The Union EL CAMINO COLLEGE
SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946
See Arts, page 7
See Sports, page 8
eccunion.com
OCT. 24, 2019 Follow us @ECCUnion
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA Send us an email at eccunion@gmail.com
facebook.com/ElCaminoUnion
Students get help with federal aid applications More than 15 workshops held eligible for more money while getting the applications out of the way. “The purpose of the workshops is to raise awareness as to when to fill out the FAFSA and Dream Act applications, so students can get the most benefits,” Colom said. Students are also able to access over 20 computers at the Financial Aid Computer Lab after workshop hours Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Students can come in after those hours as well because there are individuals in the Financial Aid Lab who are trained and capable of helping them start or renew a FAFSA or Dream Act [See Workshops, page 6]
Diamond Brown
Senior Staff Writer @ECCUnionDiamond
Workshops for students looking for help with financial aid or Dream Act applications will be held in El Camino College’s new Student Services Center during the last week of October, officials said. ECC’s Financial Aid Department has held over 10 FAFSA and Dream Act application workshops at its computer lab in October and will close out the month with five more workshops on Oct. 25, 28, 29, 30 and 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Financial Aid Student Services Specialist Marco Colom said students who apply early will be
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union Emilio Pensado, 27, theatre major, walks toward to the entrance to Mexico via the United States’ southwest border on Friday, Oct. 4, with bags full of women’s and children’s clothing to donate to a refugee shelter.
Across the border Humanitarian pushes through traumatic past to help asylum seekers The Union went to Tijuana, Baja California to capture the stories of asylum seekers and refugees from countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Haiti. Interviews with asylum seekers were translated by The Union. Some sources requested their names be changed out of concern this story would affect their asylum status. Additionally, children’s faces have been cropped out for privacy reasons.
Fernando Haro
Editor-in-Chief @ECCUnionHaro
W
Warning: This story contains explicit content ith sunglasses providing an extra layer of protection to his tan poker face, Emilio Pensado put on his backpack full of women’s and kid’s clothes and started the walk on foot from San Ysidro, California across the infamous United States-Mexico border to Tijuana. Unfazed by the steel walls, spikes and
concrete surrounding him, Pensado walked until he reached the line for the checkpoint. Hoping the border patrol officer wouldn’t ask too many questions or check his bags, his story became more elaborate the closer he got. Pensado told the officer he planned to visit family in Rosarito, a beach town just 30 minutes from Tijuana, and planned to stay for three days. As he zipped through the checkpoints and into the bumbling streets of Tijuana, he hailed a cab. His day was just getting started.
*** Emilio Pensado is a 27-year-old theatre major at El Camino College who has pushed past his traumatic childhood, using it as the source of his humanitarian work and ultimately being commended by the U.S. Senate for his distinguished community service among asylum seekers and refugees. Pensado grew up with his mother, step-father and five siblings in Inglewood, Calif. where from a young age he was exposed to a life full of gang shootouts and overdoses. [See Across the border, page 4]
Viridiana Flores/The Union A mix of students and staff work on computers in the Financial Aid Lab during a FAFSA and Dream Act Application Workshop on Friday, Oct. 18. The lab is open Monday through Thursday and is located inside the Student Services Building at El Camino College.
Homecoming dance budget increases to $4,500 Student organization attempts to boost attendance numbers
Violence. Gangs. Asylum.
Adult vending machines that offer condoms and other personal care items should be offered on campus.
Continue to step into the shoes of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing from violence and corruption as they make their way through Mexico to the United States.
Page 3
Page 4
Warriors and Falcons since 1962. “It’s a good opportunity to have school spirit,” Fernandez said. “Most students go to class and go home but it’s also a good opportunity to network and find a community.” Leading up to the dance, ICC and ASO will be working together to put on a spirit week at ECC, which will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 12. While the themes are not set, some ideas that have been brought up at an ICC meeting on Monday, Oct. 14 are the wearing fashion from the 60s, 70s, 80s. Throughout the week, students will also have the opportunity to vote for a homecoming king and queen at a nomination booth set up on campus, Kainat said. While tickets for the homecoming dance are not available to the general public yet, Kainat said she hopes all the details regarding location, food, entertainment, attire, theme and
Fernando Haro/The Union Inter-Club Council President Alyssa Eckley discusses the minutes on the agenda, which include the homecoming dance and club mixer, during an Inter-Club Council meeting Monday, Oct. 22 in the Distance Education Center. There were no new updates on the homecoming dance during the meeting. time will be worked out soon. “Students can benefit from this because it allows them to see El Camino as something fun,” Kainat added. “I know it’s commonly done in high school but [El Camino] is also a transition from high school to a four year, so it’s a good transition.” ECC student Sarah Yoshimura, undecided major, said she heard there was going to be a homecoming dance but was not interested in going this year. “I like the option of going to
a dance here,” Yoshimura said “[But] I do believe the money could be spent elsewhere.” In a quick campus survey of 228 students conducted by The Union, 14% of students sampled said they would be attending this year’s homecoming dance, while 86% did not know ECC held a dance. Leading up to the event-filled month of November, the ICC will also be presenting a Halloweenthemed Club Mixer Wednesday, Oct. 30 for club representatives and members.
Food pantry receives grant
Halloween food recipes
Getting ready for the season
The Warrior Pantry received a $10,000 grant from Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
The Union brings you delightful recipes to make your holidays spooky.
A new season will be filled with fresh starts for the men’s basketball team as they lean on returning players to improve team defense.
Page 6
Page 7
SPORTS
Condoms and lube
FEATURES
OPINION
In an effort to increase the number of homecoming game and dance attendees, the El Camino College Inter-Club Council has raised its budget for the event to $4,500, approximately a 12% boost from last year, officials said. “Every year we are trying to make it into a bigger event that everyone can participate in,” Associated Students Organization (ASO) President and Inter-Club Council (ICC) Secretary Urwa Kainat said. “This year I think it’s going to be a much larger event, we expect a bigger crowd.” Members of the ICC, an organization on campus made up of representatives from clubs including ECC Salsa Club and Zine Club, whose function is to support the community-based activities and projects of campus clubs, have set the homecoming
ASO were cut by 10%, ICC was allocated an extra $6,000 because they proposed good plans to ASO that showed the money was being put to good use, Kainat said. Kainat said that the ICC spent most of the money allocated to its budget last year putting on club events, so it was fair to give them a larger budget to continue to do so. With the dance less than a month away, only the date and the $2 ticket prices for non-ASO sticker holders have been confirmed, Kainat said. Fernandez said he did not have a lot of details about the dance yet but thought it was important for students to go to a dance like this to support the Warriors football team at its homecoming game Saturday, Nov. 16, at Murdock Stadium. The ECC men’s football team will play Cerritos College for the Milk Can Trophy, an award that goes out to the winner of the rivalry game between the
ARTS
Editor-in-Chief @ECCUnionHaro
dance for Thursday, Nov. 14. ICC Director of Diversity Giancarlo Fernandez said the homecoming dance had approximately 250 people in attendance last year, approximately a 63% increase from the previous year. Over the last three years, the number of people attending the homecoming dance has increased by more than 156%. This year, the ICC expects numbers to increase, Kainat said. “The numbers are growing because ICC is putting more money into the events,” Kainat said. “We are working a lot harder to make sure we know what students want so [ICC representatives] are very meticulous in planning and thinking about what students actually want.” The ICC is also funded by ASO, ECC’s student government, Kainat said. Following a summer where the budget of programs funded by
NEWS
Fernando Haro
Page 8
EDITORIAL
2 THE UNION
OCT. 24, 2019
Luciane Gasperis/Special to the Union
$4,500 homecoming dance or 750 pizzas? Student government expenses should reflect needs of ECC general population
I
n three weeks, El Camino College students will have the opportunity to attend the homecoming dance. Some students might attend but most will not. Details regarding time and location of the annual event as well as how to buy tickets have not yet been confirmed. What has been confirmed is the $4,500 budget the Inter-Club Council (ICC) has allotted for an event that a majority of ECC students do not know about. The Union recently polled 228 ECC students, discovering that only 14% of students polled knew of the homecoming dance. That meant 86% of our sample size did not know about the annual event, an exorbitant one that supposedly brings the student population together. But let’s give the ICC the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the council hasn’t begun publicizing the dance, or maybe they are still figuring out the nitty-gritty details. Regardless, $4,500 should be used in useful ways. Water refill stations can be placed at more locations around campus. The Warrior Pantry can use more donations to serve students facing basic needs insecurity. ECC could use more food options with the Peet’s Coffee set to close down in December due to construction. A $4,500 homecoming dance budget could buy roughly 750 $5 large carry-out pizzas from Little Caesars. These large carry-out pizzas come with eight slices to a box which would provide 6,000 slices of pizza to students on campus. Very commonly, we hear talking points from student officials who say they are championing students’ wants and needs by making them a priority. Yet, money is being funneled and spent on general activities that do not resonate with the more than 24,000 students that attend ECC. An event does not have to resonate with the entire ECC student demographic, however, for general events that do not have much more of an importance other than tradition, like the homecoming dance, officials need
to decide whether the money they have is directly helping a sizable student population. Furthermore, students kept in the loop of these events very commonly exclude the average ECC student. According to an article published by The Union this week, attendance at the last homecoming dance in 2018 went up from the previous year, which is a good thing. However, the number still represented a tiny fraction of the ECC student population. In 2018, ECC had enrollment of more than 24,000 students. The 2018 Homecoming Dance had an attendance of approximately 250 students, a mere 1% of ECC’s student population. Now is the time to ask whether a homecoming dance is serving the greater ECC community. While attendance numbers rising can signal to a better job being done in advertisement, there needs to be oversight regarding ICC and the Associated Students Organization (ASO) expenditure if only 1% of the student population is able to take advantage of an event. According to The Union, programs funded by ASO, including athletics clubs on campus and even the journalism program that funds The Union, recently suffered a 10% cut. This $4,500 could have easily been used to cushion the blow that budget cuts would have on programs. ICC and ASO officials need to be more mindful of how money is spent to show they care about extracurricular activities like sports and clubs. A homecoming dance does not do that. Listening to students’ concerns and coming up with solutions does.
E d i t o r i a l s a re u n s ig n e d , w r i t t e n a n d v o t e d u p o n b y t h e e d i t o r i a l b o a rd .
Editor’s Thoughts: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Clubs and organizations creating more events aimed towards campus engagement. De-Stress for Survival Group workshops which provide students a safe place to share their thoughts and emotions and teach healthy ways of coping with stress.
Vol. 75, No. 4 Oct. 24, 2019
Contact: eccunion@gmail.com Newsroom: (310) 660-3328 Advertising: (310) 660-3329
Editor-in-Chief...................................... Fernando Haro News Editor, Managing Editor..............Omar Rashad Features Editor,......................................Roseana Martinez Arts Editor............................................. Justin Traylor Sports Editor..........................................Kealoha Noguchi Opinion Editor.......................................Giselle Morales Social Media Editor...............................Anna Podshivalova Photo Editor ..........................................Rosemary Montalvo Copy Editor............................................Merritt Albin Copy Editor............................................Ryan Farrell Senior Staff Writer.................................David Rondthaler Senior Staff Writer.................................Diamond Brown Senior Staff Writer................................. Jose Tobar Senior Staff Writer..................................Matthew Sandoval Senior Staff Writer..................................Devyn Smith Senior Staff Writer..................................Oscar Macias
Free flu shots and the ICC Blood Drive, students can visit the Student Activities Center if they’re interested in donating. Filming on campus which impacted several parking lots.
Senior Staff Writer..................................Oscar Macias Staff Writer..............................................Cameron Woods Staff Writer..............................................Khalida Jamilah Staff Writer..............................................Juan Miranda Staff Writer..............................................Mikayla Schwartz Staff Writer..............................................Patrick Ezewiro Senior Photographer................................Mari Inagaki Photographer............................................Viridiana Flores Photographer...........................................David Odasanya Photographer...........................................David Alonso Photographer...........................................Eduardo Jimenez Photographer...........................................Jaime Solis Photographer...........................................Monica Crisostomo Photo Adviser..........................................Luis Sinco Advertising Manager...............................Jack Mulkey Adviser....................................................Stefanie Frith
The Union is published on designated Thursdays by Journalism 11 and 14 students at El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506, and is free to the student body and staff. Unsigned editorials and cartoons are the opinion of the editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the views of the student body, staff or administration. Letters to the Editor must be signed and must be received one week prior to publication in the Union office, Humanities Building Room 113. Letters are subject to editing for space, libel, obscenity and disruption of the educational process. One copy of The Union is free and each additional copy is $1.50.
College Media Association Newspaper of the Year Award 2015, 2016 (2nd) Associated Collegiate Press Regional Pacemaker Award 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012 California News Publishers Association General Excellence Award 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 Journalism Association of Community Colleges General Excellence Award 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 (eccunion.com)
4 THE UNION
FEATURES
OCT. 24, 2019
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union More than 20 tents fill up the center of the refugee shelter Movimiento Juventud located in Tijuana, Mexico just 10 minutes from the Unites States-Mexico border Friday, Oct. 4. The shelter houses a max of 150 migrants with each tent housing one family with all of their belongings. [Across the border, from page 1] “I’ve seen a lot of people die, I’ve seen a lot of people suffer and I’m sure if those people had the chance to do it all over again they wouldn’t waste their time,” Pensado said. “It fucks with you a little bit but once you get used to that kind of shit you get a different perspective.” He knew he had to get away from the detrimental environment and was forced to mature at a young age, Pensado added. Instead of playing with children his age at 13, Pensado worried about his credit score and started making plans to buy a house. As soon as the opportunity to escape presented itself, he packed up his things from the family apartment on Prairie Avenue and 102nd Street, which has since been torn down and moved in with his grandmother to finish his education at Hawthorne High School. “I would feel terrible because my grandma [would] be buying me all this stuff and my brothers were stuck with my mom,” Pensado said. “So I started working at a liquor store to try to help my mom out with some money.” After graduating high school, Pensado trained as an emergency medical technician (EMT) at Coast Career Institute (CCI), where he survived a shooting in 2011 that left his instructor, who he admired as a father figure, dead. “You can cry but it doesn’t change anything,” Pensado said. “Now it’s a thing where you know death exists and it’s just as real as falling and you just carry on.” But Pensado does not sulk, instead, he said these kinds of events have given him a better perspective on life. “It helped me appreciate the things I have,” Pensado said. “It pushes me to achieve my dreams.” In 2015, after several years of working as an EMT and private security where he continued to witness people struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, Pensado decided to join a Christian church. Through the church, Pensado was given the opportunity to travel to several countries, including Guatemala and El Salvador, where he could preach the gospel and perform humanitarian work. “We built these churches out of wood,” Pensado said. “They were shitty churches but they were something I guess.” His sympathy knew no limits for these families in need because in a way he could relate to a lot of them who are in a hopeless situation, especially the children who have no control over the environment they grow up in, he said. “Watching children die is probably one of the worst things I’ve seen,” Pensado said. “Moms would come up with their young daughters telling [us] to take them to the United States where they would have a better opportunity at life.”
But he couldn’t, he added. While continuing his work across Latin America, Pensado accidentally stumbled upon an albergue (shelter) that specialized in asylees that were women and children, which resonated with him. “I don’t see an escape for [migrant families],” Pensado said. “I put myself in their shoes and say ‘how could I escape’ if I was born where they were?’” *** The golden cab jolted back and forth on the jagged Tijuana streets, zipping around corners of one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Pensado scanned the city through the window, anxious to arrive at the albergue where he would distribute all the clothes in his backpack to the dozens of families stuck in Mexico while they await their U.S. asylum court dates several months away. After 10 minutes of driving, Pensado arrived at an aluminum shack with “MOVIMIENTO JUVENTUD 2000 Tijuana A.C.” (Youth Movement) slabbed across a dirty wall in green paint. Upon entering the gray, guarded fortress, Pensado was met by a crowd of children who anticipated the days until they would see him again. They surrounded the clothes Pensado had brought for them; several children were more excited about the backpack and wondered if it was up for grabs. “Seeing that those kids, they were so appreciative to have that backpack,” Pensado said. “You give that backpack to a kid in Los Angeles and he’s gonna say ‘what the fuck is this?’” Dozens of staggering orange tents lined up against each other, filling up the 150 person capacity room where children and parents sleep on concrete floors for months at a time. Some parents sit in foldable chairs staring blankly into the distance only for their weary eyes to be met by the only thing dividing them and persecution; a cold, lifeless aluminum wall. In 2018, more than 100,000 families were apprehended at the southwest border, according to U.S. Border Customs and Border Protection agency but it is not specified whether all families were seeking asylum. Through Donald Trump’s 2019 “Remain in Mexico Policy,” any migrant seeking political asylum in the U.S. must remain in Mexico while they wait to see a judge and present their case, immigration attorney and former ECC English professor Jeffrey Jung said. The most obvious problem, for the people, is their fear being connected to staying in Mexico, Jung said. Some Central American gang’s reach extends to Mexico, so whatever problems migrants are running from in their countries, could be following them to Mexico as they wait for their hearings, Jung said. [See Across the border, page 5]
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union Emilio Pensado sits in a Salvadorian restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico where former manager of Moviemiento Juventud Wendy Munguia works Friday, Oct. 4. Pensado has donated resources to Movimiento Juventud since 2015.
Families arrested at U.S.-Mexico border since 2013
Fernando Haro/The Union The table and graph show the number of familiy units apprehended at the United States-Mexico border, which gradually increased during the Obama and Trump administration Both administrations cracked down on illegal migration at the southwest border, increasing the number of border agents and deporting more undocumented migrants.
(Source: U.S. Customs and Board of Protection website)
FEATURES
OCT. 24, 2019
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union A migrant cuts cabbage to add to the filling of the pupusas being prepped for lunchtime at the Movimiento Juventud shelter Friday, Oct. 4.
THE UNION 5
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union A young migrant boy stops to open up the tent, located in Movimiento Juventud shelter, where he and his family sleep Friday, Oct. 4. The boy’s face could not be pictured for privacy reasons. When the children aren’t at school they run around the shelter playing with donated toys.
[Across the border, from page 4] So far, more than 54,000 migrants seeking asylum from countries including Belize, Haiti and Honduras, have been sent back to Mexico to await court dates several months away, according to the Los Angeles Times. In addition, migrants being returned to Mexico as they await hearings face the dangers of being kidnapped, extorted or killed in Tijuana, which had a murder per capita of 138 people per 100,000 residents as of 2018, according to the Los Angeles Times. Melissa Cruz, an asylee whose name has been changed in fear that the slightest issue may result in the U.S. denying her asylum, said she left Honduras with her family to escape violence and poverty, subsequently hoping to provide a better future for her young son. Her family started their trek to the U.S. in June, reaching the border several weeks later. Following a successful attempt at crossing the Rio Bravo they were arrested by border patrol and sent to a detention center in San Diego where they were harassed, she said. “It’s very sad, I would like to forget it all. The treatment we received from U.S. officials was awful,” Cruz said. “They humiliated us to the point where we couldn’t speak, we were too afraid.” Cruz added that an officer stated there was plenty of room to bury her family in San Diego if they refused to talk but after two days in a cold detention center, she was deported with her family to the streets of Tijuana as she awaits a hearing in December. “[At the shelter] you feel like a family because everyone is going through the same struggle but Tijuana also scares people because of how dangerous it is,” Cruz said. “My intentions were never Mexico; I wish I could finish my objective and be with the rest of my family in the United States.” However, there’s virtually no chance that they’ll be able to articulate her asylum claim without the proper representation, Jung said. *** Pensado steps into the smoke of the shoe-box shaped kitchen inside the albergue and is welcomed by the smell of fresh pupusas stuffed with beans and cheese. Dozens of the 135 asylees that call the albergue home lined up outside the kitchen door as the food was almost ready. Without a smile on their restless faces, they got their second meal of the day and sat down. “The first time I visited, this place was full of life,” Pensado said. “It seemed like a family before.” Collecting as many resources as he can over a certain period, including clothes, toys and foods like cereal and eggs, Pensado makes the twohour drive from L.A. to San Ysidro and prays border patrol doesn’t take anything away. “We have everything here,” Pensado said. “It’s fucked up to say but I don’t really feel sorry for the homeless [in Los Angeles] because they’re surrounded by resources and if you go down to Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize or any of those places, they don’t have any.” Many migrants are small business owners back in their countries who are extorted and refuse to pay, Jung said. They come to the United States to seek a better life from the gangs and extortion but that is not usually enough to seek political asylum, he added. Salvadorian refugee Wendy Munguia and ex-coordinator of the Movimiento Juventud shelter said she fled her country to escape the corruption between police and MS-13 gang members. Ver, oír, y callar si de la vida quieres gozar is a common expression in El Salvador for anyone that has witnessed any crime, meaning that if you see or hear something, don’t say anything, if you want to continue enjoying life, Munguia said. Munguia fled El Salvador with her young daughter after police raided her home in an attempt to kill her then-boyfriend, she said. “There are jobs, there’s money in Central America but the gangs are violent and along with police, they demand weekly, monthly quotas,” Munguia, whose brother was killed last year as a result of the violence, said. On her journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, Munguia and several migrants were stopped by corrupt police in Sinaloa, home of the Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel, where they stole what little money they had for food, she added. Munguia said she was also stopped several times by members of Jalisco’s Nueva Generación (New Generation) cartel, while aboard the
Rosemary Montalvo/The Union Wendy Munguia, ex-coordinator of the Movimiento Juventud shelter, works at a Salvadorian restaurant located just a few minutes from the shelter Friday, Oct. 4. Munguia lived in the shelter for over six months with her daughter. infamous train La Bestia (The Beast) where they threatened all the migrants with death had they not had children with them. Eventually, she joined the Honduran caravan headed towards the U.S. and sought political asylum. As she waited for her hearing, she settled down with her daughter in the Movimiento Juventud albergue and became the coordinator last March, revamping the whole place with the help of Pensado. “Emilio is very insistent on helping; it’s surprising and admirable,” Munguia said. “Other people give up on the cause after one or two times.” But after a while, Munguia said being the coordinator was not fulfilling, she wanted to give her daughter more. So she gave up her hope of living in the U.S. and applied to become a permanent resident of Mexico. Munguia became a permanent resident of Mexico this year and now works in a small restaurant a few minutes away from the albergue but no longer resides there. “It’s nice to support the albergue because I arrived under the same circumstances as everyone else looking for asylum,” Munguia said. “But I believe whatever you can do in the U.S. you can do in Mexico.” *** Along with Movimiento Juventud, Pensado and Munguia keep an eye out for several shelters throughout the city, including Casa de Immigrantes (House of Immigrants), which also focuses on housing women and children. Pensado said he has plans to do his humanitarian work on a grand scale, hoping to get several U-Haul-like trucks to take donations across the border by the tons. But difficulties have presented themselves along the way, he said. “Obviously this is on my own dime and shit gets complicated after a while,” Pensado, who currently works as a defense contractor while trying to fulfill an acting career as an ECC student, said. When the donations Pensado attempts to cross the border with are not itemized, border patrol takes them away because they think you are going to sell the stuff in Mexico, he said. Other times, albergue owners ghost Pensado, not taking his calls for long periods, including Jose Ma Garcia Lara also known as Don CheMa of Movimiento Juventud. Garcia Lara agreed to meet with The Union in his Tijuana albergue on Friday, Oct. 4 but he did not show. “If I have to kiss his ass to help those kids and help those people; just to deliver shit, I’ll fucking do it,” Pensado said. “Sure maybe I can’t turn their lives around but I guess that’s one of my only regrets right now; that I’m not more successful in order to give more.” But Pensado keeps on trying, already earning a few roles, including in the FX Network series “Mayans M.C.,” an extra in “Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker” and the Spanish-language dating show “12 Corazones.” “Acting is amazing because I just feel like I’ve always had the ability to step out of myself and put myself into other people’s shoes,” Pensado said. “This is my true passion, I don’t care about [contracting] but it pays the bills.”
“a lotI’veofseen a lot of people die, I’ve seen people suffer and I’m sure if those people had the chance to do it all over again they wouldn’t waste their time.” -Emilio Pensado
In the future, Pensado hopes to open up his own albergue in Mexico for women and children but know’s it won’t be an easy task, he said. With winter approaching and the open roof of the Movimiento Juventud shelter letting everything in, Pensado worries the migrants will continue to suffer in silence. “If you have any clothes and you know an organization or somebody like me, it doesn’t cost you anything to grab all the shit you don’t want,” Pensado said. “Give it to them and let them handle it.” Pensado has started a GoFundMe account titled “Children’s House of Hope” with an end goal of $7,500 dollars to get migrant families the proper supplies as they brace themselves for the upcoming winter. We want to give them basic human needs, he added. “If we can help out with the gas or water bills, it wouldn’t be so bad on top of shit they already have to go through,” Pensado said. *** After several hours visiting Movimiento Juventud and catching up with Manguia at her new restaurant job, Pensado hailed down another cab. “You’re about to taste the best tacos in the city,” he said. The men serving food moved with such ease, throwing salsa up in the air and catching it with a corn tortilla filled with steak, chicken or pork along with several other options. There are thousands of refugees scattered throughout the city that even the most unaware visitors can see how migrant culture is engrained in daily Tijuana life, Pensado said as he ate. But migrants also have a false narrative of the United States, they think that because we are making money that we are here thriving and happy,” Pensado said. “But we’re tormented by bills, credit scores and the materialistic.” After eating, Pensado made his way back across the United StatesMexico border where he put on his sunglasses, his poker face and said very little. He was already planning his next trip. Pensado plans on visiting the families at Movimiento Juventud Wednesday, Nov. 20 for a Thanksgiving surprise. To make arraignments for physical donations, contact Emilio Pensado at TheDefenseSpecialist@gmail.com
Donations accepted • Clothes; sweaters, shirts, socks, pants, shoes and undergarments • Food; eggs, cereal, milk, sausages, tomato, meat, apples, chicken broth, bread, sugar, cookies • Drinks; milk, chocolate milk, Nescafe coffee • Utensils; forks, plastic plates, plastic cups, spoons For more information and monetary donations, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/childrens-house-of-hope
NEWS
6 THE UNION
Police Beat
Omar Rashad
News Editor @omarsrashad
Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 10:45 a.m. A female student was having a hard time breathing at the Industry Technology Education Center (ITEC). The Los Angeles County Fire Department took her to a local hospital. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 1:20 p.m. An El Camino College staff member reported five people playing loud music and smoking marijuana outside the Humanities Building. Campus police checked the area and did not find anyone listening to loud music or smoking marijuana. Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. A group of female students were being disruptive in the Schauerman Library and refused to leave after being warned multiple times by library staff for being loud. They left after campus police told them to leave. Friday, Oct. 4, at 11:40 a.m. A male student was riding a bicycle on campus and was stopped by campus police. After being asked if he had anything illegal on his person, he told officers that he had marijuana in his backpack. He gave officers permission to search his backpack and they found marijuana and paraphernalia. The student was arrested and taken to the Torrance Police Department Jail. Monday, Oct. 7, at 9:50 a.m. A student fell and injured her head in the Humanities Building. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) took her to a local hospital. Monday, Oct. 7, at 1:05 p.m. A student fell outside the Music Building into bushes next to a walkway. The LACFD took her to a local hospital. Monday, Oct. 7, 1:15 p.m. Two students were reported to be having a loud argument inside the Schauerman Library. They complied with campus police who advised them to leave. Tuesday, Oct. 8, 11:35 a.m. A student was reported to campus police for having suicidal thoughts. She did not want to be taken to a mental health facility but agreed to talk with a nurse at the Health Center. Wednesday, Oct. 9, 9:30 a.m. A student’s father called campus police regarding his son who did not come home the previous night. Campus police did a welfare check on the student who said he was fine and that he might return home that day. Wednesday, Oct. 9, 12:40 p.m. A student was found unconscious on the second floor of the Humanities Building. The LACFD took him to a local hospital. Thursday, Oct. 10, 3 p.m. A student was poised to jump down from the bridge connecting the old Student Services Building to the Communications Building. He was talked out of jumping by the LACFD and was taken to a local mental health facility. Thursday, Oct. 10, 9:20 p.m. A vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Lemoli Avenue between a motorcycle and a car. The motorcyclist was taken to a local hospital by the LACFD. Monday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. Officers escorted a student outside of a classroom after the instructor reported him for being disruptive in a class in the Math Business Allied Health Building. Monday, Oct. 14, at 12:50 p.m. A student was having trouble breathing at the Health Center and was taken to a local hospital by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 5 p.m. Multiple vehicles got into a vehicle collision in Parking Lot L. The Torrance Fire Department treated the vehicles’ occupants on the scene; none of them requested to be transported to a local hospital.
OCT. 24, 2019
$10,000 grant awarded to Warrior Pantry
Los Angeles County official concerned with homelessness, food insecurity Patrick Ezewiro
Staff Writer @ECCUnionPatrick
L
os Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn recently awarded a $10,000 grant to the El Camino College Warrior Pantry to make sure that pantry shelves are filled with food items and helping students in times of need, officials said. Liz Odendahl, communications director for Hahn, said the Supervisor is concerned with the growing insecurity of food and homelessness at community colleges. “Representative Hahn wanted students to have the stability of being able to get food without hindering their ability to study and attend classes,” Odendahl said. The grant gives ECC the resources they need to fill the shelves with whatever students want. (we need an attribution here) What’s not important is the money that was given but the students in need that will benefit from it, Odendahl said. “The most important thing are the students who will be affected by this,” Odendahl said. “Rep. Hahn wants to ensure that all students maximize their ability academically with the help of this grant.” Chris De La Cruz, a student services specialist at ECC’s Student Development Office, said the pantry is taking the steps that it needs with the grant to expand and stock up on more fresh produce. “The money will be spread out to purchase food supplies from different wholesale stores with a focus on healthier snacks and items,” Cruz said. The pantry stocks up on food items such as sun chips, granola bars, Cup Noodles, can vegetables and healthy snacks. It is trying to bring in fresh produce items that are recommended from the students who go to the food pantry. This impacts students at ECC
David Odusanya/The Union An El Camino College student peruses the racks at the Warrior Pantry on Friday, Oct. 18. The food pantry recently received a $10,000 grant from Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, which will help purchase food items. because they now know that there is a support system in place focused on their well-being, Cruz said. “It is going to allow us to purchase food items that students like,” Cruz said. “It’s great to have people that really support the visions and dreams of students at El Camino College.” There has been an increase in the number of students that have come to the food pantry since previous years, Cruz said. “There were 122 students that came in one day,” Cruz said. “So, there has been an increase in the number of people and they are starting to know that we have a pantry on campus that can help them. Caesar Castillo, mechanical engineering major, has been going to the food pantry for three years. “The Warrior Pantry has helped
David Odusanya/The Union The Warrior Pantry has a range of food options for students including canned goods, chips, granola bars, Cup Noodles and healthy snacks. The pantry operates Mondays through Thursdays is located in Room 116 of the El Camino College Physics Building. me a lot because anytime I’m hungry and want to get something to eat before my afternoon classes, I come here,” Castillo said.
Castillo also said that he sees a growing number of people that come to the pantry every day he is there.
More information about the Warrior Pantry and its hours of operation is available on the ECC website.
Students get help at financial aid application workshops [Workshops, from page 1] application,” Colom said. Colom and his colleague Maria Ehrlich conduct the workshops with the assistance of student workers. There are usually two to four people in the lab to help students, Colom said. “[They] are really nice when I need support on filling out applications and forms,” nursing major Hialdy Durate said. “They help me out.” Information regarding a newer grant for students is available in the Financial Aid Lab as well as scholarship information. “A huge advantage of the workshop is that you’re getting ahead of all of your deadlines, even the ones that are further out,” Colom said. “Another advantage
is that students can come in and ask questions.” Every month a new workshop flyer will be released with all the dates. Dates and time slots will change every month but is open outside of workshop hours. “I like coming to the lab because [for] some of the documents you can’t understand, you have the resources and people here [to] explain it to you,” biology major Rumesa Khan said. ECC’s Financial Aid Department will also hold the Financial Aid Fright Fair on Thursday, Oct. 31 to help students learn more about services and other financial aid resources. For more informational about financial aid applications, visit the ECC website.
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6:35 p.m. A student was talking with an ECC staff member about contemplating suicide. The student was sent to a local mental health facility. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 8:15 p.m. A man approached a woman in Parking Lot L and took pictures of her. The woman reported him to the El Camino College Police Department (ECCPD). Saturday, Oct. 19, 1:30 a.m. The ECCPD was requested to help with a Gardena Police peace officer who detained a theft suspect on Manhattan Beach Boulevard.
Front Page Illustrations Skull: Jaime Solis Basketball Player: Jaime Solis
Viridiana Flores/The Union Student Services Specialist for Financial Aid Outreach Marco Colom checks in on the FAFSA and Dream Act Application workshop in the Financial Aid Lab on Friday, Oct. 18. Colom has been working at El Camino College for six years and believes the workshops creates awareness of incoming deadlines.
Viridiana Flores/The Union Caroline Hanna, 40, business administration major, helps Adrianna Blackwin, 27 psychology major, fill out a form at a FAFSA and Dream Act Application Workshop in the Financial Aid Lab on Friday, Oct. 18. Five more workshops are scheduled for the rest of October as students will receive guidance throughout the application process.
FEATURES
ARTS
OCT. 24, 2019
THE UNION 7
Jamie Solis/The Union
Paper mache skulls designed by attendees during the Día de Los Muertos Craft Workshop presented by the Anthropology Club on Thursday, Oct 17, In Art B 388. Día de Los Muertos takes place Nov 1-2 to celebrate the lives of those who have passed away.
The Union’ s
Spooky SZN Recipes
The Union presents recipes for this year’s Halloween and Día de Los Muertos Sugar Skulls
Halloween Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
•
Skull mold
•
2 cups of sweet cream salted butter (softened)
•
1 cup granulated sugar
•
2 eggs
•
Powdered sugar (decorative icing)
•
2 cups of sugar
•
Meringue powder (holds sugar together)
•
2 tablespoons of vanilla
•
1 large bowl
•
4 teaspoons of baking power
•
Water
•
6 cups of flour
•
Flat plate
•
Electric mixer
Instructions:
-
1. Add butter to sugar and mixer, creaming it until it is mixed.
Instructions:
2. Mix in vanilla and eggs
1. For every cup of sugar, mix one teaspoon of meringue powder and
3. Add baking powder and two cups of flour at a time and mix.
1 teaspoon of water in the mix.
4. Do not let dough chill.
2. The mixture is ready when you push your finger into the mix and
5. Roll a handful of dough out on a flat, prepared surface until about
the print stays.
3/8” thick and cut using cookie cutter.
3. Fill skull mold with sugar mixture and press firmly.
6. Bake at 350 F degrees for six to eight minutes.
4. Put flat plate over sugar skull, hold onto mold and flip over.
7. Frost with buttercream.
5. Remove sugar skull from mold. Repeat until all sugar is used.
Roseana Martinez/The Union A batch of freshly made halloween sugar cookies in the shape of ghosts sit on a pan to cool off Sunday, Oct. 20.
Have any recipes you would like to include? Contact us
via twitter @ECCUnion.