WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 VOLUME 103 ISSUE 13

FIRST COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE, EACH COPY AFTER IS 25C

T H E M I L L E NN I A L I S S U ET H E M I L L E NN I A L I S S U E

This semester has been one of the most tumultuous

experiences of my educational career in journalism at Santa

Monica College. What started as a seemingly normal semester

of the usual news stories about the troubles students face

over parking, fees, late nights and daunting midterms, turned

into a media circus over the district’s controversial Contract

Ed program. Suddenly there were daily student protests, a

chaotic pepper-spraying incident that caught the attention

of the national media, and an atmosphere of vociferousness

among the community.

For this special issue, The Corsair decided to examine the

current generation, commonly known as “Generation Y” or “The

Millennial Generation.” Within this issue, we’ve explored, to the

best of our ability, the struggles and triumphs of a generation

clamoring to find its own way amid turbulent global changes

in society, technology, and culture.

The Millennial Generation, which can be summed up as

anyone born between the mid-80s and the late-1990s, is a

unique generation is many respects. In many ways, this is a

generation that has no precedent or equal like it. Born at the

crossroads between a world with no Internet and suddenly

ubiquitous connectivity, the current generation stands to

inherit a world that bears little resemblance to any other time

in history.

This, however, while valid to a great degree, is not entirely

true.

While putting this issue together, Andy Riesmeyer, our News

Editor, Nathalyd Meza, our Managing and Design Editor, and

I visited the library on the main campus to sort through The

Corsair’s archives, to find front pages from pivotal points

in history. We chose landmark events that shook the world,

triumphs and tragedies that left indelible marks upon the

generations that experienced them. But while going through

the archives and reading articles written by journalists from

years past, we came to see that the issues facing us today are

hardly new. It left us with the distinct impression that we were

reliving history in a very active sense.

I couldn’t help but wonder where the journalists who wrote for

The Corsair all those years ago were right now; what careers

had they chosen? How many are alive, and how many have

passed on? Did they imagine that we, the students of 2012,

would be facing some of the very same problems they faced

while they were reporters in school? In an issue of The Corsair

from September 27, 1978, the SMC president at the time said

that tuition might be only a year away. Surely, students today

will laugh at the innocence of those times, and how far we’ve

fallen from that gilded age.

But consider for a moment that in that very same issue

from ’78, it was reported that students were struggling to

find parking, just as we do today. The Associated Students,

it was reported on May 13, 1970, delayed their elections four

times due to publicity issues connected to the A.S. election,

and eight days of protests at SMC that were a reaction to the

Kent State Ohio shootings on May 4, 1970. Looking at these

articles, barely a week after our own publication cataloguing

the problems that plagued the recent A.S. elections, and the

weeks of coverage over students being pepper-sprayed on

April 3 and the weeks of on-campus protests that followed, the

sense of reliving history was visceral.

The best thing I can do for this page is to write what will

serve us not only for today, but also for posterity. As so-called

Millennials, the access we have to history at our fingertips is

virtually instant. Having the ability to relive history in the sense

I’ve described above can give us a renewed sense of purpose in

our generational struggle. To use music as a comparison, there

are no new notes—only new combinations and interpretations

of them. While this modern age may seem to be changing on

a daily basis, and on a global scale, the issues we face are, for

the most part, just variations on a past theme.

CONTENTS

thecorsair 8d

E D I T O R I A L S T A F F

Nathan Gawronsky ··············Editor-in-Chiefco r sa i r . e d i t o r i n ch i e f@gma i l . c om

Nathalyd Meza ·················· Managing Editorco r sa i r .manag i ng@gma i l . c om

Andy Riesmeyer ······················· News Editorco r sa i r . n ewspage@gma i l . c om

Amber Antonopoulos ··Health + Life Editorco r sa i r . l i f e s t y l e page@gma i l . c om

Jacob Blackoff ·························· A & E Editorco r sa i r . c a l enda rpage@gma i l . c om

Mia Shilpi ······························ Opinion Editorco r sa i r . op i n i onpage@gma i l . c om

Paul Alvarez ···················· Multimedia Editorco r sa i r .mu l t imed i a@gma i l . c om

Michael Yanow ·························Photo EditorAnisa El-Khouri ······················· Photo Editor

co r sa i r pho toed i t o r@gma i l . c omDavid J. Hawkins ························Web Editor

co r sa i r .webed i t o r@gma i l . c omNathalyd Meza ······················· Design EditorAlfredo Avila ····························· Design Staff Elham Sagharchi ·······················Design Staff co r sa i r . d e s i gn t eam@gma i l . c om

Jhosef Hern ·································Illustrationco r sa i r ca r t oon@gma i l . c omS T A F F W R I T E R S

Yair Avila, Vanessa Barajas, Christian Carrillo, Peter Cheng, Chelsea Cobbs, Faye Crosswhite,

Henry Crumblish, Sarkis Ekmekian, Melina Flores, Dylan Futrell, Chavi Gourarie, Erica Gunn, Robert

Gutierrez, Justin Hinton, Tea Jovanovic, Luana Kasahara, Brigette Martinez, Zoryana Melesh,

Samantha Perez, Mai Sims, Susanna Svensson, Christinia Sziatinszsky, Cinthia Vera, Israel Villacota,

Sophia Villegas, Nadine Weiland

P H O T O G R A P H E R SJose Balderas, Daniela Berzuini, Jeff Cote, Sydney

Forneret, Marine Gaste, Adrian Galicia, Carrie Jesenovec, Ian-Thomas Kagihara, Asta Karalis, Linda

Konde, Guy Mokia, Michael Price

F A C U L T Y A D V I S O R SS a u l R u b i n

G e r a r d B u r k h a r t

A D I N Q U I R I E S( 3 1 0 ) 4 3 4 - 4 0 3 3

c o r s a i r . a d c o n s u l t a n t @ g m a i l . c o m

2 weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

adriangalicia Student life.

Nathan GawronskyEditor-in-Chief

Tackling an issue for Millennials

NEWS

3Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica College

Volume 103 Issue 13

Olivia Dillard, a 21-year-old nursing student at Santa Monica College, says she once had a dream for the way her life would work out. She planned on fi nishing school and landing a job to buy a home. She dreamed of marriage, kids and maybe getting a dog. Dillard’s idea of the dream was a common

one but now, she may be rethinking her plans. New studies about the emerging Millennial generation’s perception of the American Dream are showing that Dillard might not be alone in her skepticism.Santa Monica College Chair of

Philosophy and Social Science, Christine Schultz, sees the Millennials, who are currently in there twenties, as a blindly optimistic generation. “They believe in the American dream, they are idealists,” she says. “But they don’t have much concern for their long-term futures or home buying.

They assume it’s going to happen.” In some ways, this up-and-coming group

of adults are more prepared than any other American generation - they are the most educated so far. According to the Pew Research Center, a Washington DC based non-profi t think tank, 54 percent of Millennials have some college education, slightly edging out their Generation X older siblings at 49 percent, and blowing away their Baby Boomer parents at 36 percent.This high education rate is partly due to

the Great Recession, Schultz says. With fewer jobs available than in previous emerging generations, Millennials have more limited options beyond continuing education after high school. Schultz also thinks that the birth control

pill has a lot to do with the Millennials’ penchant for success. She characterizes them as, “the fi rst generation of truly wanted children.” Schultz adds that the

smaller families provide more resources and encouragement from their parents than previous generations.Pew’s study also shows that the Millennials

don’t view themselves as particularly hard workers. Young people are the only group that doesn’t consider “work ethic” as a distinguishing factor of their generation, according to a 2010 report. Despite this, they still mirror older generation’s values in many ways, with being a good parent ranking as their most important goal.According to Shultz, Millennials are a

highly educated group but with mediocre work ethic. Shultz says that one of the main concerns among Millennial job seekers is time off. In a poll conducted by ABC News and

Yahoo in September 2010 only half of the population believed hard work yields success. Only 43 percent believed that this version of the American Dream was ever true. Better-educated people were more enthusiastic than others perhaps explaining why these young well-educated cohorts remain confi dent of their future success despite the current harsh economic environment.Dillard says that she’s skeptical of

following her original path because she worries some get caught in a life they don’t want. She cites changing cultural norms and an increasing divorce rate as evidence. US census data shows that many young women are now waiting longer to marry as the percentage of unmarried women between 25 and 29 years old has increased from 27 to 47 percent between 1986 and 2009.However, Dillard is not completely

negative when talking about the American Dream. She still thinks it is possible to achieve wealth and power from humble beginnings but admits it takes a combination of hard work, discipline and luck.

Effort and a college diploma no longer provide a guarantee of a success career, she says. Dillard was much more skeptical about her future job prospects before changing her major from communications to nursing.A new Rutgers University report,

“Chasing the American Dream: Recent college Graduates and the Great Recession” paints a less optimistic picture of the future outlook for Millennials. Data from the study shows that only one fi fth of young adults believe they will have more success than their parents. One out of three believe that, “hard work and determination are no guarantee of success,” and a quarter believed that “success in life is pretty much determined by outside forces.” Twenty-one-year-old Engineering major

Ikenze Ozuah refl ects the results of the Rutgers study. “It’s all about networking and not all about college then a career,” says Ozuah. Despite his doubting of higher education, Ozuah is confi dent in his own future; he hopes to own more than one home someday.For those SMC Millennials who plan to

remain in Santa Monica, hopes of future home ownership may be bleak. Census data shows that only 29 percent of Santa Monica residents currently own a home. The median household income in the city was around $69,000 while the median home price was $985,500 between 2006 and 2010, according to the same census.Twenty-year-old junior, Isabel Bolla, feels that the classic American Dream is a historical concept. Bolla is not concerned about home

ownership; she has always lived in rented apartments and plans to continue doing so. She doesn’t want to get “sucked in” to a mortgage, preferring the freedom of renting. Like many of her peers, Bolla’s only dream right now is to fi nance and complete her education.

Millennials and the

American Dream

Peter S. ChengSTAFF WRITER

As the presidential election approaches, candidates are preparing to court Millenials as part of their strategy for success. President Obama relied heavily on the youth vote in the 2008 election, and is pushing his youth agenda in order to keep from losing to challenger Mitt Romney in the fall.In early April of this year, a casual President

Obama took to the stage at the University of North Carolina with sleeves rolled up, devoid of a suit jacket to match his black pants. He stood on the wooden platform affi xed with ‘President of the U.S.A’ seal, and emphatically shouted “thank you” to the warming crowd. In his speech he spoke about debt from

student loans, garnering the attention of the crowd. “Michelle and I, we’ve been in your shoes,” said the President. “Like I said, we didn’t come from wealthy families, so when we graduated from college and law school we had a mountain of debt. When we married, we got poor together,” he added jokingly.Still, President Obama weighed in on the

benefi ts of college education. He said, in short, that the income of a person with a college degree is twice as much as someone without a high school diploma. He encouraged the value of education

saying that the unemployment rate of someone with a college degree is about half of the national average. The crowd nodded in agreement. It was

as if President Obama validated that all of the time and money they had spent on education was worth it.President Obama realizes the Millenials

are just as crucial to his success in winning reelection this fall as they were in 2008 with campaign stops at colleges and universities across the country. Frequent topics include student loans and debt, rising tuition and aspects of public and private education fi nance. At live speeches, it appears the President is

reaching young voters. Obama is met with shouting applause from crowds at rallies like the one at UNC. But things may be different today than they were four years ago. According to the Daily Beast, the

President’s campaign should be wary of some not so reassuring polling numbers. “Young Millennials today are dramatically less politically engaged and less enthusiastic,” said the Daily Beast. “Just 64 percent are registered to vote, compared to 73 percent four years ago. And just 50 percent of college-age youth approve of [Obama’s] performance overall; that’s fi ve points less than their 25-to-29-year-old peers.”

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has a slightly different approach to winning this years’ election and isn’t focusing on the youth vote as much as his opponent. According to his newly released $1.3

million dollar ‘Day One’ advertisement campaign, he is driving home a three-point plan. The plan is said to include approval of the Keystone Oil pipeline program, an introduction of tax-reform and the dismantle of President Obama’s health care law. In short, Romney’s plan is about energy, economy, and health care. Romney’s forecasts cutting income, investment and corporate taxes and eliminating the estate tax. In addition, Romney wants to return health care decisions to individual states, and create incentives for more effi cient health care delivery; a tactic much different than state-sponsored “ObamaCare.”Millenials who are voting are vocal about

their opinions on the candidates. “Obama’s plan is confusing to be honest,” said political science student Isaac Murillo. “I see that his aim is the youth vote, but what else does he plan to do? I know it’s out there and he’s said it, but I feel like it’s all over the place, and confusing!” Murillo said, laughing.Nearby student Jessica Camacho couldn’t

disagree more. “Obama is a president for us, for the young, college students. His plan has our best interest in mind,” she says. “Whereas I never heard Romney once mention student loans, tuition, or anything in his plan for education. So in this case I don’t know how you can go against Obama.” So what effect does Santa Monica College

have on the upcoming election? “I don’t think SMC does much to encourage students to vote,” said Camacho. “I think that college students tend to think that they don’t have a voice or that what they think isn’t as important as a 40-year-old much more informed person. And I think colleges just stand back and don’t really say or do much to contradict that view,” continued Camacho. “I think the Occupy movement is the

biggest acknowledgement of student voters, because it involved so many college students across the country. It was a huge opportunity for young people

to really have a voice and I think that actually might have a say in the election because now there are so many more politically-involved students that want to say what they couldn’t at the Occupy movements,” stated Murillo.Members of the Associated Students have

spent time encouraging students to register to vote by setting up voting campaigns on campus. Voting day this year is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

NEWS

4

Millennials and the

November 2012 ElectionsSMC: Then and now

Lissette GomezSTAFF WRITER

Henry CrumblishSTAFF WRITER

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Santa Monica College, located between Pearl St and Pico Blvd has beckoned students in search of higher education since its inception in 1929.SMC is now home to over 30,000 students, and boasts a long list of diverse alumni from Laila Ali to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Monica Lewinsky.While academic achievement has always been the primary goal of SMC students, SMC also excels in promoting a diverse campus. The college has had so much success in attracting students from different backgrounds, that identifying a typical student is diffi cult.In addition to SMC being the number one

transfer school in the state, it also boasts the largest population of international students of any community college in the nation. The majority hail from South Korea, China, and Sweden, all of which have over 100 students enrolling at SMC annually, according to numbers released by the school."Americans don’t realize how good the education system is here,” said Taynara Moura, who came from Brazil to further her studies in Liberal Arts and Humanities at SMC. Moura learned about the organization of student government, and has applied to be the ambassador for President and Superintendent Dr. Chui L Tsang. The diversity in backgrounds and personalities has aided in shaping the college’s identity and reputation. This variety is refl ected by the numerous clubs found on campus; the Black Collegians, the Latino Student Union, and the Iranian Students club, to name a few. With rising tuition costs, recent cuts to education, and California’s volatile public school system, an increasing amount of students have found themselves turning to SMC to further their studies, according to studies conducted by the school.David Alas, a 24-year-old Cognitive Science

major, is a typical SMC student with a not-so-typical past. Alas is an army veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq and enrolled in classes at SMC after returning to the U.S.“The fi rst year was tough, I won’t lie. I didn’t get along with anybody except fellow veterans, and usually the older students,” said Alas. According to the college, in 2007 the average age for an SMC student was 25.06, but dropped to 24.4 in 2011. Students 24 and younger account for 71.2 percent of the student population. But Alas doesn’t agree, “I very rarely meet

students who are around the same age as me,” he said.“It was diffi cult transitioning from someone who used to jump out of

perfectly good airplanes to sitting in a classroom hearing kids straight out of high school complain about how hard their lives were,” he said.Alas found that the Veterans Resource Center helped him get reacquainted with civilian life. The VRC provides information regarding scholarships for veterans, and plans community outings such as fi shing trips. “It took me a while to readjust, but now I don’t have any diffi culties socializing or getting along with others. If anything, my friends are always shocked at how I always strike up random conversations with people anywhere, anytime,” said Alas. Moises Perez is a second-year SMC student who took a year off after high school due to complications in acquiring his diploma. Perez, a full time student, credits his collegiate academic success to a newfound outlook on life and sense of motivation, though he didn’t always see it that way.“In high school I eventually just gave up and told myself I was going to go to a community college,” said PerezPerez has a different view of the student body than Alas. “I see tons of students here every day, and I used to assume they were all here at SMC as a last resort like I was. It was only until I realized my thinking was fl awed that I was able to better relate to my fellow students,” said Perez.While it’s true that SMC’s open admission policy grants higher educational opportunities for those who don’t excel in high school, not all are here because they have no other options.

Film major Christophor McGovern was accepted into the New York Film Academy out of high school but chose to come to SMC to get his general education requirements out of the way. “I could have gone to New York right after graduating but I chose to attend SMC classes because of the reputation of the campus and the economical class prices,” said McGovern.Aside from the teaching staff and the unique

variety of classes found at SMC, many students enroll at SMC for the equivalent of a university education at an affordable cost.In recent weeks, various student protests against budget cuts and tuition increases have raised questions about how affordable classes will be in the future at SMC.According to the Federal Reserve Bank of

New York, the amount owed in student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in the U.S., and has students thinking about their education expenditures more than ever.Alas says, “I’m having an amazing time

here at SMC. If you’re not, you’re doing something wrong.”

Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

3 | NEWS

5

Justin HintonSTAFF WRITER

Twenty-year-old Santa Monica College student Chris Guisa looks like every other Millennial. He has a mustache, the latest in trendy clothing, and most notably, he’s texting on his phone. But just because Guisa looks like your run-of-the-mill Millennial doesn’t mean he thinks like them. He is bucking a trend among more and more young American adults – he is religious. Guisa is a practicing Catholic.Millennials are a brash group of tech-

savvy young adults born after 1982. They love iPhones and Facebook, and can hardly remember a time when the Internet wasn’t king. The Baby Boomers and Generation X’ers have had their time; it is this generation of “tech babies” that is shaping America’s future.While these Millennials are shaping

the future of the nation and the world, they’re going about it a totally different way than their previous generations—more and more without the guidance of organized religion.A recent survey conducted jointly by

Georgetown University and the Public Religion Research Institute shows college aged Millennials are more likely than the general population to reject religious affi liation. The fi nding also states just less than 40 percent of

those studied say that the Bible is a book written by men and is not the word of God.Not only are more and more

Millennials rejecting religion as their parents and grandparents knew it, but the study also claims that 62 percent of those studied believe that present day Christianity is “judgmental.”That’s a drastic change from a country

that was founded on the phrase “One nation, under God.”So, what are the reasons for this

trend? Is this tech generation so busy and enamored with other options that taking part in religion has been put on the proverbial back burner?Millennials, who are the most ethnically

diverse generation in the nation’s history, are more open to religious freedom and diversity than their past generational counterparts. According to Jesus Juarez, a religiously

unaffi liated 19-year-old SMC student who didn’t grow up in an overly “religious” household, the steady decline in religious affi liation among Millennials could be due to the perceived cultural demands religious devotion entails. “People just aren’t as committed these days,” he said.And although Georgetown University’s

recent study may suggest religion is taking a backseat in the younger generation, Delis Alejandro, Pastoral Associate and Director of Outreach and Pastoral Care at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, sees it differently.Alejandro claims that St. Monica’s

Young Ministering Adults group has “good attendance” numbers and that they haven’t seen a decline in young churchgoers. “St. Monica’s is a big regional church and specifi cally outreaches to those in their 20’s and 30’s,” she said.But even churches like the popular

St. Monica’s are adapting to the future generations’ desires like adding more music to their services. Alejandro says she thinks that the addition of a band that plays more updated songs helps keep younger generations interested.“They want music, liturgy, and lyrics

that speak to them,” she said.While St. Monica Catholic Church

has employed these creative methods to increase church membership, Alejandro said the Catholic Church has noticed a decline in membership for younger generations.Alejandro hints that this issue may lie

on the shoulders of the parents.“There is always a hesitancy in this

age range,” she says, “and a lot of these young adults were only baptized, or they were only involved in their early years, and that was it.” Guisa, who grew up in a devout

Catholic family and recently did his fi rst confession, agrees with Alejandro’s sentiment. “Maybe their parents just didn’t talk about religion,” he says when referring to his Millennial brethren. Said Guisa, “A lot of my friends were taught religion, but now they don’t practice.” “Future generations,” he added, “are

more interested in listening to Justin Bieber than in practicing religion.” It is possible that these future

generations—including Millenials—are replacing organized religion with celebrities and media. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reports that Millennials “consider money, image and fame more important than values like self-acceptance and being part of a community.” For Chris Guisa, though, this trend is

one that won’t be affecting him.“When I’m having problems in my

life, I pray,” said Guisa. “I really am grateful. It has made a huge difference in my life.”

Millennials may be rejecting religion, study says.

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weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

OPINION

6

Is education still worth it?

OCCUPY WALL STREET:

Dead or Hibernating?

Was there ever a time in Generation Y’s educational career where we did not hear the phrase ‘go to college’? That was the norm since kindergarten; study hard so you can get into a good college, get a degree so you can get a great job, and then fi nally, you can live happily ever after.For most students, those all-nighters and

early mornings have been fueled by the idea that their hard work will pay off in the long run – that it would all be worth it when the American Dream was achieved.James Truslow Adams’ defi nition of the

American Dream went, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each, according to ability or achievement.” Adams defi ned the term in 1931 and the idea has not changed, even though times certainly have.As Santa Monica College Sociology

Professor Guido Del Piccolo put it, “the American dream is based on the idea that if you work hard enough, you will make it. If we can get people to believe that, then they do indeed work very hard and their hard work enriches others far more than it enriches themselves. Because we believe it, we continue to pursue it.”What Generation Y has been taught is

that through education, the American Dream will be achieved, and that lesson was not 100 percent wrong.Two generations ago a moderate lifestyle

was achieved with a high school degree, yet now Gen Y must earn a Master’s degree to not only live like their parents but to live better than them.“It’s pretty much guaranteed that you

won’t improve your standard of living if you don’t pursue education, though there are some anomalies,” said Del Piccolo.Those anomalies were people like Mark

Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, and Steve

Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple. They dropped out of college and became billionaires. These people, according to Professor Del Piccolo, were in the right place at the right time with a “certain set of skills,” and cannot be considered a consistent path to success for this generation.Having said that, most of us probably

will not become mega millionaires, much less billionaires. But through education, our chances of improving our standard of living are better if we stick it out.With the economy in the tank and the

job market being as volatile as it is, this ‘work hard and be rewarded’ state of mind cannot be guaranteed.In Reuters Senior Personal Finance

Correspondent Linda Stern’s article “Generation Y: Educated, underemployed, and in debt” she stated, “Gen Y is a smart, educated and agile cohort. Its members are socially networked and digitally savvy, but they have been seriously set back by a troubled economy.”Graduating classes of have been shocked

to fi nd that the jobs they’ve been working

towards are not hiring, and they get stuck paying the price tag of their degrees, regardless of their unemployment. So, if you paid say $40,000 for a degree but only fi nd a minimum wage job, is that degree worth it?“If the purpose of education is only to

increase an individual’s standard of living and get them into particular jobs, then the answer is no. If the purpose of education is larger than that, and it’s not just about the jobs we get, but rather how we think and how we act as citizens, then perhaps,” explained Del Piccolo.In an ideal world, people would go to

college and earn degrees to become better and well-rounded individuals, but the fact is that we go to college to get good jobs and earn more money. Eighty-six percent of students are enrolled in college or university for those reasons while just fi ve percent attend to better themselves.Contesting the current norm is the fi rst

step to real change. If there is anything that recent protest movements have taught us, it is that there are always people who do not agree with the norm and will take action against it, and they are the ones who enact change.“Even when we question it, we often

don’t have the tools to imagine things any differently and therefore we begin to engage in the same behavior. We continue to act as if the American dream is real even when we don’t believe it,” said Professor Del Piccolo.When we stop putting emphasis on the

monetary value of degrees and higher education, only then are those pieces of paper actually worth something. When the American Dream is either altered or replaced with an individual’s idea of what they should strive for, their own idea instead of society’s, then higher education is worth every penny.

For Joshua Hillsburg, Occupy Wall Street meant hope.Hope he badly needed.An 18-year-old pharmacology student, he

spent many nights tossing and turning in bed, worrying about the obstacles that lay ahead of him – mounting college expenses, an uncertain job market, and fl agrant abuses of power in the highest echelons of society, to name a few. He admired “the 99 percent” fi ghting the

good fi ght in Zuccotti Park, reassured that their plight resonated with his own worries.“The movement really spoke to me on a

fundamental level,” Hillsburg said. “It felt like I found my voice.” After hearing about the Occupy L.A.

protests, he drove fi ve hours from school in Santa Barbara – after class, of course – just to attend. He was sure that this was going to be a defi ning moment of his age, a moment where his generation fi nally took the future into their own hands.Or at least that is what he had hoped.There is probably no better expression of

Gen Y frustration and concern than the Occupy movement. The protests started last September with Occupy Wall Street, and in the following weeks and months

spread across the country like wildfi re. But the furor of Occupy’s discontent has

passed.Now, little more than eight months later,

the movement has all but disappeared from the national dialogue. Most were quelled by authorities; be it by baton or by eviction notice, the largest protests were crippled by the end of the year.Police intervention, however, was not the

only problems the movement faced.Hillsburg, once an adamant supporter of

the movement, admits that he lost interest.“I lost sight of the goal,” he said. “A lot of

people were shouting from their soapboxes, but I didn’t see much getting done.”And he is not alone. A recent NBC/

Wall Street Journal Poll shows that public support for the protests has almost halved since the movement’s peak in November, from 29 percent to 16 percent.The group simply could not agree on a

focused strategy. Protestors’ goals have ranged reasonable – like the passing of more stringent tax laws for the rich and the lowering of student loan interest rates – to absurd, such as abolishing capitalism, borders, and foreign debt entirely.“Everyone, myself included, seemed

to have a different idea of what we were actually protesting,” Hillsburg said. “The

people who knew what they were talking about were drowned out by those who didn’t.”However, Michelle Pederson, a UCLA

student who has attended multiple protests including Occupy L.A., says that is the nature of the beast.“People have a right to protest,” she said.

“Some are louder than others, but the Occupy movement is all-inclusive.”However, Occupy’s leaderless structure

has led to an inability to directly enact political change.Conversely, Tea Party protesters have

profoundly impacted the Republican Party, for better or worse. Tea Party-backed candidates are forcing their way into congress, usurping more moderate candidates and pushing their brand of right-wing politics.The Tea Party has left the streets. Right

now, they’re stuffi ng envelopes, registering voters, updating the phone banks – in other words, they are getting their act together for Election Day.Most Occupy protestors would rather

disembowel themselves before taking cues from such a diametrically opposed movement, but it is a way to move forward. But there may be another route.While the movement has lost steam since

it reached critical mass last year, it may have found hope right here in Santa Monica.The developing saga of Contract Ed

presents an interesting opportunity. The Occupy movement and the fi ght against Contract Ed are kindred spirits: both claim to want equal opportunity and the destruction of wealth privilege.In essence, the Occupy movement has

piggy-backed onto the recent Contract Ed protests, with impressive results so far.Maybe the future of Occupy doesn’t lie in

massive, vaguely defi ned protests. By laser-focusing on select issues on a local scale, the movement could enact more change than it ever did in its previous incarnation.But, no matter how you look at it, whether

the movement itself is truly dead, or only in hibernation, it is undeniable that underlying spirit of the movement will live on.When asked about the protests in a recent

interview, President Obama said that they are “one vivid expression of a greater anxiety.”Hillsburg and most of Generation Y

would be inclined to agree. Whether we identify ourselves as the 99 percent or simply as college students trying to scrape by, our discontent, our frustration, and consequently, our hope, is far from gone.

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Samantha PerezSTAFF WRITER

Dylan FutrellSTAFF WRITER

Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

OPINION

7

As the Presidential election quickly approaches, the topic of immigration reform has become a hotly contested source of debate. Should we strengthen and reinforce our borders? Should we close our colleges’ doors to foreigners in desire of higher education? Should we deny families hope for a better life, simply to preserve opportunities for our own? The sanctity of the American Dream is slowly dying and we, as Americans, are to be held responsible unless we strive for change. Though we, as the human race, belong

to nearly two hundred different countries throughout the globe, we belong only to one world. We are all citizens of the Earth, and should conduct ourselves accordingly. In 2007, Santa Monica College launched

a Global Citizenship initiative that appeals to such a cause. The program is intended to prepare

students for life in the new millennium. “Such preparation includes awareness of the social, cultural and environmental transformations taking place in our world of unprecedented global interconnection, attitudes of tolerance and respect for diversity and of anticipation and adaptation toward global change,” its website states. Colleges and universities should continue

to foster leniency on immigration policies, if only to increase healthy academic, athletic, and artistic competition, and push students to strive for excellence, rather than coast through an undergraduate program without any kind of stimulation. The DREAM Act, established in 2007, proposes to do just that. Under the DREAM Act – which has yet

to pass in the United States Senate – illegal immigrant youths will be offered a path to citizenship, the benefi t of in-state tuition, and certain government subsidized student loans, if requirements are met. Among the requirements, students will

become eligible if they entered the United States under the age of fi fteen, maintained residence in the United States for fi ve consecutive years, have graduated or obtained a GED from a United States high school, and abide by our country’s laws.Qualifi ed students will have to complete at least two years of college or military service in order to continue a path towards conditional citizenship. In turn, an increased focus on higher

education of immigrants has the potential to boost the global economy as a whole. “We absolutely believe it’s important

for opening up economic opportunities,” Thomas Rudin, senior Vice President of the College Board, told USA Today. A recent study conducted by the College

Board found that “roughly ten states which offer tuition aid to illegal immigrants generally saw increased revenue by enrolling these additional students, rather than fi nancial burdens caused by an infl ux of immigrants paying cheaper tuition.”Michael Mandel, chief economist for Business Week magazine, agrees that access to higher education will eventually lead to a more stable, affl uent global economy.“It should not be the case that toys and

cars can move from country to country more easily than people do,” he wrote in a recent article. “Instead, pulling down barriers that impede immigration should be our long-term goal. Immigration policy should facilitate the movement of people, just as trade policy facilitates the movement

of goods.”Mandel explained that immigrants

who are given access to higher education have the propensity to earn far more in the job industry than in their home countries, citing that immigrants from Mexico who receive a college degree can earn up to ten times more in the United States than in their native country.“This seemingly incomprehensible

result makes more sense if you realize that an infl ux of immigrants is little different than native-born Americans moving to a new city, or even a spate of children reaching working age,” Mandel notes. “In each case, additional

workers will create new jobs by their spending on food, housing, entertainment and the like, even as they take existing jobs.”Mandel argues that although

countries could incur heavy education and healthcare costs for such immigrants, their future contribution to the workforce and economy as a whole will far outweigh any previous fi nancial burden.On its website, SMC boasts over 3,000

international students from more than a hundred countries. Without this signifi cant contingency, our school would be only a shell of its former self. In our modern world, it is vastly important to celebrate international diversity, as we students and faculty have so much to share and learn from cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and educational perspectives.Without question, SMC should continue

to encourage students from abroad, fi rst generation Americans, and even those who are not legally declared citizens. It will

undoubtedly strengthen our legacy in years to come, and afford endless opportunities to those who yearn for a better life through education.America was founded on a principle;

an idea that the pursuit of freedom and happiness should reign over all of its inhabitants, whether legal or not. In the words of President Barack Obama,

“we are the fi rst nation to be founded for the sake of an idea – the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That’s why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here... the future is ours to win. But to get there, we cannot stand still.” In an age of such global interdependence,

how can we not accept each other as our own? It is time to break down these barriers in order for humankind to prevail.

Immigration Reform

for the Global Good

Gay marriage debate distracts

voters during presidential election

President Obama’s recent endorsement of gay marriage has triggered a lot of speculation in the media as well as talks among people on how this will affect the voters and his re-election bid. The economy is in recession, education

is not getting enough funding, and California is facing a massive budget defi cit. Nonetheless, all eyes moved from such important issues affecting our everyday life to a social issue affecting only a minority. Dr. Ellen Antoine, Political Science

Professor at SMC believes this recent move by Obama will not affect the voters much if at all. What it will do is those who were supporting him already, like the Millennials, will ensure them showing up

to vote, and those who weren’t supporting Obama, “will intensify the dislike for him, but not made a big difference,” says Antoine.On April 27, Political Science Professor

at SMC, Christine Schultz, was invited to speak at the annual Rocky Young Lecture, the topic being Generation Y. In an interview with the Corsair, she reiterated her point abvout the Millennials' general disinterest in politics, and therefore it is unlikely many of them will show up to vote. “Even if you convince me the Millennials

would get interested in politics, they would hit Gen X. We could have a lot of confl ict in government between these two generations for decades to come,” says Schultz. Obama’s main focus is to get the

Generation X vote and the Millennials’ vote. Generation X would vote for him anyway, and many supported gay marriage even before Obama’s speech, according to Antoine. “But the problem with the Millennials, who comprise 29 percent of all eligible voters, is how

unreliable they are.” Obama's support for this issue is going

to push the Millennials to vote for him. “It's a question of getting them inspired again,” believes Antoine. The voter turnout is highest among voters over 60 years of age. There had been some speculation that

Obama’s support of gay marriage could alienate African American voters, but a slew of black celebrities who endorsed gay marriage, topped with the NAACP endorsement of gay marriage, have put most of those fears to rest.But, this is not the most important

issue. “The major issue right now is the economy affecting voting in elections,” Professor Antoine says. “Conservatives use social issues only during their campaign.”Gay marriage in itself is not a national

issue, but a state issue. Therefore there is little the President can do about this when elected. But what does and should matter is his plan to deal with the economy. It is not the social issue of gay marriage

that should concern most SMC students

about these coming elections, but the economy and the funding for education that is cut every year in California.It is the solution the next president will

come up with to solve funding woes in education that will really have an impact on students’ lives. Media is well known for playing a large

role in the elections and having the power to infl uence our opinions and shape our realities.It could be speculated that Obama’s

timing is no mistake and is a well planned political move. According to the New York Times, 67 percent of those surveyed by the Times and CBS News since the announcement believe Mr. Obama’s move was, “mostly for political reasons,” and the rest believed it was “mostly because he thinks it’s right.” Whether for politics or not, what is

important right now is that those who support him go out and vote, since the voter turn-out is usually higher among older age voters than the younger Millennials.

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Illustration by Jhosef Hern

Zoryana MeleshSTAFF WRITER

Faye CrosswhiteSTAFF WRITER

8

MILLENNIAL PORTRAITS

Drake Morton, 24.

Undecided Photos by Michael Yanow

9Maria Rosario Johansson, 25,

Liberal Arts

Mingyu Lee, 23,

Economics

Oscar Rodriguez, 26,

Engineer

Matt Sapar, 20,

Business

Karla Kultemberg, 20,

Political Science

Ruby Ross, 19,

History

10

HEALTH ANDLIFESTYLE

weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

ALL CHILDREN, EXCEPT

MILLENNIALS, GROW UP

a child, the world seems full of possibilities and never-ending adventures. Then the time comes to transition into adulthood. Becoming an adult demands a certain level of independence, which can often mean working tiresome hours and following a tedious daily routine of all work and no play.“All children, except one,

grow up,” wrote Sir James Matthew Barrie in his classic tale of the fi ctional character Peter Pan, an eternally young boy who embarks on endless adventures and ultimately refuses to grow up. In current times, however,

it seems that Peter Pan is no longer the exception, as Millennials are often branded the “Peter Pan generation” due to a reluctance to “grow up.”“To some, Peter Pan

represents a belligerent stance on growing up, and this label was applied to Millennials in reference to living with their parents for longer periods of time than prior generations,” says Joan Snyder, a trained speaker and expert on career and college preparation for Millennials.“It is the mindset

regarding life and work that has linked the Peter Pan label to Millennials,” she says. “This generation has a passion for endless opportunity, and strives to connect their ambitions for adventures in life to their ideal career.” The idea that Millennials

sustain a childlike mentality

is no fault of their own, according to Laura Guild, a psychology professor at Santa Monica College. Guild believes that parents are partly responsible for their children’s delayed onset of adulthood.“It has been suggested

that it is the mindset of growing up as their parents did that this generation is rejecting, rather than growing up itself,” says Guild. According to Guild,

parents of Millennials are predominately from the Baby Boomer generation, which initiated a signifi cant change in parenting style.“It was more child-

centered and focused on the emotional adjustment of the child, rather than education and fi nancial independence,” she says. Guild claims that

these parents and their children often have closer relationships than the generations before them. Some parents, who continually support their children well into adulthood, are known as “perma-parents.” “They have diffi culty

letting their children grow up and take responsibility for themselves,” says Guild. “Some parents of this generation fostered expectations in their children of entitlement without having to work hard for goals, narcissism, and rejection of social convention.”Millennials are also

associated with Peter Pan because of delays in their transition to adulthood, which has traditionally included career, marriage, and family.

“Fifty years ago, someone was considered an adult by the age of 20,” says Guild. “That meant they were married or engaged, fi nished with their education, and close to starting a family.”Recent 2012 studies,

conducted by the Pew Research Center, indicate that the number of new marriages in the U.S. declined by fi ve percent between 2009 and 2010. In 1960, 72 percent of adults 18 and older were married, whereas in 2011, only 51 percent were. “The age of adulthood

has been getting steadily later ever since,” explains Guild. “People are waiting to fi nish their education, get married, and have children until their late 20s, on average.”A January article posted

by Forbes Magazine states that the U.S. Census Bureau found an increase in Millennial women ages 20 to 34 who have never been married. This, however, does not mean that they do not sustain relationships and start families. Fifty-nine percent of

these women feel that simply “living together is a legitimate lifestyle,” even if they have children, which indicates that marriage has become less of a priority for this generation. According to the same

Forbes article, most young adults say that the sluggish economy has prolonged the coming-of-age decisions regarding school, marriage, parenthood, and careers.Guild also attributes

economic turmoil as a

primary factor responsible for the Millennial generation’s reluctance to grow up. “Due to the current

economic situation, 85 percent of kids who graduate from college end up having to move back home with their parents,” says Guild. “This prolongs a period of fi nancial and emotional dependence.”The Pew study indicated

that 53 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds still live with their parents, or had to temporarily move back in recent years. Seventy-eight percent of these young adults say that they do not have enough money to carry out the life they had planned.Snyder believes

Millennials are simply misunderstood, and negatively criticized for their alternative views on life. “I think that most articles

you read today about Millennials are negative, and place blame on their determination for fl exible work conditions and constant feedback,” Snyder says.In her opinion, the

generation cannot be faulted for desiring the fairy tale of endless adventures. Snyder claims that Millennials are the key to unlocking advancements in science, technology, health care, and social engagement, and that they will dominate the global workforce by the year 2020. “My stance is that the

organizations of the future are the ones who need to adapt the Millennial mindset,” Snyder says.

Christina SziatinszkySTAFF WRITER

11

In the 1970s, dinner time was sacred. It was an opportunity for family members to gather around the dinner table, talk about their days, and enjoy home-cooked meals together. Presently, however, busy schedules often drive

the Millennial generation to forgo traditional mealtimes and eat on-the-go. Many Santa Monica College students, often busy with work and school, fall under this category.“I forget to eat breakfast,” says Suzzie

Weslien, a business management student at SMC. “Back home in Sweden, I always ate breakfast, but here I don’t have a real kitchen, so I usually buy my meals. I have been really unhealthy, but I do prefer to cook because it’s both cheaper and healthier.”Millennials live in a world where high-

calorie, high-fat foods are not only relatively cheap, but also more readily accessible. Fast food restaurants that always appear open seem to abound on every street. For previous generations, fast food was not as widespread as it is now, and portion sizes have also increased considerably. “Most of what I know about healthy eating

I learned from my mom; the rest is just common sense,” says Weslien. “I do also eat that unhealthy burger and pizza, because unfortunately, the unhealthy food is cheaper.”From 1997 to 2006, the processed food

industry has been consistently expanding, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Industry Report. Farm-fresh foods are often less accessible than foods found in bags, boxes and cans at the grocery store.“Understanding Nutrition,” a nutrition

textbook used at SMC, states that processed foods have lost valuable nutrients to sugar, fat, and salt, which are linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes when consumed in excess.“Here in the United States, most of the fast

food you buy is pretty unhealthy compared to what I am used to,” says Weslien.Though health awareness is often promoted

in the media, obesity is more common than

ever. According to “Understanding Nutrition,”

in 1993, the obesity rate was less than 15 percent for most of the U.S. By 2008, it

was between 25 and 30 percent for over half the states in the country. A report released this year by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development states that in 2011, the obesity rate increased to 33.8 percent. A sign of the obesity epidemic can also be

seen on television, where shows like NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” A&E’s “Heavy,” and the CW’s “Shedding for the Wedding” fi ll primetime spots. For previous generations, these spots were fi lled by traditional family shows like “Little House on the Prairie,” “The Waltons,” and “The Love Boat.”The variety of diets and diet pills available

has increased along with obesity. From Atkins to Jenny Craig, to Weight Watchers to the Master Cleanse, extreme and fad diets have become common for Millennials like Weslien. “I tried the Nutrilett diet once, and I will

never try it again,” says Weslien, referring to a diet that consists of low-calorie soups and shakes as meal replacements. “I wanted to see how long I could stand it, which was about a month. I lost about eight pounds, but once I started eating regularly again I gained the weight back quickly. Now, I go for good meals and exercise.”Despite the omnipresence of processed

and fast foods, a health-conscious trend is also emerging for Millennials. Raw food, vegan and vegetarian diets have become more mainstream, and research has shown a connection between vegetables and fruits and a decreased risk of cancer.“There is evidence that some types of

vegetables and fruits in general probably protect against a number of cancers,” according to an extensive report from the American Institute for Cancer Research.“I try to buy salads and healthy sandwiches,

the only fast food that isn’t made of fat and sugar,” says Weslien.

HEALTH ANDLIFESTYLE

Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

UNHEALTHY FOODS ABOUND DESPITE

RISING HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS

Marine Gaste | Corsair

Santa Monica

College film studies

major Gockan

Ilbay, 20, satisfies

his lunchtime pizza

craving.

Marine Gaste | Corsair

Santa Monica College environmental studies major and

vegetarian Stephanie Lauren Johnson McCall, 24, eats

homemade pea soup for lunch.

Susanna SvenssonSTAFF WRITER

weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

HEALTH ANDLIFESTYLE

Health insurance was once diffi cult to come by for Millennials after age 19, when young adults were removed from their parents’ plans, but several options are now available for this generation to attain health care.The Affordable Care Act, signed by

President Barack Obama, went into effect on Sept. 23, 2010, allowing children to be covered under their parents’ plans until their 26th birthday.According to the U.S. Department of

Labor, the ACA includes children who are not fi led as dependents on a parent’s tax return, those who no longer live with the parent, and those who are not full-time students.However, the ACA only affects insurance

companies who currently offer dependent coverage, and does not require employers to offer coverage to dependents, although most do, the DOL reports.Santa Monica College student and parent

Karen Chesne is in favor of the ACA. “We should be able to do this,” says

Chesne. “[Health insurance] is really expensive, and most kids don’t make enough money to pay for their own insurance.”Chesne has a 21-year-old daughter who

works two jobs.“[My daughter’s] job offers health

insurance, but she’s currently under her dad’s insurance, and it’s cheaper, so she’d

rather stay under his plan,” says Chesne.If young adults do not have access through

their parents, they can either receive health insurance through an employer, or purchase an individual policy that offers a high deductible at a lower rate.However, according to the DOL, 30

percent of young adults are uninsured, the highest percentage of all age groups.Many jobs do not offer benefi ts to people

who work less than full-time, which, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, is determined by the employer, and not directly defi ned by a certain number of hours.For young adults who are full-time

students trying to make ends meet by working a job, it can be diffi cult to obtain insurance through an employer. “The uninsured rate among employed

young adults is one-third higher than older employed adults,” according to the DOL.Varying depending on geography, age,

medical history, and other factors, prices of health insurance are not set. However, an individual can search and compare rates online using websites such as eHealthInsurance. “It’s very important,” says Will Shanley,

a spokesperson for United Health Care, referring to young adults having access to health insurance. “It’s something that when you need it, you defi nitely want to have it.”

According to the DOL, one out of every six young adults has a condition that needs treatment, or that they might be unaware of.“Many people think they’re very healthy

because they’re young, but having health insurance coverage is very important, especially in a catastrophic event,” says Shanley.It is commonly thought that most

foodservice jobs do not offer benefi ts.“United Health Care is working with the

National Restaurant Association,” says Shanley. “It varies based on the individual employer. Usually the professional job [or] union job, but not always [the] part-time or seasonal job, is offered some benefi ts.” SMC student and parent Shirin K.

Jam has a son, a student at Cal State Northridge, who was removed from her insurance plan when he turned 19. With the new Affordable Health Care Act, he was able to return to his parents’ plan.“I’m happy about it because our

insurance is very expensive,” says Jam.Jam worked for the government in Europe

for over ten years, which enabled her to receive health benefi ts at a low monthly price without paying for individual visits.“It was very interesting for me because

we have a monthly payment, and we still need to pay co-pay here,” says Jam.According to the DOL, under the ACA

and Treasury guidance, “the value of any

employer-provided health coverage for an employee's child is excluded from the employee's income through the end of the taxable year in which the child turns 26.”This tax benefi t is effective whether the

extension of the coverage is voluntary or a requirement.“The provision for being 26 years old

or younger is a great overall strategy to improve effi cient health care,” says Shanley. “If a parent works for a company that offers health benefi ts to dependents, it’s a very cost-effective way [for a dependent] to have coverage.”This situation holds true for full-time

SMC student Brittany Hujar, 23, who works part-time. “My hospital visits cost about $100

per visit, co-pay is $20 per visit, and my prescriptions are $10 each. But I have emergency care and I’m fully insured,” she says.Hujar says she does not purchase

insurance through her job because it is cheaper to go through her father.“Once I get taken off my dad’s insurance

[after reaching the age limit], I’ll either get insurance through the same insurance company, or go through my work, whichever is cheaper,” says Hujar.

HEALTH INSURANCE ATTAINABLE FOR MILLENNIALSHEALTH INSURANCE ATTAINABLE FOR MILLENNIALS

Vanessa BarajasSTAFF WRITER

12

Illustration by : David J. Hawkins

Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

HEALTH ANDLIFESTYLE

Twice a week, after dropping her two-year-old daughter Natalia off at daycare, Raquel Orozco walks the few short blocks down Pico Boulevard to SMC for class. On the days she does not attend school and on weekends, she takes the bus down to the Santa Monica Pier, where she works for the Pacifi c Park Amusement Park Department. School is Orozco’s “me time.” She

spends a few leisurely moments in the locker room between her two fi tness classes. She wears a black baseball cap with a long, dark ponytail trailing behind it. Her cheeks are barely fl ushed from her last class, and there is always a hesitant smile waiting when she speaks. Except for the three-month

maternity leave she took after Natalia was born, she has been working nonstop at the same job for the last fi ve years. She uses the money to help pay for rent and food. This semester is her fi rst back at

college since her baby was born. Three years ago, she was studying broadcasting and loving it; that is, until she found out she was pregnant. The pregnancy raised to the

forefront tensions between her Mexican-American family and the father’s Orthodox Jewish family. His family was unsupportive, primarily due to the fact that Orozco wasn’t Jewish, and her mother was hurt that she had never met his family. Orozco went to a doctor to fi nd out her options. The doctor fumbled momentarily before asking if she was ready to hear what he had to tell her.“Let’s get it over with,” she

answered.“Your fi rst baby is fi ne,” he told

her. She was carrying twins, but

the second one was inactive, and had stopped growing. She would have to keep carrying both babies throughout the pregnancy. Abortion at that point was a risk to both Orozco and the healthy baby. At fi rst, Orozco continued

school, but soon found that it was too much, both physically and emotionally. She was carrying both life and death inside her. On Sept. 8, 2009, after a long and

painful labor, Natalia was born. “When she came out, it was

so unreal, hearing her cry,” she says. “It was amazing, and also the scariest moment of my life.”Orozco didn’t look when the

nurse reached inside her and pulled out the remains of her second baby, which the hospital later discarded. She returned to school, but

withdrew a few weeks into the semester. Her life consisted of “work, baby, work, baby, work, baby,” she said. She moved into her own apartment when Natalia was around one, but decided to move back in with her mom after a year. She says it was tight fi nancially, and had to rely on her mom often, asking for rides in emergencies, like when Natalia was throwing up excessively and needed to be taken to the doctor.Last winter, Orozco took a

communications class and passed with an A. It felt great. “That was my motivation to

continue,” she says. Now, she is taking fi ve units,

and plans to get a degree in broadcasting. “I want a future for myself, and

for my kid,” she says. “I want to be an example for her. I want to be a mom with an education.” She hopes to “eventually jump

into a career, a job that pays better, with benefi ts,” so that she can provide Natalia with the skills she needs to succeed at school.Orozco hopes that the internship

required for completing her broadcasting degree will open doors for her. But right now work, school and Natalia all keep her busy. “You just think about what’s in

front of you,” she says.She thinks about the future she

is envisioning, and then smiles apologetically. “I’m a work in progress,” she says.

Working hard to realize their dreams,students punch in

Chavi GourarieSTAFF WRITER

13

Chris Hussey has dreams of changing the world, starting with Southeast Asia, and specifically Indonesia.He is an American who grew

up in Singapore, and although he has been here for two years, he speaks about "this country" like it still surprises him. Tall and tan, he is neatly dressed in shorts and boat shoes. He takes 16 units and works

four days a week. The closest thing he has to a day off is on Wednesdays, when he has class from 1 to 5 p.m. Next fall, he will be attending UC Berkeley, where he will pursue a degree in international development.Eventually, Hussey plans to

start his own non-profit global venture fund, investing money in undeveloped economies. "There are a lot of global

venture funds putting money into these economies, and they're making tons of money from it," he says. "I don't want to be making

millions of dollars," he says, and explains that he doesn't believe in making a profit. "I’m a communist."But he has a long way to go

before he can establish his non-profit. "You have to have money to

start a non-profit," he says.For now, Hussey is a food

runner at The Cheesecake Factory. "It's not what I want to be

doing for the rest of my life, obviously," he says. "It's just a college job."He started as a host, greeting

and seating patrons, and hopes he will soon be promoted to server. He likens his job to school, as he must study and take tests to move from position to position. Before this job, he worked at

Hollister. He says that folding clothes for six-to-eight hour shifts may look easy, but it hurts mentally. At The Cheesecake Factory, he is "making people happy," and learning how to

talk to customers. "You learn to turn on, not

exactly the charm, but the humility," he says.The money he makes goes

toward his expenses and tuition. "I'm subsidizing my father,"

he says. "He never asked me to work; I made that choice myself." Hussey is the oldest of three

siblings, and he knows that putting them all through college is a burden on his father.After Berkeley, Hussey plans

to live in Indonesia for a year. His mom's family is Indonesian, and he plans to focus his studies in Southeast Asia. He does not believe you can effect positive change as an outsider, so he plans to "become an insider." After that, he might continue school for international law, or get a master’s degree. He believes education should

be free, but acknowledges that it is not a feasible solution. "Not in this country," he says,

adding that if education were free, it would allow students to focus on their dreams.Whether or not Hussey

qualifies for financial aid, he will have to take out student loans to pay for school. Then, he will have to get a job to pay them off. "It makes you a robot, trying

to make money to live,” he says. One thing Hussey dislikes

about his job is that people seem to do it just for the money. "I was raised to be nice to

people without wanting money from them," he says.But for now, it beats folding

Hollister sweatshirts, and it is a learning experience for him. Hussey knows he will never look at retail clerks or waiters the same way."Everyone should work," he

says. "Everyone should get a really crappy job."

CHRIS HUSSEYFOOD RUNNER

RAQUEL OROZCORECEPTIONIST

Diverse across every demographic, Santa Monica College students have one thing in common—they are on the move. This school is but a stop on the way to the future.Faced with a dismal job market and infl ated tuition prices, students are worried, but not deterred. They are continuing to head for the future promised to them. Time will tell if their aspirations will be realized, or if this will be the generation to see their dreams become the American nightmare of debt and disappointed expectations.

Asta Karalis | Corsair

Graphic design major Amanda Van Duyse works at

Amandine Cafe in Los Angeles. Like Raquel Orozco and

Chris Hussey, not pictured, Van Duyse is one of many

Santa Monica College students who are often at work

when not in class.

14CORSAIR CALENDAR

‘La Mode 2012’May 24 @ 7 p.m.

California Market Center Fashion Theater

110 E. 9 St., downtown Los Angeles

$25 (310) 434-3005

‘RENT’May 24 @ 8 p.m. (preview for

$10)May 25 – 26 & June 1 – 2 @ 8

p.m.May 27 & June 2 – 3 @ 2 p.m.

SMC Main Stage$20

$18 (students/seniors) $15 SMC (students/faculty/staff)

(310) 434-4319

‘Next Wave L.A.’May 26 @ 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

May 27 @ 2 p.m.The Broad Stage

$30 – $95 $24 - $76 (children/students/seniors)

(310) 998-7782 www.losangelesballet.org

Those Folks X Warm BrewMay 27 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. (T-shirt

release)Station 26 2665 Main St., Santa

Monica8 p.m. – 2 a.m. (after party and

concert)The Good Hurt 12249 Venice

Blvd., Los Angeles21+ $3 (ladies) $7 (gents)

A R T S A N DENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

15

Top fi ve infl uences on the MillennialsTop fi ve infl uences on the Millennials

The Millennial generation has seen many changes. During this era, society has broken racial barriers, reached to-wards gender equality, and has drastical-ly progressed in the world of technology. It is because of some key members of society that we have been able to change so drastically in such a short amount of time.

Steve Jobs left his mark on the world before his untimely death in 2011. Jobs was responsible for co-founding the elec-tronics giant, Apple. He was the genius behind the iPhone, iPad, and the Mac. Jobs gave technology a “coolness” factor, turning utilitarian electronics into sleek items that were more popular among the youth. He played a major role in making technology more accessible and attrac-tive to the masses.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.”

–Steve Jobs, as quoted in The Wall Street Journal, 1993.

Oprah Winfrey overcame both gen-der and racial barriers by becoming one of the most infl uential and wealthi-

est black women in the world today. In 2008, she aided in the Obama campaign as one of his main benefactors. She was able to remain relevant by transforming her show over the years, focusing in on issues that affected society at the time. Oprah went on to become one of our nation’s most powerful women, and for many years was the only African Ameri-can billionaire in the world. She has turned her name into a global brand, with her own show, channel, magazine, and online shopping site.

“What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people’s lives.”

-Oprah Winfrey, in an interview with the Academy of Achievement, 2010.

Shepard Fairey emerged from the underground world of graffi ti, and his art was mostly popular amongst the skateboarding subculture. His fi rst main-stream success came from a drawing entitled “Andre the Giant has a Posse,” which featured a profi le of the late en-tertainer. The meaning behind the Obey movement was to open people's eyes

to the fact that we were so obedient to higher powers without ever questioning them. In 2008, Fairey drew a portrait of President Barack Obama, captioned “Hope.” The portrait went on to be a symbol of the Obama term.

“It is only possible for society to evolve in a pos-itive direction with a healthy balance of honoring both needs of the individual, and promoting ba-sic human rights and equality of the collective.”

-Shepard Fairey, in an article he wrote for the Huffi ngton Post, November 2011.

Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne An-geline Germanotta, came into the music industry and quickly took the world by storm. She is currently the most popular person on Twitter, with over 24 million followers. Her loyal fans, which she has nicknamed “Little Monsters,” have fu-eled her rapid rise to fame. Gaga used her music to spread awareness on glob-al issues such as immigration, gender equality, and gay rights. She started her own foundation called “The Born This Way Foundation,” which promoted indi-viduality and strived to eliminate intoler-ance.

“Every bit of me is devoted to love and art. And I aspire to try to be a teacher to my young

fans who feel just like I felt when I was younger. I just felt like a freak. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can make their own space in the world.”

-Lady Gaga, during a 20/20 interview, 2010

Mark Zuckerberg's billion dollar so-cial networking site known as Facebook has been one of the only of its kind that has managed to stick around, while oth-ers like MySpace and Friendster have ultimately phased out. Through Face-book, Zuckerberg has allowed users to keep connected with friends and family all over the world, in an easier fashion. Facebook had an “it” factor that allowed it to be attractive to its users by constant-ly progressing and updating to suit the demands of a tech-savvy generation.

“When you give everyone a voice and give peo-ple power, the system usually ends up in a really good place.”

-Mark Zuckerberg, during an ABC in-terview with Diane Sawyer, 2010

Robert GutierrezSTAFF WRITER

It came as a surprise that Venice Beach-born black amateur skateboarder, Blake Johnson had no idea who Nicholas Rolan-do Gabaldon was. Times have shifted a lot since Gabaldon was accredited with being one of the fi rst black surfers of his era, and while his untimely death involved few, it af-fected many. “Times are changing,” said the Black Surf-

ers Association's Rick Blocker. “The world has come together. This is one planet, and we are all one people now. Activities like surfi ng move the world to slowly overcome distinctions that people use to divide us.” Earlier this year in February, Nike com-

missioned Richard Yelland to bring the Gabaldon’s tragic but inspirational story to the silver screen. The documentary's title, ‘12 Miles North’ heralded to the 12-mile paddle that the surfer allegedly undertook from Santa Monica’s segregrated Inkwell beach, to the pier in Malibu on a regular ba-sis. Through the use of Facebook and other social networks, Nike was able to draw an audience of vastly different demographics.While there are different brands associated

with different demographics, we are all con-sidered one race now-a-days,” Johnson said. “We are skaters, and skating [like surfi ng] has become part of mainstream culture. I actually miss the days when skaters and surf-ers were the outcasts,” he added in reference to the late 1990s, when it wasn't as societally accepted to be a thrill-seeker.Born Feb. 23, 1927, Gabaldon was de-

scribed as a charismatic lovable fellow, who

would not let the prejudiced society he belonged to tell him otherwise. He loved school, surfi ng and his country. In 1945 he served in the navy, aiding his country across seas to defeat one of the most infa-mous racists of all time, Adolf Hitler. A year later, Gabaldon would return home to the unconquerable hatred he left behind: segre-gated swimming pools, water fountains and beaches. In this battle, he would not be as triumphant.The times of Jim Crow and the laws left in

effect made the normal functions of life for a black person very diffi cult. Just as there were designated water fountains and bathrooms, The Inkwell was a 200 square-foot parcel of Santa Monica's coastline designated for “colored people.” Nestled between Bay St. and Bicknell Ave., the small section of beach was not only vulnerable to violent discrimi-nation, but was also subordinate when it came to the best surf conditions. Gabaldon discovered his passion by fi rst

engaging in simple body surfi ng, a practice of using your body like a beacon to shoot across tides. A true surfer will explain that you must know the feel, taste and sound of a wave before you can ride it.

" The capricious ocean so very strong,Robust, powerful; can I be wrong?

Pounding, beating upon its cousin shore,Comes it clapping, rapping with a mighty

roar.The sea vindictive, with waves so high

For men to battle and still they die.Many has it taken to its bowels below;

Without regard it thus does bestowIts laurels to unwary men.

With riches taken from ships gone by,Its wet song reaches to the sky

To claim its fallen man-made birdsAnd plunge them into depths below

With a nauseous surge.Scores and scores have fallen prey

To the salt of animosity,And many more will victims beOf the capricious, vindictive sea.

O, avaricious ocean so very strongRobust, powerful, I’m not wrong,

Pounding, beating upon your cousin shore.Come you clapping, rapping with a might

roar."-Nick GabaldonMay 31, 1951Santa Monica Evening Outlook

One week after Gabaldon submitted this poem to his SMC English professor, his elusive words would become actuality. Smashed between the pillars beneath the Malibu Pier, the young surfer died. He was just 24 years old. In the 1940s, Santa Monica was segregated

like much of America, and compared to a Coney Island type of get away for people from surrounding areas. Surfi ng was an emerging popular pastime among young white men, and they wanted their beaches kept “white.” A determined Gabaldon caught wind of

an amazing swell near the Malibu Pier - 12

miles North of Santa Monica - and stories of a “brotherhood of surfers” where skin color was outweighed by passion. With no other means of transportation, Gabaldon set off for Malibu in the only fashion he knew - he paddled out.According to Rhonda Harper, the woman

responsible for a lot of the fi lm's research and proposing the city of Santa Monica to make a plaque in Gabaldon's honor, he was likely accepted amongst the surfers in Malibu. Through her efforts, Harper was success-

ful in her proposition, and the city of Santa Monica unveiled the plaque on what was once a segregated beach on Feb. 7, 2008. Times are different now, people are divided by subcultures and lifestyles, with an array of races intertwined. Interracial marriage is more prevalent, and while prejudices still largely exist, they are not part of popular culture.This summer, go out and have fun. Refl ect

on all the things you take for granted, and remember no matter how bad things may seem at the moment, someone has probably endured worse in the past. This story pays homage to a man's unfortu-

nate death, but more importantly celebrates his courageous life. Nick is buried across the street from SMC's naïve cultural melting pot of students at the Woodlawn cemetery, his story should not be forgotten.

SANTA MONICA TRIES TO

FORGET AN “INKY” PASTJacob BlackoffA+E EDITOR

A R T S A N DENTERTAINMENT

weWednesday May, 23 ‧ Santa Monica CollegeVolume 103 Issue 13

16

Those Folks street wear, a “lifestyle brand”

On Abbot Kinney, one of Venice Beach's most prominent boulevards, a hand pro-truded above the crowd of designer-garbed individuals and slapped a sticker on a 'No Skateboarding' sign. “Those Folks” was now loudly displayed in place of the “No.” The stickers could be seen everywhere,

- shop windows, traffi c signs, trash cans – without much more explanation than a website. But who were “Those Folks?”Richard Massie, 24-year-old founder and

creative director of Those Folks, has lived in Venice his whole life. Though he was exposed at a very young age to violence and drugs, and grew up alongside a preva-lent gang lifestyle, his passion and love for skateboarding has been a savior. Those Folks started in June of 2008 as a

simple blog of pictures and entries por-traying the beach lifestyle Massie and his friends lived. Now they use the site to promote music events, art shows, T-shirts, sunglasses, stickers, pins, and anything else that they collaborate on or create.In order to inform people about upcoming

events and sales, Those Folks has utilized social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, as well as their blog thosefolks.com. Additionally, they distribute stick-ers all over Los Angeles as a cost-effective way of advertising, and to create a buzz for their brand. Four years ago, Massie suffered a tear to

his Meniscus while skateboarding in Costa Mesa. It was during a slow recovery that he came up with the idea for the brand. While unable to skate for over a year and

half, Massie stayed busy by helping out at Rogue Status/DTA, a clothing and skate-board shop in Venice, and his main spon-sor at the time. “I wasn’t sure what I was trying to do,”

said Massie. “But I knew that I wanted to do something that would benefi t my friends and make my family happy.” The owners of Rogue Status/DTA no-

ticed something different about Massie, and inspired him to follow a similar path as them, fueling the young skateboarder's ambition.“Those Folks is like a village,” exclaimed

Johan Esbensen, co-founder of Rogue Sta-tus/DTA. “Whenever you live in a big city, you get lost in it. I've got a village of peo-ple I can trust, and Those Folks are those people.”21-year-old Mike Alsobrook, a fellow

member and coordinator of the brand, described them as “a collection of skaters, musicians, and talented young artists of all mediums.”According to Alsobrook, the term “Folks”

was a reference to the group's friends and families. While most of the brand's mem-bers grew up together, their circle contin-ues to grow. “We are a work collective, and all we are

doing is chasing our dreams,” said Massie.Aside from producing product and hosting

events, Those Folks has made commercials for their clothing, and skateboarding videos promoting their closest friends which they upload on their Youtube channel. Massie and his partner/media director,

Tiimo Schulze have been developing an online store in order distribute their items through the Internet. Currently, they have been selling their products via various events, and through associates who have

their own clothing or skate shops. So far, merchandise has been available at particu-lar locations, and on the release day only, adding to the exclusiveness of the brand. Alsobrook explained that only a certain

number of items are produced. When they sell out, the company moves on to new de-signs.Massie added that Those Folks is not a

traditional brand, as there is no specifi c number of members. Friends, family, and anybody else they're associated with are considered “Folks.” “This family was growing before it even

became a brand,” said Massie. “Anyone can start a clothing line, but not every brand is a lifestyle. This is our life.”At the moment, Those Folks is planning

an event with the Santa Monica based rap group Warm Brew, in order to promote the group’s debut album 'Kottabos,' and drop an exclusive collaboration T-shirt.The event will take place on May 27, and

will start with the T-shirt release at Station 26 in Santa Monica, followed by an after party and concert at The Good Hurt on Venice Blvd. Previous events held by Those Folks in-

cluded an art show that featured the works of various associates, with a performance by childhood friends and up-and-coming West Los Angeles based rappers, Chill Black Guys.According to Massie, Those Folks tend to

“keep it in the circle,” as they also had CBG perform at the release of a limited edition sunglass collaboration with Crap Eyewear. The glasses would go on to catch the eye of rapper Lil' Wayne, and he proudly sported them in a music video featuring Bruno Mars entitled ‘Mirrors.’ Those Folks is trying to set a good exam-

ple for younger kids in the neighborhood. “We are trying to push young people to use their talent,” said Alsobrook. “There is nothing worse than wasted talent.”As of now, no personal profi ts have been

made from sales, as every penny earned goes straight back into the brand and fu-ture projects. “New brands are created every day,” said

Massie. “You can say there is competition everywhere, but that's only if you choose to see it that way.”

Nadine Weiland and Jacob BlackoffSTAFF WRITER & A+E EDITOR

All photos courtesy of Those Folks.Those Folks uses strickers as a cost effective marketing stragetegy.

Derek Koda films skate clips for the Those Folks YouTube channel.

Richard Massie at Venice Beach.