EL CAMINO COLLEGE
THE UNION eccunion.com
MAY 31, 2018 Follow us at @ECCUnion
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PEOPLE EL CAMINO of
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
NEWS
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 2
EVENT CALENDAR Zach Hatakeyama Editor-In-Chief
@ECCUnionZach
Warrior Life magazine on stands now El Camino’s student-run magazine, Warrior Life, is currently on stands around campus. The staff spent the past year featuring students, faculty and staff from El Camino. Inside, there are 72 pages of features that include a student musician and a student with a service dog.
Compton College graduation
Thursday, June 7 Compton College will be hosting it’s graduation ceremony at 5:30 p.m. in the football stadium. A reception for graduates, families and faculty will be held in the gymnasium immediately following the commencement.
El Camino College commencement ceremony Friday, June 8 El Camino College’s graduation will take place in Murdock Stadium at 4 p.m. Retired Major General Tatu will provide the commencement speech.
FAFSA and Dream Act Workshop
Tuesday, June 12 The Financial Aid office will be hosting a workshop to help students fill out their FAFSA and Dream Act applications. The workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in Student Services Building room 204G.
Corrections In the May 17 issue of The Union, the story regarding financial aid for undocumented students included a picture credited to Selvin Rodas, when Jaimie Woods was the photographer. The Union regrets these errors.
MAY 31, 2018
ASO nullifies presidental election
Student government left without a leader after issues concerning violations and ineligibility Emma DiMaggio Senior Staff Writer
@ECCUnionEmma
The Student Court made an official ruling on the nullification of student government presidential votes on Sunday, May 27. “We urge the Associated Students Organization to nullify the votes for the Vice-President in addition to invalidating the election results for ASO president, an official letter from student court justices Victoria Aguilar, Keyaira Branch, Shon Lewis and Mario Lopez said. According to Article V Section 2 of the ASO Constitution, a minimum of three approved justices are needed for all court decisions. Four out of five student court justices agreed to this decision. Approximately 400 student votes are being nullified by this decision, judicial court justice Thomas Magno said. The Elections Committee of the Associated Students Organization (ASO) first decided to nullify the presidential votes on Friday, May 11, after realizing that all candidates had made campaign violations or were otherwise ineligible to hold the positions. Specifically, candidates Joseph Mardesich and Andrew Leon were appointed into ASO on Thursday, March 29, 2018, meaning they had only been ASO members for six weeks by the time of the election. As a requirement, all executive
officers must have participated in ASO for at least one semester before being appointed. According to the official letter from the Student Court, the ASO Constitution By-Law 102 Section 1 states defines “one semester” as “the equivalent number of weeks in the fall and/or spring semesters as determined by the college’s academic calendar.” Candidates Christine Hu and Jennifer Gutierrez were found to have used Inter-Club Council (ICC) resources to promote their campaign, including the use of the ICC email list, as well as the application “Remind.” As a subsidiary of ASO, use of ICC resources alludes to a endorsement of their campaign by ICC, which is considered unethical, the official Student Court letter stated. Knowledge of this violatory use of resources came through a grievance filed by a member of ASO. During the ASO meeting on Thursday, May 17, Gutierrez was still presumed to be the vice president elect, who is responsible for stepping into the position of president in the event that a president is not elected. Upon learning about potentially stepping into that role, Gutierrez said, “ I personally don’t even want to be president. I don’t want that responsibility. That’s not what I personally signed up for.” Despite the shakey circumstances of fulfilling the role of president, the Senate
has still elected a full cabinet of representatives, who will be responsible for making decisions for the student government during the summer. “(Some ASO members are) assuming that we won’t be able to make decisions over the summer,” director of academic affairs and Elections Committee member Bryant Odega said. “But we have a full cabinet, so it’s not like we’re going to start off half empty.” After receiving a number of grievances just days after the election, members of the Elections Committee decided that the best route of action was to nullify the presidential votes and allow the cabinet to manage without a president until the fall semester. “Both (votes) were skewed because of the violations that were made, to not just signs. There was also an abuse of Student Development resources,” Odega said. “Stuff that other candidates did not have, so that’s why we did agree to nullify. Otherwise, everyone would be disqualified.” When the committee brought this information to the ASO Senate, they were met with backlash from other Senate members, who claimed that the Elections Committee did not hold the power to decide on nullification of votes. “As chief justice, I don’t see this, giving you guys the authority as three people to decide whether to validate or invalidate results,” judicial court justice Thomas Magno said. “There is nothing
here (in the Constitution) that says guidelines and rules from my interpretation.” The final decision came from the Student Court, who stated in their official letter that, “Since the ASO Elections Committee has authority and power over the governance of the ASO Elections, the Student Court interprets this authority to include nullifying votes in the case(s) of which the candidate(s) have been disqualified and/or violated El Camino College Board Policy, ASO Policy, and/or U.S. and State law.” As for the violations themselves, the Elections Committee took responsibility for a miscommunication between themselves and the candidates. “(The) general election resulted in multiple violations of the election guidelines due to miscommunication between presidential candidates and the committee,” ASO business senator Vanessa Esguerra said. “Moreover there was a lack of committee oversight on presidential candidate eligibility.” Despite the views of some ASO members who wanted to validate the general election votes and agree to clarify more during the next election, other members remained faithfully constitutional. “The rules weren’t followed,” jucidial court justice Keyaira Branch said. “We need to look at the Constitution. We need to look at what’s right based on the Constitution and not based on our
own personal feelings and our own personal emotions, which is why I think the election should be pushed back to fall.” In the circumstance that votes are nullified, as is true in this case, a special election can be held in order to fill the vacancies. It was the Elections Committee’s first thought to hold a special election before the end of the spring 2018 semester, but found that there was not enough time left in the semester for any election that followed ASO Constitution guidelines. “As says under By-Law 703 Section 5, the Elections Committee shall make all required paperwork available to candidates at least five weeks prior to the first day of elections, Odega said. “Elections Committee shall also allow one week of campaigning prior to the first day of polling. As soon as these standards were not met it would not be possible for the committee to hold another general election.” The official nullification of the presidential and vice presidential votes by the Student Court took place on Sunday, May 27, leaving only two weeks left in the semester. Under these conditions, “The Constitution has steps for situations where there’s a vacancy for office of ASO president, which includes the VP (calling) a special election within 45 days,” Odega said. It is uncertain who will call these special elections without an acting president or vice-president.
Former EC student stabbed Male victim found bleeding in parked car across from campus Faith Petrie Managing Editor
@ECCUnionFaith
Several police agencies responded to a call regarding a bleeding male sitting in his car on Tuesday, May 22 on Crenshaw Boulevard. El Camino College Police Chief Michael Trevis said the victim is a former EC student. According to a Campus Advisory sent on Wednesday, May 23, those who responded concluded that the man was the victim of a stabbing and was later transported to a local hospital. The advisory also noted that the vehicle the victim was found in was “stopped in the south bound lanes of Crenshaw Boulevard, just north of Redondo Beach Boulevard,” though the actual location where the crime occurred is unknown. Due to the location that the victim was found in, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is in charge of investigating the crime.
“Here on Crenshaw, for southbound Crenshaw in front of the college, that is the county’s jurisdiction,” Trevis said. “For northbound Crenshaw, that’s Gardena’s jurisdiction.” When asked if the suspect was caught, Trevis said “I do not know, I do not know. The LA County sheriffs have the jurisdiction on it.” The advisory provided safety tips including having one’s keys already in one’s hand, using the buddy system, and learning the location of the “Code Blue” emergency phones that are located in numerous places around the EC campus.
PRACTICE SAFETY ON CAMPUS
GOOD JOB, GRADS! Congratulations from all of us at
• Hold keys in hands at all times • Use the buddy system • Learn the location of the “Code Blue” Emergency phones
Keep up with what’s happening at your alma mater at eccunion.com
NEWS
MAY 31, 2018
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 3
Darwyn Samaoya/ Union Student services specialist Sara Vasquez-Gharibeh advising a student on transfer opportunities. “I think (college choice) has to do with their location. Students want to get a good education that is reachable,” Vasquez-Gharibeh said.
Guiding students toward success
El Camino among the top 10 transfer schools in California Darren Demorst Staff Writer
@ECCUnionDarren
O
ne thousand three hundred sixty-six El Camino College students transferred to colleges in the California State University system in the academic year 201516, keeping El Camino College in the top ten in transfer numbers for the 114 California community colleges. Cal State, Dominguez Hills and Cal State, Long Beach were the most popular transfer destinations for El Camino students. In the University of California system, UCLA and UC Irvine were the most popular public destinations. The University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount were the most popular private college destinations. Katie Neumann, nursing major, will be one of the over 1,000 students expected to transfer to a Cal State University—in her case Dominguez Hills-- in fall 2019. Like many El Camino students, she chose El Camino because it is close to her Torrance home. Cost was also a factor. Community colleges are far less expensive than four-year universities even
those in the thrifty CSU system. (CSU costs average about $7,000 per year versus $12,000 for UC.) Sara Vasquez-Gharibeh, student services specialist, who works with transferring students daily agrees. “I think [college choice] has to do with their location. Students want to get a good education that is reachable,” she said. Even before considering cost and closeness to home when choosing colleges, Neumann who had already set a career goal, needed to investigate which twoyear and four-year colleges offered the major she was interested in. Fortunately, for Neumann, who sees nursing as the “career path (she) was meant to take” was able to find nursing programs nearby.” El Camino College offers two basic options (with variations) for the student: two-year certificate or associate degree programs which prepare a student for a specific job (ex. Preschool teacher) that require only two years of training and a transfer program, like Neumann’s which enables a student to complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree program at the community college then transfer to a four-year university to complete the remainder of the bachelor’s degree requirements. Neumann will graduate from Cal State
Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Each major at El Camino has its own requirements for its associate degree. The nursing department requires that its students apply for program admittance and go through background checks and other screenings as well as see a nursing counselor. The El Camino College catalogue gives requirements for graduation with an Associate of Science degree in nursing as well as a list of courses required for transfer to CSUs and to UCs Neumann is also familiar with the Cal State Dominguez Hills catalogue and its requirements. The nursing counselor will help her to complete the necessary transfer application paperwork. Although there is already a transfer program in place that guarantees some community college graduates with special associate degrees (AA-T and AST) placement at a CSU campus, nursing majors are not included. Neumann is participating in a bridge program between El Camino and Cal State Dominguez Hills’ nursing departments. In the program she will have dual enrollment at both colleges. “The program is amazing. We can work on our bachelor’s in the summer while we are working on
our nursing program classes at El Camino. It’s so great that they offer it so that when we graduate we can get our bachelor’s faster—in a semester or two,” Neumann said. A difficulty when transferring from a community college to a university is not being prepared and not having information. Stephen Handel, associate vice president, undergraduate admissions at the office of the president, University of California believes that planning this transition “should begin in high school.” High school is a good time to get information about each of the colleges the prospective college student is interested in and to visit each campus when those schools are in session to get a feel for the place. “Having at least a tentative plan is essential. It’s most critical that (students) focus on a goal in the very beginning,” Handel said. Neumann has a goal and a plan. She made her career choice before college. “I was inspired to be a nurse after taking anatomy in high school and learning what the career of nursing was all about,” she said. She has scheduled her fall 2019 transfer in advance. “I love that nursing is a career where we can make an impact on someone’s life ever single day,” Neumann said.
Darren Demorst/ Union Katie Neumann, 22, nursing student, is on track to transfer to Cal State Dominguez Hills in fall 2019.
Safety continues to be a concern at EC following threat
Baseball fan gets a five-year restraining order from El Camino and Cerritos College earlier in the semester Alex Torres
Special to the Union @ECCUnionAlex
A
long-time Warrior baseball fan allegedly made a terrorist threat towards the Cerritos head coach after their match against El Camino in Warrior Field early in the spring. Vanessa Escalera and her friend Leslie Cortez were in attendance that evening. Escalera, 22, kinesiology major, said that she was not aware of the comments made after the game by an upset fan. Daniel Pelaez, 44, was arrested for allegedly saying that he would bring his “AK” to the game. Coach Ken Gaylord reported the incident two days later to authorities. “During Pelaez’s arrest, no weapons were found in his vehicle and he admitted to his remarks regarding Saturday’s game but he said he
did not mean it,” El Camino Chief of Police Micheal Trevis said. He was charged with a misdemeanor and was given a 5-year restraining order from EC and Cerritos College. “Regardless if nothing happened, I think that no one should ever make statements like those if they are not ready to face the consequences because that is a topic that shouldn’t be taken as a joke,” Escalera said. “I found out until Tuesday morning that someone apparently said they would bring a gun. It’s honestly scary that this happened here on campus because with all the shootings that are going on in the country you never stop and think that it can also happen to you.” In recent years, El Camino has had several threats to the community. In 2015, James Gustavo Lemus, was accused of threatening to com-
mit a massacre by slaughtering students and faculty in the Library Lawn. That same year, EC police shot an 18 year old in parking lot structure F who pulled out a gun and aimed it at the officers. The Union compared the annual crime statistics released dating to three years back for El Camino and local community colleges. According to the EC crime report, in the weapon violations there has been zero reported activities dating from 2014, 2015 and 2016. “A weapon violation includes possession anything from a gun, brass knuckle, knife, or baseball bat,” Trevis said. In the robbery column, there has been seven reported incidents that were in the public property areas close to campus. Six out of the seven involved a gun or at least the victims said it appeared to be one. Pierce College recently had an
incident that caused the campus to shutdown for the remainder of the day. A man was detained for making a credible threat that someone reported to authorities. That incident or any that occur this year won’t make it in the yearly crime stats until 2019, Trevis said. “The El Camino College community takes threats seriously and we all work together to find out if its true,” Trevis said.” I don’t want to be sending out alerts and advisories and scaring everybody and find out its not true.” Director of Public Information and Government Relations, Marc Stevens, from the Office of Marketing and Communications works closely with Trevis when a campus notification needs to be sent out. “When something like that happens, that comes to us from campus police,” Stevens said. “They will guide us on what needs to be com-
municated, what details need to be there. The emergency alerts are distributed via Nixle which sends the notification to a persons phone. A campus advisory is also sent to the email of the students and staff that is provided by the college. The Assessment Intervention and Management of Safety program (AIMS) was created to assist students deal with threatening or behavioral situations. Their goal is to intervene with the student and the problem before it escalates to a critical situation. Despite having counselors, a health center and the AIMS program on campus, Trevis said that if anyone sees something, they should say something. When a crisis situation occurs, there are organizations and resources that the campus can reach out to in order to recover. The Union spoke with David Schon-
feld, expert from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work via telephone regarding the recovery of a campus-community after a tragic event. “My work is to help the staff train its’ employees to handle these situations,” Schonfeld said. “College or universities are different than high school because in high school students might feel more isolated to get help. As the director of the National Center for School Crisis (NCSCB) located at USC, he has worked with students, staff and communities nationwide deal with death and crisis situations. A university or a college usually has a range of counseling services available to students which is more accepted because students are adults now compared to minors in a high school where getting help is less private, Schonfeld said.
OPINION
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 4
Letter from the editors:
MAY 31, 2018
Column:
Why I’m staying at El Camino despite initially not wanting to Samuel Hill
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionSam
Faith Petrie/ Union
from OUT WITH THE OLD Athegoodbye spring 2018 AND IN WITH THE NEW editorial board Dear El Camino, This semester has been an interesting one to say the least. With a small staff, we were forced to play with the cards we had been dealt. Despite some set backs, this semester on staff has been a memorable one filled with plenty of lessons learned. The editorial board made a lot of
changes stylistically and when we thought something wouldn’t work out it somehow always did. With the help of our incredibly hard working staff, adviser Stefanie, dedicated photographers, and motivated interns we as a unit, were able to produce memorable papers with actual impact. I think we can all note a specific moment where someone
from El Camino whether it be a student, faculty, or staff member approached us to thank us for covering something that happened on campus. Thank you all for letting us embrace the diverse people, programs, and events on campus. A final note from all of us on the editorial board is this: Don’t be afraid to be bold in what you do.
Always take pride in your work no matter how insignificant you may think it is. While this may be our last semester The Union will continue with a new editorial board in the fall. We hope that the new board has as much fun as we had documenting the history of El Camino College.
At the beginning of the semester, I had my mind made up: I am going to transfer out from El Camino College to a four-year university. Thanks to family and friends encouraging me to move on to “better places” I was mentally worn down and wanted to leave EC because I thought it was the best thing I could do for myself. A month into the spring semester, I realized that the smartest decision was to stay at EC for another year. Despite it being a community college, EC has proven to be elite when it comes to transferring students to higher education institutions. According to transfer statistics, EC ranks 8 out of 112 California community colleges for transferring students to CSUs and ranks 9 in just as many schools when transferring students to UCs. With numerous facilities being constructed and renovated, EC has the campus of a four-year college, with the price of a junior college.
Column:
Lessons learned throughout my journey at El Camino College
Best, Tanya Silerio
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionTanya
Zach Hatakeyama
Faith Petrie
Editor-In-Chief
Managing Editor
STUDY FOR FINALS WITH THESE SONGS Faith Petrie
Managing Editor @ECCUnionFaith
Some people prefer listening to music from artists including Claude Debussy or Frédéric Chopin while studying. Others would rather hear
THE UNION Vol. 73, No. 6 May 31, 2018
E -mail: eccunion@gmail.com Newsroom: (310) 660-3328 Advertising: (310) 660-3329
Ryan Guitare
Photo and Sports Editor
- Nights by Frank Ocean
5
the serene crashes of waves or the squawk of birds. I personally enjoy listening to R&B to focus on studying for whatever class may account for it. Here is my pick of five songs that are in my studying playlist that just might help you ace that final (no promises).
- 9 (feat. SZA) by Willow - Losing You by Solange
One of my biggest problems I would say I have is taking my own advice. I have suffered the consequences because of this, but I’ve been told I’m good at giving it them out. I would say I have learned and grown from when I first started college. Before I came to El Camino, I was a student at Cal State Channel Islands. I only lasted a year there then later transferred here. Me transferring to a community college was something that I never thought I’d do. I’m the first in my family to attend college, so I didn’t have much guidance on what and what not to do. Not to mention my high school suffered through major budget cuts my senior year and got rid of our college advisors making the process even more confusing. But it’s honestly one of the best decisions I ever made. I got a chance to take as many classes as
-Stars by The xx -Love Maze by BTS
Editor-in-Chief.........................................................................Zach Hatakeyama News Editor..............................................................................Zach Hatakeyama Opinion Editor....................................................................................Faith Petrie Arts Editor..........................................................................................Faith Petrie Sports Editor....................................................................................Ryan Guitare Photo Editor.....................................................................................Ryan Guitare Features Editor..........................................................................Zach Hatakeyama Social Media Manager........................................................................Faith Petrie Advertising Manager.........................................................................Jack Mulkey Adviser.............................................................................................Stefanie Frith Photo Adviser.......................................................................................Luis Sinco
The Union is published 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 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.
According to an article by CollegeCalc, the cost to attend EC is 72% cheaper than the average California tuition of $3,929 for 2 year colleges, sitting at an average between one and two thousand dollars for in-state residence. Apart from excellent cost of attendance and fine transferring statistics, EC also represents an excellent place to continue playing sports, boasting an excellent athletics program. The athletic program is also equipped with an athletics website that features coverage to all 22 sports teams at EC, dishing out quality content on a regular basis. Throughout my time here, I’ve also learned to truly appreciate the work that the faculty and staff at EC do. Having great teachers has been a common theme for me and is something that has influenced my decision to stay at EC. Moving on to a new school is an experience that is exciting and worth working toward, but staying in one place does not mean you’re not continuing to improve yourself.
I wanted while trying to figure out what my major would be all at a reasonable price. An important thing to know is that you should never procrastinate. This is a horrible habit I have had trouble of breaking. I have had many freak outs over studying last minute or trying to finish a five-page assignment in under an hour. But the times that I have planned out my study and homework hours life was much more relaxed. I’ve been in college for about four years now which feels like an eternity. Especially, when you scroll through your Instagram and see that most of your friends are already graduating and you are just about to transfer. While half of me is paranoid at the thought of falling even more behind, the other half of me has come to learn that taking your time is OK. Everyone goes at their own pace as long as you finish and meet your goal everything will eventually fall into place
Follow us! El Camino College Union The Union @ECCUnion @eccunion
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ARTS
MAY 31, 2018
A The Student Art Show offers a variety of SPLASH art mediums to view including sculptures, OF ART: photography, and more
Emma DiMaggio
T
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionEmma
he El Camino College Art Gallery, which hosts individual and group exhibitions throughout the semester, is currently home to a different genre of work, that of students first dipping their toes into the art world. The most popular night of exhibition occurs during the reception, which doubles as an Art and Photography Department open house. This year, that night occurred on Friday, May 18. “We are celebrating the El Camino Art Department and all the great work that students are putting out,” Zach Miller, 22, sculpture major, said. By having a gallery space on campus, students are provided a professional venue with which to showcase their work. “It’s an opportunity for students to get feedback on the work they’re currently producing and to get recognized for the work they’ve
done,” Miller said. “It also helps showcase El Camino to other people, so they can see that this is an institution that’s really working towards the betterment of the arts.” Within the gallery itself, art and photography professors handselected two pieces from their studio classes to be included in the show. On reception night, classrooms and studios are opened up to the public to showcase artwork that was not included in the gallery portion of the show. “I think that it brings in the community and offers an opportunity for people to see how incredibly talented this student body is,” Susanna Meiers, director and curator of the Art Gallery, said. “It’s also a good way for people to become interested in the program, and for students to see their work up in a professional setting.” The Art and Photography Departments offer a wide range of classes, some of which aren’t present at other community colleges and universities. “You get to see the different types of specialties that (El Camino) offers that aren’t traditional at other
campuses,” Madison Gillespie, 22, studio art major, said. “A lot of campuses don’t have a foundry. A lot of places don’t have jewelry either.” What makes the Student Art Show distinct from other exhibitions on campus is the presence of a wide variety of mediums, as well as work from students with distinctly different backgrounds. “I think it’s very important that this happens because there’s so much diversity here at El Camino,” Gillespie said. “It’s just a rarity to see all these different mediums put together on the same night, and it’s all within walking distance of each other.” The Student Art Show has been an ongoing event ever since the creation of the Art Gallery in the early 1970s, Meiers said. This year’s show debuted on Monday, May 14, and will be up until Thursday, May 31. The Art Gallery is open on Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Wednesday and Thursday from 12 to 7:30 p.m.
The last day to view the Student Art Show is Thursday, May 31. The El Camino Art Gallery will be open on Thursday from 12 to 7:30 p.m.
ARTS EVENTS CALENDAR
MAY 31
Choreography Showcase | Campus Theatre | 1 and 7 p.m.
JUNE
2
ECC Symphony Orchestra | Marsee Auditorium | 8 p.m.
3
4-5
Synchronous Objects | Campus Theatre| 8 p.m.
7
Something Old, and Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue| Campus Theatre| 3 p.m.
JULY
10
ECC Chorale | Campus Theatre Gender in Media | Marsee Auditorium | 7 p.m. | 7 p.m.
Jack Kan/ Union
One of 14 papier-maché gargoyles displayed at the El Camino College Art Gallery on Tuesday, May 22.
Jack Kan/ Union “Untitled” by Zachary Miller displayed in the EC Art Gallery on Wednesday, May 23.
Jack Kan/ Union “I have a plate on my head” by Frank Barron displayed at the El Camino College Art Gallery on Tuesday, May 22.
Photo of the Week:
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Lo Tech, No Tech Dance | Marsee Auditorium -June 4 @ 7 p.m. -June 5 @ 7 p.m.
Opera Workshop | Campus Theatre | 8 p.m.
EL CAMINO COLLEGE 5
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Tickets can be purchased online through the Center for the Arts website or in person at the Marsee Auditorium Ticket Office.
Mari Inagaki/ Union On Tuesday, May 29 the Tailor Made Fashion Club sponsored 36th annual fashion show took place in the East Dining Room. This year’s theme was “City of Lights.” A student model wears a Japanese-inspired dress decorated in fairy lights.
FEATURES
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 6
MAY 31, 2018
PEOPLE OF E Athletic trainer thrives at El Camino Jaylin Motley Special to the Union
@ECCUnionJaylinM
Jaylin Motley/ Union Athletic trainer Joi Richardson has worked at El Camino for five years.
On a slow Tuesday morning in a room full of athletic training equipment and empty treatment tables, senior athletic trainer, Joi Richardson, sits on a stool with her hot 7-Eleven cup in hand preparing to start treatment on softball coach, Jessica Rapoza. Joi Richardson has been El Camino Colleges head athletic trainer for five years now. In that time she has taken two leave of absences to give birth to two baby girls. She has just recently come back to work and is getting back into the routine of working with the schools athletes again. The Los Angeles native attended Palisades Charter High School, and later went on to start a new journey in Texas at Prairie View A&M where she majored in applied mathematics. Joi’s journey to get to the career and place she is now is not a traditional one. Using her degree in applied mathematics, Joi went on to be a software engineer for Aerospace. Having been laid off twice, she soon realized that was not the career for her. “I hated it, I hated being inside. I had no interest in the space center. It would be like being an athletic trainer and saying ‘I don’t really like sports I don’t want to go watch their games,’” Richardson said. After realizing aerospace was not her passion, Joi needed something to occupy her time so she started training with a friend from the NFL that had suffered from an ACL tear. She would join his rehab workouts and train with him and other athletes. “At that point it was 1996 and I was training just to train. I was just working out to work out. It was an olympic year so there was a bunch of people training to tryout for track,” she said. Being in that environment and seeing how her friends athletic trainer worked and the type of job he did sparked her interest in athletic training. Knowing that she wanted to work towards a career in kinesiology and fitness, Joi returned home
from Houston and attended West Los Angeles College. Walking the halls of the campus, it was there she came across a flyer for an athletic training class. “So I took the class, I went to lab the first day in the athletic training room, and fell in love with the career instantly,” Richardson said. Fast forward to 2004, Joi is now the trainer at Southwest College and it was there that she experienced a day that would be burned in the mind of not only her, but NBA star Russell Westbrook. A day that would not only change her for the rest of her life, but mold her into a better athletic trainer for the future. Richardson calls this the worst day of her life. She had just finished up working with her sports for the day when the assistant basketball coach runs into her office in a panic. “When he ran to get me, he called me by my name and just because I recognized him and the intensity of his voice, made me run. He shouted ‘Joi! Khelcey’s down!’” she said. Joi rushed into the gym to perform CPR on Leuzinger High School basketball prodigy, and best friend to Russell Westbrook, Khelcey Barrs, who died on that gymnasium floor due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. “It changed me for a long time. I used to be very nervous at work all the time, and it also makes me not very popular when I get stickler about ya know, ‘that person should not be out there’ or when you can’t just have open situations where anybody can just come, because you don’t get to want to recruit so bad that you get to change my life. And that changed my life,” she said. The struggle to get back to a good place was tough for Joi, she visited with cardiologist and emergency room doctors to get a better understanding of why that day happened the way it did. Turning to science for answers was her way of coping with the events that happened that day. Being an athletic trainer and seeing injuries and traumas happen to athletes on a day to day basis cannot be easy. Luckily, Joi has continued to thrive in her work environment and continues to be a positive and dedicated member of the El Camino College athletics program.
EC musician overcomes illness, forms band Tristan Egans Special to the Union
@ECCUnionTristan
Tristan Egans/ Union EC student Renaissance Marie Austin formed The Green Bus Band three months ago.
In a compact room in Marsee Auditorium, soulful sounds of vocal melodies and rhythmic beat bellow out from behind the tightly packed room door. Filled with instruments, chairs and musical equipment up to the ceilings, inside stands Renaissance Marie Austin. Her blue hair swishing side-to-side at the cadence of each and every energetic movement, in-between after a slight pause in tempo she inhales the warm air, then continues singing into the microphone passionately. 29-year-old music major Renaissance Marie Austin is a singer and songwriter with a 17 year career recording music. Austin’s emphasis on her vocal skills have allowed her to pad her resume in the entertainment business significantly. Being able to sing on commercials for the Oregon Lottery, private parties, celebrity weddings and even backup for the six-time Grammy award winning, American Jazz bassist, Christian McBride at the Disney Concert Music Hall. Nonetheless, her journey with music has been difficult but rewarding in many ways. In the summer of 2015, Renaissance found herself looking through the El Camino College catalog when she says she noticed a Commercial Music program that caught her interest. She labeled it, “the determining factor,” for returning back to school after working professionally in music doing various things. Prior to making the decision to go back to school, Renaissance was in brief negotiations with a subsidiary label underneath Universal Music Group named Bungalo Records. In the midst of networking and showcasing her talents, she became very ill, “The doctors told me I had four tumors, and it was urgent that I go into surgery,” Austin said. Renaissance’s undying enthusiasm for music allowed her to conquer her “war within” and after successful surgeries and months of recovery she came to a realization that returning to school was her best option moving forward. “I had worked so hard my whole life to get to this point where I’m gaining interest and maybe soon go into a distribution deal, but I made the choice to come
back to school specifically for the Commercial Music program,” Austin said. This time around she believes that the education she’s receiving will allow her to be more prepared and knowledgeable for negotiations to come. Since returning to school, Renaissance has found her footing and is embracing the “rebirth” of her career now. Much of her success she acknowledges comes from her families musical background that has a history that runs far beyond her time. Her biggest inspiration in life is her father, George Cornelia Austin. Renaissance’s father raised her as a single parent and passed away when she was only 14 years old, he played bass guitar, organ and saxophone at church. “He was the one who nudged me to sing solos, even though I was shy,” Renaissance said. Today, she still has a harmonica that her father played and it fuels her drive along the way, allowing her to remember her humble beginnings. While taking courses, and balancing a job, Renaissance teamed up with a two other ECC student musicians on campus and formed a band, ‘The Green Bus Band’. The band has been together for 3 months and landed their first gig at the El Camino College Health Fair on April 18. Their style and genre of music floats between Funk and R&B. 19-year-old drummer, Nick Spencer who is an undecided major said “her (Renaissance) biggest attribute is her energy and comfortability.” In addition to her contagious energy, Renaissance still finds time to learn from her peers and anyone who is willing to teach her. “It’s crazy because she still thinks of herself as a student even with all she’s done,” said Nick Bereira, the groups 19-year-old bass guitarist who majors in art. Renaissance has strategically planned out her steps and takes nothing for granted, with her dreams ahead she remains hopeful that she’ll achieve the things she’s worked for. “I know I needed the education system to give me a better boost, and that I would come back and use my voice to try and get to where I wanted to go and onto the next step of my career. I’m truly a walking miracle,” Austin said.
MAY 31, 2018
FEATURES
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 7
EL CAMINO Equipment manager looks back on EC past Walter Khalil Hines Special to the Union
@ECCUnionWalter
Organize, wash, organize, wash, repeat. For Mark Nielsen, an El Camino College equipment manager, and junior college equipment managers alike, the constant cycle always repeats itself. “We have to take care of practice laundry every day. That’s one of the parts of our job that we handle on a daily basis. When you come in, you notice that the machines are always going. That’s a constant,” Mark said. Nielsen’s relationship with the school goes back further than being hired as a full-time equipment manager in 2011. The Redondo Beach native’s father would take him to the packed football games at the old Murdock Stadium. He then later attended El Camino briefly before transferring to Long Beach City College. Nielsen started as a part-time equipment manager for El Camino in 2008, but prior to that he worked as a statistician for El Camino football legend, Coach John Featherstone. “(John Featherstone) hired me first as the football statistician before we had officially had a sports information director…, I also worked as the coordinator for football operations… handling video footage and distributing to colleges,” Nielsen said. Today starts the same as the others. Nielsen comes in at 12 p.m., checks if there are any needs to be done, whether that be laundry, or helping set up a practice. He checks his email, and later we take the golf cart to the athletic offices to pick up any mail. But while they may start the same, Nielsen is quick to remind that the task isn’t as simple as it seems. “Every day is different… there is always a new challenge that presents itself,” Nielsen said. Days like today are relatively light for Mark. There are no games on campus, only practices, and his responsibilities are getting baseball in order, and then
later setting up the practice field for spring football practice. But of course he has the usual other tasks he has to help with. He, and fellow equipment manager Pete Wright, 39 years at El Camino (29 in athletics), are asked by Patty Miller, 24 years in El Camino athletics, to help her with putting up shade for a softball playoff game tomorrow. The cart ride is smooth through the various construction sites in the El Camino athletic area to get to the softball field. The construction signals growth and improvement, something the three appreciate. They look like a squad, each wearing a navy blue El Camino shirt signifying their allegiance. The three move like clockwork putting up the El Camino Warriors branded shades. They get in and out, but that’s the process the staff is used to. It’s the way they have to move, or else nothing would ever get done. On these spring days, Nielsen manages baseball and track and field. In the fall, his primary focus is football, the sport he says takes up the most of his time, and money. In the winter, he partners with fellow manager Patty Miller as they work men’s and women’s basketball. After all of the practices are complete and before he heads home, Nielsen gets all the laundry in order to wash in the school’s heavy-duty washing machine. The wash resembles the popular Batman comic-book villain Bane with various cords containing chemicals wiring in and out of them. The equipment managers are the unsung heroes of the athletic programs they manage and for Nielsen and the others, Murdock Stadium is their second home. They are passionate about their jobs and enjoy them. They respect their position and it shows in the job that they do. When someone needs a hand on a job, the others are willing to help. El Camino is not just a place they work, but where they have built timeless relationships. “We’re the guys behind the scenes taking care of The Warriors,” Nielsen said.
Walter Khalil Hines/ Union Mark Nielsen recalls visiting El Camino’s Murdock Stadium with his father when he was younger.
EC student excells in nursing program Kevin Caparoso Special to the Union @ECCUnionKC
It was a fall afternoon and many students were huddled inside the school library. The room was filled with a leisurely atmosphere but for two students there was a weight of anticipation that couldn’t be ignored. Both of them were eagerly awaiting an notification that could change the course of their academic careers. After constantly checking their phones only one of the students received an email stating their acceptance to the El Camino Nursing Program. Cristina Ruiz is a 21-year-old nursing student at El Camino College. She recently got admitted in one of the hardest programs at EC and began her first semester on February 2018. Before attending EC, Ruiz went to King/Drew Medical Magnet High School which she credits for sparking her interest in nursing. During her junior year, the school required the students to volunteer at the nearby hospital. “That was my first exposure to nursing and all that,” Ruiz said. Like most college students however, Ruiz entered EC with an open mind. She explored several classes before making a decision. When she realized she excelled in her science classes the most, nursing became the favored option. “If it’s what I do good in and it’s what interest me the most, then it’s what I’m going to do,” Ruiz said. Currently, Ruiz is almost done with her first semester in the nursing program and is “getting the hang of it.” She even took a moment to laugh at one of the mistakes she made earlier in the year. She called the mistake her “big scandal” that occurred during the first day of clinicals. Clincals is when students get hands on experience inside a hospital.
“I felt like I was not ready,” Ruiz said. One of her first tasks was to give a patient a particular medication that had to be crushed. Ruiz did so outside of the patient’s room and threw away the medicine’s labels before returning back. What she didn’t know was that it was required to scan the labels after administrating them. “I didn’t know I had messed up,” Ruiz said. She didn’t realize her error until her professor instructed them to “scan (their) labels.” Risa Nagata, a 24-year-old nursing student tried to help her at the time, but was also not comfortable with the whole process. “I think it was an important experience for us because we’ll never forget about it. We learned to check and verify with the instructor about anything that seems unclear.” It was a mistake Ruiz immediately learned from. She learned to adapt quickly because she never knew what to expect whenever she got a new patient. One patient that caught Ruiz off guard was one who couldn’t interact verbally. When she entered her patient’s room she quickly understood the situation and began written communication using a white board. “It was something new and it just taught me you have to adapt the way you care for patients depending how they are,” Ruiz said. Her fellow classmates caught on to her work ethic. “She applies herself when necessary to achieve desired results. She’s determined, focused, and most importantly well balanced,” said Amber Nicole Gee, 21-year-old nursing student. Ruiz worked hard to keep balance and whenever she felt stressed she simply reminded herself of the situation she was in. “What keeps me motivated is that I got in,” said Ruiz. “I think about all the people that would kill to have my spot.”
Kevin Caparoso/ Union Cristina Ruiz is a 21-year-old nursing student at EC. “If it’s what I do good in and it’s what interest me the most, then it’s what I’m going to do,” Ruiz said.
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 8
FEATURES
MAY 31, 2018
ROSE GLADSON Communications major Transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to change majors. Take advantage of all the free, and discounted services. For example, the Student Health Center, and the free tours to different colleges.”
ANAM KHAN Political science major Transferring to University of California, Berkeley
“Just stay focused and talk to your counselors and meet your professors and go to office hours. Probably just try to stay as focused as you can to achieve your goal, whether it’s transferring or not transferring.”
CHRISTOPHER DE PAZ Civil engineering major
“Do your work because there will come a time when you will get bombarded with a huge work load and you can’t function properly.”
MAY 31, 2018
MELISSA ACALA English major Transferring to California State University, Long Beach
“My favorite experience (at EC was when) I did a reading for one of my poems in the Myriad. Get your Ed Plan done early on with a counselor.”
DAKODA LACEY Film major
“Stay focused, don’t get distracted by having a little more freedom than you’re used to because it’s a very tricky thing to handle.”
CONNOR PAYNE Political science major
“Make sure to go to class. Don’t slack off, that’s important. If you’re on a sports team, make sure to be nice to your coaches and attend all the workouts.”
FEATURES
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 9
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 10
FEATURES
MAY 31, 2018
CHAD GREEN
Business major Transferring to University of California, Los Angeles
“Come here, get your work done. You’re in a work environment where people want to help you, so take advantage of it and grind hard.”
JOHN SADKER
Gender studies major Transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills
“If you’re coming here from high school or trying to get your life back on track, you’re in the right place. Really nice professors, nice students, everyone has the same goal, nobody is here to mess around so you’re in”
AUSTIN NGUYEN
Health sciences major Transferring to California State University, Channel Islands
“Get your parking permits early and try to be one of the first people to pay your fees.”
MAY 31, 2018
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EL CAMINO COLLEGE 11
Warrior Life's spring 2018 issue is now available around El Camino College newsracks everywhere .
Read Warrior Life stories online at eccunion.com. Warrior Life @ecwarriorlife
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EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 12
SPORTS
MAY 31, 2018
EC athlete saves life While setting up for a volleybal tournement, EC student athlete helps facilitate CPR for a man in need Melanie Chacon
Special to the Union @ECCUnionSam
Jaimie Woods / Union Warrior player Zach Findlay wet the lucky crickets with water to make them go down easier at their practice on May 15 before the game against Orange Coast.
LUCKY CRICKETS
Jack Kan / Union EC volleyball player Matt Donatucci saved a life of an older man while setting up for a volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach, Saturday, May 12.
To some, he is a hero, on and off the volleyball court. And although it’s nice to hear, Matt says he still feels the same. He has no super powers, but he does have a set of tools that allowed him to assist in saving the life of 58-year old Jeff DeCoste. It was an overcast Saturday morning on May 12, and Matt Donatucci, a 19-year-old, 6’5” volleyball player at El Camino, had been looking forward to playing in a volleyball tournament at Manhattan Beach. Kurt Peters, ECC men’s volleyball assistant coach, was the director of the tournament and Matt, along with his friend and fellow teammate, Cameron Steen, expressed to their coach that they wanted to play. Kurt said that if the two showed up early and helped set up the courts, they could play in the tournament for free. Matt and Cameron arrived early, before 7 a.m. and began setting up the courts. Less than 30 minutes later, tragedy struck. “A guy in a wetsuit was yelling ‘lifeguard, lifeguard’,” Donatucci said. Matt looked around and could see that the lifeguards, north and south of him, were too far away. “I just looked over and I saw a guy by the parking meters in the parking lot on Rosecrans, on the ground, and two guys are around him yelling…and so I just kind of like instantly knew, he needed CPR and help,” Donatucci said. Matt threw his sunhat off and sprinted over to the parking lot. Cameron was right behind him. “When I got there, (Jeff
Photographer @ECCUnionJaimie
Jaimie Woods / Union Warrior player Zach Findlay eats crickets at practice for some luck before the Super Regional game against Orange Coast, at El Camino College on May 15.
certified the week prior to the incident. I was calm though, because Matt knew what he was doing and had everything under control,” he said. Matt was then interviewed by a cop that had arrived. The cop asked for details and a time frame. Matt also spoke to a lifeguard and gave his account to him as well. “I just had no thoughts. I just sprinted over right when I saw him laying on the ground. I just knew what to do,” Donatucci said. Matt is enrolled in Traci Granger’s first aid class at ECC this semester. He learned CPR early on and is now CPR and first aid certified. In his class they worked on dummies, practicing compressions over and over. Matt explained that the tools he learned in this class are the reason he knew what to do to save Jeff DeCoste’s life. Jeff is now home and recuperating. Obviously overcome with gratitude, Julie DeCoste sent an envelope to Matt. Inside was a poem. A part of the poem reads: A hero is one who just does what he should And is ready when opportunity should occur Never flinching from an opportunity to do good You are a true hero for sure. “There wasn’t even a thought process. It was just straight awareness. I just saw (Jeff) on the ground, he looked dead, and I just knew that as long as I was pumping his heart, he could have a chance at coming back to life, so that’s what I did,” Donatucci said. After Matt had helped save the life of Jeff DeCoste, he went on to play in the beach volleyball tournament and he and his teammates placed 3rd that day.
Jaimie Woods / Union Head Coach Nathan Fernley inspecting the crickets that Zack Findlay is about to eat for good luck at practice on May 15, in the Super Regional Game against Orange Coast.
Jaimie Woods
I
DeCoste’s) whole face was purple. He was on his back next to the railing and there was no life in his eyes,” Donatucci said. Matt instinctively began compressions on DeCoste immediately. He knew he needed to get the blood pumping through his body and air into his lungs. “I realized that after a minute into it, I could see his eyes had life in them and he was staring back at me while I was giving him compressions,” Donatucci said. Matt spoke to him and told him to “keep your mouth open.” 1:30 seconds into it, lifeguard Greg Crum arrived at the scene. He got out of his truck and jumped over the railing holding an automated external defibrillator, (AED device), along with a first aid kit. Crum instructed Matt, “keep going, you’re doing a great job.” Moments later, Greg cut DeCoste’s shirt off, wiped his chest down and put the pads in place in preparation to shock him to help his heart reestablish a rhythm. Greg pulled DeCoste away from the railing and cleared him for the shock. Matt continued with the compressions. Jeff DeCoste was regaining his vital signs. Jeff DeCoste was alive! Once the paramedics arrived, Matt stepped away and allowed them to take over. The paramedics then placed a bag valve mask over Jeff DeCoste’s nose and mouth and began to administer air into him that way. They then placed him onto a stretcher, into their truck and transported him to the hospital. “My reaction was to go with Matt and stand by if he needed any help,” Cameron Sheen said. “Coincidentally, I got CPR
t all started as a prank that became a superstitious routine for the EC baseball
team. The prank began when Warrior player Zack Findlay found a dead cricket and threw it at his teammate Jerry Granillo. Teammate Joseph Brazil joined the fun by challenging Findlay, “You wont eat that cricket,” said Brazil. Findlay at first said “no”.
Brazil asked him again this time betting Findlay 15 dollars to eat the dead cricket. Findlay still denied his offer. Brazil returned to the team meeting with the dead cricket Findley again in front of the whole team. As the team cheered him on, Findlay was persuaded to eat the cricket. “Findlay, every time we win in playoffs, you’ll have to eat one extra cricket,” said Coach Nathan Fernley. After devouring the first cricket, the Warriors defeated Moorpark College. The next weekend the
superstition was kept alive when two crickets were devoured and the Warriors eliminated Cerritos College. After the consumption of three crickets, the superstition failed to yield its magic when the Warriors played Orange Coast College in the Southern California Sectionals. The Warriors finished the year two games shy of making it to the CCCAA state championships. “I believe we will strongly keep the superstition alive for next year’s playoffs just hopefully it will be someone else who eats the crickets,” Findlay said.