Aug. 28, 2015 / Vol. 83 No. 1

F.Y.I.

Gallery now openCreative works are currently on display during the annual faculty and staff art exhibit — page 4

Mustang MadnessSchool pride and daily events welcome students at the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses — page 3

Important Dates

Augustis National Back to

School Month

Sept. 5Labor Day - College closed.

Sept. 7Last day to drop full-term classes on WebAdvisor without a “W” appearing on transcript.

It’s tackle timeThe fall football season sees new faces and returning favorites to the Mustangs roster — page 5

Campus cements its view on equityLMC premieres its newest event

See LMCAS, page 6

Experience • Cathie Lawrence

LMC President Bob Kratochvil, dressed as school mascot Maurice the Mustang, says a few welcoming words to the audience after his brief rendition of “Good Morning, Good Morning” during the Opening Day event Aug. 15. In addition to Kratochvil’s surprise appearance as Maurice, there were presentations on issues including upcoming renovations on campus, as well as staff and faculty introductions and anniversary announcements. Look for stories on these topics and many more in upcoming issues.

See FLEX, page 6

V O L . 8 3 , N O . 1 F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 L M C E X P E R I E N C E . C O M

Just horsin’ aroundBlood drives upcomingA blood drive will be held Thursday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Library, Room L-109.To make an appointment, go to www.bloodheroes.com, click on “Donate Blood” and enter sponsor code LosMC; or contact Student Life at 473-7554.

Out of this world speakerThe MESA Speaker se-ries will feature Dr. Kath-ryn Bywaters, who works in the Space Science and Astrobiology department at the NASA Ames Re-search Center. She will speak Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. in MESA Room SC-202.

Keeping up on DVC lacrosseThe fast, hard-hitting, high scoring sport of la-crosse is soon to start as the Diablo Valley College Vikings, the district’s only lacrosse team, prepare for the upcoming season. Fans of the team are encouraged to sign up for the team’s fan list for updates on games and special events. For more information on the team and upcoming game schedules, visit www.dvc.edu/vikinglacrosse.

LMCAS faces change Adviser now set to work with Student Life


Drama Department Chair Nick Garcia delivering his keynote speech inside the Little Theater during “Equity in Action” Thursday, Aug. 13.

Pay to park, or pay the pricePermits now mandatory

By, JOSEPH [email protected]

Student Life Coordinator Demetria Lawrence, who served as adviser to the Los Medanos College Associated Students for four years, has stepped-away from her role with the student senate to work on other projects in the Office of Student Life.

The move follows more than a year of docu-mented tension between Lawrence and former LMCAS President Gary Walker, who now serves as both a LMCAS senator and as student trustee for the Contra Costa Community College District.

Lawrence’s re-assignment to different projects, including the Student Ambassador Program and student leadership programs, was announced by Dean of Student Success David Belman to the

By JOSEPH [email protected]

As of Aug. 24, the grace period of allowing parking without a permit on Los Medanos College’s Pitts-burg campus has been lifted. Monday was the official day campus police aides started handing out parking citations, costing students up to $48. Since parking permits for the semester are $40 for cars, $30 for motorcycle’s and $25 for students that qualify for the Board of Governors Fee Waiver.

“It’s better to pay one time then to pay in the long run,” said Devin Neville, a campus police aide.

Neville goes on to explain that students will not only have to deal with a loss in their pocket book, but could poten-tially experience complications with adding and enrolling in classes, requesting transcripts, transferring, as well as other potential student services that will not be made available until fines are paid in full.

“I prefer to walk to school because of the dif ficulties of parking and the constant complications with the day pass parking machines,” said student Kevin Almazan who has had frequent problems with parking on campus.

Other students believe it would be helpful if professors gave reminders to students in the beginning of the course regarding parking procedures. Some students say the biggest problem with parking is the machines only hand out the day parking passes.

Some of the most common complaints that students expressed are the unreliabil-ity of the parking machines, claiming they are outdated and the machines continue to take cash without giving a permit.

Neville advises that students be patient and try not to force cash into machines, since this is the most common problem with malfunctions.

He adds that students have the opportunity to purchase a parking permit for the whole semester of fall to avoid any parking citations at all.

By BRENDAN [email protected]

“Yeah, I’ll take that with me,” said Drama Department Chair Nick Garcia after placing symbolically shrouded items into his tool belt — bandages, a rolled up sock and a bag of M&M’S. He used his talents as an actor to reminisce about the events of yesteryear that aided his journey to becoming a teacher during the introduction of a new Los Medanos College project, “Equity in Action,” at a college-wide event Thursday, Aug. 13.

T h e p r o j e c t i s a i m e d t o -ward strengthening the bond be-tween staf f, faculty and students. Garcia laid the foundation of his key-note by sharing experiences from his childhood, some relating to his divorced parents, which helped shape his view of the world.

When he was four years old, Kool-Aid Popsicles had just come out. He made sure to get some when he went to the store with his mother. When they returned home, his father pulled up.

Garcia got in the truck, forgot about the popsicles and proceeded to run back into the house, followed by his father.

His mother slammed the door on his father, which led to a fight that landed his mother on the floor bloodied up.

The young Garcia thought it was his fault, even though all he want-ed were his popsicles. He said that his mom and dad fighting made him an angr y person for years. A few years later he was on a playground

with other children from divorced fam-ilies. He overheard conversations of the exchange of child support checks between parents of those kids.

After his mother remarried, he took his pent-up anger out on his stepfather.

“You’re not even my real dad, and the only reason you look out for me is

See PARK, page 6

senate during its weekly meeting Aug. 24.“I have asked Demetria Lawrence to take on

some additional and different duties in the office this year,” said Belman, adding that she “is going to need to step away from her role as LMCAS adviser this year.

“Based on some of these other programs that we’re looking for her to be working on, she’s not going to be able to also be working with student government,” he continued.

Problems in the senate began shortly after Walker was elected president in the fall of 2014.

During the spring 2015 semester, some members of the senate made an attempt to sanction Walker for allegedly behaving in an unprofessional manner.

The claim, ultimately withdrawn, led to the

revelation of the unworkable relationship between Walker and Lawrence.

The latest conflict between the two occurred over the summer after the Kumu Hina Elevating Diversity Conference June 17.

While the LMCAS Kumu Hina Committee deemed the event, spearheaded by Walker, a success, problems arose when Lawrence denied payments for services provided.

In an email sent to the senate following the event, Lawrence claimed that although the committee approved $1,000 for “marketing expenses,” it had not approved funding specifically for the photog-rapher, disk jockey and T-shirts.

“As such, I am unable to approve the check

QuotableL O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

Perspectives 2

The LMC Experience is published Fridays by students in the Journalism Program. The newspaper serves both as a laboratory for journalism classes and as a First Amendment forum for campus communication. Opinions expressed in the Experience are solely those of the students and do not represent the views of the college.

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E

ExperienceL M C e x p e r i e n c e . c o m

MemberCalifornia Newspaper Publishers Association

“Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without news-papers, or newspapers with-out a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

— Thomas Jefferson

Voices

Experience • Joseph Delano

F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

“We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

— David Brower

As the fall semester begins, new and returning students will be crowding the halls of Los Medanos College. This means new classes, new faces and unfortunately, more trash.

As students of this beautiful college, it is our job to help keep this campus clean not only for ourselves, but for others. I know I don’t enjoy walking around campus and seeing trash laying around.

LMC provides trash bins as well as new recycling bins for students to use.

While walking to class, I can see cigarette butts, cans and wrappers among the bushes and on the sidewalk. This is extremely disrespectful, not only to the environment but to the school.

LMC has made numerous improvements to the campus and the students who attend classes here need to respect the facility.

It should be a given that everyone on campus be courteous enough to simply throw away their trash and recyclables. Littering is not one of LMC’s main concerns, but it is one that needs to be addressed.

I cannot count the number of times I have seen students blatantly throw their wrappers and Styrofoam cups over their shoulders, simply because it is an inconvenience to walk 10 feet to the nearest trash can.

The trash that doesn’t make it into the bins ends up elsewhere, so not only is littering taking away from the beauty of our campus, it is also putting the local wildlife as well as the environment at risk for harm.

The damage might not always be visible, but as the saying goes, time will always tell.

There are many recycling bins located around campus, enough to the point where littering should not be an issue. It is rather upsetting that many do not care about the ramifications of their actions.

Some students may not believe that throwing their Skittles wrappers from their backpacks to the ground is a big deal, but it affects the campus and the environment more than you know.

The college should post more signs informing students about where they can discard their trash and recyclables.

In addition, the college should consider organizing campus clean ups. Even without a formal organized event, students can vol-unteer their own time to clean the grounds by picking up and disposing the trash they see on the ground. This will go a long way toward making the college look clean and beautiful.

I do not believe littering is considered a big deal by most people here at Los Medanos College, but I do think it is a problem that has become increasingly noticeable during my time as a student.

I do not go around looking for litter, but when there is trash lying around campus, it is extremely visible to say the least.

The custodial staff continuously works hard to keep the campus as clean as possi-ble. It is not up to us to dirty it as the day goes by, making their jobs more difficult in the process.

Together we can work to keep an eye out for litterbugs or quite possibly take matters into our own hands and to pick up any unwanted trash we see. It is not as tedious a task as one may think, but simply a kind action.

I personally do not want to learn in a dirty environment and this is why I do not contribute to the littering issue here at LMC.

LMC is a stunning campus, and deserves to be treated as such. It’s up to the students to determine whether or not they want a clean college atmosphere.

It does not take much time or effort to keep the campus clean. The students can be the first to put their foot forward and help keep LMC beautiful.

“They shouldn’t test on animals — it’s wrong.” At some point in your life you’ve probably heard someone say this. However, if you go further into depth about this issue, those same people will then talk about how it’s ok for them to be tested on for cosmetic or medicinal purposes.

This says they don’t care about animals at all. Some people are only against animal testing to make themselves seem like a better person and to feed their ego in front of others. It’s not like the animals have feelings or emotions.

According to the People for Ethical Treat-ment of Animals (PETA), around 115 million animals are tested on every single year, and this is just an estimate because not many places record how many animals they’ve used, which shows there are more animals being tortured for mankind’s advances.

Animals don’t have a voice to say no. They are forced to endure this pain. To add to this, animals react differently to certain chemicals and products. This is an inhumane practice.

What does being humane even mean anymore? If you look at human history, we’re anything but kind and this isn’t just talking about animals. We’re possibly the most violent and destructive species to roam the earth.

It seems our answer to almost every problem is to fight and start a war. Why?

I know animals can be aggressive too, but they act on instinct. We have a more advanced way of thinking we’re supposed to be the smarter species. Yet, somehow we still think violence is their only answer.

If asked whether a person would let his or her pet be used for testing, everyone’s first response is “No.” Then when asked why, they respond by saying because it would hurt the animals and they would be in pain.

If you know your pets could feel pain and you wouldn’t want them to get hurt, why don’t you feel the same way about other animals being tested on? According to Queen’s Animal Defense, “many animals such as nonhuman primates subjected to these or other experimental procedures exhibit symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”

According to Animal Aid, “thousands of chimpanzees have been used in useless experiments to find a cure for AIDS, but it is now known that, whilst it kills humans, AIDS won’t kill chimpanzees.”

You’d think that after finding out this knowledge, scientists would leave these poor primates alone. Yet they still continue to torture these animals.

Animals can’t speak up for themselves and are forced to go through physical and psychological trauma. If we were humane we would keep these animals from being tortured and let them be in their own habitat.

In order to help stop cruelty towards animals and testing donate to the Humane Society’s webpage at humanesociety.org.

Marissa PerryPERRY’S POV

Cristo TorresCRISTO’S CAUSE

Editorial

Help maintain a clean campus

Animal cruelty needs to stop

The Experience welcomes Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns. All members of the Los Medanos College community — stu-dents, faculty and staff — are encouraged to write.

If you are interested in expressing your opinions on campus, national or world issues, bring your submissions to room CC3-301 and put them in the Perspectives Editor’s mailbox or mail them to Experience c/o Los Medanos College, 2700 E Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. You may also send them electronically through the Experience online newsite lmcexperience.com. Letters and columns must be typed, signed and include a phone number for verification. They may be edited for clarity, content taste and length at the editor’s discretion.

rEadEr opinion policy

“Come to the library right away, go to the reference desk and meet wih the librarian ... she can help you get started in your classes.” — Kim Wentworth,

Library

“Being aware of your surroundings at all times ... keeping your possessions in a safe place on your person ... in the trunk.”

— Lt. Ryan Huddleston,

Police Services

“Do their orientation, assessment testing and their student education plan prior to trying to register for classes.”

— Robin Armour, Admissions

“Getting out of their own way, engaging in clubs, in groups and with their instructors and other students.”

— Sharon Wellbrook,

Biology

“Be patient. If you really want something go for it and don’t give up.”

— Diane Ahlborn, Brentwood Center

“Review your lecture notes right after class each day. Look into any programs such as EOP&S.” — Jaime Orozco,

Bookstore

Keep on pushing forward

The 50th anniversary of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 95th anniversary of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote coincided this month. As mem-bers of the Los Medanos College community, these landmark events have shaped our entire world perspective. While we cannot forget what got us to this place of inclusiveness that gives most people the right to vote the statistics say otherwise.

Only 24.6 percent of eligible voters voted in the recent 2014 elections, and of those eligible voters ages 18-24 only made 8.2 percent of the voters. Meaning if you are 18 -20, you are more likely to get arrested then to vote in an election.

The blood, sweat and tears shed should never be forgotten or taken for granted. It’s well known that Dr. King and the marchers in Selma, Alabama in 1965 on ‘Bloody Sunday’ put themselves in danger so that today we all could have the right to vote. Woman’s suffrage had been fought for since before the American Revolution and the right to vote for women goes hand in hand with issue such as contraception and education that women have both shaped and played and major role in for this country, these are also being revisited by repulblicans.

So why does the right to vote that is historically backed by the arguably two of the most landmark decisions in U.S. civil rights history also coincide with ,a largely republican backed, 2013 bill that some see as regressive? It retraces a vital part to the original Voting Rights Act.

The 2013 revision to the VRA has taken away the required preclearance for states with an racist past, such as Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. It also took away provisions that barred discriminatory voting laws from polluting the much fought for act. That along with new laws passed by Republican states that are ending integral voting pathways like early voting, last Sunday for the election voting, same day voting in some cases and new strict photo ID laws where passed before the ink had even dried on the 2013 VRA change.

Our country has a scary past and it’s imperative to remember this not only for our collective moral conscious, but also for any hopes we have in progressing. It’s frightening to think our delicate, still infant equilibrium we created with the VRA is being tampered with to say the least.

Americans pride themselves on a foundation based on freedom and equal rights but we still have issues, and as MLK Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

If that is the motto we live by, then surely the number of voter restriction laws being passed in historically racist states over the past two years should be cause for alarm.

In truth the only impact these new restrictive laws do is bar minorities, disabled individuals, those who live in rural areas, students, and the poor from being able to vote the way that they know how to. A lot of black churches go out to vote on the Sunday before Election Day, new laws restrict 16 and 17 years from preregistering to vote. Yet it’s not surprising that the individuals that are being restricted the most usually vote for democrats.

So what does this mean looking forward? Now more than ever before we have to realize the importance of voting. Our rights aren’t stagnant, they can be fluid and if you don’t want to see your right to vote become conditional to multiple restrictions then register to vote and contribute to this country’s political process. What’s even more important though is gathering a fair assessment from the American people as to how they want to be governed.

Experience • Joseph Delano

New year brings two new editorslEttEr From thE Editors

What advice can you giveto first time LMC students?C o m p i l e d b y J o s e p h d e l a n o & b r e n d a n C r o s s

Editors-in-Chief ...............DAMIAN LEWIN and

CASSIE DICKMAN

Perspectives Editor .....YETUNDE OGUNLEYE

Managing Editor...................JOSEPH DELANO

Campus Editor....................LISSETTE URBINA

Features Editor............BEATRIZ HERNANDEZ

Sports Editor.......................BRENDAN CROSS

Photo Editor......................CATHIE LAWRENCE

New Media Editor....................JAMARI SNIPES

Special Projects Editor..........LUKE JOHNSON

You never know what to expect at LMC. An experience can happen at any moment

that can shape your life and bring into light knowledge and interests unlike anything you ever thought to achieve. Whether it’s in the form of an informative textbook, an entertaining professor or like ourselves, a love of writing and finding out the “why’s, what’s, when’s, where’s and how’s,” it’s these experiences that are quintessential to the continuing achievements produced by students and faculty throughout the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses.

It is our goals for the 2015-16 school year as Co-Editors-In-Chief, to bring these many LMC experiences to readers of our weekly publication as well as our online news media outlets. For the both of us and the rest of the staff, our job is to provide you, the readers, with accurate unbiased news based on undeniable fact and reliable sources from students, staff and faculty on campus, as well as members of the local community.

While we hope you always enjoy the stories we produce, we understand that you may not agree, and may even question our sources and information. If that’s the case, then we’ve done our job. We will provide you with the details — it’s up to you to determine how you feel about it.

We look forward to the upcoming school year and all the experiences to come.

— Cassie Dickman and Damian Lewin

Days of madness

L O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

CampusQuotable

3Newswatch

F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

National Back to School MonthAs summer comes to a close, students all over the

country will celebrate National Back to School Month.Whether you’re a returning student ready to transfer

soon or this is your first year at LMC - the start of a new school year can bring fresh beginnings.

Here are some tips to try this semster:n There are clubs on campus fit for everyone, try

joining one.n Get more acquainted with your teachers and class-

mates. It’s good to be familiar with people in class, and they can always help when you need it.n Get more organized. Use a planner, color-code your

notes. Any organization is good organization. The autumn season usually marks a time of change

for many of us. What changes will you be making this school year?

Alpha Gamma back in actionWith a strong emphasis on community service, LMC’s

Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) is looking for more members to participate in their meetings, fundraisers and other club activities.

AGS is having their club orientation Sept. 4 in Library Room L-109 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. There will be cook-ies, drinks and ice-breaking games. To RSVP, visit www.losmedanosags.com/rsvp.

Daily cancellations onlineSave yourself from making an unnecessary trip to

campus for a class that has been canceled.Professors sometimes cancel classes unexpectedly

and often can’t tell their students in person. Other times students miss a class and don’t get the announcement made in class.

The LMC website offers a daily class cancellation page for students to see if their class has been canceled. For the list of daily cancellations, visit www.losmedanos.edu/classcancel.

The LMC Experience Facebook page also posts class cancellations as well as other campus updates. Visit www.facebook.com/lmcexperience.

LMCAS accepting applicantsThe Associated Students of Los Medanos College (LM-

CAS) is currently accepting applications for Senators or Representatives this fall 2015. Those that are interested in student government and leadership are encouraged to apply.

Requirements include maintaing a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. Those interested must submit the completed packet by Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. Fall semester applications are now available online.

Free campus tours availableUnsure of where to transfer? Sign-up for the Transfer

Center’s upcoming university campus tours: n Sacramento State: Sept. 18. Registration is openn UC Santa Cruz-STEM Day: Oct. 23. Registration

opens Sept. 23. The Transfer Center will provide transportation. For

additional information, registration, future tours and tour suggestions contact the Transfer Center at 473-7444 or check out its website losmedanos.edu/transfer/default.asp. The Transfer Center is currently located in Student Services, SS4-435.

Sharpen your business skillsLMC is offering a unique, focused Business Career

Academy during this semester. The “Fundamental Busi-ness Skills” Academy will prepare students for entry-level positions by providing instruction in the Microsoft Office Suite and in business math and English skills, skills valued by employers.

LMC business certificates provide skills needed for immediate employment, while preparing students for advancement to positions that require more in-depth knowledge of organization and business principles.

For more information and an application, see the East Bay Career Academy on the LMC website, or contact Melina Rodriguez at [email protected] or call (925) 473-7416.

Counselors ready to assistLooking to make an educational plan, or review your

current one? Do you need career advice or a personal coun-selor? LMC offers general counseling at both campuses.

Drop-in hours are offered throughout the week and change on a weekly basis. Students must have a student ID number and a photo ID to meet with a counselor.

Appointments at Pittsburg can be made in person, by calling the Counseling Department at 473-7449, or by visiting www.losmedanos.edu/counseling and clicking on the Make an Appointment link.

Appointments at the Brentwood Center can be made in person, or by calling 513-1625.

What’s lost may be foundLos Medanos College’s lost and found has numerous

items found on campus. If you have lost an item, check with Police Services, which is located on Level One of the main college complex building. Inquiries must be made in person or no pick-up will be made.

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”

— Ralph Marston

The Guy A. West Memorial Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge connecting Sac State with the American River Parkway and Campus Commons. It is named after CSU Sacramento’s first president.

Classrooms get smart

Photo courtesy of www.csus.edu

BY JAMARI [email protected]

Eleven classrooms on the first and second levels of the Los Medanos College Complex were updated over the summer in hopes of improving the learning environment. The classrooms sport new carpets, freshly painted walls and technology for instruction.

Some of the classrooms got upgraded to moveable desk pods.

“I was surprised when I first entered the room. The chairs looked futuristic. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say ‘spaceship’,” said student Martin Regin Magsombol. They can also be very helpful during class.

“They’re having us move around. It is more conducive to group work, so they have us turn around,” student Caitlin Patton said.

Though the students gave the up-dates generally positive reviews, the

remodel has not been a smooth one. Instead of a regular projector, there is supposed to be an interactive machine, which projects onto the whiteboard, allowing teachers to use the board as a touch-screen.

Once everything is installed properly, professors will be able to use the more advanced tools on the touch-screen. They will also have the option to di-rectly email students the notes from the board. A smartphone, computer and tablet could be connected to the board and display what is shown on the device. However, the classrooms were not completed when students came back to school.

“The installation has not been com-pleted as originally anticipated,” said Vice President Kevin Horan. “The vendor selected for the installation was not able to complete the work in

By KIMBERLY [email protected]

An excited collective of proud parents, friends and loved ones gathered around Los Medanos College’s football field the evening of May 20 to witness roughly 412 of the college’s finest graduates in what was LMC’s 41 commencement ceremony.

LMC Vice President Kevin Horan opened the ceremony with a short speech. He thanked everyone for coming out to witness the graduation, as it was a record event for the college.

The number of students graduating went up approximately 17 percent from last year according to Horan.

He then introduced Third Class Petty Officer Patrick McQuaid, who led attendees in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. After everyone was back in their seats LMC President Bob Krato-chvil approached the podium where he began to talk about how proud he was of “the graduating champions of 2015.” He attributed the success of the graduates to the hard work they put in and to the people who showed up saying “they’ve also had strong support from their fans.” He ended the speech with an inspirational quote from late basketball player and coach, John Wooden.

Next to speak was Contra Costa Com-

munity College District’s Board President, John Nejedley. He hopes those who are moving on from LMC remember their time at the school “with fondness and a sense of accomplishment.”

Chancellor of the CCCCD Dr. Helen Benjamin approached the podium after Nejedley, to speak. She congratulated the graduating class and joked that she knew some of the parents in attendance were finally happy to see their children on their way. She ended by quoting a section of Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go.”

Up next, Academic Senate President gave a short but congratulatory speech, thanking the graduates for all their hard work.

Classified Senate President Linda Koe-hler was introduced and after she gave attendees some background information on student speakers Journalism major Suzzanne Sperry and communications major Vivien Lewis.

Sperry was the first to speak. She spoke about her struggle to find a consistent balance between simultaneously being a student and motherhood. The importance of having a support system was heavily emphasized. “Some of us had that one person who believed in us.”

She noted LMC was accommodating and she expressed gratitude toward those

Improvements help despite an unforeseen setback


Students share their excitment about completing their education at the annual graduation ceremony May 20.


A graduating student shows her appreciation for her husband’s support by decorating her cap for the graduation ceremony.

Photos by Cathie Lawrence

Mustang Madness kicks off a new semester welcoming students to an eventful school year. To the left, Ruth Goodin gives Teniesha Little a free hot dog as Precious Davenport awaits her turn. The hot dogs were supplied by the LMC Student Life Organization. To the right, Boney, the unofficial mascot of Sandra Mills, Coordinator for the Center of Academic Support (CORE), makes his annual debut and contributes to the welcoming of students.

Class of 2015 raises the bar


Carlos Jimenez, Jose Puente and Miguel Navarro enjoy the comfort of the newly designed desk pods.

who helped her on her way. She said she heard LMC referred to as “Lost My Chance” which she felt was incorrect.

“I got to live my chance and I hope you do too.” Sperry ended her speech with an emphatic “Let’s celebrate!” after which people cheered and applauded.

Lewis then made her way to the po-dium where she began speaking about

See ROOM, page 6

See GRAD, page 6


Features 4Quotable

F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5

MarqueeMovies Just Released

n “No Escape” Rated R Genre: Action, Thrillern “American Ultra” Rated R Genre: Action, Comedyn “We Are Your Friends” Rated R Genre: Drama,

Music, Romancen “War Room” Rated PG Genre: Drama

“Hunchback” brought to SRCTStage Right Conservatory Theatre will be putting on

the classic story of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” by Victor Hugo. The play will be performed Aug. 28 through Aug. 30 at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center Theater located at 213 F Street in Antioch. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors and $5 for children 10 and under. For ticket sales, reservations or additional information call the box office at 216-4613.

El Campanil Theatre EventsThe El Campanil Theatre is located at 602 W. Second

Street in Antioch. For ticket sales and additional infor-mation call 757-9500.

n The Golden Follies are senior performers that will be performing a Broadway tribute with vocalist Mike Branson on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $12 for youth 17 and under.

n The story of the “Pied Piper of Hamelin” will be brought to life and performed by El Campanil’s Children’s Theatre with showings Friday Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets prices are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for youth 17 and under.

n The International Film Showcase will be showing a screening of Slovenian film “Class Enemy” Sunday, Sept 13 at 2 p.m. Tickets prices are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $7 for students.

n The Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra comprised of members ages 15 to 94 will be playing a concert entitled “Around The World in Eighty Minutes” Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $7 for students.

California Theatre ComedyThe California Theatre is located in Pittsburg at 351

Railroad Avenue. For ticket sales and additional informa-tion call 427-1611.

Known for his socio-political satire, Famecast Comedy Winner Shang will be performing a comedy show at the California Theatre Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance and $21 at the door. For more information on Shang and his act visit iamshang.com

— compiled from press releases and staff reports

“My winning is getting to perform. That’s my victory.”

— Kelly Clarkson

REVIEW

Artwork from “Roll Call 3: LMC Staff and Faculty Art

Exhibit!” Top left: Curtis Corlew’s kinetic photo

sculpure. Top right: “Dr. Frank’s Old House” by Kyoko

Campbell. Right: Julee Richardson’s “Taken.” Left: Justin Nogarr’s “The Odd

Couple.”

Experience • Cathie Lawrence See ART, page 6

See DRAMA, page 6

See SHOW, page 6

Employees ‘roll out’ creative art

‘Idol’ pieced together great show

Theater begins productionDrama prepares for two new plays this semester

Annual art exhibit now open

By BEATRIZ [email protected]

The Shoreline Amphitheatre was jam-packed with excited fans as Kelly Clarkson took the stage Sunday, Aug. 23.

As a part of her “Piece by Piece” tour, Clarkson had three openers. The night began with Coun-try-Pop artist Abi Ann performing a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Better Than Revenge” and some of her own original songs such as “Cage Without a Key.”

Next, Eric Hutchinson rocked the stage, even deciding to walk through the crowd during his act. His stage décor included an amusing banner that

read “Eric Hutchinson is pretty good” and almost like subliminal messaging, his performance leaves you feeling like Hutchinson is pretty good.

However, it was Pentatonix a pop a capella group who won season three of “The Sing-Off,” that impressed me with their stage presence and talent. Covers of songs such as “Cheerleader” by OMI and a Michael Jackson medley got the crowd up and moving. The audience also sang along to their original song “On My Way Home.” They even gave the audience a sneak peek of their new song, “Can’t Sleep Love.”

When Clarkson finally took the stage, she did not disappoint. Best known for

being the first winner of American Idol in 2002, her performance proved that despite the criticism that other artists from American Idol and similar shows have had regarding their live performance skills, she is still as talented as she was when she won. In fact, her vocals sound the same live as they do on record.

Throughout the night, Clarkson showed that she is still the down-to-Earth girl from Texas that people came to know as their “American Idol.” Her witty and somewhat awkward comments made her real and relatable.

There were a few surprises for the fans throughout the show such as the

By BEATRIZ [email protected]

A new school year has begun and the LMC Drama department is preparing for the two big shows they will be producing this semester.

The LMC Drama Department will be producing comedic play “Olé for Hollywood” which will be guest directed by Outreach Director Tyrone Davis from the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco. The show will explore the stereotypes of Latin culture in pop culture and the entertainment industry.

“It’s set at an awards show,” explained Drama Department Chair and Professor Nick Garcia, “It’s a sketch comedy”

Written by actor and play-wright Cris Franco, the show won an Honorable Mention for Best Ensemble at the Kenne-dy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in

2006. Franco will be brought in to write original material for the actors cast in the show.

“It’s the positive kind of of-fensive [humor],” joked Drama student and assistant director for the other upcoming play Tiffanie Moore, “It’s putting out there all the things that Hollywood has degraded Latinos for”

The production will be open-ing mid-October and will be performed in the Little Theater on campus.

While [Olé for Hollywood] is funny,” explained LMC student Elysse Green, “it will allow you to think about certain things as far as race.”

In early December, Garcia will be directing a dramatic Pulitzer-winning play entitled “Ruined” written by Lynn Not-tage, which also tackles issues on equity. The story is set in the Democratic Republic of Congo

By LAURENAE [email protected]

The Los Medanos College art gallery is showcasing the creativity of employees this week at Roll Call 3: LMC Staff and Faculty Art Exhibit! This exhibit features art ranging from paintings, framed drawings, photography and art videos.

The show opened Thursday, Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 24. A reception for the artists was planned for Thursday so people to could mingle and speak with them about their pieces.

Current journalism professor Curtis Corlew has several showpieces for this year show.

“As an art major, I have been doing this since the 70’s and have been participating in this art exhibit since the 90s when I was part time.” Curtis explains how he is interested in perceiving things and changing pieces that work with the ideas.

“The art show is a chance for the artistic faculty to show off their work and a chance to share what we can do. It is also very fun to see.”

LMC professor Joanna Perry-Folino, has a photography exhibit in the gallery showcasing dolls and a restaurant photo. She explained


Alante Blackman reading the play “Ruined.”

QuotableL O S M E D A N O S C O L L E G E E X P E R I E N C E

Sports F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 5“I don’t care if it’s a preseason game or not. You want to win.”

— Tarvaris Jackson

Jared Ambuehl REAL TIME WITH JARED

Football season set to hikeStangs look to get off to fast start


Defensive back Rayshaun Hicks, left, and lineman Eddie Yanes, back, try and defend against quarterback Julius Mozee, right, as he rolls out of the pocket during an Aug. 15 practice.

Soccer Schedule *denotes conference game

Opponent Date Time

Yuba* 9/15 4 p.m.

Contra Costa* 9/18 4 p.m.

@ Merritt* 9/22 4 p.m.

@ Folsom Lake* 9/25 6 p.m.

@ Solano* 10/2 4 p.m.

Mendocino* 10/6 4 p.m.

@ Napa* 10/9 4 p.m.

Marin* 10/13 4 p.m.

@ Yuba* 10/16 4 p.m.

@ Contra Costa* 10/20 4 p.m.

By JARED [email protected]

With three quarters of the Major League Baseball season in the books, only one of the two Bay Area teams is still in contention for the playoffs this year, and their season is hanging by a thread. Trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by two and a half games, the San Francisco Giants will have to catch them and win the National League West Division if they want to be one of the ten teams playing for the World Series title.

Sitting at a record of 66-59 with 37 games to play, the G-Men are in the midst of the toughest stretch of their season.

They have recorded a weak 10-13 mark so far this month, dropping six of their last eight to the three-headed monster mak-ing up the NL Central — the Cubs, Cardi-nals and Pi-rates.

The Giants squad still might make the playoffs, as it seems the Dodgers are trying to hand them the division. As of the last few weeks, it seems every time the Dodgers lose, the Giants lose. The good news for the Giants is they seem to have the Dodgers’ number when the two collide.

According to Eric Stephen of true-bluela.com, “The Giants have won 9 of 12 meetings with the Dodgers this season.” While they have taken care of business when it comes to the Dodgers, the Giants’ next five games are against the Cubs and the Cardinals, whom they have not fared well against lately.

Earlier this month, the Giants got a dose of the Cardinals’ pitching staff, which is setting all sorts of franchise records this season.

They also visited the not-so friendly confines of Wrigley Field in August where they got swept in the four-game series as rookies Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant lit up the stands with towering home runs.

For the Giants to make the play-offs, they need to get three of their best position players back healthy

and playing well. According to montereyherald.com, Joe Panik, the Giants’ All-Star second baseman, “has been ruled out until after the team heads to Southern California to play the Dodgers next Monday through Wednesday.”

Angel Pagan, the Giants’ best op-tion in center field when clicking, is striding though a rehab assignment in Triple-A Fresno. He collected two hits in Tuesday’s minor league game, and it should be no time before he is back at AT&T taking at-bats. But the Giants are going to need him to play as he did in previous years if they want to be locked down in the outfield, and this season his defense and hitting have declined.

The last key player the Giants are going to need soon if they want to pass the Dodgers and win the West, is out-fielder Hunt-er Pence. He is the leader and soul of

this team and when he comes back, the lineup will work the way it’s sup-posed to. Some of the pressure will be taken off Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt in the middle of the lineup, and right now it looks like they need his presence.

In the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons when the Giants won it all, they had better pitching from top to bottom. After Madison Bumgarner, the Giants’ pitching staff is suspect. Sabean and the front office of the Giants have, and will try everything to find the right mix of pitchers to keep the team afloat.

If the Giants want to make a run at the playoffs, they will have to go about it in a different way than they have been doing.

They will have to turn on the of-fense and score five a game, which is possible if everyone comes back healthy and performs well enough, to win the division.

But even if they claw their way into the postseason, the Giants have too many question marks to make it out of the National League to win another World Series.

Volleyball Schedule *denotes conference game

Opponent Date TimeSkyline Tournament (@ Skyline)

9/2 2:30 p.m.

Ohlone Tournament (@ Ohlone)

9/3 TBA

Cosumnes River Classic (@ Cosumnes)

9/4 2, 4, 6 p.m.

Monterey Classic (@ Monterey)

9/11 TBA

@ Alameda* 9/18 6 p.m.


Laney* 9/30 6 p.m.

Contra Costa* 10/6 4 p.m.

Football Schedule *denotes conference game

Opponent Date Time

Merced 9/5 1 p.m.

@ Monterey 9/12 6 p.m.

West Hills 9/19 6 p.m.

San Jose* 9/26 1 p.m.


@ Hartnell* 10/17 6 p.m.

Yuba* 10/24 1 p.m.

@ Redwoods* 10/31 1 p.m.

Shasta* 11/7 3 p.m.

@ Mendocino* 11/14 1 p.m.

Giants in thick of MLB playoff race

Academic accoladesExperience • Cathie Lawrence

The Mustangs score a first inning run during a 2-1 victory over the Solano Falcons March 21.

By BRENDAN [email protected]

Academic prowess appears to be just as important to the Los Medanos College Mustangs baseball and softball teams as on-field success as 15 combined sophomore players achieved 3.0 or higher GPA’s and were named to the Academic All-Bay Valley Conference Team at the end of spring semester.

Baseball head coach Anthony D’Al-bora said he was proud of his players’ accomplishments off the field and hopes to brag about the 10 alumni as they move on in their careers, baseball or otherwise.

“It takes a lot of toughness to be a great player and a great student, and we had 10 exemplary student athletes who took pride in the big picture,” said D’Albora.

Softball head coach Tim Rognlien shared similar sentiments as his coun-terpart skipper about his own players.

“When you consider the athletics, ac-ademics, family responsibility and work schedules these young ladies endured you realize their accomplishments were extraordinary,” said Rognlien.

Several of the student athletes also shared their thoughts on the honor of making the team and how they became motivated to thrive with both a mitt and a pencil.

“Coach ‘D’ had us do grade checks and constantly preached on how important grades were in terms of getting to the next level. I treated academics the same way as on the field and it got me an academic scholarship at the University of Nevada, Reno,” said baseball outfielder Cameron Darling.

Fellow teammate, pitcher Robert McLeod, said the mindset of the entire group was that of overall achievement.

“The whole team knew you had to be good in the classroom before you could be on the field,” said McLeod.

Softball star pitcher Jenna Leavitt is no stranger to receiving recognition, as she was a unanimous first team all-conference selection for her on-field play, but was also excited to add an academic award to her trophy case.

“I knew softball wasn’t what was going to make me successful in life. I knew my grades and my education were the most important,” said Leavitt.


Jenna Leavitt swings during a Jan. 31 twin bill last season.

By GARRETT [email protected]

After all the practicing and off-season adjustments, Los Medanos College is ready to kick off the fall football season Sept. 5 with a home opener against Merced College.

“As an athletic director, my expectations are always for our teams to do well,” said LMC Athletic Director Richard Villegas. “We always want them to strive to get into post season play, but the important thing is to have good student athletes who are taking care of business in the classroom and then taking care of the athletic portion on the field.”

To go along with achieving success on the field and in the classroom, also anticipate a few new faces on both sides of the ball.

From the freshman class, Alex Espinoza, Alex Bazan, Dylan Capps, De’Angelo Pow-ell, Michael Fonteno, Joseph Tolentino, Sohail Mohsini, Kyle Jordan, Jason Russo and Eddie Yanes have all been described by head coach Chris Shipe as players who “have come into camp and have made a differ-ence in a short period of time.”

These standout freshmen will be taking the field with some of the key players re-turning to the gridiron for their sophomore campaign.

Shipe called defensive backs Korey Alexander, Raymond Garcia, Jaiya Garcia, Marcus Fenderson, outside line backer Hunter Capps, and defensive linemen Matt Dekelaita “key

returners for us on the defen-sive side of the ball.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Shipe said quarterback Julius Mozee, tight end Marcus Franks, wide receivers Nick Garcia and Josh Jackson, offensive linemen Fernando

Nunez-Ruiz, Josh Murtaugh and Leonard Grillo are all essential players coming back this season.

After a 2-0 start to the season last year gave way to a 4-6 fin-ishing record, the Mustangs are looking to start hot and

stay hot throughout the length of the season — and it begins with setting that winning tone week one.

“To start fast we have to play well in the first game,” said Shipe. “The first game sets the tone. Our first game

is at home against Merced College, which has always been a competitive game over recent years. We will definitely take each week as an important game but the one right in front of us is Merced, and that’s the one we’re focused on at the

moment.”Mustang football fans can

stop by the LMC football field Saturday at 1 p.m. to cheer your team on.

For more information con-tact Shipe at [email protected].

Baseball and softball share the wealth


6WebFollow the LMC Experience online at lmcexperience.comBack Talk

PARKFrom page 1

LMCASFrom page 1

FLEXFrom page 1

ARTFrom page 4

SHOWFrom page 4

F R I D A Y , A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5


‘El Campanil Theater’ by artist Kyoko Campbell.

how she happened upon the photo of the restaurant.

“I walk 10 to 13 thousand steps a day — doctor’s orders. It started in July. It is now a practice and a discipline. The only way I could do it initially was to pick up my Canon, take my dog Brando and find a friend to walk with me. My photos, along with hun-dreds of others were taken walking through my neighbor-hood in Berkeley,” said Folino.

She then discussed both, the importance of art and the artistic process.

“A strange thing happened once I began. I could see my surroundings in brand new ways, with new eyes and sometimes from unusual perspectives. I think that is why we create ar t: to see things in new ways and to feel life more deeply. I walk much

further than my neighborhood now. I am walking the world,” she explained.

Art Gallery Director Judi Pettite discussed events that will be coming to the gallery, including the student art show later this year.

“I never know what I am going to get,” said Petite, who is happy about the qual-ity of the new shows and encourages people to see it.“Come out and join us, the more the better.”

“open mic night” segment, where she invites a person from the audience to sing a song on stage, “KC Classics” which refer to some of her older songs on her album that wouldn’t usually make it on to the set list and “fan requests” in which fans request a cover for her to sing at each show. This time around, she covered “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5.

One of the most touching moments of the night was during the performance of “Piece by Piece” in which Clarkson was visibly holding back her tears due to her connection with the song. She joked that her recent

pregnancy, which was an-nounced at her show in Los Angeles Staples Center, was the cause for her emotional reaction.

The show makes for the perfect mix between her new and old releases making it a memorable experience for fans of all ages.

and centers on the struggles of women during the civil war.

“These women who have had horrific things happen to them are still so strong and so full of love and resilience,” said Garcia.

According to Garcia, the show will also be worked on in collaboration with the English and Honors departments. Prior to the show, public speakers brought in by the school through a grant, will be giving speeches that address issues of equity within the community.

“It hits really hard with what happened in Congo during the war. It’s a real intense piece,” said Moore.

“Ruined” will be performed at the California Theater in Downtown Pittsburg.

Following its success last spring, “My Block”, written by LMC student Federico Bartolo, has the opportunity to be performed at the Kenne-dy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) next February in Denver.

Upcoming events to be put on by the department are to be announced.

“Expect not just great enter-tainment, but also lessons to think about and a great deal of truth,” said Green.

DRAMAFrom page 4

the agreed upon timeline.” Among problems that de-

layed the process was that the whiteboards had been shipped late.

“The vendor performing the installation had some unforeseen problems, which our IT department was able to mediate through temporary solutions,” said President Bob Kratochvil.

Currently, the college is working with the vendor to revise the timeline in hopes it is completed in the next few weeks. So far professors have not been able to use features such as connecting to the whiteboard projector.

“All that my teachers have done is use PowerPoint using the regular projector,” said student Evelyn Ortega.

Professor JoAnn Hobbs noted progress is occurring. “Last week, I did not have Internet access and this week I do,” she said, “I think they had to remove some of the equipment. Once everything gets returned, I think I am going to need to go through some training.”

Training and Development Coordinator, Courtney Diputa-do, sent out an email explaining how the technology would work and where to get trained.

“While you are waiting for the installation to be completed, stop by L-216 and try a demo unit of the Brightlink Pro collaborative,” said Diputado.

Horan said the rooms were funded mainly from two sourc-es: Redevelopment Agency Funds and the EXITO Grant. The Redevelopment Agency Funds come from Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and Brent-wood. In total, the agency has given LMC about $4.5 million.

“The cost per room is approx-imately $18,000. We updated 11 classrooms at an approximate cost of $198,000,” said Horan. “This did not include the costs to install new carpet, paint, whiteboards, and furniture.”

The grants were used to pay for the technology. Main-tenance funds helped cover the cost for things the other two grants couldn’t cover.

ROOMFrom page 3

the journey it took just to make it to that football field, which earlier Kratochvil referred to as a “field of dreams.”

She joked “Who wants to get up early and sit in class at eight o’clock on a Monday morning, or on any morning?” The crowd laughed and her speech took a more serious tone.

She said “making excuses is easy” and that sometimes, mediocrity is deemed as ac-ceptable, but that her number one personal driving force was ”the pursuit of excellence.”

“There is one thing I ask you to stand on and that is your education,” said Lewis.

She thanked those who helped her along the way and addressed those who showed up. “We feel the support and appreciation for our accom-plishments.” She garnered applause as she made her way back to her seat.

Finally it was time for the graduates to walk. They were to be introduced by soon-to-retire instructors Nancy Ramirez and Daniel Ramirez.

Attendees cheered as the first line of people got up and waited for their names to be called. Row after row of gradu-ates walked some showing off, and some just passing through with smiles on their faces.

In the middle of the cer-emony, the audience made a sinister noise as a strong gust blew note cards out of the hands of those who were helping present the class of 2015. Still, the ceremony waged on without mistake.

After the last person was called, both the audience and the graduates cheered and applauded.

Kratochvil then led the turning of the tassel in which the graduates stood and moved their tassel from the left of their caps, to the right.

The ceremony was officially over and as everyone made their way to various parts of the campus, the DJ played Kool and the Gang’s “Cele-bration,” Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and James Brown’s “I Got You” while the crowd sang and danced.

GRADFrom page 3

requests for payment,” wrote Lawrence.

After receiving critical pushback from members of the student senate, who be-lieved the expenses fell under the purview of “marketing,” the decision was made by Lawrence’s supervisors — Belman and Gail Newman, senior dean of student services — to approve payment for the services rendered.

“Based on the need to settle outstanding debts with exter-nal vendors … the payment by LMCAS for the Kumu Hina event T-shirts, photographer, and DJ have been approved for processing,” wrote Belman in an email.

The approval of funds fol-lowed a failed special meeting Aug. 3 to discuss the reason-ing for the denial for invoice payments. The meeting, adjourned just 15 minutes after it began, was largely a debate on why the senate was even convening during the summer session.

“I know you adjourned the meeting, but I think that putting this off for another three weeks is making things a lot worse, a lot more difficult for yourselves,” said Belman after the senate failed to make any headway in the meeting.

Lawrence did not attend the summer meeting, as she was reportedly preoccupied on the Pittsburg campus.

Walker said he believed the rejection of funding approval was intentional and personal, a lasting symptom of the lin-gering tension between them.

“I believe that Demetria acted on emotion and made a rash decision without thinking the entire situation through,” said Walker in an email, adding, “which is shocking behavior from an adviser of the student government.

“The committee was 100 percent correct in using the funding,” continued Walker. “There should have never

been a stop to the bills being paid, and I am happy to see that upper management overruled Demetria’s initial decision to not pay the invoices.”

Lawrence’s appointment to different projects, like the student ambassador program, is envisioned as a long-term move as the college is current-ly “relatively far along” in the process of hiring a permanent Student Life Coordinator, ac-cording to Belman. The new hire will replace Lawrence as the adviser to the LMCAS.

Belman is serving in an advisory role in the interim.

“This is a breath of fresh air and an opportunity for LMCAS to regroup and turn over a new leaf,” said Walker. “The first LMCAS meeting of the year went very swimmingly and I attribute this fact due to a lack of tension in the air that stemmed from the strained relationships with the adviser.

“It is great to see the com-fortable and educational envi-ronment return to LMCAS. I am looking forward to building strong relationships with the board members in a tense-free atmosphere,” he continued.

Belman commented that while Lawrence will no longer be working directly with the LMCAS, her tenure as its adviser will prove useful in her future duties.

“Drawing on her strengths from this past work, I have asked her to focus on in-creasing involvement in, and the impact of, the Student Ambassador program as it supports the offering of cam-pus activities,” said Belman.

“The many positive impacts she has had on LMCAS will be lasting,” he said.

Lawrence declined to comment on her transition from her position as LMCAS adviser.

The next weekly meeting of the Associated Students will be Aug. 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Library, Room L-105.

The LMC Student Services Newsletter that was issued on Aug. 17 reminded students and faculty that district-wide parking fees have increased as of Fall 2015 to $48 for cars, $30 for motorcycles and mopeds, while the day pass fees remains the same at $3.

Students who qualify for the BOGFW will only have to pay $25 for a permit. And if students are planning to attend late, or-start short-term, classes this fall, new mid-se-mester parking permits will become available for purchase on Oct. 12 this fall. For prices are as follow $24 for cars, $15 for motorcycles, and $13 for students with BOGFW these permits can only be ordered online through the LMC website.

“Pay to park its very simple,” said Officer Thomas Howe of the Contra Costa Commu-nity College District Police Department while offering a stern warning to new and continuing students attending LMC this fall.

However, parking is free on weekends.

“If students need help ordering parking permits or finding citation information the student welcome center is always here to help direct you to the right sources,” said Welcome Services Center Coordinator Carol Rogers.

In an email sent out last Wednesday by Barbara Cella to LMC faculty and staff, parking issues at the Brentwood cam-pus were addressed as well. Since parking is limited, it was suggested that students find alternative ways to deal with the issue such as carpooling with fellow students or riding your bike to school.

If you insist on parking, it’s recommended that students show up early. Students can also park further away. One suggested parking area is “Technology Way and Bus Center Drive, one block of Sand Creek Road,” according to the email.

It is also advised in the email that students make themselves aware of where the can and can’t park. “Parking is prohibited in all spaces surrounding the building to the west of the campus.” If you park in a restricted area, you can be towed.

In terms of parking issues on both campuses, taking the bus is also an option. According to the email, “Tri Delta Transit bus 391 has a bus stop right near the Brent-wood Center.” The bus goes to both the Pittsburg campus and BART. For information regarding bus scheduling, contact Tri Delta Transit at 754-6622 or trideltatransit.com.

For more information regarding parking citation information, contact the police office on campus at 231-1505, or if you’ve received a citation and would like to resolve it, go to contracosta.thepermit-store.com.

because you need that money that my dad sends,” he said. In response, his stepdad said, “You tell your dad, he can keep his money, I don’t need it. I’m still going to look out for you because you are my son and I love you.”

Garcia said that it was the first moment that anyone other than a biological parent had seen something in him.

After his introduction, he went on to discuss how un-derprepared he felt when he was researching on how to address the topic of equity with an end goal of getting students to have equal outcomes in the four underserved groups of the LMC community: African American males, foster youth, DSPS and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

He said those groups have the largest equity gaps when it comes to course, transfer and degree completion.

“I felt like I was asked to build this giant house and all I had was an empty tool belt. How am I going to find the tools to fit into this tool belt because nothing that I am reading is helping,” he said. Eventually, Garcia found an article entitled “Hearing Footsteps in the Dark” by Tyrone C. Howard that helped. It was a two-year study in Chicago that inquired what African American students thought the qualities of a good teacher were. Most students said that they enjoyed having teachers that care about them. He went on to use examples from that article, as well as other research and experi-ences from his life.

As his tool belt continued to fill up with gardening gloves, a butterfly ornament and other trinkets, to sum up that the greatest resource a teacher has is themselves and what they have gone through personally.

Garcia realized that using knowledge from his past was his best source when it comes to funneling that into taking an interest in the student to build a trust and a sense of community and ultimately get the best he can out of them.

After the keynote, five ses-sions were held; each focused on an aspect of equity. Some of the workshops included “Learning By Doing: Engaging All STEM Students Through Research Experiences,” facil-itated by Danielle Liubicich, science department co-chair, and Briana McCarthy, bio-logical sciences instructor, as well as “Strengthening Faculty/Student Athlete Relations,” led by Athletic Counselor Michelle Mack. In the latter, Mack discussed what a typical student athlete goes through on a daily basis in their time crunch of a schedule. She said that aside from regular classes, work and homework, conditioning and practice often take upwards of six hours a day.

Mack added that due, in part, to that schedule the athletes use their efforts for their respective sport more than they do in any of their classes because that is what they feel more successful in.

“We would like for them to prioritize school because in essence, they are a student, which allows them to be an athlete, but they don’t see themselves as that. They see themselves as an athlete [first], that’s their identity,” said Mack.

For Mack, the goal of this workshop was to raise aware-ness of the day-to-day rigors of the student athlete and how the faculty and staff in attendance could help put as much effort into what they do on the court or field into their academia.

Child Development Chair Janice Townsend, who also spearheaded the planning for this event, said more “Equity in Action” sessions will be held on the second Friday of every month, September through November, and added that the gathering was an overall triumph.

“The day was a huge suc-cess with about 100 various people engaged across the campus. I think as a college we are all committed to helping each student achieve their goals and be successful at LMC,” said Townsend.

Documents

Aug. 28, 2015 / Vol. 83 No. 1