Volume106issue09

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volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college FIRST COPY OF THE CORSAIR IS FREE, EACH COPY AFTER IS 25C

CORSAIR

HOMECOMINGFor more stories and videos, visit www.thecorsaironline.com

see photostory page 6-7Rachel PoRteR Corsair

for extended coverage visit us at thecorsaironline.com • @the_c orsair • /thecorsairnews • /thecorsaironline

volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 2 contents

SMC community!if you have photos, feelings or opinions on what we publish, we want to hear from you! email, tweet, or facebook us. [email protected]

E D I T O R I A L S T A F FAmber Antonopoulos ··· Editor-in-Chief

c o rs a i r. e d i t o r i n ch i e f@gma i l . c omMuna Cosic ·············Managing Editor

c o rs a i r.mana g i n g@gma i l . c omVanessa Barajas ······· Health & Lifestyle

c o rs a i r. l i f e s t y l e p a g e@gma i l . c omElizabeth Moss ·············· News Editor

c o rs a i r. n e w spa g e@gma i l . c omJasmin Huynh ···· Arts & Entertainment

c o rs a i r. c a l e n da r pa g e@gma i l . c omHenry Crumblish ········Opinion Editor

c o rs a i r. o p i n i o n pa g e@gma i l . c omDavid Yapkowitz ··········· Sports Editor

c o rs a i r. s p o r t s p a g e@gma i l . c omAlbert Andrade ·······Multimedia Editor

c o rs a i r.mu l t im e d i a@gma i l . c omSam Herron ·················Photo EditorDavid J. Hawkins ············Photo Editor

c o rs a i r p h o t o e d i t o r@gma i l . c omJhosef Hern ····················· Illustrator

c o rs a i r c a r t o o n@gma i l . c om Cocoa Dixon ··············· Design TeamMikaela Osterlund ········· Design Team

c o rs a i r. d e s i g n t e am@gma i l . c om

c o r s a i r s t a f fRubens Almeida Jr., Paul Alvarez Jr., Trev Angone, Fabian Avellaneda, Nathan Berookhim, Crislin Christian, Tina Eady, Paulina Eriksson, Jon Falcone, Lorena Garcia, Vanessa Oliveira Gomes, Jimmy Janszen, Ludwig Jonsson, Arlene Karno, Michelle Kreel, Michael Lee, Josefin Lindstrom, Jose Lopez, Sumaya Malin, Simon Luca Manili, Reyna Mares, Lauren Narvaez, Mark Popovich, Rachel Porter, Jonathan Ramos, Alci Rengifo, Cassandra Rubio, Emilio Sedeno, Dion To,

Gintare Urbutyte, Lyan Wong

F A C U L T Y A D V I S e 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 :co rsa i r.adconsu l tan t@gmai l . c om

(310) 434 - 4033 oN THE CoVEr:

Santa Monica College cheerleaders perform a stunt during the Homecoming pep rally on Oct. 22 on the campus quad. The Corsairs won their homecoming football game, 38-7, against Los Angeles Valley College on Saturday on the Corsair Stadium.

Jose loPez Corsair

Madison Williams, (right) bioengineering major, scoops samples of honey with a stick for students to taste as Donna Emein, anthropology major, holds the honeycomb frame while in front of the Science Building at Santa Monica College on Thursday. Emein originally intended to visit “Food Day,” but wound up at the Natural Honey Company’s demonstration, where she donned beekeepers’ protective gear.


3volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college news

D ozing students in the Santa Monica College library have become easy targets for theft after several have been

robbed of items that lay only inches away from them.

Thursday, Oct. 24A case of grand theft occurred in the

library at 11:45 a.m. when a silver 16-inch Apple laptop was stolen right from under the nose of a student who was asleep in a cubicle. The victim awoke to find herself without a laptop. Officers questioned other students in the immediate area who said they did not see anything. There are no leads at this time.A black Google Nexus tablet was stolen

in the library at 12:55 p.m. after a male student set his head down to rest and dozed off on the table next to the tablet. No witnesses have come forward.Grand theft occurred by the gym that

same afternoon. A GT Strike bicycle was stolen when the suspect broke the bicycle lock at the rack located in front of the women’s locker room. The suspect was seen by witnesses and the case is currently under investigation, according to Sgt. Jere Romano of the Santa Monica College Police Department.Just after 9:30 a.m., a male student

experienced a rude awakening after a female student assaulted him at the meter parking between John Adams Middle

School and SMC, resulting in minor injury to the man’s face. The SMCPD intervened after a student witness reported the incident to police dispatch. The female was arrested.

Monday, Oct. 21A student still on weekend hours was seen

smoking marijuana in Parking Structure 3 on the main campus. The cannabis was confiscated by the SMCPD after being observed and the individual was cited in lieu of arrest.Later that day, a 13-inch Apple laptop

was nabbed in the library. The female student went to the restroom, leaving her belongings behind in a cubicle on the lower level of the west side. The SMCPD has the description of the subject as a male African American wearing a green T-shirt, unknown-colored shorts and green socks. At this point, it is unknown if the suspect is currently registered for classes at SMC. The witness, a male student, watched the suspect walk off with the laptop, but did not speak up, apparently stunned.Any witnesses with information to any

crime are urged to call the SMCPD at (310) 434-4300.

Snatched while sleeping, students go bananas for missing Apples

vanessa BarajasHealtH + lifestyle editor

T he parking structures are crowded, hectic and overwhelming.Just like at Santa Monica College, every college campus requires a parking permit to park inside its structures. At

SMC, permits cost $85 and daily parking $10. The school makes about $1.5 million from parking fees per year, said Bob Isomoto, vice president of business and administration at SMC.Isomoto said that most of the school’s parking fees go

toward paying for the construction at the college. The funds are also used to pay for parking decals. If any money is left over, then it is put in a reserve account for whenever the school may need it, he said.Gregory Brown, director of facilities planning at SMC,

said that the parking fees also need to cover the expenses of building and maintaining the garages.“The college financed the parking garage construction

and must pay back the principal and interest over time from parking fees,” Brown said.Other colleges have used taxpayer money to pay for

parking facilities, he said.City College of San Francisco, California’s largest

community college according to collegestats.org, charges students $40 a semester to park, and $20 to students who receive financial aid. A parking permit at the second largest community college, American River College, is $35. El Camino College parking permits are $35 a semester.Like SMC, West Los Angeles College uses the money

from parking permits for construction and puts it aside for other uses.“It is difficult to compare SMC with West LA or

El Camino,” Brown said. “Both other colleges have significantly more land than SMC, which means they have more space available for parking.”There are 2,538 parking spaces on the main campus and

1,736 are available to students, Brown said.Though the number of permits sold is not clear, the

school does sell permits over the actual amount of existing parking spaces, Isomoto said.“I think every school sells more than the actual number

of parking spaces,” Isomoto said.The Bursar’s Office sells parking permits throughout the

entire semester with no end date.

“Eighty-five dollars is a lot, considering that we are a community college and not a university,” said Omari Joseph, a sophomore at SMC.Joseph said he thinks the money garnered from parking

permits should be used to expand main campus parking first, and that the leftover money should be used for other construction projects.Political science major Esly Brizo said she does not park

on the main campus because it is not worth paying the fee.“You don’t even find parking half of the time, so I just got

the free parking pass for the satellite campuses,” she said.Brizo said she believes that there is no benefit to the

money spent on campus construction since most students who pay for parking now will no longer attend SMC when construction is complete.

Parking for the future

Permit parking at SMC is more expensive than at other, larger two-year colleges.

lorena garciastaff Writer

Rachel PoRteR Corsair

Students drive in and out of the busy parking structure at Santa Monica College on Monday, Sept. 9, at the beginning of the semester, when parking on campus is at its most difficult.

crime log

13-649Petty Th

13-374Batt:no

13-20Grand

13-4Tres

13-Hit

13-467 of nonstudentTrespassing

IllustRatIons by Jhosef heRn and Vanessa baRaJas Corsair


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 4 opinion

Research Subjects.

If you have moderate to severe mood symptoms that only occur before your menstrual period, you may be eligible for a UCLA research study of the neurobiological basis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). If you have no premenstrual symptoms, you could be a control participant. Must be healthy, age 18‑44, not on hormonal contraceptives or PMDD treatment, and right handed. Earn $335 if you qualify and complete the study. Call toll free: (888) 791‑9988 or email [email protected].

Career Opportunities.

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Positions in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. E‑mail resume to [email protected].

THIS COULDHAVE BEEN YOUR AD!

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Child Care Wanted.

Responsible driver needed M‑F late afternoon, one hour+/day to assist driving child either to or from sports practices, $20/hour. Must have good driving record, own car & references. [email protected]

Room for Rent.

Hillside Residence Hall ‑ across from campus on Hilgard ‑ single, double, triple and quad rooms available ‑ 19 meals per week www.LosAngelesHillside.com310‑208‑6544

Too young for technology

Dion Tostaff Writer

Long gone are the old-fashioned childhood days spent bicycle riding, playing hopscotch, or making Play-Doh hamburgers.

IllustRatIon by Jhosef heRn Corsair

The risk of having children

exposed to violent or explicit

content is too high to allow them to freely use technology as they wish,

especially when they are unsupervised.

S ince the increasing advancements of technology in the last 10 to 12 years, the word childhood has taken on a whole new meaning.Children and teenagers

ages 8 to 18 spend around eight hours daily consuming media through various outlets of technology, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study in 2010. However, in 2004, the time consumption was only six hours and 21 minutes. That is an increase of a little more than an hour in five years.With 2014 right around the corner, the

number in those statistics has most likely increased, especially with the rise of bigger and better technological devices. While some people agree that the reliance on technology makes for a more advanced world, there is no denying that there are negative outcomes to growing up alongside computers and game systems.

Children do not need to be deprived of technology, but should not be exposed to it all at once. Containing the technology children have access to does no real harm, as opposed to affecting the way they think when interacting with electronics. Santa Monica College student Eric Shy

said he believes that the technological advancements of the world can greatly improve the lives of children and can inspire them to make better creations. "It's good," he said. "It's going to help

them progress." Indeed, there are many applications

and interactive websites that stimulate learning and processing information, but at the same time they cause children to lose focus when in a classroom or technology-free environment. Some children have more social

interaction through the usage of the Internet, smartphones and tablets, but unfortunately it only goes as far as that. Scarlett Munoz, SMC psychology major,

said she believes that young children who become influenced by technology most likely grow up to be even more

engaged with it as adults. "We're making them dependent and

addicted to technology at a really young age," she said.As adults in this time, we have an

idea about how different life can be in a span of only 10 to 20 years. It is our responsibility to acknowledge that when we become technology-dependent adults, we create technology-dependent children and eventually a completely technology-dependent world. SMC student Allison Salazar said she

worries that the potential exposure to explicit content can cause children to lose their natural innocence. "I feel like kids nowadays are so exposed

that they know about a lot of things that they shouldn't at their age," she said.When children become exposed to new

technology, it becomes harder to control the rules around those devices, as there is still so much they do not understand. The risk of having children exposed

to violent or explicit content is too high to allow them to freely use technology as they wish, especially when they are

unsupervised. There is always a time and place for children to stay updated with the technology they need to possess for school or home activities.The biggest concern when children are

involved is not if they can keep up with today's technology, but how they use their knowledge of it to better themselves.The problem is that instead of technology

being a stepping stone for education and social skills, it deteriorates qualities that are needed to survive in today's society and properly grow as an adult. The skills it takes to have a normal

conversation to express your thoughts and to interact appropriately with your surroundings are much harder to learn as an adult than becoming savvy with technology. After all, we are the generation that

played with Tamagotchis and listened to Hit Clips. Look around you and see how many of your peers have quickly adapted to the thinnest laptops and smartest phones to have been created in our lifetime. It does not take a long time to pick up

technological skills, especially when they are being developed faster than we can obtain our college degrees.


5volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college opinion

B eing in a relationship during college — a time when students burn the midnight oil with schoolwork while trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives — can be difficult.

It can be especially strenuous for those who are not willing to put in the patience and time it takes to nurture a healthy relationship.After eight years spent in the dating pool, I was able to

settle down and commit to a relationship. Although it was not difficult for me to transition from being single to taken, I can attest to the difficulty college life brings to a relationship.Sometimes the pressures and deadlines of a school

curriculum are simply too much for a relationship to handle, and students who become involved with each other may be signing up for an inevitable road of frustration and late-night arguments.After spending nearly every day of summer with my

girlfriend, returning to school was more of a shell-shock to me, as I did not consider the time apart we would be forced to take. Hours spent studying, doing homework, and balancing out our time with family and friends took a lot of time out of our relationship, and it was difficult not to get frustrated.Other times, being intimately involved with someone

during such a time can be a much needed stress reliever, as each person involved serves as a beacon of light in all of the darkness.Santa Monica College students Sandi Garcia and

Gustavo Bautista have been in a committed relationship for almost a year, and feel that it has helped them deal with the tribulations of school and other stress factors. “You have someone you can trust and rely on, and who

you know is always going to be there for you,” Garcia said of her relationship with Bautista.Bautista’s favorite part of his relationship is having

“someone who you can just be yourself with.”

“You don’t have to hide anything, and you can show them who you really are,” said Bautista. “They accept you like that.”Relationships in college definitely have their pros and

cons, but it is essential people to understand what they are getting themselves into, and that they make sure the relationship is handled with care and respect.Too often these days, males regard their girlfriends as

pieces of trash or nothing but servants, in what some would call a male-dominated system. Within my own family, I have witnessed mental and physical abuse from a husband toward his wife, and I loathe any male who feels inclined to a cowardly standard of machismo stupidity.It baffles me why males and females choose to stay in

abusive relationships when they spend most of the time crying to their friends about how unhappy they are.Catherine Matheson, a psychology professor at SMC,

attributes the choices that females and males make to discovering a sense of identity within themselves. “You’re trying to figure out who you are as an individual

and where you belong in terms of groups,” said Matheson.She emphasized that forming intimate relationships

helps determine different aspects of a person’s personality such as sexual orientation and recognizing the kind of personalities a person enjoys being around.The biggest fear that any person has when choosing to

settle down, is rejection. “We are building our self-concept and self image, and

rejection is going to hurt that,” Matheson said. “You take a hit when someone is not interested in you, and you think you might be interested in them.”Although, if students allow their self-esteem to be

continuously bruised, then it has no real purpose but to serve as a punching bag to an individual ready to abuse them.Men and women have to understand that a commitment

means your partner is your priority. Remaining in a relationship for a long period of time is not a ticket to become complacent with someone, as if they will be there forever.Partners need to treat each other like no one else in the

world matters more. You should open doors, go on dates

and strive to treat each other during your relationship the same way you did on the first date.Cheating, lies, secrets and mistreatment, have no place in

a commitment. There will be ups, and there will be downs, but there should always be a sense of respect and care applied to a relationship.With the world we live in now, it has gotten increasingly

harder to maintain dignity in a relationship. If two people are willing to take the risk for the reward, then they should be ready to respect their relationship, whether it is for two weeks or the rest of their lives.

Relationships in a make-or-break societyRelationships in college require work, mutual respect and nurturing.

aRlene KaRno Corsair

Clinical research student David King, 21, and psychol-ogy major Marrissa Guerra, 20, hang out on the quad at Santa Monica College on Monday. The couple met at an honors society club at SMC eight months ago, and have been dating since then. They agree that their relationship makes for a nice balance of social and support. “It’s nice to look out for each other and to be looked out for,” King says.

Jonathan ramosstaff Writer

you try walking into the Counseling Complex at Santa Monica College expecting to drop in, you will be met with a whiteboard that states “Drop-ins are over! Now taking

appointments only!”It seems like every year as more students

are enrolling at SMC, it becomes apparent that if you want your questions answered, you are going to have to think ahead and beat the crowd, as if you were in a line at Best Buy before Black Friday.However, the current counseling system

works, for the most part. If you are confused about what classes to take or have questions about transferring, making an appointment is convenient and gives you the chance to sit down with your counselor one on one to calmly and smoothly direct you in the right path.“Counseling is provided in several

different locations around campus, and the way service is offered depends on the number of available counselors in a particular program, student traffic, and whether or not we are in the enrollment cycle,” said Laurie Guglielmo, chair of the counseling department.

For students who need urgent questions answered and cannot wait for an appointment when the only available date is a week later, it can be frustrating. At that point, a counselor may not even be necessary because you answered your question on your own, or you missed a crucial deadline.“In the Transfer Counseling Center, we

usually offer express counseling, which is designed for quick questions requiring five to ten minutes of counseling time,” Guglielmo said. “For students who have more complicated concerns, such as the transfer of credit from another institution, a half hour appointment is necessary.”However, due to the prevalence of

information online and websites like Assist, many students can opt to never visit a counselor while attending SMC.I have not gone to see a counselor since

the end of my freshman year because both Assist and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum have guided me along the way, and I have not seen the need to make an appointment to see one.Every semester I have picked up the latest

version of IGETC and marked it up with what I have done and what I still need to complete, while also checking the Assist website.I spoke to a representative from University

of California, San Diego at a recent college

fair on campus, who recommended that I check Assist for courses that are required by the university.Counseling services on campus are

dependent upon students’ particular needs, and some have no problem with the current system.“The first time I came to the counseling

center, it wasn’t a long wait; it was pretty quick actually,” said SMC student Divia Jimenez, who recalls a tedious counseling system at her former school, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. “To get resources was a lot harder there,

but here I get my answers quickly, and it’s straightforward which I like.”“I do think that a counselor just for

walk-ins could be useful to a lot of people because, you never know, maybe I’ll have a question I needed answered ASAP,” said Jimenez who made her appointment to see a counselor the week prior.The old saying “first come, first served”

is a very fitting slogan for the counseling center. If you need to see a counselor, take quick action and make an appointment, or stop by during the occasions where drop-ins or express counseling are available.

If

More than halfway through the semester, students search for counseling resources on campus and online.

Just make an appointment

fabian avellanedastaff Writer

sImon luca manIlI Corsair

Students walk past the counseling office on the main campus of Santa Monica College on Monday.


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 6 Photostory

David Yapkowitz & Trev AngoneSports Editor & Staff Writer


Santa Monica College cheerleaders pump up the crowd during a Homecoming pep rally on Oct. 22 on SMC’s main campus.

JImmy Janszen Corsair

Santa Monica College football players Bryant Villegas, Alex Cureau and Zach Smith speak about their football team in the main campus quad at Santa Monica College during Spirit Week on Oct. 22.


Santa Monica College running back Eric Kyle breaks a tackle from opposing Monarch players Jeremi Ross (left) and Zach Kelley during the Homecoming game on Saturday.

at Homecoming

Jose loPez Corsair

SMC defensive players tackle Emilio Rodriguez, quarterback for the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs, as he attempts to gain extra yardage during the Corsairs’ Homecoming game against the Monarchs on Saturday.

Spirit of victory


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 7photostory

With key players moving on and fresh new talent emerging, the Santa Monica College football team sputtered out of the gates this season, stumbling to a 1-2 record.

Starting quarterback Steven Hamm was injured, and the Corsairs’ hopes of repeating as conference champions seemed bleak.

But behind stellar play from reserve quarterbacks Jerry McConnico and Brad Hunt, as well as a suffocating team defense, the Corsairs have managed to turn their season around.

SMC continued its longest winning streak of the season with a convincing 38-7 Homecoming win over the visiting Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs on Saturday afternoon.

Throughout the week, the athletic department held small rallies on campus to drum up anticipation for the game.

Festivities included a poster-making contest, where the winner was able to watch the game from the athletic department skybox, carnival games put on by the Future Alumni Club, and a singing contest dubbed “Homecoming Idol,” in which students competed to sing the national anthem at the game.

Behind another shutdown defensive performance, the Corsairs held the Monarchs scoreless until late in the fourth quarter, when LA Valley punched in a garbage touchdown with mostly reserves on the field.

The Corsair defense has been the team’s calling card, especially as of late, giving up

just nine points in their last two games and surrendering only 21 passing yards to the Monarchs.

“I think we went almost eight quarters without giving up a touchdown,” said head coach Gifford Lindheim. “The defense is really playing well right now, and they’re going to have to keep on taking it up a notch. We have some very potent offenses coming up down the stretch.”

On the offensive end, between running backs Eric Kyle, Melvin Davis, Cesar Maneses and even McConnico, SMC has arguably the most impressive running game in the Pacific Conference. The team has had no problem imposing its will on defenses not suited to stopping the run.

“The biggest difference has been our practices,” said McConnico. “If we take it one practice at a time, one day at a time, everything starts coming together. If we keep running the ball effectively and throwing the ball effectively, I have no doubt in my mind that we can win the conference championship.”

The road to the conference championship will have to go through the Corsairs’ next opponent, the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros, who sit atop the Pacific Conference with an unblemished 6-0 record.

“They’re six and nothing; we’re five and two,” McConnico said. “But at this moment, records don’t matter. Whoever is the best team at the end of the day, that’s who will win the game.”

Paul alVaRez JR. Corsair

Sophomore linebacker Christian Ferratti sacks Los Angeles Valley College’s freshman quarterback Emilio Rodriguez Saturday afternoon at Corsair Stadium.

scott bIxleR Corsair

Santa Monica College volleyball players and fans show their support of the Corsairs at the Homecoming game on Saturday.


Santa Monica College football players Bryant Villegas, Alex Cureau and Zach Smith speak about their football team in the main campus quad at Santa Monica College during Spirit Week on Oct. 22.

Paul alVaRez JR. Corsair

Santa Monica College Corsair head coach Gifford Lindheim argues with an official after sophomore linebacker Christian Ferratti tackled LA Valley College’s freshman quarterback Emilio Rodriguez in the end zone and did not receive an intentional grounding call Saturday afternoon at Corsair Stadium. The Corsairs would go on to win their Homecoming game, 38-7, which also marks the Corsairs’ 17th consecutive league win.Jose loPez Corsair

SMC defensive players tackle Emilio Rodriguez, quarterback for the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs, as he attempts to gain extra yardage during the Corsairs’ Homecoming game against the Monarchs on Saturday.


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 8 sports

At CSU Channel Islands students have one-on-one access to all of their professors, and a supportive campus culture that’s perfectly suited for exploring ideas beyond the classroom, learning new subjects and finding future success.

TOGETHER WE INNOVATE joinus.csuci.edu/cor

CSU Channel Islands - We Are Not AloneSanta Monica City College - The Corsair Insertions: October 2013**October 2, 9, 2013**

BW 4.875” x 7.5” em: [email protected] Due: Sept 25, 2013

L to R: Darius Riggins, Admissions & Recruitment; Patrick Tafoya, Facilities Services; Ellie Tayag, John Spoor Broome Library; Jill Leafstedt, Associate Professor of Education; Carmen Gutierrez, ‘13 Early Childhood Studies, future Credential Program student; Monica Rivas, Academic Advising; Ryan Garcia, Academic Technology Services; Lt. Mike Morris, University Police.

TOGETHER WE ARE NOT ALONE.WE START OUR JOURNEY, ASK THE QUESTIONS,QUESTION THE ANSWERS, ENTER NEW TERRITORY AND FIND OURSELVES.TOGETHER WE INNOVATE.

Consistency and stabilityAfter a lackluster start to the season, the Santa Monica College women's volleyball team is looking to rebound with a higher level of consistency and mental stability.

Jonathan Ramosstaff Writer

Head coach Nicole Ryan feels optimistic about the team's future despite a rocky start. "I feel like we're

growing and learning and developing after every match," says Ryan. "I'm hopeful that our girls are going to figure it out and turn things around and be successful in conference."The Lady Corsairs currently sport a 4-11

record, 1-4 in Western State Conference play, and sit in second-to-last place in the conference.Ryan says that the consistency throughout

each game is key to reaching the team’s goal of placing high enough within the conference to earn a bid for the state tournament.

"They're really talented, and they're really solid practice players," Ryan says. "I think that they get a little insecure, or doubts creep in during a match, and that affects how they play. I feel if they can put that past them, everyone is beatable in our conference."Sophomore captain and setter for the

team Avery Rice is confident in the growth of her team and feels that the technical aspects of the game have improved throughout the season. "We've made our sets a lot faster, and we've

gotten our offense off, and our defense is getting better," says Rice. As far as the issues that have caused the

team to flounder during the early goings of the season, Rice suggests that the girls'

mentality has room for improvement. "I think we just get in our own heads, and

our mental state isn't completely there all the time," she says. "We have really good moments in the game, but then we just let other things affect how we're thinking on the court, so if we can block all of that out, we're going to be great."Although the turbulence of certain sports

teams revolves around the chemistry within the team, Rice maintains that there is no such problem with her team. "I think that we have come a long way,"

she says. "We've become a family."

Freshman outside hitter Jade Morning, who has been one of the key players on the team, echoes Rice's sentiments."This is the closest team I've had —

definitely one of my favorite teams and coaches," Morning says.While the team has floundered thus far,

members retain hope of being able to secure a spot in the state tournament at the end of the season."I've been coaching for twenty plus years,

and this is probably one of my favorite teams to coach," Ryan says. "They would run through walls if we ask them."

sam heRRon Corsair

Corsairs’ volleyball player Jade Morning serves during the team’s match with the College of the Canyons Cougars on Friday at Santa Monica College. The Corsairs fell to the Cougars three sets to none.

When Rafael Silva left the heat and crystalline shores of Rio de Janeiro to play soccer in the United States, he never imagined he would find himself in the bone-crushing arena of American football as Santa Monica College's prime kicker."I came here to play soccer," Silva said. "I

knew the football coach. He's a friend of mine. He told me he needed a kicker for this season. He came to my soccer practice, and he asked me if I wanted to kick for the team, so I came to try out and then he liked it."For Silva — captain of the SMC men's

soccer team — the sudden call to play American football was a unique experience, considering that in his home country of Brazil, American football is not exactly a popular pastime."No one knows about it," he said. "I didn't

either before I came here."But once he donned the mantle of the

Corsairs football team, like a warrior preparing for battle, Silva tried to learn the basics of the new zone he was about to enter. "All my friends love the game," he said.

"They taught me all the rules and all the basics." Silva had to learn quickly because, as he put

it, in between being asked to join the football team and learning how the game works, he had very little time. "This is my last semester before I transfer

next year, and I am taking a lot of units right now," he said. "It's been hard for me to come here and practice and study. Over the weekends, I don't go out anymore."The first night he was to set foot on the field

as a football kicker, Silva felt the pressure. After his inaugural kick, he faced the fury of a

football game for the first time."One of the guys from the other team came

to tackle me, and I was like, 'What the hell are you doing?'" Silva said. "I didn't know the rules, and then one of my teammates told me, 'No, if he comes to tackle you, you need to tackle him back.'"His metamorphosis was so unexpected

that, back home in Rio, his family was shell-shocked, and they posted pictures of Silva in his football gear all over Facebook. "It was hard because everyone was looking

at me expecting me to kick farther because I'm a soccer player," Silva said. "I had friends telling me, 'You'll be fine, don't worry, just kick it as far as you can toward the end zone.'"Silva said he now feels at ease with his role

on the football team and continues to juggle responsibilities between teams.Silva has been playing soccer since he was

5 years old, playing semi-professionally when he grew older. But in Brazil, the land of Pele, soccer is not

played at the college level, so Silva has found a haven at SMC. Now fate has given him new tools for advancement with his duel identity on the field. "It helps with getting scholarships because

you can get more scholarships with football than with soccer," he said. "I will try to keep training as a kicker."Soccer remains Silva's great passion. The

pressure of football does not sting like the frustrations with his game of choice, he said. To Silva, his greatest struggle this year was

when SMC's soccer team faced off with Moorpark College, and lost after numerous failed chances at scoring.After a whirlwind semester of dueling sports

and college applications, Silva is preparing for another epic journey catching the 2014 World Cup back home in Rio, a fitting epilogue for a memorable streak.

Rafael Silva, of Rio de Janeiro, plays football and soccer for Santa Monica College.

Alci Rengifostaff Writer

Jack of all trades


9volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college sports opinion

Asof right now, each major professional sport has its own handbook of regulations on how long players must be out of high school in order to be eligible to play for any major organization.According to the National Football

League’s regional combines website, a person must be out of high school for at least three full NFL seasons in order to be eligible for the NFL draft.The National Basketball Association

allows athletes to enter the NBA draft as long as they are at least 19 years of age and out of high school for at least one year, states the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.Major League Baseball’s website

currently states that an athlete wishing to transfer to the professional level must have at least graduated from high school.Although these rules were likely created

to protect the product of each respective organization, the success of a student-athlete’s future can heavily rest upon any given word in a document that determines eligibility. Baseball players who are talented and

driven enough to play for the MLB right off the bat are usually heavily recruited by scouts into the farm system of the MLB. The process of having to spend a certain amount of time out of high school or in college to gain eligibility is simply not needed for baseball athletes, as the farm system of the MLB is enough for an exceptional athlete to develop into professional shape.In fact the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace

pitcher Clayton Kershaw was drafted straight out of high school in 2006 and made his debut for the Dodgers at the age of 20, after tearing through the minor leagues. Another example is standout Andrew

McCutchen, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005. Both McCutchen and Kershaw led their respective teams to postseason.Some might argue that an education

should be of much more priority to a student-athlete, but if these players contain the build and skill of a professional, there should not be any reason to stop them from attempting to reach their goals.Still, the act of migrating straight to

the pros is not a foolproof idea. There will always be certain players who never reach the major leagues after forfeiting the opportunity to attend college early in their career. Athletes need to fully analyze their own

skill set and decide whether they are

ready to make such a large leap.While high school baseball players

should not be restricted from the decision from going straight to the majors, the NFL is a separate can of worms.NFL players are considerably larger

than those just coming out of high school or even college. Due to the fact that football requires a certain standard of strength and speed, these athletes spend years training from college down to the high school level, and even the Pop Warner level. Heavy lifting is a necessity for most

positions, and if a high school player had the desire to move to the NFL, he would lose years of much needed weight training and skill development. The fact of the matter is that although

certain sports are home to athletes that would flourish right out of high school, an NFL player would more than likely be able to break a high school player in half.Now, while I do agree with the eligibility

rules of the MLB and the NFL, there is one association that constantly causes me to rip my hair from its roots.In 2005, the NBA began restricting their

prospects from entering the NBA draft straight out of high school. I, for one, despise this rule. It is an abomination that athletes with the goods to play in the NBA right away have to risk injury or other unfortunate circumstances that could derail their status among NBA scouts. Although the system had its share of

duds — the name Kwame Brown still makes basketball fans cringe — the process of transferring from high school to the professional level has produced great players, if not legends. Hall of famers such as Darryl Dawkins

and Moses Malone were players who chose to jump the college ranks into the NBA. Recent superstars include Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. With the current regulation, these

athletes usually just attend college for one year, only to play up their ranking and immediately declare themselves into the NBA draft.It is because of this one-year rule,

however, that certain players succumb to injuries that prevent them from ever playing in the NBA. There is no assurance that the injuries would not just take place anyway in the NBA, but at least the athletes would be able to taste the lights and stardom of the professional level.With the exception of the NFL, I believe

that student-athletes who are ready to enter the professional rankings out of high school should not be subjected to a wasteful period of time, which is only spent garnering additional attention.Let them make their own decisions, and

just let these athletes play.

Just let them play

With the recent influx of student-athletes seeking payment for play in college sports, the argument comes to mind of whether certain student-athletes should have to attend college at all.


IllustRatIon by Jhosef heRn Corsair


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 10 arts + entertainment


Playing the sound of light and darkness A review of the duet between violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott

W hat would an egg dancing the cha-cha look like?Laura Gorenstein

Miller, choreographer, artistic director and founder of Helios Dance Theater, found herself imagining this picture for the animated film, “Puss in Boots,” directed by her husband Chris Miller. On Saturday morning, a large audience

was treated to the show “Puss in Boots: From Drawings To Dance,” which mixed live dancing onstage with the film’s animated sequences projected on The

Broad Stage’s big screen.The show, hosted by Miller and her

husband, gave the audience a behind-the-scenes look at how animated films merge into the world of dance and cinema.Miller, who designed the dances for the

film, took the audience through the steps of preparing the dances, and her husband explained the process of imagining the film’s sequences. The first scene that was broken down was

“Kitty Cantina,” in which Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, enters a bar populated by cats sipping milk and faces off with fellow bandit Kitty Softpaws,

voiced by Salma Hayek. The great value of this show was how

the process of filmmaking was made clear for the audience. First, as a raw concept, a hand-drawn storyboard or sketch of the scene was shown onscreen. Miller brought her husband’s directorial vision into reality by turning his drawings into choreographed movements performed by dancers onstage.This process happened onset

during the making of the film so that sounds for the movie could be recorded while Miller simultaneously made sure that the physical movements of the animated characters looked as realistic as possible.The show featured a

combination of various Latin dances that were showcased by a diverse group of performers who appeared onstage and gave examples of the style corresponding to a particular scene.In addition to the

cha-cha, one of the styles was the Flamenco, which was performed for the scene “Kitty Cantina,” in which Mitzuho S a t o , a Flamenco dancer from Japan, performed an intense, fiery piece onstage as a live demonstration of Puss in Boots’ dance in the film.The audience was having a great

time, especially when they had the

chance to participate in the show. At one point, Miller invited everyone to get up and do their best Flamenco pose. Children were also invited onstage to meet the dancers and role-play the parts of Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws. After the show, milk and

cookies were offered to a t t endee s while the d i r e c t o r

stepped aside to share his thoughts

on the value of students and audiences seeing firsthand the process of filmmaking.

“I think that’s the big takeaway, the process

of making a movie,” he said. “I directed the film, but it’s such a gigantic, c o l l a b o r a t i v e

effort. You work with a number

of storyboard artists and p r o d u c e r s and the voice talent. E v e r y o n e

working in the film is a storyteller.”

Dance meets animation in ‘Puss in Boots’ performanceOriginal “Puss in Boots” sketches were translated into dance at The Broad Stage by the movie’s choreographer and director.

Alci Rengifostaff Writer

Image couRtesy of aceshowbIz.com

On Oct. 25, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott brought the audience to their feet at Santa Monica College's Broad Stage with an elegant display of aggression, tranquility and joy. The concert began with a melancholy yet

captivating performance of Arvo Part's "Spiegel im Spiegel." Salerno-Sonnenberg gently played the somber melody of a lost individual as McDermott backed it up with three separate notes of a broken chord, sounding like raindrops gently landing on the floor.The reflective mood then took a much

more aggressive turn with Segei Prokofiev's "Sonata No.1 in F Minor, Op. 80." The immediate back and forth between violin and piano mirrored that of an intense argument with no resolution. While at certain points of the piece, the

artists cooled down to a more relaxed sound, the music would quickly escalate back to turmoil and despair. The choice of music wonderfully displayed the battle between right and wrong within the human conscience. After Salerno-Sonnenberg played an

exciting piece with Michael Daugherty's "Viva" for solo violin, McDermott elevated the tempo with Charles Wuorinen's "Fourth Piano Sonata.""I'd like to see you humming this one as

you leave," McDermott said jokingly, as her speedy yet precise touch made you feel like you were in a Bugs Bunny cartoon being chased by Elmer Fudd. With the show nearly coming to a close,

Salerno-Sonnenberg and McDermott performed Gabriel Faure's four-movement "Sonata in A Major, Op. 13." The different parts to the relaxing yet at times fast-paced piece brought out feelings reminiscent of both a pleasant day in a spring garden and a much faster-paced city day. Each movement was played with a precise touch that was deserving for each setting.For the closing of the show, the artists

performed a beautiful waltz, which was not listed on the show's program. It was an appropriate curtain call, as it allowed people to properly settle themselves after an evening of darkness and light.The performance of Salerno-Sonnenberg

and McDermott was absolutely magnificent. With every note and every key, McDermott twitched and turned as if it took every ounce of energy in her body to hit any given note. Salerno-Sonnenberg paid compliment

to McDermott's emotion as she violently stomped away at every angry note and accent. The facial expressions ranged from sad and angry to hopeful and happy, and right back to bitter and violent. These performers did not fall into an

unauthentic hole of acted performance, but instead felt what they played. Every emotion was left onstage as the two world-class performers left nothing to be desired and held nothing back. With their unparalleled chemistry, they were

able to convey feelings of joy and hope as well as anger and bitterness in their performance, embracing light and darkness as a beautiful, romantic music experience.


11volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college health + lifestyle

T he EcoAction Club’s do-it-yourself workshop teaches students how to make products on their own.

Fighting the middle-man and consumer frenzy, the EcoAction Club at Santa Monica College hosted a do-it-yourself workshop on Oct. 23 during Sustainability Week, where attendees were able to make their own healthy, personal care products.“We’ve been preparing for about two

weeks for all of Sustainability Week,” said Genevieve Bertone, director of sustainability at the college.Sustainability Week, a week of daily events

that promote environmental awareness, took place last week at SMC. The events were organized by EcoAction Club and sponsored by the Associated Students.Bertone said the purpose of Creation

Station was to raise awareness about the chemicals that go into body products and help people find alternatives.The workshop was the first event of its

kind, and the turnout was positive, as the Organic Learning Garden bloomed with students at the check-in table and many others who waited to be put on the list to participate in making the different products.Throughout the event, both

environmentally-friendly products and friendships were made.Brian Cervantes, biochemistry major at

SMC, said his favorite part of the event was the friendly surroundings and sense of community.“I just like the fact that it’s so easy just to

talk to people and to interchange ideas,” he said.

Students exchanged laughs and personal techniques while mixing, measuring and smelling their new personalized products. Groups of students worked together with measuring cups, stirrers and essential aroma oils to perfect their body products.Tania Ragland, EcoAction Club

president, walked around the activity tables, answering questions and discussing myths and facts about the cosmetic industry and its products.Ragland said it is a myth that cosmetic

safety is only a concern for women because although women on average use more products containing more ingredients, men and children also use a significant amount.“The problem is that since we are using

so many chemicals and so many products at the same time, studies have not been shown about how these chemicals interact with one another,” Ragland said. “That’s a big problem.”The workshop offered a variety of healthy,

toxin-free and beneficial ingredients to make the all-natural products.The body scrub ingredients included olive

oil, raw honey and brown sugar mixed together with drops of essential oils for a fresh, personalized scent. The finished product could be taken home in an eco-friendly jar.The deodorant involved the melting

components of shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax pastilles mixed together with a healing bentonite clay poured into a real deodorant container to be solidified into a deodorant that allows toxins to escape freely.The mouthwash was a mixture of clove,

glycerin, xylitol, tea tree oil, witch hazel, cinnamon, baking powder, distilled water, aloe vera juice and peppermint oil all poured into individual glass bottles.SMC student Courtney King said the best

part about being able to make her own products is that she can still continue to make them in the future.“That means I don’t have to rely on

anybody else,” King said. “It’s awesome.”

To learn more about product safety, visit ewg.org or attend an EcoAction Club meeting on Thursday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Center for Environmental and Urban Studies.

Creation Station: Students make hygienic products

Dion tostaff Writer

Students were taught to make body scrubs, deodorant and mouthwash from household items right on campus.

lInn eRIKsson Corsair

Volunteer Sarah Mercado, 20, psychology major, and Tania Ragland, president of the EcoAction Club at Santa Monica College, are mixing deodorant at the personal care do-it-yourself product-making workshop and demonstration. The Center for Environmental and Urban Studies, along with EcoAction Club, were celebrating Campus Sustainability Week by hosting this event last Wednesday at the Organic Learning Garden.

W hile strolling through a supermarket, an assortment of plastic-packaged products ranging from canned tomatoes to bottled water or coated tin cans can be found.

Seeming harmless and even healthful at first glance, the bottles contain chemicals known as phthalates and Bisphenol A, or BPA, which, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, have shown in some animal studies to report effects in fetuses and newborns exposed.BPA is a chemical that has been used since the 1960s

in products such as plastic bottles, as well as metal-based food and beverage cans, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s website. Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastic stronger and more flexible.Alexandra Tower, a biological sciences professor at Santa

Monica College, says that BPA is a hormone disrupter that has led to problems like the early onset of puberty and menstruation in girls, and the development of breast tissue and smaller penis sizes in boys.“We have even seen other health issues that are linked

— but there is still research that needs to be done — to things like obesity and mental health issues, and other developmental issues as well,” Tower says. “It is not just with a person ingesting it. It could be a parent ingesting it and then passing on that damage to the DNA onto their offspring.”Tower says having something in a plastic container sitting

out and getting hot can contaminate food and beverages. The heat will leech out all those toxins from the plastic into the water.“Then you are going to drink your BPA-contaminated

soup,” Tower says.The same will occur with acidic beverages like orange

juice and coffee. A canned tomato, Tower says, is “the worst thing in the world that you can eat because it has so much BPA, and it is not really regulated.”Tower adds that canned tomatoes are also heavily

acidic, and sit in the can for a long time while undergoing temperature changes during transport.So why are these chemical compounds not prohibited by

the FDA if they pose such a significant health risk, and why are they so rampantly present in packaged food products and containers?The FDA’s website states that BPA is rapidly metabolized

and eliminated by the human body, and the level of BPA that could be passed from mother to fetus is so low that the amount cannot be measured.“The chemical industry has a very strong lobby, and they

are going to do anything they can to fight any kind of regulation of any of these products because it is what they do for a living,” says Tower. “Regardless of whether it kills you or not, they need to make money right now.”A 2012 article on CNN’s website reports that the National

Resources Defense Council petitioned the FDA to ban the use of BPA in products manufactured in the U.S. only to have the request denied by the agency.“It is like the cigarette industry; it is like any other

industry,” says Tower. “They know what is going on, but they don’t want you to know about it.”

lyan wongstaff Writer

Potentially dangerous chemicals in plastic containersBisphenol A, a chemical that has been used in plastic bottles since the 1960s, is now thought to cause hormonal and fertility issues.


Dominique Brown, a nursing and business major at Santa Monica College, drinks a bottle of water with her lunch in on campus. Bottles contain the chemicals BPA and phthalates that may cause long-term health consequences.


volume 106 issue 9 • october 30, 2013 • santa monica college 12 health + lifestyle

S trange sounds, disembodied voices and faceless children are some of the apparitions reported to have manifested themselves at

the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.Located in downtown Los Angeles,

the Biltmore, which celebrated its 90th anniversary this month, remains an icon of old Hollywood and classic LA history.Over the years, the Biltmore has been a

true witness to history. From 1931 to 1942, the hotel was host to the Oscars, as well as notable names like Walt Disney and Louis B. Mayer. To this day, the hotel hosts about 70 to 100 weddings each year.But there is an equally notable guest

listed in the hotel’s long history. This was the place Elizabeth Short, also known as The Black Dahlia, was last seen before her widely publicized mutilated corpse was found in Leimert Park in January of 1947.Stories persist of strange happenings

inside the Biltmore and its long, low-lit hallways with distant mirrors. The ceilings feel low, and a spiral set of staircases seem endless.The hotel is a lush mix of elegance

and shadows decorated with Austrian chandeliers that seem to provide a secretive glow.Alicia Cervantes, a housekeeper at the

hotel, spoke about the rumored happenings while cleaning a room on the sixth floor late in the evening.“People say a lot of things,” Cervantes

said. “I haven’t seen anything, but coworkers tell me a lot. They say a fiancée died here, and her ghost appears in the hallways.”The woman’s apparent lover is said to

have thrown her down the long flight of stairs years ago. Cervantes said some guests claim they hear knocks at the door.“I think it’s just nerves,” she said.Down in the hotel’s vast lobby, Angel

Allaf mans the gift shop where guests can purchase cigars, watches and other items. Allaf has not seen anything himself, but has heard accounts from fellow coworkers.“There was a story about a guy who came

to fix the air conditioners and he had to go on the rooftop,” Allaf said. “He ends up going and sees a boy with no face and ended up literally leaving the building screaming. So they had to find another maintenance company because he wouldn’t come back.”Allaf also said that the other side of the

Biltmore was once a cemetery.

“Some employees hear laughing inside the Crystal Ballroom when they’re alone cleaning,” he said. “Down in accounting, they say they see a ladylike shape walk by.”Guests have also reported many strange

happenings on the 10th and 11th floors, Allaf said.“That’s where I believe the Black Dahlia

was last seen,” he said.For some guests, reported brushes with

the unknown have proven to be quite unnerving, recalling a time when a woman checked out because she said things were moving in her room on their own, Allaf said.The closest Allaf has come to an

encounter was when a regular client, a CEO who guests at the Biltmore, had a bizarre experience with his cellphone.“He went to use the restroom, and on

his way back he showed me his phone, and there was an Academy Awards clip playing from when they did the ceremonies here,” Allaf said. “I said, ‘That’s cool you found something about the Biltmore on YouTube.’ And he said, ‘No, you don’t understand. This just started playing on my phone when I passed the back hallway.’”Elizabeth Gamino said she receives guests

at the Biltmore’s interior restaurant and has been an employee for three months. She, too, said she has not had any sort of paranormal encounter, but again has heard the tales lingering in the hallways.“An older employee died not too long

ago, and they say they’ve seen him walking around,” said Gamino.The Biltmore features lavish interiors

including frescos and marble fountains. The hotel’s ceiling murals were hand-painted by the artist Giovanni Smeraldi, one of the 20th century’s most renowned decorative artists whose work is also featured at the White House.In the Rendezvous Court, which features

some of Smeraldi’s work, security guard Joe Reyes scoffed at the ghost stories.“I’ve never seen anything,” he said.

“People believe what they want. I myself did see a ghost when I was a young boy. Back in Mexico, I had family members who practiced black magic. And I have never felt anything like that here.”Security guard Cynthia Ramos said she

has not seen anything supernatural either. However, a guest once showed her a photo of an empty room in the hotel with what appeared to be the ghostly figure of a woman appearing in a corner.“It was just a photo on their phone, so

who knows,” Ramos said.

“I think it’s all in your head,” said Adriana Pena, a receptionist at the front lobby. “Until I actually see one, I won’t believe it.”Ghosts or no ghosts, at 90 years old,

the Biltmore still receives guests from all over the world and remains a grand monument of downtown LA’s glamorous and mysterious history.

Apply to CSUDH today at CSUMentor.com, and join the growing community

of international students choosing to finish their degrees on our campus.

CSUDH welcomes students from around the world with:

• Scholarships for international students

• Convenient campus location in the heart of L.A.

• Dedicated International Student Services office

• Wide selection of quality degree programs

• Easy way to transfer credits toward your CSUDH degree

• Attractive and affordable university housing

Learn more at CSUDH.EDU/International.

I want a school that reflects my world.

(310) 243-3422 • 1000 E. Victoria Street • Carson, CA 90747

CSUDHconnects

Inside Millenium Biltmore's haunted halls

alci rengifostaff Writer

On its 90th anniversary, the Biltmore is still rumored to be haunted after a number of infamous events.


The Rendezvous Court of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, where ghostly apparitions have reportedly been seen, is photographed on Sunday.


The 90-year-old Millennium Biltmore Hotel is said to be haunted by the ghost of the Black Dahlia, among others..

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