NEWS STREAM
Dance Collective moves McKinney 6
Paper here to stay in digital age 3
Lariat
Panel on campus talks LGBTQ
2
Beach volleyball ends season 7
The student voice of Saddleback College since 1968
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
volume 48, issue 13
facebook.com/lariatnews
The Newport Beach Film Festival showcases Saddleback students’ short films 4 twitter.com/lariatnews
twitter.com/lariatsports
Pre-Law Debate helps students ace LSAT MATTHEW KIRKLAND LIFE EDITOR
The Saddleback College PreLaw Society held a debate on the Law School Admissions Test on Tuesday, April 19. Representatives from different LSAT preparation companies gave students advice and spoke on behalf of their programs. “The reason we wanted to have the LSAT debate is because Saddleback has a community with a lot of students that wish to be lawyers in the future,” said Pontus Goeransson, president of Pre-Law society. Goeransson, who wants to attend either Columbia University or Cornell University, moderated the debate and prosed questions about the test. Representatives from Test Masters, Score It Up and Blueprint provided insight. A fourth speaker, from Velocity LSAT preparation, was unable to make the debate. The purpose of the event was to provide students with information about the LSAT and the companies that provide preparation courses. Each representative spoke about differences between the companies, the success of their courses and the cost. “There are so many different prep course companies out there that [students] have to choose between,” said Goeransson. “A lot of students don’t know what the differences are between these companies, so by hearing the companies and their representatives speak it gives the [students] a heads up to what is on the test and they also receive discounts just by being here so that’s also a huge advantage and a reason
FEATURES EDITOR
Saddleback College welcomed guest speaker Emily Urban as a part of the ‘PsychTalks! Speaker Series’ last Thursday. Emily Urban, a psychology major graduate student at University California Irvine, discussed the topic of the link between memory, emotion and well-being, based upon her current thesis. The majority of those in attendance included students currently enrolled in psychology courses that were being offered extra credit. The discussion drew upon Urban’s research, with plenty of opportunities for interacting and contributing to a better comprehension of the topic.
Pro-life group stirs talk at Saddleback Anti-abortion poster displayed in the quad compare women to Nazis NICK NENAD
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
MATT KIRKLAND/ LARIAT
GETTING READY: Representatives from Test Matsers, Score It Up and Blueprint
talk to students at the Pre-Law society debate on Saddleback College’s campus Tuesday. we wanted to do this.” Speakers answered questions from the moderator and from students in the audience. Mark Sacks, owner and founder of Score It Up, believes that these informational panels help future lawyers. “My sense is that it is very beneficial,” said Sacks. “I think a lot of the questions we got were really good questions and there was a lot of information conveyed that most students, understandably, just don’t know about until they’ve heard it form people who have been through it many, many times.” Preparation for the LSAT is very important. The score a student receives on the test is usually valued five to seven times higher than their undergraduate grade point average when applying to law school, according to the representative from Test Masters and the Pre-Law soci-
ety president. “It is a very important test that weighs more than your grades do, your GPA.” said Goeransson. The LSAT website says the test is an integral part of law school admission in the United States, Canada and a growing number of other countries. It provides a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several factors in assessing applicants. “It is a logic based exam,” said Sacks. “It is learning how to handle brain teaser types of puzzles and questions to develop the skills to understand and direct arguments.” Students can take the exam at anytime but can only take the test a maximum of three times in a two year period. The test is offered in February, June and December and costs roughly $175 but a fee waiver may be obtained
by students who qualify. The test is broken up into five sections containing about twenty five multiple choice questions that students have thirty five minutes to complete. After the scored portion, students submit an ungraded written assignment that is also turned into law school along with the LSAT score. Speakers also provided students with anecdotal advice to pair with the statistical information. Pamphlets and handouts were available to take home after the debate. “I think it definitely helped me a lot,” Thomas Columbus, a public policy major, said. “In that it gave me a better idea of how long I need to prepare and what I need to do to make my score better.” Columbus, who hopes to transfer to USC or Georgetown, plans to take the LSAT after he transfers and during his junior year of college.
PsychTalk speaker exposes new connections in the mind SASHA BAHARESTANI
LARIATNEWS.COM
She began with a test where 15 words hit the screen quickly one after the other. After all had appeared, the test was to write down as many words as could be remembered. Some of the words included drowsy, wake, tired, bed and rest. A turning point occurred as Urban asked how many had written the word “sleep.” Nearly half of the audience raised their hand even though the word never appeared on the screen. This led into her first point, one being the primacy and regency effect, in which many people tend to remember the things that are presented at the beginning and the end of a list rather than the middle. Another point was lures, with the example of how the word sleep never appeared but since it had relation
to the other words, the brain filled it in. She went on to describe lures as simply being a false recall and how this can be related to events and how people can sometimes recall a certain moment or detail of an event incorrectly. Next she shared how memories and emotion often work hand in hand. One of the examples she used was flashbulb memories. “Flashbulb memories are these really vivid significant memories that kind of stick out in your mind, usually for unexpected events, they are usually emotionally significant,” Urban said. “An example of this would be a memory for 9/11. If your old enough, you might remember what you were doing during 9/11.” Another point dealt again with
the significance of emotion and memory, however this time regarding those with depression. Through her research she uncovered that people with depression tend to recall a greater portion of negative memories. “A lot of people think that emotion should be ignored. Right? People say ‘oh stop being so emotional’, ‘don’t let your emotions get in the way’,” Urban said. “But from this research I really learned that emotion is very helpful, very adaptive. It’s telling us what we need to remember, what we need to pay attention to. It’s wonderful that we have this system, that kind of highlights what is really important to us in our lives.” This was the final PsychTalk of the semester’s series.
The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a self-described prolife organization, was in the quad of Saddleback College displaying pictures of various abortion-related topics and comparing abortion to other forms of genocide. The display, last Tuesday and Wednesday, drew crowds of several dozens of students each day, mainly due to its explicit content. Many students got into arguments with the volunteers and other students. “Someone knocked down one of our signs,” said volunteer Lois Cunningham. “A few people [swore] or called names, but nothing like some campuses. It can get real lively.” CBR has been to Saddleback in past years, but had never set up as big of a display as they did on last week. The display featured many graphic photos depicting dismemberment and death. There were also photos of genocides that have happened in the past, such as the Holocaust. When approaching the display, there were signs that read “Warning: Genocide photos ahead.” Director of Student Outreach for the Group, Anna Johnson, explained why she thought so many students were angry at the display. READ MORE ON PAGE 2 ON THE WEB
/lariatnews
@lariatnews
@lariatnews
/thelariatnews
2
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
News
LARIATNEWS.COM
Pro-life group
SADDLEBACK COLLEGE
POLICE★BLOTTER
The following are selected incidents as reported from the daily media log, courtesy of the Saddleback College Police department. ■ LOT 10 Tuesday, April 5, 7:03 p.m.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Campus police were called to check for a female smoking a cigarette in Lot 10. They were unable to locate the woman. ■VILLAGE Monday, April 11, 3:42 p.m.
A report of a theft in the Information Technology Room in the Village was taken. ■ LOT 10 Thursday, April 14, 9:08 p.m.
A suspicious person was reported walking around near Lot 10. Campus police were unable to locate the person. ■ SSC Friday, April 22, 4:21 a.m.
A person was arrested near the Student Services Center because they had a warrant out for their arrest. ■ ON CAMPUS Tuesday, April 12, 10:48 a.m. Friday, April 22, 8:55 a.m.
Three different sightings of snakes being on campus were reported over a two-week period. Campus police were unable to locate a snake on April 12 and in the morning hours of April 22. Campus police did finally locate a snake at the Green House near Lot 14 atround noon on April 22. CONTRIBUTIONS
The Lariat gladly accepts contributions in the form of guest articles and letters to the editor from students, faculty, staff and anybody else involved in the Saddleback College community. Please submit any articles or letters to lariatnews@gmail.com.
ADVERTISING
The Lariat offers advertisers many opportunities to reach a diverse audience through color or black and white ads. For rates, call 949-582-4688 or contact the advertising manager at lariatadvertising@gmail.com
KSENIYA TARANYUK/LARIAT
PROVIDING SUPPORT: Panelists Rick Clemons, Angie Hendrix, Michelle Evans, and Lisa Rich-
ardson pose for a photo after their talk regarding LGBTQ issues in the Student Services Center.
PFLAG panel opens LGBTQ discussion KSENIYA TARANYUK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The sociology department held a PFLAG Speaker Panel which provided dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity on Thursday in SSC 212. Lisa Richardson, Michelle Evans, Rick Clemons and Angie Hendrix made up the panel telling their own stories and answering any questions students had. “I thought this is great,” panelist Lisa Richardson said. “I can go and learn more about the LGBTQ community so that I can better support my son because I knew so little I could better educate myself.” PFLAG stands for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and has been providing support, education and advocacy for over 40 years to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“They were talking about gender fluidity and I had never heard of that before,” said panelist Michelle Evans. “And for me to find out that you know transgendered doesn’t just mean male female and that’s it but we can have fluidity.” The speakers panel began with each panelist telling their own personal stories and experiences followed by opening the floor to all and any questions students had. “In our classes we’re always talking about it,” said Sociology Department Chair Allison Camelot. “And for students to actually hear people’s stories it brings all that information to light.” Lisa Richardson was a panelist representing a mother whose son came out as gay and Michelle Evans represented and talked about her life as a transgender woman. Angie Hendrix spoke about
his family and being a part of the lesbian community and Rick Clemons spoke about when he first realized he was gay. “I’m actually also an elementary school teacher,” Richardson said. “And by educating myself about the community and the difficulties that people in that community are experiencing in classrooms and elsewhere, it totally changed the way I run my classroom.” Founded in 1972 with the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the nation’s largest family and ally organization. PFLAG has over 400 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities and rural areas in all 50 states. Advocacy is an important part of the work done by the PFLAG members and support-
thought so many students were angry at the display. “We are here to show humanity of the unborn and the inhumanity of abortion,” Anna Johnson said. “I think that people are upset, because now they are forced to defend the legal reality of dismemberment and decapitation.” One student, Joey Hammer, voiced his displeasure with the group being on campus, explaining mainly that he did not believe the way they presented the information was correct. Hammer also said that he “kinda lost [his] cool and got a little upset.” “It’s pretty difficult to have a calm and collected conversation about it when they’re imploying such tactics, comparing it to the Jewish Holocaust, to the lynching of African Americans in the U.S.,” Hammer said. “It’s very hard to have a conversation in which we educate each other and learn and come to a conclusion together, about it, when they employ such tactics as these.” It was not all negativity for CBR. According to Johnson many people showed their support for the group being on campus. “We had a couple of post-abortive women stop by to express their gratitude for us doing this and hoping that maybe some other post-abortive women would get help because of this or that other women that are pregnant change their mind or opinion about their unborn child,” Johnson said. “We’ve had a couple students stop by that would like to start a pro-life student group too.” For more information on CBR, you can visit their website abortionno.org.
Opinion
LARIATNEWS.COM
Are Warriors the best ever? JACOB TATHAM STAFF WRITER
While the world was distracted by a Kobe Bryant farewell that felt like it came straight out of a fairy tale, another somewhat notable event took place in the world of basketball. The Golden State Warriors clinched the greatest record in NBA history at 73 wins and nine losses. This edges out the 72-9 Chicago Bulls of 1996 who have since reigned as the poster for the greatest team of all time. With numerics no longer backing them up, the time is now appropriate to begin wondering if the Warriors have taken that throne. Of course, the Warriors’ season is far from over. Playoffs have just begun and they must go all the way before they can truly hoist this title. But as far as the regular as the regular season goes, the Bulls 72-10 record will never again have the same zeal that it’s had for the past 20 years. To determine which team is best, the most logical settlement would be to have them play each other. But seeing as the Bulls team is pushing senior citizenship, this is obviously impossible. The next best indicator would be to measure how the two teams played. This again proves to be difficult because the game has changed immensely between the time that these two teams existed. The 1996 Bulls relied heavily on Michael Jordan’s midrange jump shot and didn’t value the three pointer very heavily. The 2016 Warriors on the other hand are so deeply in love with shooting threes that it is the primary focus of their game plan. The Warriors also like to play with a smaller group of players on
Lariat “Saddleback’s student-run newspaper since 1968” EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kseniya Taranyuk MANAGING EDITOR
Breanna Greenup ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nick Nenad NEWS EDITOR
Kurtis Rattay OPINION EDITOR
Nick Alaimo LIFE EDITOR
Matthew Kirkland FEATURES EDITOR
Sasha Baharestani SPORTS EDITOR
Angel Grady PHOTO EDITOR
Betsy Johnson ONLINE EDITOR/ADVERTISING SALES
Austin Weatherman STAFF WRITERS
Dominic Ebel Jacob Tatham Jordan Rangel Julia McCloskey FACULTY ADVISERS
MaryAnne Shults Tim Posada INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT
Ali Dorri CONTACT
949-582-4688 email: lariateditor@gmail.com web: www.lariatnews.com address: 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo CA, 92692 phone:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 2016
PFLAG panel tempts with extra credit points ZARA FLORES CONTRIBUTER
KEITH ALLISON /CREATIVE COMMONS
MAKING PLAYS: Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry
(30) spins away from Garrett Temple’s defense at an away game against the Wizards on February 3, 2016. the floor with the goal that at all times, at least four of their five players is capable of shooting from the three point line. This gives them a stretched out floor to drive to the rim and also give players more open looks to shoot. Such an approach was completely unheard of in the 90’s where teams valued size and strength to dominate near the hoop. Two of the players on the Bulls’ starting lineup were not even comfortable shooting outside further than ten feet away from the hoop. Their center, Luc Longley, attempted five threepoint-shots in his 10 year career and did not make one. In total, the Warriors made 1077 three pointers to the Bulls’ 544. Many would argue that threes were not as important at the time and they would be correct. However when looking at all shots taken, the Warriors also made 48.7 percent of their attempts as opposed to the Bulls’ 47.8. The 2016 Warriors record-
ed 340 more assists, 153 more blocks, and scored 796 more points over the course of the season. Nostalgia is a heavy element and this statement may be controversial among many basketball fans, but I believe the 15-16 Warriors are a better team 96-96 Bulls and also the greatest basketball team of all time. This is not to say that Steph Curry is better than Michael Jordan. Statistics would still heavily favor MJ in his long, successful career, but the Warriors as a team are unlike anything we’ve seen before. Calling something the greatest ever will always be reactionary and taboo without giving it time to digest. If the Warriors fall short of winning the championship this season, my argument will be heavily tarnished. However statistics are the most objective pieces of evidence in sports and as far as the regular season goes, they favor the dubs.
3
As college students who pay for our education, we deem it important to do our best on every assignment and try to squeeze in every extra point we can. Often, students jump at any extra credit opportunity that comes along, though it can be misleading at times. Students end up in important and worth-while panels, meetings and gatherings, for all the wrong reasons. On April 14, PFLAG, an organization that promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, held a panel at Saddleback College. PFLAG stands for parents, families
on the panel and afterward discussion. The turnout for the panel and discussion was very respectable and brought lots of eyes and ears to the event. But many eyes and ears were of students trying to get extra points in before the end of the semester. The panel was an incentive for students but it should not have been. The experiences and issues discussed should not have been sold out for some extra credit points. It did bring in listeners but the closed minded individuals that should be the ones listening most likely were not. Hendrix touched on an important matter when she mentioned the
The experiences and issues discussed should not have been sold out for some extra credit points. and friends of lesbians and gays but extends to all gender identities. The individuals on the panel included transgender individuals, gay individuals and parents. “This [newer] generation comes with more acceptance and awareness of the different gender identities but it’s still nowhere near being solved or completely accepted,” said speaker Angie Hendrix. These individuals tour around the states in their respective chapters to speak about their experiences, the impacts of them and how to provide support to others. The Sociology Department set up the panel and also offered extra credit for the sociology students to attend and write a brief reflection
newer generation’s awareness, but the effort need to be put in to raise even more awareness to a widespread audience, not just a select crowd of students. The trade-off of panel and points did bring about more people, but for the wrong reasons. The panel members had shocking and life changing stories to tell and offered the proper perspective to such an event. However, the event was not publicized as it should have been. Even though it was publicized online, information does not travel as well through word of mouth at a campus like Saddleback. Had it been publicized properly in a larger time frame, it may have had an even bigger impact on campus.
Paper vs. electronic documents in the digital age Old reliable paper documents or ecofriendly digital documents, which comes out on top? BREANNA GREENUP MANAGING EDITOR
In today’s digital world, printed documents are becoming a thing of the past. And that’s a good thing, right? Digital documents are eco-friendly, easily accessed, portable and even reduce the space needed to store files. In terms of the internet, it has made photos, documents, video and really any type of media easier to share than ever before. Digital seems to be the most convenient and obvious option. It is the way of the future—or so we think. With the use of digital media becoming a favored option, we face the stark reality that the future may not know its past. Digital documents are less reliable than printed documents and must be consistently up kept or face elimination from existence. The problem with storing important documents electronically
is it must be actively maintained or it risks being unreadable after even a decade. According to Storagecraft, media such as CDs, DVDs, hard disks and flash storage have lifespan of five to 10 years. Of course, with active maintenance your files will have a long life—right? A lot of people struggle to maintain the car they drive everyday, let alone keep up with all the crap that they store on their computer.
from the last three years of my life off my video camera. Sure it was all probably crap quality footage, since it was on a knockoff Flip video camera, but photos and videos are very dear to my heart. And since I never backed it up on a computer, it is all lost forever. Actually, I take that back. I did back those videos up on a computer, until that computer blacked out one day and I lost everything on there. And no, I never backed that computer up either.
I’m not embarrassed to say that when I was 13 I cried for at least a half an hour when I accidentally deleted all the videos from the last three years of my life off my video camera. I have personally experienced the downfall that is electronic storage. I can list countless times, where my computer crashed, files got corrupted or were accidentally deleted because of my negligence. Human error has been the downfall of many of my photos, videos and documents. I’m not embarrassed to say that when I was 13 I cried for at least a half an hour when I accidentally deleted all the videos
Seriously just take a second and think of all the times you lost files, photos and music to the horror that is a blue screen. Or lost everything on your phone, because it failed to back up to cloud for 52 weeks. This isn’t even touching on the storage of important documents. It would truly be a tragedy if important documents were all kept digitally. From experience, there is something more tangible and real about printed
documents. Once it’s there, it is here to stay. And once it’s stored properly, little needs to be done to preserve its longevity. And who can forget about value? When something is stored digitally, it in a sense, loses its value. There are things like signatures that wouldn’t be the same if it was on a digital document. It has the same meaning, but the value isn’t the same. Just think if the Constitution of the United States of America had been digital. It’s importance would be reduced by its lack of physicality. It is also true that after a century paper documents can become significantly decayed. It terms of digital archives, these documents can now be scanned and saved digitally as a back up. We are currently doing that with the newspapers at the Lariat. I’m not saying electronic documents are all bad. There are many benefits and it certainly is the way of the future. However, printed documents and media that still hold value and importance. The way of the future isn’t one or the other. The way of the future is both the print and electronic world working together. Together, they will increase longevity for all forms of media. Just make sure to back your files up.
still from ‘The Patch’ (courtesy Steven Takens)
REEL NEWPORT Students’ year-long film projects premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Check out the Lariat’s guide to Saddleback’s contributions.
BY AUSTIN WEATHERMAN
W
ith the passing Saddleback's CTVR department’s technician Tri Nguyen to cancer this past March, Griffin was especially grateful for his contribution to the department and students. “Tri was like the backbone of Saddleback,” Griffin said. “You could go to him for any question you had and he’d be willing to answer and help. We all will miss him.” It was the first year for Saddleback director Steven Talens to enter his films in the showcase. His shorts "The Pact" and "My Flower" made their debut during the festival, receiving loud applause during the credits. “Dude, it has been unreal,” Talens said. “I’ve been dreaming about this kind of stuff since I was a little kid. It is unreal to see my dreams being realized.” Talens creates films based on personal experiences, expressing that films should be made close to your heart, putting you on the screen. “‘My Flower’ was inspired by a song I listened to with my girlfriend,” Talens said. “‘The Pact' was inspired by a hangover I had, waking up to somethings that you don’t know how got there. There’s inspiration anywhere I guess.” Even with the idea of self-funding each project, Talens has great respect to the Saddleback CTVR department for helping in the creation of his films, specifically his instructor, Charles Myers. “Saddleback is everything in my short [films],” Talens said. “They wouldn’t get done without the help, especially Charlie. I did film 1 with Charlie, where he ba-
Stills from ‘My Flower’ and ‘The Pact’ (courtesy Steven Takens)
“My dad and I watched a lot of movies growing up. I didn’t think of going into film making before because I didn’t think it was possible. I thought it would take a lot of investment, but the Saddleback film program makes it possible for people from my background.” Tim Tran, director of ‘Distress,’ ‘4:20 to Yuma’ sically forces you to go out and get it done, but it is fun.” Already having received his certificate in the film program at Saddleback College, director Tim Tran brought two films to the event Saturday afternoon. The horror-crime film "Distress" and the pot influenced western "4:20 to Yuma" hit the screen, bringing laughs and gasps to the audience. “It is tough coming from a low income family and going into film,” Tran said. “But Saddleback makes it possible by being well equipped.” “I’ve always been into mov-
ies,” Tran said. “My dad and I watched a lot of movies growing up. I didn’t think of going into film making before because I didn’t think it was possible. I thought it would take a lot of investment, but the Saddleback film program makes it possible for people from my background.” Not only are the filmmakers getting their careers started, but individuals behind the scenes are getting their practice in too. Producer Sohaib Ali produced the film "4:20 to Yuma." This would be Ali’s second film to produce, but on a much larger
scale. Ali goes into detail his involvement in the film as well as his experience producing. “Producing is managing all the egos, putting the crew together, managing the money,” Ali said. “You get the equipment, fill out the paper work and solve problems more or less. We worked hour and hours on pre-production, but it brought us close as a unit. Everyone who worked on 4:20, I am going to remember forever because of the work they put into the project and everyone left it all out there.” Co-produced Alexander Pot-
ter, who helped in "4:20 to Yuma" and headed "Dollface," expands on what it means to produce films as he has worked on various films. “Basically, you are the president of the film,” Potter said. “If someone doesn’t do their job, it all lands on you. You make sure everything gets done, from start to finish.” With every success, there are bound to be complications along the way. "4:20 to Yuma" was partially filmed in the Calico Ghost Town in Calico, California. The film was nearly shut down by the district due to the location insurance not covered by the county. Saddleback CTVR Lab technician Scott Greene makes sure that proper paper work is filled out including location, liability and waivers. Greene went to the district, lobbying on behalf of "4:20 to Yuma" to continue production. “'4:20 to Yuma,' for example, was a legal nightmare,” Greene said. “The entity didn’t have anything where people liability could be covered because the county owned Calico and the students didn’t know that. The district wanted to shut down production because the paper work hadn’t gotten back to the district because they wanted to be additionally insured. I went to the district and said ‘There is a lot already invested.’ After talked with the Vice Chancellor of Financial Services, she convinced the board to let the production go on, but this is what we have to do in this industry.” With films taking a long time to produce, the directors’ gears are already turning in preparation for next year’s festival. Let the imagination fly and films begin.
SADDLEBACK STUDENT FILMS SHOWCASE
THE PACT
Remember those hangovers when you cannot remember anything? In “The Pact,” directed by Steven Talens, a man wakes up, discovering the hellish nightmare created from the night before.
MY FLOWER Inspired by a song, “My Flower,” directed by Steven Talens, tells a tale of young love and how far one will go to provide happiness. The film stars Talens himself and Jules Schreiber as the two go through life’s love challenges.
DOLLFACE Stuck in a toxic relationship and pressured from society’s chains, a young girl breaks free with the help from a past friend. “Dollface,” directed by Sage Griffin, stars Victoria Elder as a painted.
Saddleback CTVR department shows off their“Tri Nguyen Memorial” shirts.
DISTRESS
4:20 TO YUMA
LONELY WHITE NOISE
LOS RIOS
NEVER GIVE UP
The film is set amidst of a robbery by two siblings. Everything goes according to plan until supernatural beings attack. “Distress,” directed by Tim Tran, is full of jump scares, gore factor and suspenseful build up through creative cinematography.
Set in the Old West, the town’s mayor has been shot. “4:20 to Yuma,” directed by Tim Tran, takes western films to a all new high with pot smoking sheriffs and a murder mystery.
This art filled short film sets the scene with a young man with a T.V. for a head. Only wanting to fit in, he begins to build a friend for himself. “Lonely White Noise,” directed by Austin Gomez, combines conceptual art and interesting plot to create emotion in the audience.
“Los Rios,” directed by David C. Veeneman, explores the history of Los Rios street in San Juan Capistrano from the San Juan Mission to the San Diego Gas & Electric Company sub-station. From interviews with tenth generation families to SDG building protestors, Veeneman uncovers unknown facts about the town.
Director Zoey Carpenter looks at the life of cancer victim Jessie Rees and her impact on the Jessie Rees Foundation. “Never Ever Give Up NEGU” was started in hopes of bringing joy to other children cancer patients, growing to be a well known foundation.
6
Life
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
LARIATNEWS.COM
Saddleback students dance the night away Dance department holds annual concert to showcase students’ talents and raise money MEGAN YSAIS CONTRIBUTOR
The Dance Collective performed their annual concert this past weekend at the McKinney Theatre among a full house of family and friends. Over three nights, Saddleback students laid it all on the stage, showcasing the choreography of their fellow students. The lights dimmed at 7:30 p.m. and so began the show. Throughout the evening the audience was taken through a range of genres from tap to jazz, modern, ballet, hiphop and more. The two-hour performance was compiled of 14 different routines. The Dance Collective concert provides a space for dancers and choreographers alike to showcase their talents. One unique routine of the evening was titled “Fives and Twenty-Fives,” after the “One College, One Book” novel about war veterans that Saddleback has read collectively this semester. The choreography class at Saddleback was asked to create a piece in response to the novel written by former Marine Michael Pitre. The students were able to connect to the idea of post traumatic stress disorder in their own personal ways. One dancer, Nate Le, served in the Navy for years before attending Saddleback, and was able to provide insight to the piece as well. The modern dance was performed to
PHOTO COURTESY OF NINA WELCH
GRACEFUL: The Saddleback College Dance Collective performed many different pieces choreographed by Christine Gaeta, Edwin Monroy and Cynthia Lopez. Deidre Cavazzi directed the annual show that is held in McKinney Theatre. a voice narrative from the book that aimed to capture the pains and frustrations of PTSD. “Personally, I think this piece is something that everyone can relate to in some way,” said performer and choreographer Andrea Braga. “Sadly we are all affected by the aftermath of war in one way or another. This piece was meant to show that despite the different experiences had by those who have served, there is always someone there to help and stand with you.” Another crowd favorite was the routine entitled, “Encore,” a hip-hop routine choreographed by Christine Gaeta and Edwin Monroy as well as assistant choreographer Cynthia Lopez. The dance featured a collection of songs and had the audience
cheering on their dancers through the whole routine. “Something about hip-hop, probably the energy, just makes you feel like you have to participate more,” said audience member Sam Lobo. “But overall, the show was sweet because it did cater to different groups of people and represented all different styles of dance.” The auditions to participate in this particular show occurred in January of this year. Over the next couple months, the student choreographers worked with the selected dancers to put on the finished product in the spring. One performer of the evening had just one routine to perform in, but was exhilarated by the experience. “This was actually my first performance
as a dancer,” said kinesiology major Christopher Muros. “I’ve never had any formal dance training, but this was really fun and I learned so much.” The woman behind the event was Diedre Cavazzi, the dance department chair and director of the show. She was at the entrance of the event enthusiastically selling “Dance Grams,” which are little notes and chocolates. “We sell these to send to the dancers backstage,” Cavazzi said. “The proceeds go to support things like the costumes and other concert expenses.” Her love for the performers was reciprocated at the end of the show when she was given a large bouquet and group hug by the dancers.
Jazz show fills every seat Music faculty and Saddleback student light up converted classroom in Fine Arts building concert KURTIS RATTAY NEWS EDITOR
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. SPIRITUAL CLIMATE. SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY. Earn your degree from a leading private university in the heart of Orange County. Choose from a traditional 15-week format or an accelerated 5-8 week option with evening classes that work with your schedule. YOUR STORY MATTERS. WHERE WILL IT TAKE YOU NEXT?
VANGUARD.EDU/COMMUNITY
The music department’s third Concert Hour of the semester drew a crowd of over 70 students who came to watch music faculty members, along with one music student, perform an hour-long jazz concert on Thursday, April 21. During the show, nearly every seat in FA 101 was filled. No students or audience members came in late and with the exception of photos, no one was using their phones during the concert. Although many students attended as a requirement for an applied music course, the demeanor of the audience suggested they wanted to be there. The free hour-long show was played by Joey Sellers on trombone, Ariel Alexander on alto saxophone, Larry Koonse on guitar and music student Drew Bock on drums. Joey Sellers is the director of jazz studies at Saddleback College. Ariel Alexander is a music instructor at the college. “You have Joey who is a super good musician, Ariel and drummer Drew who is actually a student in this class,” said Dylan Martinez, music student. “He is playing with them because he is super good.” For one hour on Thursday, the large music classroom was converted into a dimly lit concert hall surrounded by blue curtains. Bright lights shined on the performers who played a total of seven pieces, each about five to 10 minutes long.
Each piece played had several solos from each instrument. The audience applauded at the end of every solo. This Concert Hour consisted of pieces that were chosen to highlight the work and teachings of jazz musician and educator Lennie Tristano. He was one of the first jazz educators to use a “structured system” of teaching, according to a program with notes on the concert. “Basically Tristano taught close to a thousand students and those students taught students taught students,” Ariel Alexander said during the performance. “We are all kind of disciples of the Tristano in third generation. It is amazing to see this one teacher’s influence generation after generation.” The band played “Happenings” by Ariel Alexander, “Lennie’s Pennies,” “317 E. 32nd Street” and “Ablution” by Lennie Tristano, “Subconscious” by Lee Konitz, “Background Music” by Warne Marsh and “Sueños” by Joey Sellers. Both Joey Sellers and Ariel Alexander were introduced to the school of Lennie Tristano by saxophonist Gary Foster. “[Foster] is now in his 80s and he is a wonderful studio musician but also a great jazz musician,” Sellers said. “I actually studied with him and he said ‘you are done with me you are going to study with Warne Marsh now.’ Warne Marsh is one of the main disciples of Lennie Tristano.” Tristano school is not an actual school, “it’s a way of teaching and way of conceiving music,” Sellers said before they performed the last composition. Concert Hour comes from the music department’s applied music program, and is organized by Norman Weston, director of theory and composition. The fourth and final Concert Hour of the semester will be performed entirely by students on May 12.
Sports
LARIATNEWS.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL. 27, 2016
7
Klines jumps through hoops for basketball Devonte Klines signs with Montana State, reflects on his journey until now ANGEL GRADY SPORTS EDITOR
Dressed in his new Montana Bobcat’s hat, black Nike shorts, a black V-neck and grey Jordans’, freshman guard, Devonte Klines ran toward the basket from half-way down the court and slammed a perfect dunk. On April 13, Klines, 20, signed with Montana State University to continue his basketball career. Though the call he wanted right out of high school didn’t come, he only had to spend one year at Saddleback. “Devonte came to play for us at Saddleback in August this year and hit the ground running,” said assistant coach Marty Levinson. “His alertness, energy, and toughness are special, combine that with his extreme athleticism, ability to shoot the ball and lock down defense and you have a winning basketball player.” According to Saddleback, he was instantly in the starting line-up, often called to guard the No. 1 offensive threat on the opposing teams. Klines averaged 7.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals-per-game, playing in all 33 contests. He was rewarded with All-Orange Empire Conference Second Team recognition. Klines started playing basketball at the age of 4, but it was not until a couple of 36 and 40 point games as a sophomore, he started getting more confidence and realized he was good. “My brother motivated me
ANGEL GRADY/LARIAT
BLESSINGS: Saddleback College guard Devonte Klines signs with Montana State University to continue his career as a point guard.
and trained me to make sure basketball is what I really wanted,” he said. “My brother expects a lot from me, he pushes me to be the best I could be. Everything that I do now, I got it from him.” The love he began to feel for basketball, he gives credit to Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, his favorite player at the time. He grew up watching Bryant go through all the “hype” and the bad things the media and people would say about him. Klines said that he experienced the same difficulty as he got older. “It made me want to play more, made me love the game even more,” Klines said. “Cause I watched somebody else go through what I was going through at the time. I watched the end, he got through what he was going through and he was still successful.” Klines was born in Compton, California where he lived for five years, before moving to Moreno Valley. There he attended Valley View High School for his freshman and sophomore years. Though, he continued to play basketball he was not focused on his grades, fell behind and had to make up nine classes during the summer. Shortly after making up the courses, ANGEL GRADY/LARIAT Santa Margarita High SHOOTS: Devonte Klines lines up his School discovered shot from the free throw line. his basketball talents
and wanted him on their team. He said SMCHS promised if he played for them, he would have a place to stay close to the school a few night during the week and a ride home on the other days, so his mother would not have to make the 55 mile drive each way every day. According to Klines, the school offered assistance to him in other ways that were not followed through. His mother, Yvette Klines, said she was left
deadline resulting in a reclassification for him at Future Prep in Carson, California. “I wanted to give up, but the type of mom I got, she just stood by me the whole time, that what made me want it even more,” he said. “She just kept preaching to me, ‘you could do it, don’t worry about what everybody else say, just do what you gotta do,’ and I would hear that every day.” He said he tried to talk to people and make friends in high school, but some of them would give him the cold shoulder, judge him for the way he would act, drink or his appearance. He felt the only time they were excited or friendly towards him was when they won a game because of him. “It used to get to me, but I learned a lot, so I feel like I can get through anything if I could get through that,” Klines said. Feeling like he had a lot to prove and nothing to lose, he played with “a chip on my shoulder.” “That’s why I played so hard this year,” he said. “I wanted to prove everybody wrong and I’m gonna continue to do that.” Klines practices every day, 300 shots a day and a 1000 on the weekends. He weightlifts, does pool workouts, runs hills, builds his stamina and foot work in the sand. When he’s not playing basketball or practicing, he’s watching it. “I grew up at Santa Margarita even though I went through a lot,” Klines swaid. “When I
“I wanted to give up, but the type of mom I got, she just stood by me the whole time, that’s what made me want it even more.” Devonte Klines to do more than she expected, so he could play basketball there and better his education. On top of the issues to keep him at SMCHS, Klines felt he often dealt with racism. The racism came from many angles including some of students, some of staff as well as some of the athletic staff. Klines felt there was a lot of racism there and he went through a lot. He broke Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors assist record and helped win a title but did not receive his championship ring with his team. He questioned the motives behind this. He was originally expected to go to Old Dominion University in Virginia, however, for reasons that were unclear Klines’ transcripts were sent in past the
presented projects in class, kids threw paper at me and got away with it. It was multiple stuff I went through, but I thank them, because it made me better.” At Saddleback he took one for the team and played as a twoguard but at Montana State he will move into his true position as a point guard. He felt that he did not get to showcase his talent at Saddleback, but he understood that his defensive skills were needed. He received the defensive award every year when he was young. He has always been aggressive on defense, even now. Though Klines has no complaints about his position on Saddleback’s team, he wished he would have been able to contribute more. However, his coach recognized Klines was not in his regular position and felt he helped the team more in doing so. “His willingness to sacrifice some of his offensive skills to be our lock down defender was a huge reason why we were so successful,” said head coach Andy Ground. “His defense and his ability to knock down an occasional three was huge for us.” His favorite NBA team is Oklahoma City Thunder because of Russell Westbrook, he tries to play just like him. He admires Westbrook’s ambition, readiness to play and the energy he brings to the game. Klines said he has had a great time at Saddleback, playing with the team, “it’s like a family.” He enjoys his government and history classes, but his major is Kinesiology. Despite all the time he dedicates to basketball, he still manages to keep his grades up. “My mom is my biggest motivator, ‘cause I watched her go through a lot, she took care of a lot of kids,” said Klines. “She was a big inspiration for me, she made me not want for nothing so I don’t want her to want for nothing as I get older. She stuck by me through a lot of stuff and she’s the reason I’m doing this now, she kept my confidence up, I do everything for my mom.” He said basketball is a mental thing, when you lose confidence in the mind, there is not a coach that can teach that, a player must be mentally ready. Devonte Klines received a full scholarship to Montana State, an accomplishment he attributes to the support of Yvette Klines, his mother. His dream is to play for the NBA, but stated that playing professional basketball for an overseas team, would be great. “I just want to play basketball for the rest of my life,” Klines said. Editor’s note: An earlier version of the story was posted online, but it was taken down for clarifications. Parts of the story were revised to make clear that the opinions included specifically represent those interviewed, and are not the opinions of the author, the Lariat or Saddleback College.
Sports
LARIATNEWS.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
8
Duke dives her way into the State Championships Saddleback College diver Sarah Duke makes a splash at the Orange Empire Conference AUSTIN WEATHERMAN ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On Friday, April 15, Saddleback College diver Sarah Duke placed fourth in the Orange Empire Conference Championships, qualifying to dive at the CCCAA Championships. “Coming from nowhere to now, it’s remarkable,” said Curt Wilson, Saddleback College dive coach. “She has only been diving since September of last year.” Coach Wilson has been coaching at Saddleback for five years now. He also coaches at the Crown Valley Divers in Laguna Niguel where they had won the 2013 and 2014 Amateur Athletic Union Diving National Championships. Wilson said he enjoys coaching Duke, describing her as a great athlete to coach. “She’s great,” Wilson said. “She’s fearless. Sarah has only been diving since September, it’s
AUSTIN WEATHERMAN/ LARIAT
MAKING A SPLASH: Saddleback College’s first year novice diver Sarah Duke getting ready for Friday’s Orange Coast Conference Championship placing fourth overall. Duke performs a somersault off the 3m diving board as part of her training. quite amazing how quickly she has picked it up. She is visual so she can watch other kids and emulate their moves and try them. Sarah is extremely dedicated and driven.” Wilson has coached several successful individuals such as Jacob Swansen who won the 2016 OEC Championships and placed second at the 2015 California State Championships. “She’s placed at some of the events,” Wilson said. “She took
first place at the Pasadena Invitational last weekend.” Water sports have always been a part of Duke’s life, but swimming and diving was never in the situation. “I love surfing,” Duke said. “It is the best sport ever.” Duke met swim coach Jennifer Higginson through surfing, who then invited Duke to swim with Saddleback. It was then that Duke began her journey with diving. “At first, I only took the swim
class and at the very end, Jen let us jump off the diving boards,” Duke said. “I naturally went to do a front flip off the three meter and landed flat on my face. At first she was worried and then told me ‘You should be a diver.’” Duke said she enjoys diving, not only because of the rush of doing flips off the diving boards but the atmosphere of the meets. “Dive meets are much different than swim meets,” Duke said. “Everyone talks and cheers each
other on. There are a ton of new divers from 6 months to year like me. There is one girl who has been diving forever and is really good, but it’s hard to hate her because she’s so nice.” Teammate and veteran diver Jacob Swansen said he thinks highly of Duke. “She tries really hard,” Swansen said. “She is very resilient. She puts a lot of time in diving and swimming, I can’t imagine how she gets awesome grades.” Not only does success in her events count, but success in school is essential. Duke currently has a 4.0 GPA and plans to be veterinarian. “It’s challenging,” Duke said. “As of right now, I’m a bio-chemistry major, hoping to go into veterinary science hopefully to research.” Although Duke has found success in diving, continuing the sport at a four-year university is up in the air “As of right now, it is questionable,” Duke said. “My course load is going to be really heavy at the vet program that’s going to be a pre-requisite for grad school so the next four years after [Saddleback] is going to be strenuous.” Duke plans on attending UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center in San Diego or Oregon State.