pcc courier 11/14/2013

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VOLUME 108 ISSUE 12 ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM November 14, 2013 COURIER PASADENA CITY COLLEGE The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena since 1915 SPEAK OUT! Should colleges and universities continue to Google and review Facebook pages to weed out applicants? Vote at PccCourier.com The ‘Long War’ Veterans return Benjamin Simpson/Courier PCC student Corporal Reggie Brand stands in the turret of a Humvee prior to the start of the Veterans Day Ceremony at Pasade- na City Hall on Monday. The event commemorated all veterans, but put special emphasis on veterans returning from the current ‘Long War’, and included guest speakers, Sheriff Lee Baca, PCC Professor Harold Martin, PACCD Trustee William Thomson and Rabbi Gilbert Kollin. New trustee brings in years of experience Baum says ‘no’ to keeping millions Justin Clay Assist. News Editor With an extensive record of public service in the city of Pas- adena, Ross Selvidge takes over the Area 1 trustee seat with a wealth of experience in the city. Selvidge has more than 35 years of experience in fiscal and economic management. Some of Selvidge’s titles include: planning commissioner, Recre- ation and Parks commissioner and board member on the Rose Bowl Stadium Operating Com- pany, just to name a few. Education has always been a focus for Selvidge. Working as a co-chairman and chairman of the Library Funding Task Force, Selvidge has helped Pasadena libraries receive more than $30 million in extra revenue over the last 20 years. Selvidge was born in New Jersey and moved to the state of Michigan shortly after. At 10 years old, Selvidge moved to Altadena. Selvidge attended Elliot Mid- dle School and John Muir High School, where he competed on the gymnastics team. Selvidge later attended PCC for a year where he competed on gymnastics team in 1965. He was also active in the Mountain- eering Club. “The Highlanders was a very active PCC club that sponsored hikes, camping, technical (rock climbing) mountaineering, cav- ing, etc. activities. I participated in the Club’s activities for several years after leaving PCC,” said Selvidge. Ross was a valued member of the gymnastics team that went undefeated and won a state championship. “Ross was very reliable, always on time, worked hard and was an active member of my team. He is very conscientious and I think he’ll be a great addition to the board,” said Jerry Todd, former PCC Gymnastics Coach. Raymond Bernal Staff Writer The Board of Trustees voted to approve $11 million on ad- ditional Measure P projects but remained undecided on what to do with a $4 million surplus. Trustee Geoffrey Baum was the only no vote in a motion to spend over $11 million on fifteen additional construction projects because the motion did not in- clude the intention to return the remaining $4 million surplus to taxpayers. “If the motion does not include the intention to return a fixed amount to the taxpayers, I will be voting against it,” said Baum before the vote. “The Instructor on leave after alleged attack on student Christine Michaels Editor-in-Chief English instructor Mark Mc- Queen was put on paid admin- istrative leave last week and is under investigation for allegedly punching a student in his class on Halloween, according to college officials. McQueen is accused of strik- ing a student who was allegedly using slurs and behaving in a hostile manner during a lecture regarding racism in front of his English 1B class, according to Roger Marheine, Faculty Asso- ciation president and grievance speaker for McQueen. “A [white] male student stood up from his desk and uttered a number of slurs. Mark was thus in danger of immediate physi- cal harm,” Marheine stated in a letter. McQueen, who has a number of health issues, was allegedly in the hospital after the event because of stress related illness, according to Marheine. “Mark was thus in danger of immediate physical harm [from the student’s attempted attack]; Mark has a number of health issues, including an eye surgery,” Marheine said. “If Mark were hit on the left side of his face, he could be blinded. Mark’s safety and security were threatened. The college is responsible for the safety and well being of its faculty and students.” Marheine defended McQueen via phone interview, saying he was being “bullied” by the col- lege, which was taking extreme measures over the situation. “Even more alarming is that the college has placed Mark Mc- Queen on administrative leave and in its initial letter effectively put him on house arrest. Sadly, the college continues to pursue a strategy of bullying, a blame the victim tactic,” Marheine said. General Counsel Gail Coo- per said the college must keep McQueen and the student away Photo from Pasadena.edu Instructor Mark McQueen TRUSTEE page 2 MCQUEEN page 8 MILLIONS page 2 Courtesy of Ross Selvidge Ensign Ross Selvidge in Vietnam, 1971. WHAT’S INSIDE: Seeing Spots Page 10 >> Page 5 >> Be moved by artistic circles on the wall. Find out what’s trending this season. What’s in Fashion? Story on page 8>>

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Pasadena City College Courier November 14, 2013 Vol. 108 Issue 12

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

VOLUME 108 ISSUE 12 ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM November 14, 2013

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SPEAK OUT!

Should colleges and universities continue

to Google and review Facebook pages to

weed out applicants?

Vote atPccCourier.com

The ‘Long War’ Veterans return

Benjamin Simpson/CourierPCC student Corporal Reggie Brand stands in the turret of a Humvee prior to the start of the Veterans Day Ceremony at Pasade-na City Hall on Monday. The event commemorated all veterans, but put special emphasis on veterans returning from the current ‘Long War’, and included guest speakers, Sheriff Lee Baca, PCC Professor Harold Martin, PACCD Trustee William Thomson and Rabbi Gilbert Kollin.

New trustee brings in years of experience

Baum says ‘no’ to keeping millions

Justin ClayAssist. News Editor

With an extensive record of public service in the city of Pas-adena, Ross Selvidge takes over the Area 1 trustee seat with a wealth of experience in the city.

Selvidge has more than 35 years of experience in fiscal and economic management. Some of Selvidge’s titles include: planning commissioner, Recre-ation and Parks commissioner and board member on the Rose Bowl Stadium Operating Com-pany, just to name a few.

Education has always been a focus for Selvidge. Working as a co-chairman and chairman of the Library Funding Task Force, Selvidge has helped Pasadena libraries receive more than $30 million in extra revenue over the last 20 years.

Selvidge was born in New Jersey and moved to the state

of Michigan shortly after. At 10 years old, Selvidge moved to Altadena.

Selvidge attended Elliot Mid-dle School and John Muir High School, where he competed on the gymnastics team.

Selvidge later attended PCC for a year where he competed on gymnastics team in 1965. He was also active in the Mountain-eering Club.

“The Highlanders was a very active PCC club that sponsored hikes, camping, technical (rock climbing) mountaineering, cav-ing, etc. activities. I participated in the Club’s activities for several years after leaving PCC,” said Selvidge.

Ross was a valued member of the gymnastics team that went undefeated and won a state championship.

“Ross was very reliable, always on time, worked hard and was an active member of my team. He

is very conscientious and I think he’ll be a great addition to the board,” said Jerry Todd, former PCC Gymnastics Coach.

Raymond BernalStaff Writer

The Board of Trustees voted to approve $11 million on ad-ditional Measure P projects but remained undecided on what to do with a $4 million surplus.

Trustee Geoffrey Baum was the only no vote in a motion to spend over $11 million on fifteen additional construction projects because the motion did not in-clude the intention to return the remaining $4 million surplus to taxpayers.

“If the motion does not include the intention to return a fixed amount to the taxpayers, I will be voting against it,” said Baum before the vote. “The

Instructor on leave after alleged attack on studentChristine MichaelsEditor-in-Chief

English instructor Mark Mc-Queen was put on paid admin-istrative leave last week and is under investigation for allegedly punching a student in his class on Halloween, according to college officials.

McQueen is accused of strik-ing a student who was allegedly using slurs and behaving in a hostile manner during a lecture regarding racism in front of his English 1B class, according to Roger Marheine, Faculty Asso-ciation president and grievance

speaker for McQueen.“A [white] male student stood

up from his desk and uttered a number of slurs. Mark was thus in danger of immediate physi-cal harm,” Marheine stated in a letter.

McQueen, who has a number of health issues, was allegedly in the hospital after the event because of stress related illness, according to Marheine.

“Mark was thus in danger of immediate physical harm [from the student’s attempted attack]; Mark has a number of health issues, including an eye surgery,” Marheine said. “If Mark were hit

on the left side of his face, he could be blinded. Mark’s safety and security were threatened. The college is responsible for the safety and well being of its faculty and students.”

Marheine defended McQueen via phone interview, saying he was being “bullied” by the col-lege, which was taking extreme measures over the situation.

“Even more alarming is that the college has placed Mark Mc-Queen on administrative leave and in its initial letter effectively put him on house arrest. Sadly, the college continues to pursue a strategy of bullying, a blame the

victim tactic,” Marheine said.General Counsel Gail Coo-

per said the college must keep McQueen and the student away

Photo from Pasadena.eduInstructor Mark McQueen

TRUSTEE page 2

MCQUEEN page 8

MILLIONS page 2

Courtesy of Ross SelvidgeEnsign Ross Selvidge in Vietnam, 1971.

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Seeing Spots

Page 10 >>

Page 5 >>

Be moved by artistic circles on the wall.

Find out what’s trending this season.

What’s in Fashion?

Story on page 8>>

Page 2: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

Selvidge then went on to USC where he obtained a degree in architecture. While at USC, Selvidge also competed and later served as a manager for the school’s gymnastics team.

After USC, Selvidge joined the Navy. As a Civil Engineer Corps Officer, he spent more than a year in Vietnam undertaking building projects. After return-ing home, Selvidge became the officer in charge of construction on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, near the city of Irvine. Selvidge completed his active duty at El Toro, working on a number of construction projects on the base.

“We did everything. We replaced runways, renovated buildings, built barracks build-ings, family housing, as well as communications and mainte-nance facilities, everything you would need on an air base,” said Selvidge.

After completing active duty,

Selvidge briefly work for a developer and then decided to return to college. He returned to USC where he obtained a PhD. in Finance and Land Economics. After graduate school, Selvidge went to work for another developer in Arizona and after a couple of years he returned to California and focused on consulting.

“For the last 25 or 30 years, I’ve been mainly doing financial and economic consulting, pri-marily in real estate and land use policy,” said Selvidge.

Selvidge and current Area 1 trustee Geoffrey Baum have known each other for many years. Selvidge has always been interested in the workings of the board.

“Ross Selvidge is extremely smart, wise, independent, kind and cares deeply about PCC,” said Baum. “We were friends long before I was first elected to the PCC board in 2001. He

will be a terrific member of the board of trustees and will always put students first in his service on the board.”

Selvidge and his wife, who also attended PCC, have been married for almost eight years. He enjoys reading and has inter-ests in history, science, technol-ogy, and political satire. He also has an interest in classic sports cars. Selvidge has three Morgan

sports cars which he maintains himself. Selvidge has also been a licensed pilot for more than 40 years. Selvidge credits PCC as a huge part of his success.

“I owe PCC a lot,” he said. “It’s really an extraordinary re-source and its meant so much to so many people and it’s a really good college. And if you’ve got something good you have to work hard to keep it that way.”

Tiffany HerreraStaff Writer

As the sun was setting and getting chilly, dozens of students made their way to the Quad on Nov. 6 to talk to university repre-sentatives for University Night.

Tables were set up in the shape of a keyhole in the center of the quad. Five heaters were set up to keep the students warm as it got dark. On one side a table with food and drinks was set up for the students to snack on while they waited to speak to the different representatives.

The booth that seemed to be most popular was UCLA but Cal State Northridge, Long Beach and Los Angeles all had long lines of people waiting for them.

“There’s a lot of people, a lot of information [and] universities here,” Anayely Saguilan, math and economics, said. Saguilan has been at PCC since 2009 but this was her first time attending the fair and she was happy she decided to check it out.

Brittany Gore, biology, attend-ed the University Day earlier this semester and came to University Night to check the rumor she heard recently that UCLA gave a discount if a family member

worked there. “UCLA doesn’t give the discount, it’s USC…So that was a big help,” she said.

There were out-of-state uni-versities like Temple University and Pepperdine that also generat-ed some interest.

Devry, Pacific Oaks and the Academy of Art University were

also represented.There was a booth for the

transfer center with their usual array of pamphlets. There was even a booth for the U.S. Marine Corps. Three marines were standing in their uniforms talking to students about the financial benefits of joining the Marines.

One student was challenged to do 100 push-ups, which he managed to complete.

One college that departed from the usual definition of higher education was Yo San University, a nonprofit university of traditional Chinese medicine. Director of Enrollment Joslyn

Williams said that they get a lot of students who are interested in the school.

“[Students] are always very curious about acupuncture and what is traditional Chinese med-icine,” said Williams. “Or they didn’t know you can get a degree in it.”

NEWS2 COURIER November 14, 2013

University Night is an educational success

Police BlotterNov. 4A man complained of pain

in his right arm after being hit in the head by a soccer ball. Pasadena Fire paramedics ad-ministered first aid on the scene and the man was escorted to the Health Center for further evaluation.

Nov. 5A man was reported to be

lying down next to the handicap stalls in the 2nd floor women’s restroom in the C building at-tempting to grab women. The C building restrooms were checked but the suspect had left before officers arrived.

Security personnel at the Rosemead Campus reported a lockdown due to a bomb threat near the campus. A suspicious device was found on a school bus near Rosemead High School and was cleared out by LASD Bomb Squad. Classes resumed after the device was removed.

A staff member reported a PCC computer and computer bag were stolen from C-429 during the weekend with no suspect information.

Nov. 6Staff reported a suicidal

woman near Lot 6. She had no weapons and had not harmed herself. Psychological Services advised the situation but the stu-dent refused assistance and was transported to her home.

Nov. 8A woman reported having

abdominal pain. She was trans-ported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

~Compiled by Samantha Molina

MILLIONS

TRUSTEE Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

remaining balance no less than $4 million dollars should be returned.”

In 2002, Pasadena Area Com-munity College District voters approved Measure P, a $150 million general obligation bond to repair and rehabilitate campus facilities. With many of the big projects already completed like the Center for the Arts building, the Campus Center, parking structures and others, there’s a $15.5 million remaining balance.

According to the motion, about $2.5 million is proposed for classroom conversions, $1.7

million for restroom upgrades and millions more for other projects such as dental class-room expansions, walkways and lighting rehabilitation and math center renovations. After a 20-minute debate, the motion was voted on and passed with Baum being the sole no vote.

“I’m not opposed to doing the projects that are recom-mended, but I want the District to set aside remaining funds and return them to the taxpayers,” said Baum. “Dr. Rocha said we do not plan to spend that money [the $4 million surplus} at this

time and they will be coming back to the board with a recom-mendation in the future. I hope that they will then commit to returning it to the taxpayer.”

Other board members ex-pressed their support for fixing what ever needs to be fixed first before returning funds to the taxpayers.

“I like the idea of giving back [the remaining funds] to the community it’s a good political move but, I think more impor-tantly we have a lot of things here which I think if the tax-payers would see it they would

agree with us that they need to be fixed,” said trustee Belinda Brown.

Baum represents Area 1 in the District and will soon be replaced on the board by newly elected financial consultant Ross Selvidge.

“That was one of my last meetings. I won’t be here six months from now but, I wanted to make that statement [of returning the funds to taxpayers] at that meeting because return-ing the money to the tax payers is the right thing to do,” said Baum.

Photo courtesy of Ross SelvidgePCC gymnastics team of 1965 (Selvidge pictured in center).

Mary Nurrenbern/CourierStudents visit various booths during University Night on Nov. 6 in the quad.

Page 3: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

COURIERNovember 14, 2013 OPINION 3

College students shouldn’t have to starveChristine MichaelsEditor-in-Cheif

Over the last few months, Sacramento has agreed to pass many bills into law that greatly assist federally funded educa-tional institutions.

With the passage of Proposi-tion 30, the California Commu-nity College system was given a better chance of keeping its 112 community colleges’ doors open across the state, and students were given more access to the more affordable education that community colleges offer.

Now, another bill is com-ing up for consideration from Sacramento. AB832, presented by Assembly member Shirley Webber, would grant even more access to students in the Califor-nia higher education system. The bill proposes that all Universities of California, California State Universities, and California Community Colleges should accept electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards on their campuses to provide better services for students.

If the bill passes, thousands of college students who use EBT will be able to get their

food with better accessibility on all state-funded campuses.

And why wouldn’t people want this bill to pass?

If a state funded institution doesn’t accept other government funded programs, there is a problem with the system itself. This is true especially at the community college level, where students are granted a better chance at getting what they need to move forward in life, and everything is much more acces-sible and affordable. Their meals should be more affordable, too.

Webber’s bill explains the increase in EBT usage has gone

up over 24 percent in the last five years. College students are part of this increase as well.

A high increase of college students using EBT has been happening for the last few years, mainly because of the recession the country is slowly getting out of, according an article in the Washington Post.

Since last year, however, there has been much more hope for CCCs, with more students flooding to them like ever before (over 2.3 million to be exact). This gives community colleges like PCC the chance to increase their Full Time Equivalent

Student (FTES) load, the unit measurement calculated to see how much state funding a school will get.

It would almost seem cruel to turn down an offer to assist those with a government-funded program who are helping the college get funding itself.

Public Relations Director Valerie Wardlaw explained the administration would be meeting with the Associated Students to come to a formal position on the bill.

Let’s hope the college comes to a strong position of aiding those who aid them.

To EBT or not to EBT? That is the question.

Cartoon byAimee Scholz

Page 4: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

November 14, 2013COURIER

Note to ReadersLetters to the Editor

The Courier welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be about 300

words and may be edited by Courier staff. All letters must contain your

full name and a correct daytime phone number. Letters can be delivered

to the Courier office in CC 208 or sent by email to

[email protected]

CorrectionsThe Courier staff endeavors to ensure accuracy in all aspects of its

reporting. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at

(626) 585-7130 or via email to [email protected]

ONLINE POLL RESULTSOnline, we asked: Do you think the college restaurants and the bookstore should accept EBT cards?

Results as of 5 p.m. Wednesday: YES: 83 percent NO: 17 percent

Vote at PccCourier.com

OPINION4

Undocumented immigants shouldn’t be given federal financial aid moneyTiffany HerreraStaff Writer

If undocumented immigrants don’t qualify for financial aid, why is it OK for California to give $5 million in state money for them to attend California colleges?

The answer is it’s not OK.Not when there are so many students who

were born here, or immigrants who actually came here legally, who are struggling to pay for college.

According to the University of California website, the average cost of attending a UC annually is $29,200 to $32,400 depending on whether you live on or off campus.

Just the tuition and fees are $13,200.After four years at a UC, a student will

have spent $52,800 just on tuition and fees.

According to Forbes.com, this kind of government subsidizing is only hurting low-income students.

“One problem facing lower-income stu-dents is the government-subsidized student loans that politicians like Obama and Rom-ney support so vociferously,” Forbes reports.

“They’re designed to make college more affordable, but critics say they have had the opposite effect by driving up tuition expense in much the same way as easy mortgage financing drove the housing bubble a decade ago.”

Giving money to undocumented immi-grants is just another way the government wants to help, by subsidizing college for those who broke the law by coming here without going through the necessary steps to enter this country.

Gabriel Reyna, television production,

doesn’t think it’s right that undocumented immigrants get the money and students like him have to survive on what little financial aid that is available.

“That money should be for us. Especially [because] it’s called University of California,” Reyna said.

Undocumented immigrants shouldn’t be given priority when there are so many citizens who can’t afford to pay for college on their own.

College students who were born here or immigrants who came here legally have to rely on whatever financial aid, scholarships, loans, or any kind of income they can pos-sibly get.

California should be more frugal when they give taxpayer money to students. When they do it, it should be for citizens, not un-documented immigrants.

VOICES:

“I think that EBT cards should be accept-ed on campus, but only for real substantial food,

not snacks.”Aly Parker,

broadcast journalism

“For the students that don’t get financial

aid and don’t havemoney, that wouldreally help them.”

Beverly Dominguez, sociology

“I think at the cafeteria absolutely.

You can’t learn if you’re hungry.”

Shelagh Rose, ESL instructor and

Faculty lead of Pathways

“It would really help out the athletes

on campus. Most times, we can’t leave campus for too long because of classes and practices.”

Deshon Wade,kinesiology

“Since it’s a govern-ment program and this is a government institution I’m surprised they aren’t already accepted here.”

Taylor Rodiger, environmental

science

“Yes. I feel that if people do have [EBT]

then they should accept them here.” Marissa Miranda,

kinesiology

“We need to eat. The administration

shouldn’t deny us food by not allowing them on

campus.”George Gomez,

photography

“I don’t know about the bookstore. If

it’s supposed to be used for food, it shouldn’t be

used for books.” Jack Strahle, mechanical engineering

“Yes. Some people need to eat. If they accept credit cards they should accept

EBT cards.”Toby Eab,

nursing

“Everyone has different circumstances in their lives. If people

need them, they should be able to use EBT cards for whatever they need.”

Kino Rascon, art

“We should trust our students to not

abuse the EBT cards, and they should most definitely be accepted

on campus.”Sarah Belknap,

AS vice president

“Everyone is strug-gling and students strug-gle most. I have EBT and I get hungry here. I can’t bring food from home so

I have to eat here.” Yesenia Pineda,

fashion

“As long as they aren’t abusing them for

stuff they don’t need like snacks, they should be accepted on campus.”Hayley Samuelson,

dental hygiene

“EBT cards would help students a lot if they were already ac-

cepted. They should be able to buy snacks if

they want.”Kelly Camacho,

English

“Bookstore: yeah. Café: 50/50 because

they have a lot of junk food. EBT is supposed

to be nutritional.”Bryan Tran,

product design

Reporting by: Philip McCormick and Madison Miranda Photos by: Benjamin Simpson and Concepcion Gonzalez

Should EBT cards be accepted at campus restaurants and at the bookstore?

Courier2012 JACC

General Excellence Award-Winner

Editor-in-ChiefChristine Michaels

Managing EditorPhilip McCormick

Online EditorMadison Miranda

Asst. News EditorJustin Clay

Opinion EditorRaymond Bernal

Asst. Opinion EditorAubrey Quezada

Arts & Entertainment EditorPaul Ochoa

Asst. Arts & Entertainment EditorSamantha Molina

Features EditorEmily Chang-Chien

Lifestyle EditorLuis Rodriguez

Sports EditorDaron Grandberry

Photo EditorAntonio Gandara

Asst. Photo EditorAnthony Reyes

Online Photo EditorJohn Novak

Scene EditorMatthew Chan

Social Media EditorConcepcion Gonzalez

Chief PhotographerBenjamin Simpson

Staff Writers: Bryan Acosta, Tiffany Herrera, Tiffany Roesler, Benjamin Simpson

Staff Photographers: Justin Clay, Corey Harris, Rene Henriquez, Teresa Mendoza, Mary Nurrenbern, Meg Symanow, Caitlin KellyThompson, Daniel Valencia

Faculty AdviserNathan McIntire

Photography AdviserTim Berger

Advertising CoordinatorDaniel Nerio

The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free-speech forum. Editorials and comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administration, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District.

The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department.

Phone:(626) 585-7130

Fax:(626) 585-7971

Advertising(626) 585-7979

Office:1570 E. Colorado Blvd.,

CC-208 Pasadena, CA 91106-3215

© Copyright 2013 Courier.All rights Reserved.

Page 5: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

Paul OchoaStaff Writer

To Maria Rodarte, Color Guard isn’t just a militaristic, rifle tossing, flag-spinning sport. It is a way of telling a story.

“We’re telling a story through our movements, facial expres-sions and our equipment,” said Rodarte, Captain of the Lancer Color Guard.

Color Guard has come a long way since its military beginnings. What began as a stoic tradition of protecting the regimental colors of the flag is now an art form that allows participants to express themselves through their movements.

“I thought Color Guard was just moving flags up and down but it’s a whole different world. It’s this combination of amazing movements, gymnastics, and grace, I enjoy it all the way,” said Rigo Rivera, 3rd year sophomore.

Despite being co-ed, another misconception people have about Color Guard is that it is a femi-

nine sport.“[People] think color guard is

a sport that is not as masculine but it’s a real difficult sport. A real man does color guard,” said Rivera.

PCC has two different Color Guard programs: the field Color Guard, which performs along-side the Marching Band, and the Ayanna Winter Guard, which performs on its own to pre-re-corded music and won the gold medal in the Independent A Division last year.

To garner new recruits, En-rique Miramontes, Caption Head, says the Color Guard goes to field tournaments at high schools not to compete, but to perform.

Rodarte knew she wanted to be part of the Lancer Color Guard ever since she first saw them perform when she was a junior at Moorpark High School.

Despite starting off having trouble grasping the basics, Rodarte eventually worked her way up to becoming team captain.

“When I first started I could barely hold a flag and it’s really an honor now to be captain of such an amazing group,” said Rodarte.

The Color Guard is different

things to different students. To some it is a way for them

to express themselves artistically, while others see it as a departure from the stresses of everyday

life.“It’s an escape from the real

world, a place to just have fun,” said Melanie Norem, 6th year sophomore.

Tiffany RoeslerStaff Writer

It’s official. It’s time for leggings, boots and beanies once again.

As the temperature drops, a handful of women and guys alike are showing off more of their patterned tights, corduroy pants, biker-inspired boots, and over-sized cardigans. But as for the rest, most students are just keeping it simple.

“[My style’s] something cute-casual but also comfy, so leggings, UGGS and a sweater,” said student April Guevara.

“Most girls just want to feel com-fortable and cozy in the cold weather, but still look cute,” Guevara said.

Being at school all day, or having to wake up early, doesn’t bring out the fashionable side in students.

“There’s not a lot of fashion forward people around,” said fashion ståudent Bianca Munoz.

“[It’s] the same things students

always wear,” added Holly Luttrell, co-chair of the fashion department.

“Most — not all — of the student population can be described as comfy and casual,” she said.

“SoCal’s milder climate equates to the luxury of dressing for comfort or style rather than dressing for utility,” Luttrell said.

After all, this is Southern Califor-nia. A 6 a.m. class time may call for a jacket and gloves, but by noon you’re wishing you would’ve left it all in the car.

So how exactly do fashionistas bring winter style to the Golden State?

“Not that I’m condoning the behavior, but shorts and flip-flops or UGGs are winter staples in SoCal,” said Luttrell.

“Oh, and sunscreen, of course. Eat your hearts out New York and Chicago!” she exlaimed.

According to Lutrell, some of win-ter’s trending textures include tweeds,

plaids, and leather. Nineties grunge is making a come-

back, while tailored or structured suits remain in style.

“We’re still not over Mad Men style, apparently,”said Luttrell

Despite the boxy coats, motorcycle jackets and letterman jackets, style on campus can been seen in glimpses at a time through trending colors and basic, but cute outfits.

“Trending now, I see a lot of purples like plum and eggplant. I per-sonally love that color,” said Munoz. “Sweaters are probably one of my go-to pieces too. I love sweaters, and love to layer.”

But Nineties grunge seems to be the most apparent style of all. Dis-tressed jeans, plaid with screen tees, and chucks. It’s simple enough.

“Everyone’s wearing that,” said fashion student Courtney Clark. “People are still wearing shorts. That’s L.A.”

COURIERNovember 14, 2013 5

Tues, Nov. 19 7–8:30pm

Altadena Library 600 E. Mariposa St Altadena, CA 91001

Please park on side streets

Do you know?✤ PCC has transfer agreements

with the UCs and Cal States ✤ How your tax $ are used at PCC✤ What kinds of $ aid PCC offers✤ What changes are in store

Come find out!

Pasadena City College is yoUr college!

✤ What do you need to succeed?

✤ Meet part of PCC's family: students, faculty, staff, and elected officials

✤ We want to hear from you!

This event is sponsored by the Academic Senate at Pasadena City College to inform and involve our community.

The PCC Campus Community is coming to Altadena!

Se Habla EspañolTuesday, Nov. 19TH • 7–8:30pm

FEATURES

Megan Symanow/CourierPCC’s Color Guard performs just off the quad on Nov. 5 along with the marching band.

Color guard offers way to escape

Samantha MolinaStaff Writer

An English degree can open the door to an abundance of career pathways beyond writing and teaching, and the PCC En-glish Department wants to make students aware of the opportu-nities out there.

With a degree in English stu-dents will not only find careers in education, but in writing, editing, publishing, advertising, public relations, business and law.

“A lot of students are told by friends or family members that they shouldn’t major in English because they won’t make any money or that it’s impractical,” English professor Dootsdee-malachanok Throngthiraj said.

“We are trying to dispel all those myths.”

The English department has held the open house for around twelve years. The goal of the event is to expose students to the boundless opportunities an English degree offers.

“We decided to make it more of an intimate event,” Thongth-iraj said.

“We used to have it where students would come and ask individual people questions, but now its more of a panel,” she said.

The open house provided students with information about the requirements to obtain an English degree, transfer require-ments, study abroad and what they can do with that degree after graduation.

“They get to know what it will be like to transfer to a university, learn about the career choices an English major can get and information on the study abroad program,” Thongthiraj said.

“They leave feeling inspired.”“The variety of topics the

speakers talk about is very help-ful,” student Janine McCarthy said. “From transfer to career paths, everything helps.”

From the open house, stu-dents learn that English majors not only gain the knowledge of books and writing, but skills that will help them in the profession-al world.

Mild weather brings mild style

Antonio Gandara/CourierChantel Lester, fashion, states that she dresses according to the weather on Wednesday. Lester describes her outfit as “comfortable-chic.”

Earning an English degree opens doors to so many paths

Page 6: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

COURIER6 COURIER 7 SCENE November 14, 2013

Matthew Chan/CourierStephanie Armenta, social work, wears an ensemble of oversized floral print sweater, skinny jeans, brown UGG boots on Tuesday.

Matthew Chan/CourierGrace Marte, sociology, wears an oversized black knit with navy skinny jeans to create her fall look on Tuesday.

Matthew Chan/CourierRaina Wessen, art, in a red beanie, blue tank top paired with a red flannel, dark blue jeans and black Converse, Nov. 12, 2013.

Matthew Chan/CourierAlejandro Rangel, mortuary science wears a grey/blue hoodie, khakis, Nike SBs and Mizuno backpack to complete his fall look on Tuesday.

Antonio Gandara/CourierJonathan Reed, fashion, wears a crimson sweater and fitted caramel pants with oxford dress shoes on Wednesday. Reed loves fashion and fall-winter is his favorite time of the year.

Antonio Gandara/CourierEder Mora, pre-animal medicine, sports a navy knit shawl toggle cardigan on Wednesday. Mora completes his outfit with brown military boots. “I like to dress nice,” Mora said.

Antonio Gandara/CourierJack Yang, pathway coach, wears the “new classic” varsity jacket with a pair of fitted jeans in a dark wash for a perfect fall look. Yang caps off his ensemble with a pair of black basketball sneakers with orange motifs on Wednesday.

fallFASHION

2013

Page 7: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

COURIER November 14, 2013NEWS8

City hall honors PCC’s work with veterans

Benjamin SimpsonStaff Writer

The City of Pasadena ob-served Veterans Day in a cere-mony Monday at City Hall that highlighted not only the veterans and what they have done for this country, but also PCC’s status as one of the nation’s leading com-munity colleges serving veterans.

The keynote speaker was PCC Professor Harold Martin,

a veteran of the Vietnam War. He spoke about the honor of veterans and stressed that they must be treated honorably when they come home.

“It’s been said that for over 10 years this nation hasn’t been at war,” Martin said. “It’s the Armed Forces that have been at war. We’re a society that wrote checks that ended up being cashed by that half a percent of American men and women we call the Armed Forces of the

United Sates. It’s time to make good on the honor our forces upheld; by now honoring them.”

William E. Thomson, Trustee of the Pasadena Area Communi-ty College District and a former Pasadena Mayor, served as the master of ceremonies and spoke of the over 2 million veterans who are returning to civilian life and how PCC is the No. 2 community college in the nation taking in these veterans.

After the event President

Rocha wanted to congratu-late both Martin and Patricia D’Orange-Martin, who runs the veterans center.

“And I am so grateful to the board and everyone who translated that into the kind of support that enables Harold and Patricia to do a great job,” Rocha said. “It is a great honor for them, but as Trustee Thompson said, we’ve got to keep going, we have a lot more men and women coming back.”

“I am overwhelmed, and very honored to be recognized by the city, and have our veterans all recognized,” D’Orange-Martin said. “It is a long time coming

in the sense that we have been at war for over ten years, and to have the spotlight on our veter-ans that are coming back I think is much needed, they do need the support. I think Pasadena City College does a great job, our administrators, our faculty and our staff are very support-ive, and its wonderful to have our city and our community in there with us.”

The PCC marching band played prior to and during the ceremony, and at 11:11am, when the ceremony came to a close, seven T-6 Texan airplanes flew over in formation in recognition of the veterans.

Benjamin Simpson/CourierVeterans gathered at Pasadena’s City Hall for the city’s Veterans’ Day celebration. PCC’s veterans’ program was honored by the keynote speaker PCC professor and Vietnam veteran Harold Martin on Monday.

Benjamin Simpson/CourierWWII fighter planes fly in formation over Pasadena at 11:11a.m. in honor of veterans at the Veterans Day Ceremony at Pasadena City Hall on Monday.

MCQUEEN Continued from page 1

from each other during the investigation.

“Placing Mr. McQueen on paid administrative leave is a necessary measure to protect the integrity of the investigation and the student complainant and witnesses,” Cooper said. “Mr. McQueen continues in good standing with his regular pay during the investigation, and he and the student are both shield-ed from any further incident during its course.”

Cooper also argued that Marheine’s public letter to the college was “one-sided,” and a proper investigation was proto-col for such matters.

“Notwithstanding Mr. Marheine’s one-sided email, the investigator will investigate both sides of the story and after

evaluating all of the evidence, will determine which allegations are sustained and which are not,” Cooper said.

Numerous students comment-ed on the Courier’s Facebook page regarding McQueen’s sud-den administrative leave, stating he was a good instructor and it was alarming for anyone to hear about him allegedly attacking a student.

Former Associated Students vice president Anna Torres was shocked to hear of the alleged attack.

“I had him for English 1A! Didn’t pin him for that type of behavior,” she wrote.

McQueen’s investigation is ongoing and he is still on paid administrative leave.

Page 8: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

November 14, 2013 9 COURIERLIFESTYLE

Quit today, call1-800-NO-BUTTS for help.

I only smoke tobacco

rat  poison

Still sound good to you? Just because you don’t smoke a pack a day

doesn’t mean you’re not hurting yourself.

The Great American Smoke Out!PCC Quad • November 18th-21st(Monday –Thursday 9am -1pm)

Join us for Information and Activities Butts Up! Prizes and more!

Breathe Easier -We’re Going Smoke Free!

©2013, Department of Public Health.

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Tofurkey doesn’t gobble

Tiffany RoeslerStaff Writer

Although it looks like Christ-mas already, Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Oven roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy paint an aromatic, familiar picture of November’s ultimate feast.

While turkey, ham and mash potatoes are still main portions of this holiday’s feast, alter-natives and twists on classics have spiced up the menu. The American tradition of the 1950s housewife presenting a 25-pound turkey to her properly dressed family members is a thing of the past.

“I used to celebrate thanks-giving with my friend’s family, but not really anymore,” said student Terry Surin. “I [still] eat everything: fried turkey, mashed potatoes, and jam.”

Less and less people are hov-ered over the stove for hours, as services like Groupon offer up a full-fledged Thanksgiving meal with choices like tradition-al or African style (right under the Crossfit and spin cycle class deal).

Even what’s served at this year’s holiday dinner didn’t nec-

essarily gobble, squeal, or moo at one point.

Tamales and tofurkey are some of the items found on Cal-ifornian’s holiday dining tables nowadays.

“My family gets me non-meat BBQ riblets and I put that inside a roll. It’s so delicious,” said veg-etarian student Angelica Reyes. “I eat tofurkey in little sandwich-es but I’ve never looked into having a whole roasted vegetari-an turkey.”

“We have ham, tamales, stuff-ing, and Champorado, which is a drink similar to hot chocolate, but more Mexican style,” added student Carmina Ortiz.

As stores open earlier and earlier, there’s less of a need to go out and wait in line for hours or even over night, especially when places like Amazon offer the luxury of staying in. It just gives more time for everyone to continue to eat without worry about the amount of calories just consumed and be with the family.

“It’s only one day out of the year where people can pig out,” said Turin.

“But I think that the [healthier people] add more vegetables and bake the turkey instead.”

Meg Symanow/CourierWhole Foods offers many options for Tofurkey meals.

Opera captivates audience members

Samantha MolinaStaff Writer

Opera singers captivated the audience with their talent and professionalism in the ‘Opera Scenes’ performance on satur-day.

The singers performed scenes from the works of Mozart, Giacomo Puccini, and Giuseppe Verdi.

Preceding each scene, director Anne Marie Ketchum de la Vega provided the audience with a brief summary of the action be-cause many of the performances were sung in Italian.

Opera Scenes opened with “Belle Nuit” from Jacques Of-fenbach’s “The Tales of Hoff-man.”

The performance featured a breeches role also known as a pants or trouser role by Luz-maria Vila. A breeches role is when a male character is sung and acted by a female singer.

Vila sang the role of the male character Nickalausee opposite Madeleine Adragna as Giuletta.

“You get to step out of your perspective and see the world in a different way while on stage,” Vila said. “I had to study how men act and how to romance a woman.”

In the scenes of Mozart’s “Le Nozze Di Figaro,” twin sisters Madeleine and Melina Adragna played the role of the Countess.

Although they played the same character, they both brought their own twist to the role.

“When I was first told that my sister and I would be playing the same role I thought it was brilliant,” Madeleine said. “It fits because we both have the same voice type.”

“Playing the same role in-spired me to fill in my sister’s shoes,” Melina added.

“Although we had the same role, we wanted people to see that we both had different interpretations of what type of character the Countess was.”

The singers proved that they had the skill to perform the works of famous opera com-posers.

“It’s great to be able to pull the music of Mozart, Puccini and Verdi and have the students perform it,” Ketchum de la Vega said.

“I am so lucky to have the talent that I’ve got up there on stage.”

Meg Symanow/CourierWhole Foods offers various meatless alternatives to classic holiday dishes.

‘Opera Scenes’ brings singers’ talents to light

Page 9: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

Emily Chang-ChienStaff Writer

A standard rhythm section of a keyboard, electric bass, and drums awaited the gospel choir’s

entrance onto the makeshift stage equipped with three mi-crophone stands for each voice section. The Quad is no stranger to various performances, but open praise to the Lord? That’s a

new one.“[Gospel music] is awesome,”

director Betty Keller said. “Gos-pel is good news about Jesus Christ; there is no other way to say it.”

The gospel choir performed five songs Tuesday to give audience members a taste of what is to come at their Saturday performance. Such selections included the uplifting “Anything is Possible,” featuring student Ryan Spears as the soloist, belting out soulful riffs while highlight-ing his broad range and strong falsetto. The song also reiterates the inspirational message: you can conquer anything that you can dream.

Although these gospel singers did not exude the typical warmth and soulfulness of conventional gospel groups, they did emanate energy unlike other choral groups on campus as they swayed and stomped to the rhythm of their songs, clapping—for the most part—to steady beats.

The singers displayed varying degrees of animation and en-thusiasm as some were engaged in their performance beaming bright smiles, while others seemed bored.

An interactive element was made prominent throughout the performance while Keller remained engaging and actively encouraged audience participa-tion.

“Come on and put your hands

together, let me hear some noise out here,” Keller said. Unsatisfied by the unenthused bystanders, she would ask for more. “Is that all y’all got? Come on, make some noise!”

Student Leil Menor, account-ing, was fascinated by the perfor-mance.

“It was different because they talked about Jesus,” said Leil Menor, accounting.

“Audience participation, you never get that [from other groups],” said Menor with a light chuckle. “[We only] clapped in support.”

Although minor flukes hap-pened during the performance such as bad entrances, discrep-ancies in blend when specific voices stuck out, misplacement of lyrics and sloppy cut-offs, students in the Quad—whether they were sitting around and chatting with friends, walking to and from class, peering over the edge of the R building or actually standing in front of the perfor-mance—enjoyed the show.

The gospel choir concert is happening this Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. in the Sexson Audi-torium. Tickets for students, staff and seniors are $3; general admission is $5.

Aubrey QuezadaStaff Writer

Walking into the Boone Fam-ily Art Gallery at the Center for the Arts, visitors are bombarded by the vibrant and delightful “Spots” exhibition, featuring the work of acclaimed abstract artist Bob Zoell.

The “spot” paintings were produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s and are “dazzling meticulous formal variations on the motif of the spot,” accord-ing to Brian Tucker, director of the art galleries at PCC.

“It’s feels almost like walking into a children’s book,” said Jaime Rowe, undecided.

Rowe’s favorite thing about “Spots” is that at a glance every-thing looks clean and simple.

“There’s so much going on in them if you look closer. This one looks like a robot’s head but from far away it’s just a bunch of little shapes and cool colors. I love it,” Rowe said.

Originally from Regina, Sas-katchewan, Canada, Zoell is now

a resident of Pasadena and is renowned in the realms of illus-tration, painting and public art.

The idea of having an ex-hibition that displays some of Zoell’s prominent work began developing during Gary Panter’s time as Artist-in-Residence.

Panter invited Zoell to give a lecture that left the students, faculty and staff of the Visual Arts and Media Studies Division excited by Zoell and his work.

“It’s unusual to find someone who has operated at this high a level in so many artistic do-mains,” Tucker said.

“He’s a really interesting mod-el of an artist who creates work in many categories and doesn’t fit into just one. Though I don’t know if that’s obvious from just one body of work,” he added.

“His work is really nice be-cause it’s very simple but it feels like every piece has a message,” said Chelsea Sulker-Hall, fashion marketing, whose favorite piece was a cel-vinyl and enamel on canvas that was made in 1990.

“I like how the colors blend

in with the background and you can’t really see it,” she said.

Though Zoell has seven cov-ers of The New Yorker maga-zine to his credit and has had his work featured in prestigious con-temporary art museums around the world, PCC students and Angelenos are more exposed to

his work than we know.Zoell’s whimsical ceramic

tile mural that displays grinning faces made of punctuation marks and typographical design symbols has been prominently featured at the Wilshire/Ver-mont Los Angeles Metro Station since 2004.

His playfully designed poster celebrating Griffith Park can also be seen on busses and trains throughout the city.

Zoell will be giving a walk through of “Spots” in the Boone Family Art Gallery at noon Friday and the exhibition will be on display until Dec. 6.

10 COURIER November 14, 2013A & E

Famous ‘Spots’ showcased in gallery

Caitlin KellyThompson / CourierBob Zoell standing by his favorite piece in his exhibition, “Spots,” that debuted in the Boone Family Art Gallery at the Center for the Arts on Nov. 6.

Gospel choir praises the Lord through tunes

Page 10: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

Philip McCormickManaging Editor

After being down by eight with the extra point coming, the Lancers football team had a slim chance at an opportunity for an onside kick to get the ball back with 1:10 left on the clock.

The extra point never came.The final nail in the coffin for

PCC was when the Ventura Col-lege Pirates blocked the Lancers extra point kick and ran it back for a safety, crushing their hopes for a last minute comeback at the homecoming game.

The final score was 37-27, Pirates.

“It was a momentum killer,” defensive back Deshon Wade, who had seven tackles, said. “It was tough to be that close and let it slip away.”

PCC had just had a huge play of its own, blocking a Pirates punt and retrieving the football as it bounced into the end zone. Special teams player receiver Darion Lewis made the explo-sive play that cut the deficit to eight.

“We came out with a lot of intensity,” quarterback Darrian Cazarin said. “[Lewis] made a big play… I just wish we could have capitalized on that play.”

On a bright note, wide receiv-er Marcus Green had the biggest game of his Lancers’ football career, pulling in eight catches for 149 yards and two touch-

downs. Green ended the game with a PCC season-high 209 all-purpose yards.

“Green is such a good player,” Cazarin said. “He made two great catches and was just amaz-ing out there.”

The game was well within reach coming out of halftime, the score being tied at 21-21, but the Lancers let the Pirates score twice in the third quarter. Cazarin said that he felt that they shot themselves in the foot, failing to make adjustments.

“It’s becoming a bad habit of ours,” Wade said. “Letting opponents score like that in the second half isn’t something we can let happen.”

While Wade led the defense with his seven tackles, Dalyou Pierson was unable to get any sacks in Saturdays game and will have the odds against him in the final game of the season, needing four sacks to capture the school record for most sacks in a season.

A moment of silence was performed prior to the opening kickoff for Tom Williams, who has been PCC’s game clock timer for football games going back to 1998.

Williams died on Nov. 6 fol-lowing a short illness.

An extra 20 seconds was add-ed and ticked off the scoreboard to honor Williams by the press box crew.

“Tom Williams was a true professional and one of the

most reliable people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” Robert Lewis, head of PCC sports information, said.

“He worked for us as the football game timer going back

to when we were at Occidental College in 1997-98 and was in our press box for all but two of our games in the entire existence of Robinson Stadium. He was a friend and part of the best

press box crew in California. He

will be sorely missed.” The last

game of the season will be on

Saturday at 4 pm. The Lancers

will face Bakersfield College.

November 14, 2013 11 COURIERSPORTS

Homecoming outshines football loss

Benjamin Simpson/Courier

Above, Homecoming King and Queen (Center) Jonathan Reed and Jaleisa Jacobs, with the runner-ups Brandon Ma and Vanessa Macias during halftime of the homecoming game against the Ventura Pirates at home in Robinson Field on Saturday. Left, Mar-cus Green catches the ball against Antonio Cowart (6) and Travis Gibson (47).

Player of the Week

Matthew Chan/Courier

Star goalie Angie Ulmer, had a shutout against LA Harbor with nine saves on Nov. 5. Ulmer averages about eight saves per game, racking up 74 saves so far this season.

Waterpolo loses chance to advance in tournamentDaron GrandberrySports Editor

With its injury plagued 2013 season coming to a close, the women’s water polo team looked much improved de-spite its heartbreaking 12-10 defeat to East Los Angeles College Thursday.

The two teams would need overtime to decide which team would advance to the next round of the South Coast Conference Tournament to play eventual champion Mt. San Antonio College.

“We were up two goals with a min-ute to go,” head coach Terry Stoddard said. “I think what worked well for us today was we changed up our offens-es. We went from a single-set to a dou-ble-post and it made a big difference for us. We matched up really well and played pretty good defense.”

With only one minute remaining in regulation, the Lancers looked poised to move on to the next round, until the unthinkable occurred. Scoring two consecutive scores in less than a minute, the Huskies mounted an im-probable comeback to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Huskies dou-ble-teamed Lancers’ star center-for-ward Stephanie Velasco, forcing the team leader in goals (68) to pass the ball. Although Velasco ranked second on the team in assists (22), the Lancers could not overcome its early overtime

deficit.“I think we improved a lot this

year,” freshman center-forward Car-oline Liu said. “In the beginning we were very disorganized and scattered, but we showed major improvements, and our communication showed today.”

Although the Lancers finished with a disappointing 2-23 record, coach Stoddard is excited to have 10 of his 11 players returning, including Velasco.

“Stephanie is the core of our pro-gram,” Stoddard added. “She’s been double-teamed all season and she’s handled that well. I’m looking forward to putting more pieces around her next year. We’ll have all 10 freshmen back next year and we’ll add more freshmen next year to compete, so I’m excited.”

Although the Lancers were without freshman defender Scarlett Bonilla, who was in the hospital battling kid-ney stones, the Lancers made their last game of the season one of their most impressive and entertaining games of the season.

“Our passing was much improved today,” Velasco said. “In our past games our passing wasn’t the best so we worked on that a lot in practice. In the offseason I’ll be working on my speed, I’m excited about getting back in the water next year and not ending the season the same way.”

Page 11: PCC Courier 11/14/2013

Daron Grandberry Sports Editor

The Lancers’ volleyball team extended their current win streak to seven games with an exciting three-set victory over visiting Mt. San Antonio College on Friday.

Avenging its only conference loss of the season, the Lancers played one of their most inspir-ing games of the season, never trailing the visiting Mounties. They won 25-20, 25-17, and 25-21.

“I think our hard work is starting to pay off,” interim head coach Bill Sanchez said. “I think we have the kids believing they can do what they’re set out to do so it’s nice.”

In the second set, the teams were tied 10 different times until 16-16, that’s when outside hitter Nora To’omalatai went to work with three consecutive kills to give the Lancers a 19-16 ad-vantage. To’omalatai continued her successful season recording 17 kills, 11 digs and three aces against the Mounties.

“Nora really stepped it up to-night and it’s what great players do,” Sanchez said. “She’s got un-

limited potential because she can power the ball at terrific speed. We have two freshman middle blockers that are controlling the net in Angela Banuelos and Ken-dra Logan. Angela made plays at key junctures for us.”

Freshman Kendra Logan, who sat out the first meeting because of injury, helped give the Lancers a big help in the middle defensively. Although she only recorded three kills and three blocks, Logan’s presence against the Mounties gave fellow freshman Banuelos her defen-sive partner in crime. Banuelos recorded seven kills and seven blocks (one solo) to help the Lancers give Mt. SAC trouble at the net all night.

“Our defense definitely won this game today and it feels great,” To’omalatai added. “We have to keep communicating with each other that was a struggle the past few games, and today we actually showed what kind of team we are, which is a really good team.”

The Lancers (12-8 overall) remain tied with No. 11 El Camino for the conference lead with 10-1 league records, but PCC holds the ace card having

already beaten the Warriors on the road. Friday’s victory over the Mounties knocked Mt. SAC (8-3) out of the conference race. Barring any upsets this coming week, the SCC crown will be decided on Nov. 20 when the Lancers host El Camino in the conference finale.

“Very impressed, I’m speech-less,” sophomore outside hitter Thula Parks said. “It’s so cool to come out with the victory tonight, especially a team that beat us earlier in the season. It’s just the best feeling ever.”

Parks had nine kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Sophomore right side hitter Brian Hilton added five kills, 11 digs and two blocks in one of her best matches of the year. Letter-man sophomore setter Tiffany Roesler dished out 38 assists and made eight digs while sopho-more libero Victoria Arreola was strong on serve receive and overall defense with 13 digs and two aces.

The Lancers host East Los Angeles College on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m at PCC’s Hut-to-Patterson Gymnasium.

SPORTS12 COURIER November 14, 2013

Volleyball continues 7-game streak

Matthew Chan/CourierOutside hitter Nora To’omalatai goes for a block against Mt. San Antonio College at home on Friday. PCC defeated Mt. Sac three sets to zero.

Men’s basketball places second in tournamentDaron GrandberrySports Editor

The men’s basketball team (2-1) got off to a successful second place finish in the Ventura “We Play Hard” Tournament held November 7-9.

In the opening round, the Lancers defeated LA Valley Col-lege 61-38 behind a team high 13 points and 10 rebounds from 6-foot-7 center Taj Spencer.

“We have a deeper team than in previous seasons,” head coach Michael Swanegan said. “We don’t have to force minutes out of our top players like we did last year. This seems to be a group with some potential with a good blend of sophomores and freshmen.”

Returning 6-foot-6 power forward Bryce Clifton got the

Lancers going with four straight baskets that opened a 13-3 early lead for PCC. The Lancers would end up leading 35-17 by halftime and were never threat-ened.

Clifton finished the game with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Returning sopho-more point guard Jeffrey Dock-ett added 10 points and three assists to help lead the Lancers to victory.

The Lancers committed 14 steals overall, led by Dockett who recorded three steals.

“I was very impressed with our performance,” Swanegan said. “With only two return-ers and twelve new people we weren’t sure just how well they were going to play, but I was very impressed.”

In their second game of the tournament, the Lancers played

host to Ventura College, a team ranked among the top 10 in the state pre-season poll. The Pirates jumped out to an early 13-6 advantage seven minutes into the contest, forcing the Lancers to shoot from the outside.

“We have to talk on the court more,” Dockett added. “We just have to do everything better. We’re good offensively. We can score from different positions. We just have to play better de-fense and get out in transition.

At halftime the Lancers were down 33-29, but managed to hold the Pirates to only four points over the final four min-utes of the half. The Lancers defense was the key to victory, forcing the Pirates into 30 turn-overs in the game.

“Defensively we did a good job in the tournament,” Swanegan added. “Offensively

we have to figure each other out because this was the first time we played as a team together. There are a few kinks we have to work out, but that’s what these early tournaments are for.”

As they did in the sea-son-opening win over Los Ange-les Valley, the team’s defense was impressive, forcing Ventura into 30 turnovers.

An All-Ventura Tourna-ment Team selection, Dockett totaled 29 points, including four 3-pointers, and added five steals and four assists.

Clifton made his presence felt on both ends of the court, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and one block while connecting on six-of-seven field goal attempts. Freshman Adrian Miles added 11points, three rebounds and three assists.

In the championship loss to Antelope Valley College, the Lancers remarkable defense could not contain Antelope Valley College, allowing them to score 53 first-half points.

Spencer recorded 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks as the Lancers’ most effective play-er. Dockett and Miles added 12 points each and guard Brandon Joseph finished with 10 points. Antelope Valley won its third Ventura title in the past four seasons, including a win over pre-season No. 1 Mt. San Jacinto in the tourney opener.

“We learned we have a lot of things to work on,” Spencer said. “We have to start off strong every time and be smarter with the ball. We’re going to work on that in practice. We want to win more than anything.”

Rene Henriquez/CourierSophomore forward Zack Larson steals the ball from a Cerritos defender at Robinson Stadium.

Men’s soccer inches closer to playoffsPhilip McCormickManaging Editor

Defense was the name of the game on Tuesday afternoon for the men’s soccer team, as it took on one of the best teams in the Cerritos College Falcons and came away happily with a 1-1 tie.

“This gives us a really good chance at securing a playoff seat,” head coach Edgar Man-velyan said. “There is no doubt about who the player of this game was. Our goalie Gaetano Perez was great today.”

The biggest standout play of the game came from Perez in the first half when the Falcons

were awarded a penalty kick and Perez read the attempt perfectly, diving and blocking the shot. Perez had a total of eight saves in the game.

“It felt great to get that save,” Perez said. “We probably could have came away with a win, but I’m happy enough with a tie too.”

After a scoreless first half thanks to Perez, Cerritos was able to score from 18 yards away from the net in the 57th minute.

“Our defender didn’t stay on him and lost him,” Perez said. “It kind of took me by surprise, but those types of things happen sometimes. I still feel very confi-

dent about our playoff chances.”The Lancers rebounded,

however, and five minutes later they scored a goal of their own to equalize.

“Eric Chavez got the tying score,” Manvelyan said. “He played well and did exactly what he was supposed to do when he got the chance.”

The Lancers went from 11th to 7th place in the region, according to Perez. He said that with a win or tie against ECC Compton, they would most like-ly cement a playoff seed.

“We are confident,” Perez said. “No matter who we face, I feel like we can win this year.”