EL CAMINO COLLEGE
Baseball team recognized as a “Scholar Team”, P. 7
MARCH 1, 2018 Follow us at /ECCUnion
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Tokyo-originating fine arts major chosen to paint mural, P. 3
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
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Warrior Food Pantry receives 500 lb. donation Eighth graders donate items to help prevent food insecurity among Emma DiMaggio
Editor-in-chief @ECCUnionEmma
Photo courtesy of Torrance Police Department Tyler Walters, Lynn Johnson, and Gabriella Semana, who are being charged with crimes related to the drive-by paintball shooting of a Torrance man. Walters (left) is a former EC student. Semana (right) is not a current or former EC student.
$1 million bail set in drive-by paintball shooting
Former EC student and accomplices accused of blinding Torrance man Emma DiMaggio
Editor-in-chief @ECCUnionEmma
Two former El Camino students are involved in the case of a driveby paintball shooting that left a 50-year-old Torrance man blind in his right eye. Tyler Walters, the man who allegedly shot the gun, was an EC student of automotive tech in the fall of 2016, according to Emmanuel Tindall, 20, business management major and longtime friend of Walters. One of his accomplices, Lynn Johnson, lists El Camino College on his Facebook page, and his major as American sign language
and deaf studies. The other accomplice, Gabriella Semana, has never attended EC. The three are accused of involvement in a drive-by paintball shooting that took place on Sunday, Feb. 4, Walters’ defense attorney Rayford Fountain said. According to Michael Fejes’s son, Michael Fejes Jr., his father has undergone an initial exploratory surgery but has not yet regained
sight in his right eye. He is expected to undergo multiple surgeries in the future, and it is not yet known whether he will ever regain sight in his eye, Fejes Jr. said. Fountain expressed concern about continued misunderstanding of the severity of assault with a paintball gun, which is considered a deadly weapon in this case. “I’ve had other paintball cases and these guys, they just don’t
realize how dangerous the paintball guns are,” Fountain said. “They don’t really anticipate (that) they’re going to do any severe harm or damage, but you can really hurt somebody, as this case points out.” Walters is currently being accused of mayhem, aggravated mayhem, and assault with a deadly weapon, Fountain said. Due to the fee schedule that relates crimes to bail amounts, Walters currently has
“I’ve had other paintball cases and these guys, they just don’t realize how dangerous the paintball guns are. You can really hurt somebody, as this case points out” —Rayford Fountain, Tyler Walters’ defense attorney, said.
a bail set at $1 million. Fountain’s request for a bail reduction was refused last week. A photo of Feje’s eye injury, taken right after the incident, was shared on Facebook over 5,000 times. Despite community involvement in this case, Fountain hopes that he will be able to reduce Walters’ charges. “He never intended to strike anybody in the face,” Fountain said. “My hope is for sure that we get rid of the aggravated mayhem and then negotiate some kind of incarceration that’s reasonable under the circumstances.” Fejes Jr. said he hopes that the Walters, Johnson, and Semana learn from the experience.
The Warrior Food Pantry received a donation of over 500 pounds of food and toiletries from El Segundo Middle School on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Warrior Food Pantry debuted last October as a resource for students facing food insecurity. “Having this kind of food helps a lot. We never thought we’d have this many resources,” Andrew Leon, Student Equity Advisor Council co-chair and student worker for the Warrior Food Pantry, said. “It’s going to affect a lot of students as well as a lot of families, because a lot of students feed their families with the food in here.” The girls that organized the donation were eighth grade students Herason Wang, Giselle Chasez, and Olivia Jamner, who all attend El Segundo Middle School. “Food insecurity, or not knowing where your next meal is going to come from, is often associated with the homeless or the very poor,” Chasez said. “We were surprised to know that students at the college level are often affected by hunger.” All El Segundo Middle School students are tasked with an eighth grade community service project, led by a mentor. “It went from something small to Harrison’s whole kitchen and whole living room being full of all these supplies,” Melissa Gooden, principal of El Segundo Middle School and mentor to the students, said. “We’re really proud.” The goal of the project, which began last October, was to collect 500 pounds of non-perishables and toiletries. —Story continued on Page 2
Flashing lights installed after coyote sighting near Communications Building Facilities Department still in the process of acquisition and installation for students with night classes Emma DiMaggio
Editor-in-chief @ECCUnionEmma
Three coyotes were sighted on campus on the night of Tuesday, Jan. 30 by campus police officers. Michael Trevis, a sergeant with the campus police department, said the police received a call late at night from a custodian who saw a coyote. Once the officer arrived at the construction technical area, he saw the coyote and followed it to
Murdock Stadium, where it was joined by two more coyotes, Trevis said. All three coyotes were seen running towards Alondra Park, he added, which is adjacent to the El Camino campus. A campus advisory notice went out the next day on Wednesday, Jan. 31 detailing the incident. Marc Stevens, director of public information and government relations, confirmed that the coyote was first seen near the Communications Building.
There are varying explanations for why the coyotes roamed near campus. “They’re after the cats on campus,” Dick McGreevy, founder of the Vegan Club on campus, said. “As far as I’m concerned, they live here, but people have pets and coyotes will go after the pets.” As for a solution, answers vary. “I don’t know if there’s a solution for it, McGreevy said. “They could trap them, but they’re pretty smart. They don’t trap easily.” Since the sighting, the Facilities
and Planning Services Division have begun the acquisition and installation of solar powered flashing lights meant to deter coyotes from wandering onto campus, Debbie Turano, who works in the Facilities Planning and Services Division, said. The lights, which are made by Nite Guard, will be installed around the perimeter of campus, Turano said, “They have a flashing red light that will keep the coyotes off campus.” Installation has not yet begun.
Emma DiMaggio/ Union “They’re after the cats,” Dick McGreevy, founder of the Vegan Club, said in regards to the recent coyote sighting on campus. This cat is one of many found wandering near Marsee Auditorium at night.
NEWS LINE
Cedars-Sinai to Lockdown drill EC wins Community Literary magazine Club Rush boosts visit for blood drive dates announced Education Award submissions open involvement The Inter-Club Council will be hosting its annual blood drive from Tuesday, March 13 to Thursday, March 15 in the Student Activities Center. All donors will receive a T-shirt or coupon for a pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream upon donation. Donors must bring a photo ID, be in good health, and weigh 110 lbs to be considered for donation.
The lockdown shelter-in-place drill will take place on Thursday, March 15. The drill will occur once from 9:40 to 9:50 a.m. and then again at 7:10 to 7:20 p.m. Last semester’s lockdown shelterin-place drill took place for 15 minutes during each session. The administration hopes to reduce the time in order to quicken the response rate of students.
The El Camino College Community Education Department received the 2018 Association of Community and Continuing Education (ACCE) Excellence in Community Education Program Award. The award recognizes the “Art of Science/ Science of Art” event series, which includes last year’s Frankenstein 2000 celebration.
Student submissions are now open for the campus literary magazine, The Myriad. Students can submit one creative nonfiction story no longer than 5000 words, three pieces of artwork, one short story up to 5000 words, three poems, and one scene in script format no longer than ten pages. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 11.
Club Rush took place from Monday, Feb. 26 to Thursday, March 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Library Lawn. Despite bouts of rain and hail on Tuesday, Feb. 27, clubs continued to hand out flyers and sign up new members. There are approximately 70 active clubs on campus, many of whom participated in the event.
NEWS
MARCH 1, 2018
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 2
POLICE BEAT Emma DiMaggio
Editor-in-chief @ECCUnionEmma
According to police logs
Fire starts on brush line near Redondo Beach Boulevard Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2:04 a.m. Officers observed smoke pluming from the brush line on Redondo Beach Boulevard, just south of the Marsee Auditorium. The officers drove closer and noticed a fire in the brush line. The fire department was immediately requested and arrived shortly thereafter. Officers checked for witnesses and or suspects both in person and over camera footage, but did not get results from either. An arson investigator was contacted and the case was referred to them.
Nonstudent male found showering in South Gym while campus closed Monday, Feb. 19 at 2:07 p.m. An officer was on patrol in the South Gym when they observed a male subject inside of the shower area. The campus was closed closed on this date, as it was a holiday. The officer conducted a check on the subject and found a no bail parolee at large warrant. The subject was booked at the Torrance Police Department. He was later transported to the Los Angeles County Jail.
Officer dispatched on a possible domestic violence incident Sunday, Feb. 18 at 9:06 a.m. An officer was dispatched to Parking Lot L in response to a possible domestic violence incident. Upon arrival, the officer discovered that the couple had just been arguing. Both parties went their separate ways.
Emma DiMaggio/ Union A portion of the 500 pounds of items donated by El Segundo Middle schoolers to the Warrior Food Pantry on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Warrior Food Pantry receives 500-lb donation
El Segundo Middle School supplies products for campus food insecurity program Emma DiMaggio
Editor-in-chief @ECCUnionEmma
—Story continued from Page 1 The three girls exceeded this goal after contacting Chicken of the Sea to ask if they were interested in donating. “They said they’d be happy to help,” Jamner said. “We had no idea they would give us 100 pounds of items.” The girls were “extremely satisfied” to have been able to collect so many donations in such a short period of time, Chasez said.
“We didn’t think we’d collect so much food so fast,” Wang said. “It’s definitely overwhelming, but we’re very proud that we’ve collected this much.” This donation marks the second large donation to the Warrior Food Pantry this month. Leon said that they received a 600 pound donation from a local Boy Scout troop just a week before. The storage racks in the pantry are overfilled, and more racks are being purchased to accommodate the now 1000 to 1500 pounds of food they have, Leon said. On top of the food, the Warrior Food Pantry has raised $43,000
Miyung Kim/ Union Students have to take detours around certain walkways that have now been blocked off by fencing due to new construction zones.
Administration Building construction continues Old structure has been almost completely demolished, new space to come Faith Petrie
Opinion and sports editor @ECCUnionFaith
The Adminsitration Building is almost completely demolished after initial plans to rebuild the structure that began in September of last year. The building is one of the
many structures on campus that are currently being built or redone, which also include a new gymnasium, service center, and pool. Construction sites began to appear on campus in 2002 as part of the El Camino College Facilities Plan. This plan “established the long-range vision for campus
development,” according to the Facilities Master Plan. The Administration Building is set to be completed in April or May of this year, according to former Facilities Director Thomas Brown. According to Brown, most construction projects conducted on campus take between about 18 to 24 months to complete.
since its opening, Bryant Odega, ASO director of Academic Affairs and Inter-Club Council Commissioner of Diversity, said. All of this stands in stark contrast to the worries that food pantry representatives had before debuting. “Honestly, it’s such a blessing, because I remember last semester we were struggling to find money,” Odega said. Other representatives are surprised at how much the Warrior Food Pantry has grown in such a short time period. “I never would think it would’ve got to this,” Leon said. “I always
had fears that it would be too small, that we wouldn’t get a lot of food and that we’d have to ask ASO for more money to buy food.” Now, the Warrior Food Pantry provides food for 30 to 40 students weekly, Odega said, “Overall, we’ve helped at least 300 students, and through them, 1000 households.” The donation from El Segundo Middle School will make a difference in how many students the Warrior Food Pantry will be able to provide service to. “We have students of all demographics come,” Leon said. “Because everyone needs a little help.”
Campus representatives are also taking notice of the donation. “When we have projects like this, that bring a community group together to support students, that’s going to make a difference for our students as they go through their college education,” Dena Maloney, president and superintendent of El Camino, said. “We are all so very grateful.” The Warrior Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Physics Building, Room 116. Students are only required to show an El Camino ID card to be allowed access to the pantry.
ARTS
MARCH 1, 2018
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 3
1
MOVING LINE 15 Southern California artists showcased at EC Art Gallery 2
Zach Hatakeyama Managing Editor
@ECCUnionZach
The current exhibit in the EC Art Gallery is entitled “Moving Line” and showcases 15 artists from Southern California. The exhibition showcases different mediums including painting, sculpture and video, among others. “I started out by seeing these (‘For Emelie’ by Cheryl Walker) drawings on the back wall and I thought they were wonderful drawings and decided that I needed to do some kind of show wrapped around that. There is so much movement in them that it seemed almost obvious to make it moving lines,” gallery director and curator Susanna Meiers said. Artist Marsia Alexander-Clarke has had her work shown in the EC Art Gallery before and found inspiration in “human beings in the vast space of landscape” for her current visual media piece on display. “There’s a history in art called minimalism and there are visual artists that use mark making to create very beautiful paintings and I felt I could do that with video,” Alexander-Clarke said. Art student Jarno De Bar, who performed with his buffalo drum outside the gallery, felt inspired by the industrial art in the exhibition. “It’s all great. I love industrial art like (“I Ching in America, Hexagram 35 Advancing” by Chenhung Chen) and I always have. I love nature and the environment but I also love mechanical things,” De Bar said. Meiers has heard positive feedback from students and faculty on campus. “We’ve had lots of teachers bringing their classes. We’ve had a lot of great feedback, which is lovely,” Meiers said. The “Moving Line” exhibit will be open in the EC Art Gallery on the first floor of the Art and Behavioral Sciences building until Thursday, March 8.
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6 1. Emma DiMaggio/ Union “Lineas, 1 to 6” by Marsia AlexanderClarke 2. Jack Kan/ Union Artist Philip Vaughan discusses his abstract line drawings at the El Camino College Art Gallery 3. Zach Hatakeyama/ Union “For Emelie II” by Cheryl Walker 4. Emma DiMaggio/ Union Art enthusiasts at the artist reception on Thursday, Feb. 22. 5. Emma DiMaggio/ Union “Chaos Series #18” by Norm Looney
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6. Jack Kan/ Union Artist Cheryl Walker shows her graphite drawings celebrating the founder of Continuum Movement.
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 4
FEATURES FEATURES
MARCH 1, 2018
VISIONARY l Tokyo-originating fine arts major chosen to paint mural in Student Activities Center Cy Boysen
Staff Writer
@ECCUnionCy
The darkness of her mother’s room engulfed Naisha Ross. The only source of light came from the glare of the butcher knife clutched in her mother’s hand and she used this light to avoid the piercing stab of its sharp edge. Her mother’s knees dug into her forearms as she laid on her back, restraining her from breaking free from the sudden ambush. Ross could hear the sounds of her sister attempting to get into the room she was being held in and suddenly she was free.
“I immediately ran into the bathroom and I looked at myself (in the mirror),” Ross said. Who she saw staring back at her was an unfamiliar entity. “I had patches of hair missing, I had knife marks where (the knife) cut me all around my neck,” Ross said. She recalled crying and screaming in frustration at what had just occurred. “(I was frustrated) because I’d already been dealing with this for years,” Ross said. ‘This’ being her mother’s schizophrenia. “Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder which means that the person has a different version of reality playing in their mind that feels just as real as true reality does to the rest of us,” professor of psychology, Amy Himsel, said. “The way that this comes out is through delusions and hallucinations, primarily.” Ross could recall her mother’s episodes as early as the age of 14. At 32, she still feels the effects of
her mother’s disorder on her life. To Ross, schizophrenia has detrimental effects on the ones that may be inflicted with the disorder in addition to those around them. “Can you imagine living your entire life, 24/7 (having) someone in your ear telling you you should kill yourself how much you’re a bitch, you’re a whore?” Ross said. “You kind of take that anger and frustration out on others around you especially the ones that you love the most and that’s what I experienced predominantly, all the time.” Ross’s home life was impacted along with her school and social life due to her mother’s disorder. “My mom brought a lot of (her) schizophrenia to my high school,” Ross said. According to Ross, her mother would often take her out of school due to the belief that she was in she was in danger. “She came to my high school a few times to just check me out, out of the blue,” Ross said. “(She would say) someone was coming up there to kill me. It destroyed my social life.” As an adult, Ross still struggles to understand how she came to be in the familial situation she was given. “I recently went to a medium and the medium had told me we pick the family we want to be born into,” Ross said.“I can’t imagine picking this shit.” Until the age of 32, Ross remained in with her mother
Ryan Guitare/ Union
Haruka Kanemura, 19, studio art major moved from Japan at age 10 and has always had a passion for art. She is curently working on a mural in the East Lounge of the Student Activities Center that displays the diversity of the El Camino College campus.
MARCH 1, 2018
FEATURES
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 5
STELLAR
Zach Hatakeyama/ Union
Left to right, Bryan Melara, 20, civil engineering major, Nigel Lipps, 20, computer science major, Jocelyn Molina, 23, chemistry major and Victor Cornejo, 19, bio engineering major, all attended the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars conference at the Ames Research Center in Moffet Field, CA last week.
Students represent El Camino at NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars conference Zach Hatakeyama Managing Editor
@ECCUnionZach
Over the course of four days, they followed the same routine: waking up at 6 a.m. to a view of darkness outside of their window, spending all day designing a Mars rover and then returning to the same view of darkness at 1 a.m., overcome with exhaustion. To this set of EC students, there was no place they would rather be. Last week, EC students Victor Cornejo, 19, bio engineering major, Nigel Lipps, 20, computer science major, Bryan Melara, 20, civil engineering major and Jocelyn Molina, 23, chemistry major, had the opportunity to attend the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars onsite experience At the event, which took place at the Ames Research Center outside of San Jose, CA, 171 community college students from around the country were broken up into groups and given the task to design the best Mars rover they could in the span of four days. Melara described the conference as “a blast,” and enjoyed the group work that the students engaged in. “The main objective of this program was to show people that NASA is all teamwork, which is why they divided us up into groups and compete,” Melara said. “All of us had a role and everybody on that team had a hand in the final presentation.” In order to participate in the event, each student needed to turn in a submission and two letters of recommendation. After they were selected, they completed a five-week course and were chosen based off of their scores. To Melara, the connections and mentors he came in contact with at the event was the most valuable takeaway from the event. “The best part of it was seeing people who started out like us, in a community college, and then now they work for NASA,” Melara said. “It was only four days long but we formed a really strong bond. We had great networking experiences through the mentors and the guest speakers.”
“The best part of it was seeing people who started out like us, in a community college, and then now they work for NASA. It was only four days long but we formed a really strong bond.” —Bryan Melara, 20, civil engineering major
Cornejo also found value in the networking opportunities and career information he gained. “It was really informative. You got to learn a lot about how we can further our progress with NASA and informed us on internships and how we can apply to get jobs,” Cornejo said. Molina, too, had an eye opening experience at the onsite experience. “What I loved about it most was that you got to see different roles people have in NASA because when you think of it, you only think of STEM but we actually got to hear from a lawyer and other people in the program which was really eye opening,” Molina said. “When you think of NASA, you think of Harvard, Stanford and all these prestigious schools, but you never hear about community colleges.” While she felt readily prepared for the conference, Molina was struck with nerves during the beginning of the conference. “You come into the competition and you are really scared, but I think what helped me the most was the fact that I was in the same boat as everyone else. We all pulled it off. Everyone did. It was awesome to see that,” she said. Out of the main objectives of the onsite experience, a common one the all the students picked up on was the importance of teamwork. “It was such a competitive environment, but it was a friendly competition. If you needed help and everyone in your team didn’t know what to do, you could go to another team and they would be willing to help you,” Lipps said. Molina had a similar takeway. “A big point was to show how crucial your role is in the group. If you mess up, it affects your whole team. It’s all about accountability,” she said. All of the students felt proud to represent El Camino and for the fact that the college was the most represented college at the event with five attendees. Each of them believe that the experience had an impact on their future careers and have their own idea of where the direction of space exploration will take them. “It felt really good representing El Camino College.” Cornejo said. “We’re not that well known, and it just feels great representing where you come from.”
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 6
OPINION/EDITORIAL
Editorial:
Campus would benefit from a smoking area The campus should look into designating a dedicated space for smoking on campus. Currently, smoking is illegal on campus, and can be met with a fine if found out by campus police officers. However, very few tickets are given out for smoking. Students openly smoke cigarettes near the north side of the Humanities Building, as well as the patio area near the Art B Building. Stairs going up both ends of the Humanities Building are littered with cigarette butts, and the same is true of other stairwells on campus. From a janitorial perspective, creating a designated smoking section on campus would streamline the process of picking up and disposing of cigarette butts, which now lay in crevices all over campus. Without a designated smoking section on campus, students have no choice of whether or not they’ll be exposed to secondhand smoke.
MARCH 1, 2018
El Camino College’s lack of a designated smoking area makes room for students to break the “no-smoking” policy on campus
Instead, smokers on the outskirts of campus grounds, as well as in enclaves between buildings, are at times a student’s first impression of the El Camino campus as they start their day. Other schools, like Santa Monica College, have campuses that are “smoke-free,” with the exception of their smoking sections. Through this decision, they have allocated space for both smokers and nonsmokers without compromising one for the other. El Camino’s decision to not create a designated smoking section may be due to neighboring communities with area-wide public smoking bans, like Manhattan Beach. However, Manhattan Beach’s compete ban has not effectively prevented smoking either. The best route of action is to section off an area of campus as a smoking section to prevent non consensual secondhand smoke intake and liter, amongst other things.
Jose Tobar/ Union
Campus Viewpoints:
Do El Camino students feel safe on campus? Faith Petrie, Sports and Opinon Editor,
@ECCUnionFaith
“I’m kind of thankful that I don’t have to come here at night, because I don’t think I would feel safe at the night time here. In the day time I feel alright.”
Melissa Focardi, 19, communications major
Tanner Ostensen, 22, communications major
“There was a utility closet fire in the Math Building on Thursday. They cleared everybody out of the building, all floors were cleared. The only problem was that they were still clearing people about 20 minutes later when everyone was supposed to be cleared. It just took awhile. What if the fire actually spread? Those people might not be here.”
“We’re not notified when something happens. Like there’s been times where there have been shooters on campus and besides like an email when I got home () but like when something like that happens are there alarms or something? Like how do we know?”
Jessica Haro, 23, film major
THE UNION Vol. 73, No. 1 March 1, 2018
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Column:
Recent school shootings show need for additional safety precautions on college campuses Gun violence on school grounds is a growing conversation that needs to be addressed Following the recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, where a former student killed 17 students and faculty, the internet has been ablaze with different arguments and opinions on how to end schoolshootings from happening once and for all. Whether it be President Donald Trump arming teachers with firearms or students and parents alike marching for complete gun-control, there is no shortage of “guarantees” being distributed online. The problem is that there is never a guarantee on what will happen in the future. One argument for gun-control is on how easy it is to obtain a gun regardless of age, thanks to private dealers who have been known to sell weapons to anyone with a couple hundred dollars. The argument against gun control is just as easy to argue, with the Second Amendment, above other things, giving people in the United States the
right to bear arms and defend themselves. Whether you believe it is the gun or the person behind it, I think it is fair to ask ourselves this question: how can we keep our schools safe from dangerous weapons and people? One thing that I believe makes the difference in an event like a school-shooting is how well the campus is secured and protected. Fortunately for students, El Camino College has its very own police department, as do many universities in the country. According to the El Camino College website, the El Camino College Police Department is a State certified P.O.S.T. law enforcement agency that provides police and safety services to the El Camino College community, meaning each officer is sworn in to protect our campus. Despite the campus having its own police force, we as students should always be prepared for the worst possible scenario. One way to stay alert and
Sam Hill
Staff Writer @ECCUnionSam
informed is to sign up for Nixle, a messaging program that allows students to receive text messages from the ECC police department when a crime or emergency has happened on campus. Another way to stay prepared for a shooting or emergency on campus is to know the exits and entrances of the buildings around campus, as well as the campus itself. Making little changes now can have a great effect on our lives later, which will in turn help to keep our campus a safe place. In an emergency, dial 9-1-1 from a landline phone, 310660-3100 from a cell phone, or use a campus “Code Blue” emergency phone.
Emma DiMaggio/ Union
Editor-in-Chief �������������������������������������������������������������������� Emma DiMaggio News Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������������� Emma DiMaggio Opinion/Editorial Editor ���������������������������������������������������������������Faith Petrie Arts Editor................................................................................. Zach Hatakeyama Sports Editor ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������Faith Petrie Photo Editor ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������Ryan Guitare Features Editor ������������������������������������������������������������������� Zach Hatakeyama Social Media Manager..............................................................Emma DiMaggio Advertising Manager ������������������������������������������������������������������� Jack Mulkey Adviser ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Stefanie Frith Photo Adviser...................................................................................Gary Kohatsu
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.
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SPORTS
MARCH 1, 2018
Jeremey Taylor/ Union Brenna Wilson (24), guard, shoots a 3 pt. shot in the 4th quarter against West Los Angeles College on Friday, Feb. 23.
Warriors gain redemption in rematch against West LA College The Warriors win 62-50 against the West LA Wildcats at home Jeremy Taylor
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJeremyT
South Coast Conference player of the year Kayla Bibb led the El Camino Warriors to a 62-50 victory in a rematch against the West Los Angeles Wildcats on Friday, Feb. 23. The Warriors lost the regular season match-up against the Wildcats 53-49 in a game where Bibb only scored 8 points during their first encounter. “I honestly didn’t show up the first game I played them and today was different,” Bibb said. “I showed who I was and I showed I can play El Camino basketball.” Bibb, who was under the weather coming into the contest, did “show” up, scoring 26 points and grabbing a career high of 22 rebounds. “Slim (Bibb) can be sick for
the rest of the year if she’s is going to come out and do 26 and 22,” said head basketball coach and SCC coach of the year, Steve Shaw. The Warriors started off the game missing 12 of their first 13 field goal attempts, until freshman guard Nao Shiota was able to break the scoring drought knocking down three huge buckets from beyond the arc as the both teams were tied at 11 at the end of the first. “What got us going first quarter when we were struggling so much was Nao’s (Shiota) three pointers,” said Shaw. “Now all of the sudden they have to worry about her, even though they already knew about her.” Despite their shooting woes, the Warriors were
2017-2018 season wrap up - 21-6 overall record - 8-0 So. Cal Regional Final record
NEXT UP... BASEBALL: AT PASADENA CITY* SATURDAY, MARCH 3 @ 12 P.M. WOMENS’ BEACH VOLLEYBALL: AT SAN DIEGO MESA FRIDAY, MARCH 2 @ 10 A.M. MENS’ VOLLEYBALL: AT MOORPARK FRIDAY, MARCH 2 @ 6 P.M. SWIMMING AND DIVING: PASADENA AND LONG BEACH AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE FRIDAY, MARCH 2 @ 12:30 P.M. WOMENS’ TENNIS: AT RIO HONDO TUESDAY, MARCH 6 @ 2 P.M. MENS’ TENNIS: AT MT. SAN ANTONIO TUESDAY, MARCH 6 @ 2 P.M. MENS’ GOLF: SO CAL PREVIEW AT BAKERSFIELD COUNTRY CLUB MONDAY, MARCH 5 @ 10 A.M. SOFTBALL: AT SANTIAGO CANYON FRIDAY, MARCH 2 @ 2 P.M.
able to close out the first half leading 21-16 finishing the first half with an abysmal 21.1 field goal (FG) percent. After halftime, the Warriors were able to blow open the game, scoring 41 points in the second half, with 17 of those points coming from the charity stripe and Bibb hitting 10 of the 17 free throws. The Wildcats came into the game averaging 72.7 points per game and 79.8 points per game in conference play. “It was more on us, a lot of missed shots, a couple of defensive assignments we missed,” Wildcats Asst. Coach, Ben Davis Jr. said. “It was more on us, not really playing and embracing the moment.”
Play off game Saturday, March 3 at Mt.San Jacinto College 7 p.m.
WARRIORS SCOREBOARD BASEBALL vs Cypress College Loss, 10-7 WOMENS’ BEACH VOLLEY BALL vs Moorpark College Loss, 5-0; Win, 4-1 MENS’ VOLLEYBALL vs Santa Barbara College Win, 3-1 WOMENS’ TENNIS vs Mt. San Antonio Win, 8-1 MENS’ TENNIS vs Victor Valley College Win, 9-0 (Win by Forfeit) SOFTBALL vs Long Beach City College Win, 6-4
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EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 7
Zach Hatakeyama/ Union Freshman, Tate Curran, set a new El Camino College pole vaulting record at the 2018 Don Kirby Collegiate Invitational by tieing for fifth place in the pole vault after posting a mark of 17-4 ½
Athlete of the week: Tate Curran
Tate Curran, 18, communications major is The Union’s “Athlete of the week”. Curran has broken countless records since the beginning of his pole vaulting career which began when he was around 5 or 6 years old. Now, a freshman at El Camino College
he has already verbally commited to UCLA and broke a long standing record by Charlie Brown, an El Camino College and UCLA alumni. “He was a teammate of my dad’s at UCLA,” Curran said. “It was a 40 year old record set in 1977 by Charlie Brown,
and I actually ended up pole vaulting with his son last year, so that record has probably meant more to me than most of the records that I’ve broken in my lifetime.”
Faith Petrie
Sports and Opinion Editor @ECCUnionFaith
Jack Kan/ Union Matthew Beserra (4), Jordan Folgers (25), and others celebrate a grand slam home run.
Baseball team awarded Scholar Team
The California Community College Athletic Association awarded the team for their “academic excellence” in the 2016-2017 school year Sam Hill, Staff Writer,
@ECCUnionSam
The El Camino College baseball team was recently selected to receive the Scholar Team award by the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) for their academic excellence during the 2016-2017 school year. One of 18 programs selected statewide to receive this award, the team will be honored at the annual CCCAA Convention in March. “I’m really proud,” head coach Nate Fernley said. “When we talk to (the players) at the beginning of the season, we tell them they are student athletes, with student first.” The Scholar Team Award is the highest academic team achievement given annually by the CCCAA, with teams needing a 3.0 total grade point average to qualify, as well as demonstrating better than average accomplishments in intercollegiate athletic competitions. “Everyone studied hard and everyone got their work done,” sophomore pitcher Kenneth Haus said. “Winning the award shows just how hard we worked as a team last year to stay on track.” The Warriors sent 10 players on to the Division 1 and 2 levels from last years team, including SCC Pitcher of the
Year Taylor Rashi (144 strikeouts) to the University of California, Irvine and standout catcher Trevor Casanova to California State University, Northridge. After winning an amazing 25 games in a row last season, the team claimed its
On top of their on-field accomplishments, the team matched their impressive play with impressive grades, finishing last spring with a 3.4 team grade point average. The baseball team opened the season last month ranked No. 2 in Southern California and is now looking to capitalize on the energy created via its state Final Four appearance last season. “All the credit “We will definitely be looking to do the same this seagoes to son,” Haus said. “Not only our student in the classroom, but on the field. We’re poised for a great athletes for their success in season.” Director of Athletics and the classroom .” Kinesiology Colin Preston credits the players and staff —Colin Preston, Director as a unit. of Athletics “All the credit goes to our student-athletes for their success in the classroom,” Presfirst South Coast Conference ton said. “Obviously having a championship since 2010. coach like Nate Fernley who The team then competed in emphasizes doing well on the the CCCAA State Champi- field and also in the classroom onships, eventually finishing is a huge help to (the players) third-place in the state. and to our athletic counselors “It was a really special who help them set up their group. They were really good schedules and get them ready on the field,” Fernley said. for their classes and prepared “But what was more impres- for transferring. Their on and sive was the way they went off-the-field success last year out and got their school done. capped a tremendous year They did a great job at trans- that will set the tone for all of ferring out and figuring out our departments to reach that what was next for them. I’m goal again.” just really proud.”
EL CAMINO COLLEGE UNION 8
SPORTS PHOTO ESSAY
MARCH 1, 2018
Shoot any photos of spring sports? Tag @ECCUnion for the chance to get retweeted.
SPRING INTO ACTION
Outside hitter, Kevin Le (2) celebrates a successful kill during the game against LA Pierce on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
1. Max Pappas at the game against San Bernardino Valley on Saturday, Feb. 17. 2. ECC Warriors playing Los Angeles Harbor College on Friday, Feb. 16.
Photos by Jack Kan
Spike, pitch, dribble, slide. El Camino‘s spring 2018 sports are in full swing, from golf to swimming and diving. While some sports have wrapped up the season, others are roaring on.
The ECC Warriors played Orange Coast College on Friday, Feb. 16 winning 7-0.