographers: Bryan Sanchez, Khoury Williams, Renzo Arnazzi Staff: Angela Osorio, Angel Pasillas, Emily Gomez, Ivan Gonzalez, Joseph Ramirez, Nick Geltz. Interns: Alondra Peza Camarena, Emily Barrera, Katie Volk, Liliana Romero, Ira Mendoza, Isabelle Ibarra, Olivia Sullivent, Osvin Suazo, Tommy Kallman
ADVISERS STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS
PHOTO ADVISER ADVERTISING MANAGER
Stefanie Frith sfrith@elcamino.edu Kate McLaughlin kmclaughlin@elcamino.edu Nguyet Thomas nthomas@elcamino.edu Jack Mulkey elcounionads000@yahoo.com
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very seriously. If a correction is needed, email The Union at eccunion@gmail.com for all corrections and inquiries pertaining to a story.
EDITORIALS: Editorials represent the views of the The Union’s editorial
board. Columns represent the views of the writer. Neither are representations of what the newspaper staff, other students, our advisers, faculty or the administration think.
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two guest columns from the same person will be considered for publication or online use in the same semester, and 60 days must elapse before a second column is published. Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste. Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board. Letters and guest columns must be sent to The Union’s email address, eccunion@gmail.com.
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The Union
Nov. 16, 2023
OPINION
Dealing with the loss of my best friend
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How the passing of my dog during the pandemic affected me tremendously
coming back. The lump was a mast cell he saying about a dog tumor that already reached being man’s best friend stage three. My dog had a life expectancy couldn’t ring a louder bell and be more true about my dog, of 100 days. I decided the best scenario Mooch. The feeling of him no longer was to put him down. I realized being here has been unbearable. he wasn’t feeling well and living in pain. He passed away in July 2021. Having to put my 6-year-old Every day that goes past I still think about him. He will always dog down due to a disease over be in my heart and on my mind. which I had no control was the Mooch was an American toughest moment I had ever Bulldog that was about the size endured in my life. A few days after his passing, I of an average person. He was always aggressive tried getting back to my life like toward anyone who got near nothing happened. I told myself everything was him. Somehow, my dog had a okay, but deep down, it wasn’t. soft spot for me though. He I hardly spoke to anyone always waited for me to come home from school, having the about his passing and I tried to need to jump on me every forget about it as quickly as I could. chance he got. According to the National During the pandemic, Mooch could sense something was off Library of Medicine, about when he realized I was always 30% of grieving pet owners in home. While my constant North America experience presence confused him at first severe grief. A pet owner’s grief after the our bond strengthened because I was at home with him every death of a pet can cause complications like loss of day. In the summer of 2021, I appetite and lack of motivation. Being a private person noticed a lump around his stomach area that just would myself, I did not talk about my not go away. Even though it dog’s passing. I felt like I was was surgically removed, it kept holding all my feelings to By Ivan Gonzalez
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Jeremiah Dela Cruz | Special to The Union
myself. One suggestion to cope with a pet’s passing is talking openly about losing the pet. A year later, I decided to open up to a close friend about his death. Once I saw how easy it was to do so, I wish I had talked about it sooner. After discussing things through, I felt better inside. If you have the chance to talk to anybody, whether it’s a
friend, teacher or family member, talking to them would go a long way in helping you cope and helping you mentally. Another way I was able to cope was to get another dog. But the timing has to be right, so the dog does not just feel like a replacement for the pet you lost before. My new dog Pancho is just as caring. I can see a lot of similarities between the two, in the way they both act and how
they both showed me unconditional love and loyalty, no matter what. I often think if the pain I endured was the price of being on the receiving end of having the best companion I could have asked for. Despite the grief, I’d make the transaction every single time and encourage others to reach out, if you lost a pet.
Learning to embrace both sides of my culture
My childhood journey to adulthood, of being half American and half Guatemalan legacy the United States had whether it was at a job, left in parts of Latin America, in restaurants or daily errands. particular Guatemala. People often assume I speak I’m not all that I appear to be. In 1954, the U.S. government only English and I must joke Many people who meet me helped carry out a military coup about my dad coming from for the first time are confused in Guatemala, which created Central America. when they first hear my last decades of brutal military As I grew older I became name and then look at me. dictatorships, a 36-year civil more aware and better at Ramirez is my last name, yet war and the cause of thousands correcting this common false I look like a white person. of refugees, according to the assumption. This leads many people to Migration Policy Institute. I found as I embraced myself wonder how can a white guy Deashay Johnson | Special to The Union Being a half-American, I get other Hispanics began to possibly have a Spanish last After my parents divorced, angry witnessing the negative embrace me as one of them. name. As I get older I continue to One assumption some have is my father Julio, left the United actions the United States has States in 2003. From the age of taken against Latin America find ways to celebrate and that my family is from Spain. I embrace my Hispanic heritage. think some people just assume 11 I was raised primarily by my and continues to do. mother’s family. Seeing how the other half of I take time each year to learn my ancestry is European For the rest of my childhood I my family in Guatemala has more about Guatemala’s past because they see me and think I had an American upbringing, been so negatively impacted and present. couldn’t possibly be bi-racial. I learn more about my culture, Because of this, a struggle I celebrating holidays such as brings me shame and it took Thanksgiving and the Fourth of some self work to help l i k e cooking authentic deal with in having two cultures reconcile those feelings. Guatemalan recipes and other is the internal clash I feel July. My mother’s side of the Another way I connect to my times I will go to restaurants between identifying as white or family knew little about Hispanic heritage is through that serve different kinds of Hispanic. language. I am bi-lingual as I Hispanic American cooking. My mother is a white Guatemala. Wanting to learn more about speak Spanish, which surprises In the 21st century, there is American and my father is from a significant part of me I ended many when they first meet me. more familiarity with bi-racial Guatemala. I adapted more of Because of my bi-racial people, resulting in a higher my mother’s features and up reconnecting with my father’s side of the family on identity and my appearance I amount of mixed people in the complexion. As I grew up, I embraced both my own when I grew older. find my interactions with United States. This includes sides of my parents, getting a This helped me feel closer to Hispanic people to be odd and people who are half-Hispanic, complicated at times. My half-white, half-African taste of my mother’s family the other half of my culture. However as I began to learn attempts at speaking to people American, half-Middle Eastern, lifestyle and of my father’s culture, but it wasn’t always more about my two cultures I in Spanish would sometimes be and others. learned about the negative met with raised eyebrows According to the El Camino easy. By Joseph Ramirez
College Office of Institutional Research and Planning records of student enrollment for 20212022 indicate 50.4% of students were Latino, which Hispanics are a part of and is a high percentage whether this is full or bi-racial Hispanic students. The Latin American community itself is known to have more racial diversity including people of African and Asian descent. As I get older and grow more confident in who I am, I hope more people are able to embrace and accept all parts of themselves, no matter who they are. Clarification: In Vol. 78, No. 3 of The Union the page one tennis team story headline should have read El Camino tennis teams short on players for upcoming season for accuracy. Editor’s Note: Vol. 78, No. 3 of The Union featured an editorial illustration that was not original work. It has been removed from eccunion.com.
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NEWS
Nov. 16, 2023
The Union
Employees and businesses suffer from plaza center closure → PLAZA FROM PAGE 1 Another business forced to close was the Salvadoran restaurant Pupusa Town. Some of the laid-off employees, such as Oscar Hernandez, have now had to relocate to their alternative location in Wilmington. “I had been working at Pupusa Town since 2021, even through all the rain we got, until this September when we got closed,” Hernandez said. Christopher Mata, who works for Alamitos Associates, is the property manager of El Camino Plaza located on the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Redondo Beach Boulevard. A remodel of the building began in 2021. The remodel was still taking place as Southern California experienced record rainfall in August from Tropical Storm Hilary. The excessive rainfall caused many roof leaks, damage and flooding in the plaza. Many roads and businesses across Los Angeles and Southern California were flooded and forced to close due to the rainfall caused by the storm. “The city of Torrance inspectors ended up redflagging the entire building and made everyone shut down,” Mata said. Felipe Segovia is the Torrance building regulations
Construction equipment left behind from the remodeling project of the El Camino Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 11. Christopher Mata, El Camino Plaza property manager, said he is still determined to finish the remodeling and re-open the plaza. Photo by Joseph Ramirez
administrator overseeing the situation in the plaza building. “It is the property owner’s decision of what happens with the building and we just follow up that it complies with the city building code requirements,” Segovia said. Even though Torrance officials had the entire building closed in September, an unlicensed marijuana dispensary has continued to operate in the building. The Union reported on the To r r a n c e G r e e n R o o m dispensary being raided in June by the Torrance Police Department and California
happening since the closure of the plaza including vandalism, theft and unhoused people sleeping in the building. “When I have been coming to check on my unit it has been vandalized and items have been stolen by people and I know people have been sleeping inside my closed restaurant, it is horrible,” Pirshirazi said. Despite all the damage and closures, Mata is still determined to get the plaza remodeled and open again for business. There is uncertainty about which businesses would return if the plaza were to re-open.
One restaurant not returning is Ramona’s Mexican Food, which had been a long-time staple at the plaza for decades. “Ramona’s Mexican Food had their lease expired last year and they moved out of the plaza before the building got shut down,” Mata said. Pirshirazi does not believe they will get their business back at the plaza and has lost trust in the property managers. “I do not trust Mata and the property managers because they have been giving us lame promises that don’t happen, I don’t see the building ever reopening,” Pirshirazi said.
Reactions to class modalities
→ CLASS FROM PAGE 1
“There is an open eviction against the marijuana sellers, they have indicated they will leave peacefully” — Christopher Mata, El Camino Plaza manager Cannabis Control after they obtained a search warrant. Mata last communicated with the marijuana sellers in the last week of October. Other problems have been
By Joseph Ramirez
The Union’s sports editor Johan Van Wier was awarded for his work in Warrior Life magazine last semester. Photo by Delfino Camacho
The Union and Warrior Life win multiple media awards By Emily Gomez E l C a m i n o C o l l e g e ’s journalism program received recognition from the Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Association, including awards for the best online site and email newsletter. The Union won Pacemaker Awards from the Associated College Press for best multiplatform journalism and online site for two-year colleges. The Pacemaker Awards have been given annually since 1927 for excellence in student journalism programs across the
U.S. and are generally considered to be the top prize in the field. All of the awards were announced on Oct. 31 during the 2023 Fall National College Media Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. From the College Media Association, The Union and Warrior Life received 11 firstplace awards, including the best news package for the works on “Coastal Erosion” by Ethan Cohen, Kim McGill and Khoury Williams.
To re a d m o re eccunion.com
Despite returning to inperson classes after the COVID-19 pandemic, student enrollment has not met El Camino College expectations. Faculty in the Industry and Technology program and the Science Department have hands-on labs that require students to be physically present. The online option for the same course can be more difficult for students. “The Science Department has not been too negatively affected with enrollment and students taking my Biology classes still have to come in person since they are hands-
on labs,” Academic Senate Vice President of Educational Policies Darcie McClelland said. However, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Counselor Maria Garcia said interest in online courses and even virtual counseling sessions is still present. “A large number of students still want to take classes virtually and even make their counseling appointments with me online since the pandemic in 2020,” Garcia said.
To re a d m o re v i s i t eccunion.com
Generator not yet installed By Raphael Richardson
A dirt lot alongside the El Camino College police station is all the progress made so far in a years-long effort to replace the building’s aging power generator. El Camino Police Chief Michael Trevis said the generator couldn’t handle the department’s current power v i s i t requirements during a visit to The Union newsroom in
the Humanities Building on Wednesday, Nov. 1. El Camino already bought the new generator, but progress has since been stalled for years when it came to the installation. “It’s been sitting over at [the facilities department] ever since,” Trevis said.
To re a d m o re v i s i t eccunion.com
“That’s a big paradigm shift for the college,” McClelland said to meeting attendees. Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Counselor Maria Garcia said students will have to check with counselors to see if new classes they need have opened up. “I would certainly prefer [students check for new classes] over a student thinking they were gonna enroll in a class then the class gets canceled,” Garcia said. Garcia said during the COVID-19 pandemic the original way of scheduling made it difficult for counselors to help students register for specific classes. However, Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences Christina Gold said El Camino was creating larger class schedules during the pandemic as a method to get students back on campus due to the loss of enrollment.
To re a d m o re v i s i t eccunion.com
The Union
Nov. 16, 2023
NEWS
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A sign showcases The Harbour, an on-campus student housing complex at Orange Coast College on Nov. 5, 2023. Orange Coast College, located in Costa Mesa, is the only community college in Southern California to offer on-campus housing. Photo by Lana Mily
Student Housing → PLANS FROM PAGE 1
centered funding formula, the more students that are enrolled El Camino was not one of the the more funding a college will 10 schools that received the receive from the state. money. El Camino agreed to a Even so, according to the $110,000 contract with the Volz same budget, $250 million of Company for their services in the total funds that would have creating a feasibility study for gone to the Higher Education the buildings. Student Housing Grant The plans presented by the Program have now been Volz company featured ondelayed until next year. campus student housing built to These plans may never be fit up to 1,000 students in one executed due to the state building. delaying some grants. The plans also included The student-centered funding possible locations where the formula has now been proposed buildings would be implemented by the state, placed on campus. These which now has a major impact locations included the North on how community colleges Gym, parking Lots J, K and L. like El Camino will be funded. The Volz company is According to the student- currently working on bringing student housing to Napa Valley College and Santa Rosa Junior College. On-campus housing was also proposed at a Board of Trustees meeting in 2014, but those plans did not pan out. El Camino has never previously offered on-campus housing, but did provide offcampus dorm-like apartments for students to rent. Those apartments buildings have Basic Needs Coordinator Sharonda Barksdale at an Oct. 12 since been sold. police luncheon event. Barksdale Orange Coast College, is heavily involved in helping El located in Costa Mesa, is the Camino students find housing. only community college in Photo by Bryan Sanchez
Police Beat
Info courtesy of El Camino College Police Department
The Union publishes police beats online with each newspaper release. Visit eccunion.com to read more.
Parking Lot L at El Camino College, seen here on Oct. 4., was considered as a proposed site for student housing by the Volz company during their student housing feasibility report. Photo by Delfino Camacho
Southern California to offer oncampus housing. Orange Coast College Director of Housing and Residential Education Jamie Kammerman said students who live on-campus have seen benefits in their academic performances and social life. “Students who live in oncampus housing have had GPA increases and students get the feel of a strong sense of community,” Kammerman said. As housing prices continue to surge in the surrounding areas around El Camino, including limited housing spaces, some students struggle to find
affordable housing. One student, 19-year-old Oscar Garcia, is studying heating, ventilation and air conditioning at El Camino and is looking for an apartment in the area. “I have been looking around the area for a new apartment but it has been really difficult to find any apartment for under $1,700,” Garcia said. El Camino Basic Needs Coordinator Sharonda Barksdale shared some tips for students to find affordable housing. “Be diligent, access the resources and tools that are
available and have a proactive mindset,” Barksdale said. Barksdale is also involved in the housing support program at El Camino, which aims to help students in need of immediate assistance. “The housing support program advocates for students and we try to help students in need of immediate housing,” Barksdale said. If you are unhoused or in need of immediate housing, contact the Housing Support Program for support.
Friday, Nov. 3, 10:59 a.m. A glass panel was vandalized in the Industry and Technology Education Center. The case is closed.
Wednesday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. A person exposed themselves at the traffic circle area outside of the Student Services Building. The suspect has been arrested.
Thursday, Nov. 9,11:51 a.m. A hit and run occurred in parking Lot H. The case is currently under investigation.
Monday, Nov. 6, 10:30 a.m. A reckless driver was reported in parking Lot F. The case has been resolved and is now closed.
Thursday, Nov. 9, 9:48 a.m. A Campus Security Authority report went out about a fondling that occurred in the Industry and Technology Education Center. The case is open.
Thursday, Nov. 9, 4:14 p.m. A pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Crenshaw and Redondo Beach Boulevard. The case has been turned over to an outside agency.
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ARTS
Nov. 16, 2023
The Union
Students wear traditional attire from Veracruz, Mexico for “La Bruja” during the dress rehearsal for the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 9.
It’s showtime! By Ma. Gisela Ordenes
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he Marsee Auditorium came alive as El Camino College students showcased various dance genres from hiphop to traditional Mexican folklorico. The event was the dress rehearsal and performance for the Fall Advanced Dance Concert. The rehearsal happened Thursday, Nov. 9. Guest artist John Pennington joined dance professors Daniel Berney, Liz Hoefner Adamis and Jonathan Bryant in choreographing different dances. Spanish professor Argelia Andrade and students Brian Helm, Mia Vargas, Dominique Perez, Luna Vallecillos, Ivan Orozco, Saya Nakaniwa and Deborah Chung also choreographed some pieces. The public watched the show on Nov. 10, 11 and 12. Left photo: From left, Lisel Puskar, Gavrielle Garcia and Luna Vallecillos perform “Fly Away” during the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 12. Guest artist John Pennington choreographed the piece. Photo below: Student dancers hold up their pompoms and jump as they perform “The Karters” during the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 12. Student Ivan Orozco choreographed the dance.
Top photo: Brian Helm leans back and lifts his arm for his solo act “Pain Rising” during the dress rehearsal for the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 9. Helm choreographed the piece. Middle left photo: From left, Mia Vargas, Saya Nakaniwa and Kaylin Hernandez jump as they perform “Ibiza” during the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 12. Bottom photo: Students lift their arms as they perform “Bubble Over” during the dress rehearsal for the Fall Advanced Dance Concert at the Marsee Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 9. Dance professor Liz Hoefner Adamis choreographed the piece.
The Union
Nov. 16, 2023
FEATURES
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Arts Calendar
An Evening of Spoken Word Performances by Mauro Monteiro Where: Art Gallery When: Nov. 18 at 8 to 11 p.m. Free, open to the public
Dean of Mathematical Sciences Marlow Lemons, left, plays mahjong with his community mahjong class in front of the Distance Education Center on Friday, Nov. 3. Lemons' class is usually held inside the center but a different group was using the room on that day. Photo by Ma. Gisela Ordenes
Math and mahjong mentor
Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA) ICYOLA’s 2023-2024 Season opening concert features the Angel City Chorale and a special tribute to Kenneth Brown, late President of the El Camino College Board of Trustees. Where: Marsee Auditorium When: Nov. 19 at 4 to 6 p.m. Free admission
Film Screening and Discussion: 'Gather' The Netflix documentary features Indigenous Americans and their movements to rediscover should teach it to the “I wanted to be a leader where and reclaim community,” he said. a student can come to me for identity sovereignty through Lemons started offering a support, for advice to address beginning mahjong class for any need that they have,” ancestral food. Where: Social Justice community education in June Lemons said. Center (Communications 2022. Mechanical engineering He has taught 52 students major Greg Roa, 21, said Building, Room 204) since then. Lemons' support has helped When: Nov. 21 at 9:45 to His students encouraged him him in a real way while taking 11 a.m. Free, open to the public to lead El Camino in becoming the mahjong class. the first community college in Lemons told Roa it is Culinary C a l i f o r n i a t o o f f e r a n important to keep his nerves Homesite Performance intermediate mahjong class. while playing mahjong. “The class has really brought “It definitely was tougher to Culinary performance with the community together across start, but he very much an emphasis on traditional all ages, all genders and I found encouraged me to branch out holiday food it to be very interesting,” into different strategies,” Roa Where: Art Gallery When: Nov. 21 at 1 to 3 Lemons said. “I have taught said. students who are Asian, Black He also said Lemons is one of p.m. Free admission and Latino.” the best bosses he’s had and he Lemons not only teaches El felt Lemons could be a pretty Camino students. He also good superior when they met ECC Studio Jazz Band and ECC Vocal Jazz Ensemble organized a group called for the first time. American Mahjong at South “I wish everybody had a Concert including Bay Torrance, which has 57 mentor like him,” Roa said. Performance songs from jazz standards members from different walks “I’m lucky to have a mentor like to the American songbook, of life. him.” all in choral settings, with improvisational solos. Where: Marsee Auditorium When: Nov. 27 at 8 to 10 p.m. $10
Dean finds fulfillment in teaching tiles game to community By Kae Takazawa
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eady, set, go. “Stay focused, keep your poker face on.” These were the pieces of advice Marlow Lemons, El Camino dean of mathematical sciences, gave to his students during his mahjong class on Nov. 3. Mahjong is a game in which players match or sequence sets of tiles. Lemons’ first encounter with mahjong was in 2021, when he was already a dean at El Camino. He was teaching a beginning bridge class for fun at a senior living facility in Redondo Beach for one year. People there told Lemons the facility had a teacher who taught a mahjong class. Lemons started taking the class as a
beginner for five weeks. “Ever since the class, I fell in love with the game,” he said. Wanting to bring mahjong to El Camino, Lemons started teaching some employees how to play the game. Director of Accounting Melissa Guess was one of the employees. Guess said before she took the class, she didn’t even know there was a game called mahjong. She enrolled as a beginner and Lemons helped her understand the game. “He breaks the game down into understandable pieces, so you can learn part of the game before you move on to the next thing,” Guess said. It became popular with the employees, so Lemons thought he should teach it to a wider population. “I thought well, maybe I
‘We Will Speak’ Q&A with filmmaker and professor Michael McDermit, ECC professor and the film’s codirector, talked to The Union An El Camino College about the film. Q. What do you hope the English professor made his first feature-length documentary audience gets out of the film? A. It’s a story that other tribes “Dadiwonisi (We Will Speak).” The film explores the and other indigenous folks are Cherokee language which has experiencing too. It’s our hope fewer than 2,000 fluent to bring awareness to that speakers among 430,000 struggle [of preserving a language], bring awareness of citizens. Three federally recognized the intricacies and relationships Tribes of Cherokee speak the between language and culture. language: the Cherokee Nation, This is the history of genocide United Keetoowah Band and and assimilation the U.S. the Eastern Band of Cherokee government focused toward indigenous people in general. Indians. By Kae Takazawa
El Camino English professor Michael McDermit talks about the documentary he helped direct, "Dadiwonisi (We Will Speak)," at his office in the Humanities Building on Thursday, Nov. 9. Photo by Misaki Asaba
It’s educational in that way but it’s also trying to say there is a hope that this [language] is not going to go extinct. Q. What inspired you to be an English teacher and to teach people about language? A. So my mother was a
teacher. And I saw how she was with students and it just was something that was inspired upon me. But my father [has] aphasia, [so] language is always difficult for him. To read more, please visit eccunion.com.
Native American Heritage Month: Open Discussion 'Decolonizing ECC’s Mascot and Bell Logo' An open discussion on the role and representation of the ECC’s mascot and bell logo. Where: Social Justice Center (Communications Building, Room 204) When: Nov. 28 @ 3 to 4:30 p.m. Free For more information on ticket and event details, visit the Center for the Arts page at elcamino.edu.
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SPORTS
Nov. 16, 2023
The Union
Men’s soccer wins first SCC tournament title The Warriors finish 9-0 in conference play and now wait for regionals → SOCCER FROM PAGE 1 For the tournament, all the SCC teams entered a singleelimination bracket with the first two teams getting a bye, as teams fought to earn a spot in the championship game. El Camino beat Los Angeles City College 5-0 on Nov. 7 to win the SCC semifinals and advance to finals. Men’s soccer asserted its dominance in the SCC this regular season, finishing with a 9-0 record in conference play and outscoring opponents 37-8 in a historic run this semester. “We’re in a pretty good routine,” Jacobson said. “Our training is about repetition, managing players’ bodies, nutrition and making sure our players handle their school [work] as well.” The Warriors are still riding an impressive 17-game win streak and have yet to lose in the past two months of competition, making their current 19-1 record one of the best in the El Camino men’s soccer history. “We’ve got special players from good pedigrees, got a good core nucleus,” Jacobson said. “But we have good depth
In an Oct. 20 match against LA Harbor College, members of the El Camino men’s soccer team celebrate after scoring the first goal. El Camino went on to win with a final score of 6-3 as the Warriors would start conference play 6-0. Photo by Ira Mendoza
and guys that really contribute off the bench... a well-rounded group that buys in.” The Warriors’ only loss came in the third match of the regular season against Norco College on Sept. 5, losing 3-1.
T h e Wa r r i o r s h a v e established themselves in Division III by holding the top spot in the United Soccer Coaches Junior College Division III rankings for five polls in a row.
El Camino now waits for the in streaks,” Jacobson said. California Community College “First is the regular season, next Men’s Soccer Southern is the [SCC] tournament, and California Regional Playoffs, now we have to get ready for which will begin on Nov. 18. regional [playoffs].” “We try to break up the season into parts and not get caught up
Molding warriors on and off the football field Coach Billy ‘Mac’ McClellan balances sports and fatherhood By Nick Geltz
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t is 5:30 p.m. at Murdock Stadium. The evening air is still and chilly, but not uncomfortable. As the sun sets’ it bathes the stadium with a warm golden glow. Suddenly, a piercing whistle blows. The sound echoes throughout the previously quiet stadium as El Camino College football team players rush either onto the field in formation or onto the sidelines. “Practice has officially started,” coach Billy “Mac” McClellan said. Billy McClellan is a 35-yearold cornerback coach for the El Camino College football team. This year will be McClellan’s third season coaching for the Warriors. He was asked to coach football for El Camino by defensive coordinator Andrew Alvillar. Alvillar was McClellan’s football coach when the future cornerback coach was a student attending LA Harbor College. “I became a coach to give back experience and wisdom that I have been able to attain
from my own experience, from playing ball,” McClellan said. McClellan grew up in Carson. He attended LA Harbor College for the football program. McClellan then transferred to Kansas State University and played “a few stints of some leagues that just didn’t come to fruition.” That’s when McClellan decided to give back some of his passion and knowledge of the sport to other young football players. McClellan coaches alongside defensive backs coach Shawn Parnell during practices, the two have gotten to know each other very well. “Very knowledgeable, very diverse, committed, dedicated to his craft, and a good teacher,” Parnell said of McClellan. Not only does McClellan have a passion for coaching football, but he also has a passion for being a father. McClellan is married, with two sons and one daughter. Elijah, McClellan’s 9-yearold son, will come and be alongside his dad at most of the Warriors practices. Elijah loves to watch his dad
coach, and he loves to participate in the drills whenever he can. “When I am here, I’m focused on coaching, and when I am at home, I am focused on being a father and a husband,” McClellan said on how he balances football and fatherhood Aside from McClellan’s wife and kids, he considers the football team his family as well. “You can tell he cares about us more than just football, like we are not just his players,” defensive back Abdul Muhammad said. “He calls all the defensive and cornerbacks family.” El Camino football player and other defensive back Khalil Williams put it simply. “He makes football fun,” Williams said. Outside of football, McClellan has another job working in tech for the Human Resources Department of Airbnb. There is one piece of advice McClellan has for future football players looking to excel in their careers with their abilities and talents. “Play this game as long as
El Camino football coach Billy McClellan stares into the camera,as he checks his practice notes for the day before the Warriors’ practice started on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Photo by Ethan Balderas
you can, find happiness and have fun while you’re doing it,” McClellan said. McClellan said it’s not a matter of if, but when the game
stops for a player. Until then, the coach has one final word of advice for players. “Give it everything you have,” he said.