Issue 14, April 7, 2011

April 7, 2011 Torrance, Calif

UnionEl Camino College

Hands Across CaliforniaCan this event designed to benefi t community colleges really do anything for our campus?

Helping California community colleges and their students, Hands Across California (HAC) is raising money by creating a human line

stretching down the state April 17, according to the HAC website.

The money raised will go to the Cal-ifornia Community College Schol-

arship Endowment, which is a permanent fund that provides

scholarships for commu-nity college students.

“Sometimes you simply have to

do something amazing

to get

people’s attention and get them to take action for a particular project or cause,” Ken Kragen, executive producer of HAC, said in an article about the event.

Hands Across America, a 1986 event created to help the homeless which was also orchestrat-ed by Kragen, was the inspiration for HAC.

“I think that Hands Across California will help raise awareness about community colleges not only in the state of California, but in the na-tion,” Katie Gleason, executive director of the EC Foundation, said. “Also it will continue to help raise money for scholarships for EC and other colleges.”

HAC is expecting more than one million peo-ple to participate including students, celebrities, and elected offi cials in the human line that is ex-pected to span close to 1,500 miles long.

Celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest and George Lopez are serving as spokespersons while former president Bill Clinton and Los Angeles mayor

Antonio Villaraigosa are endorsing HAC.“In the past, people thought ‘Well, I don’t have to give to community col-

leges because they’re funded by the state,” Gleason said. “But we

all know that’s not going to continue, we’re never going back to being completely publicly funded.”

The Scholarship Endowment was cre-ated in May of 2008 when The Bernard Os-her Foundation donat-ed $25 million for the cause and challenged colleges to raise an ad-ditional $50 million, of which the Osher foun-dation will match 50

percent. “We are starting to see philanthropy emerge

in community colleges and there will be long-term benefi ts because of it,” Gleason said.

As of last year, the organization has accumu-lated a total of $54.3 million and is determined to reach their goal of $100 million by June.

EC’s fund raising goal of $977,000 was sur-passed and the current amount raised is approxi-mately $1.2 million Gleason said.

“Although we are already at our goal, we are not going to stop because we want to keep rais-ing money and submitting as much as we can,” Gleason said.

HAC starts at 2 p.m. and the route is sup-posed to reach from Sacramento to San Diego. EC is one of approximately 112 California com-munity colleges involved in the event.

“We’re doing the Hands Across El Camino version of it because it’s so hard to get support to reach another campus,” Rebekka Asher, 20, ASO senator of natural sciences, said.

ASO is helping spread the word about the event by handing out fl iers and setting up a stand in front of the Schauerman Library Lawn.

“Part of the challenge from this is a lot of the information came very late to us from the state-wide organization,” Rebecca Cobb, director of student development, said.

Students seem split, questioning whether the event is the right way to benefi t EC.

“It’s a good concept uniting students but I’m not interested in participating,” Damian Castro, 19, psychology major said. “I’m not sure if that’s really the best way to help community colleges.”

Meanwhile Patrice Jones, 31, child develop-ment major who plans to donate said that it’s “really important to get the word out to represent because not a lot of students know how impor-tant community colleges are.”

For more information interested persons may visit www.handsacrosscalifornia.org.

• 112 community colleges are currently planned to take part.

• The route is going to stretch to more than 1,000 miles long.

• Over 1 million people may be involved, including faculty and students from community colleges, friends and alumni, and even celebrities.

• Three out of 10 adults aged 18-24 are currently enrolled in community college.

• California holds one quarter of all com-munity college students nationwide in it’s community colleges.

NEWS LINE

-Tayani Davis

Native American Pow Wow this weekend

Nursing program informa-tion session tonight

Black College Fair coming up in two weeks

Career expo and majors fair coming up

College Budget Forum on campus today

Dr. Tom Fallo, president of El Camino College, is holding an open discussion today at 1 p.m. in the Mar-see Auditorium to talk about state budget cuts and their impacts on EC.

Get information about various ca-reer possibilities at EC’s Annual Ca-reer Expo and Majors Fair is sched-uled for Wednesday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Schauerman Library Lawn.

Meet with representatives from various historically black colleges and universities at the Black College Fair, Thursday April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the East Lounge of the Student Activities Center.

Need information about nursing? There will be a nursing information session this evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. held in the Alondra Room on campus. Interested persons may call (310) 660-3281.

Saturday and Sunday the Native American Club will be hosting their annual Pow Wow including dancing, food and vendors. The event will take place on the track fi eld from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Imagine yourself traveling through the jungles of Africa, going on a sa-fari and feeding primates that you read about in your anthropology textbooks. Or you’re visiting Omaha Beach in France, an important World War II land-mark that you learned about in your his-tory classes. Or you’re at the Great Wall of China, a place you never thought you would see with your own eyes.

With the study abroad programs of-fered at EC, students have been able to make these dreams a reality.

EC offers the opportunity for stu-dents to travel to different countries and partake in the academic experience that this program offers.

Some of the recent trips have includ-ed studies in France, Australia, Italy, Spain, and Africa.

This summer, EC is offering trips to Madrid, Spain, Florence, Italy, and Dublin, Ireland.

“You gain personal enrichment. You see the culture in the fi eld. Museums, history, sociology, architecture, tasting the foods, observing the behavior, all at once,” Rosella Pescatori, Italian profes-sor, said. “It is the experience of a life time.”

Pescatori will be the instructor for the two courses offered during the Flor-ence trip this summer, Italian culture and Italian conversation.

Melissa Van Brunt, 22, communica-tions major, was a part of the Paris trip offered last summer and is partaking in the Florence trip this summer.

“Going to Paris was the summer that changed me,” Van Brunt said. “I hope to gain the same experience I had in France, if not more.”

Studying abroad offers students the opportunity to break away from aca-demic routine and gain personal growth.

“I think everyone should go abroad, it should be mandatory,” Chris Valencia, 22, political science major, said.

Valencia traveled abroad to China summer 2009, France summer 2010 and is also traveling to Italy this summer.

“I am now more confi dent with my-self,” Valencia said. “Before this, I was close-minded, but when I went to china I realized there is a whole new world out there and now I just want to see it all.”

“Our goal and mission is to show students what the world is about outside of our borders,” Gloria Miranda, dean of study abroad, said. “Many of our stu-dents come back with the motivation to continue and complete their education.”

Due to the upcoming budget cuts, the college wants to focus on cutting classes that are not core curriculum classes, Mi-randa said.

“Over the last six years we have been cutting back. We used to offer semester-long programs, but now we only offer summer and winter programs,” Miranda said.

“There is a high possibility that we won’t be offering any abroad programs next year, but we are very fortunate to have three this summer fi lled and suc-cessfully ready to go,” Miranda said.

The program, mainly funded by the students, averages $5,000 for the month long trip.

This fee covers room and board, tu-ition, books, airfare, and other expenses that may be needed. 45 students on av-erage enroll, making it a high impacted program.

Students who have been a part of past programs are sad to see the news that this program may face.

“I would defi nitely go on another trip if I had the money to do it again. I wouldn’t even think about it twice,” Ariana Acevedo 21, English major, said.

“People don’t really understand that this experience really changes you for the better,” Acevedo, who traveled with EC this past summer to France, said.

“If they do cut this program it’s go-ing to cut the opportunity that every stu-dent should have. That was a summer I will never forget,” Acevedo said.

With a tuition increase already in place and looming budget cuts, advisers are hoping that the program will con-tinue on despite California’s economic crisis.

“We really hope that we can have this opportunity again, but with the cuts it’s diffi cult to know if we will,” Pesca-tori said.

Joshua ShermanStaff Writer

Facts about California and the event

In support of Japan, the Japanese Cul-tural Club raised an estimated $3,000 to aid the victim of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami which devastated the country last month.

The 9.0 earthquake that struck the coast of Japan and created a tsunami that washed away thousands of homes and took thousands of lives.

According to a recent New York Times article, more than 15,000 people remain missing and the death toll is more than 12,000 people in the coun-try leaving many in the thousands call-ing shelters their new home.

The New York Times article also stated that although many of the workers at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant have made progress in recovering after the earthquake, disturb-ing high radiation readings continue to bring fear that Japan’s crisis is far from over.

Many of EC’s students and faculty have come together to send hope to Ja-pan by collecting donations and having students send messages out to the coun-try.

“I’m very happy with what we have done so far, the students have been re-ally supportive toward the cause,” Lori Suekawa, co-faculty adviser of the Jap-anese Cultural club, said.

The Japanese club started to take do-nations last Monday and has since then raised an estimated $3,000 to be sent out to Japan for relief.

“We will be sending whatever we can get for relief; we don’t have a particular goal,” Suekawa said.

Besides the Japanese Cultural club taking donations, other clubs and campus neighbors have been getting involved.

“The Political Science Club pro-vided us with pins that we have been handing to those who have donat-ed and Wasabi, a restaurant from

across the street has provided us with coupons to give to students who donate as well,” Ashley Arikawa, Japanese Cultural Club president, said.-

The Japanese Cultural club will also be providing T-shirts for students to purchase with the proceeds going to-ward the relief fund.

“It has been a good effort; we’re hap-py with all the participation,” Suekawa said.

Japan still in needJose Flores /Union

According to handsacrosscalifornia.org

MariaCristina GonzalezOnline Editor-in-Chief

Studying and learning abroadJessica MendozaStaff Writer

“It has been a good effort; we’re happy with all the participa-

tion”

—Lori SuekawaCo-faculty adviser of the Japanese Cultural Club

April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union2 NEWSPOLICE BEAT

Hit-and-run reported in parking Lot H

March 29, 9:40 a.m. – A female student fi led a police report after being involved in a hit-and-run accident. Her vehicle was struck into on the third level of Parking Lot H. There was minor damage to the driver’s side rear panel and bumper. No suspect informa-tion was available.

—Ashley Curtin

Police respond to injured student

March 26, 11:24 a.m. – An offi cer responded to a medical aid call in the North Physical Education Building. A female non-student was participat-ing in a volleyball tournament and injured her back during a game. Paramedics were called to the scene and the female was transported to the hospital where she was treated.

Students cut locks for charityBags of hair did not go unnoticed in the Technical Arts

Building as the Associated Student Organization along with the Cosmetology Department hosted hair donations Monday and Tuesday.

It was only 10:30 a.m. and more than 30 people got hair cuts.

One student felt good about donating her hair to help someone else.

“I feel good about cutting off my hair. I donated 2 inch-es towards the oil spill,” Stephanie Sesma, 21, cosmetol-ogy student, said.

The hair donations served two different causes. The person getting their hair cut can either donate eight inch-es of their hair to cancer patients for Pantene Beautiful Lengths or they can donate two inches of their hair to help absorb the oil in the ocean for Matter of Trust.

“We know that some guys don’t have eight inches of hair so we gave people a choice of two inches so guys could get involved too,” Jasmine Hormati, Region 7 Rep-resentative of ASO said.

ASO wanted to get all groups involved; faculty mem-bers, friends and families.

This event was open to the public as well and donators did not have to be an EC student in order to donate their hair.

“It feels different cutting off eight inches of my hair, but I’ve wanted to cut my hair for a while now,”Lisa Brown, 23, English major said. “I’ve waited for this event and it is a great idea.”

The hair that is donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths will be made into wigs for cancer patients and the hair donated to Matter of Trust will be made into hair mats that will fl oat in the ocean and help absorb oil for oil spills.

All the hair was collected and separated into bags for each cause. Every cut was done by the Cosmetology De-partment. Also the person who received a hair cut did not have to worry about money. Everything was free.

The individual receiving a hair cut was given a free cut, a new hairstyle and received a voucher for a free manicure any time that will also be done by the Cosmetology De-partment.

The idea of hair donations came from a former ASO member who was very “green and environmental friend-ly” and had planned this event last semester but now ASO are following through with the idea this semester.

Jasmine Hormati and ASO board of trustees Johanna Zamora were both in charge of the event and were pleased with the outcome.

“I’m excited because it was an easy event you get to sit down and be pampered and give back to the community. It feels really good to have been planning since fall semester and now seeing it actually happen,” Hormati said.

“This is a really good cause. It was an event that not only brought our campus together but our community as well,” Zamora, said.

Looking over past events and new ideas from its re-cent Advocacy Conference for Community College Stu-dent Leaders, students can look forward to more events by ASO this semester along with the fall.

ASO members smiled in the conference room as they discussed what they learned from the conference and how they plan to apply those ideas to the school.

Some of these ideas include: help for students who need to pay off their student loans, not cutting Pell Grants, limiting the amount of books bought, so students can sell back their books.

These are just a few ideas they gained from the confer-ence and will fi ght on the behalf of the students.

Additionally since many students are familiar with the latest technology and Internet, ASO has considered us-ing Facebook and other social media to reach out to the students.

“We learned a lot of things that can be very useful to EC and we are going to apply what we learned,” Nicole Reinertsen, Public Relations Offi cer, said.

Besides the new ideas gained from the conference, ASO wants to have more fundraising. Selling Pinkberry proved to be a very successful event last semester, so they plan to bring it back at end of April leading into beginning of May.

Meanwhile the “A Toast to El Camino” event garnered 60 students with over 90 tickets sold, Rebekka Asher, senator of natural sciences and chair of fundraising, said.

“I thought this event was successful and great. Sixty students is a big turnout for a school event, but I would love if more students attended,” Asher said.

ASO will also be participating in Hands Across Cali-fornia which is an event to raise money so more students can attend and get a good education.

Also with their busy schedules they have to remain fo-cused on the general elections coming up.

ASO members will be campaigning when spring break is over.

The voting will begin at the beginning of May. It will be an open election for students to vote as well.

Tayani DavisStaff Writer

Auxiliary Student Benefi ts give discounts for all students

Quite often overlooked, students are missing the benefi ts Auxiliary Student Benefi ts (ASB) provides.

“Purchasing an ASB sticker is point-less,” Krystina Cross, 19, business major said. “I had one in high school and I spent money on something that I hardly used, so why should I spend money on it now?”

Every semester students spend so much money on books, food and classes. After just one semester of school things add up pretty quickly, students’ budgets are tight. This is where ASB kicks in. ASB is only

$10 and it is designed to save students money while attending college. Students can receive discounts through school ath-letic events, EC music concerts, some As-sociated Student Organization events and also things such as: movie tickets, amuse-ment parks, hotels, motels, hairstylist, fl o-rist, some restaurants, medical services and many others.

ASB offers plenty more than just dis-counts. Clubs and club events are funded through ASB. ASB not only gives students discounts, but raises money to give out to keep programs open.

ASB distributes about $60,000 a year

for the student newspaper and about $200,000 for the sports department.

“Clubs are designed for student growth and development of who they are that is why we fund these programs to keep them open,” Lawrence Moreno, the Coordinator of ASB, said.

The ASB sticker is not just for students but also open for faculty members and staff to purchase as well.

When a student purchases an ASB dis-count sticker they are not only benefi ting themselves but also benefi ting the school. Also it is considered a donation to the school.

“Every student who purchases an ASB sticker that money goes right back into the school,” Moreno said. “What students don’t realize is there’s a lot more to this school than receiving your education and then going home.”

If a student utilizes his ASB sticker he would have gotten his money’s worth. But since students are unaware of the service that ASB provides

“Sales are down because students are not aware of ASB. Sales are not where I would like them to be,” Moreno said. “Next month there will be an ASB aware-ness about what deals ASB provides.”

Tayani DavisStaff Writer

Student fi les theft report for missing mirror

March 29, 1 p.m. – A male student parked his vehicle in Parking Lot L and upon his re-turn the passenger door’s rear view mirror was missing. He fi led a theft report at the police station and the damage was as-sessed at $40.

Female student has hit-and-run in Lot F

March 28, noon – A female student reported a hit-and-run accident on the upper level of Parking Lot F. While study-ing in her vehicle, she felt a jolt and witnessed the suspect hit her vehicle. She honked the horn to make him aware of the accident but the suspect sped off. There was minor damage done to her vehicle and the case is under investigation.

This weekend, from Saturday to Sunday, the Native American Club will hold the 13th annual Pow Wow on the Track Field.

The times are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and the purpose of the Pow Wow is “to bring culture awareness to the community,” Azere Wilson, Native American club president, said.

The Pow Wow has one important ceremony during this event.

“We’re having a gore dance. The gore dance is the main ceremonies event and it actually precedes the Pow Wow because the Pow Wow is more dancing for the people and socializing with each other,” Emily Ryder, Native Ameri-can club adviser, said. “The gore dance is a very important spiritual dance, that carries on tradition and was developed by tribes in the 1800s.”

The clubs that are involved in the Pow Wow are The History Club, The Honors Society Club and Tailor Made.

The Pow Wow has a different kind of regalia that is used.

“A regalia is a special clothing that is worn for a par-ticular event,” Ryder said.

“It’s usually from the tribes or region your from, that’s who you will represent and it will vary in every different kind of Pow Wow depending on who participates,” Far-rah Ferris, ICC representative, said. “A regalia isn’t used everyday.”

Visitors can enjoy several activities at the Pow Wow.“You can observe the singing, drumming, dancing, arts

and crafts, food vendors and their different booths,” Ferris said.

“There’s also social dancing, where everybody is invit-ed to join in the dance and sometimes music is performed, just for listening,” Ryder said.

According to a fl ier around campus, many types of foods, including frybread, Indian tacos and desserts will be at the event.

“There will be food there and that is the key element,”

Timothy Whitfi eld, Native American Club member, said.The reason the fi rst Pow Wow was held was because

“there was a Native American student in EC, who wanted to have a Pow Wow at EC. This was approximately 15 years ago,” Ryder said.

The fi rst Pow Wow was held back in 1995 at EC .“This is the 13th annual Pow Wow, but we missed a

couple of years,” Ryder said.“It’s the largest gathering on campus and it’s the 13th

annual Pow Wow this year,” Wilson said.There will be many fun things to do and everybody will

have a good time at the Pow Wow.“It’s on the EC campus, so it’s good to show student

support for your own college and it’s good to understand native cultures and be part of something that exists today and that was from the past,” Ferris said.

There are two main reasons to go down to the Pow Wow Wilson said.

“We want to bring awareness to the community and bring the tribes together to celebrate,” Wilson said.

Native American Club 13th annual Pow Wow comes to campusJorge CamarilloStaff Writer

Cindy Navarret, 27, cosmetology major, cuts Nayeli Gasca’s hair./Union Jose Flores

Student cited for drug use in Auto Shop

March 29, 7:15 p.m. – Po-lice responded to a call from the Auto Shop regarding pos-sible drug activity. A male stu-dent was huffi ng compressed air from a can of cleaner and when they arrived he tried to evade the offi cers. He was tak-en into custody and searched at the police station where the huffi ng material was found. The student was cited and is scheduled to meet with the stu-dent dean of development for his misconduct.

After weeks of homework, studying for midterms, preparing for presenta-tions and writing the longest research paper ever, a break is near. It is time to escape the daily grind, put studying aside and forget about deadlines. Alarm clocks will be switched off as students go on spring break.

Money is tight and that dream va-cation may be out of reach, but spring break shouldn’t be spent doing noth-ing. Living in sunny California, home to beautiful beaches and warm weather, adventure awaits with fun activities to fi t any budget.

“I need a break,” Kyle Munson, 19, business major said. “I want to have fun on little money.”

As many students plan for spring break, money is on their mind, but Aux-iliary Service Benefi ts (ASB) is there to provide discounts to some major attrac-tions through out southern California. If you are looking to spend a day at a theme park, ASB has discounted tick-ets to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood and many others in southern California.

ASB also has movie tickets at half price. It is time to hit the theater and catch up on all the box offi ce hits you missed throughout the semester, includ-ing the new summer blockbusters.

Become a member of ASB for only $10 and students, faculty and alumni immediately start saving on tickets along with other activities. Sign up and purchase tickets at Marsee Auditorium or in the student development offi ce of the Student Activities Building.

“These tickets are sold year round and save students a lot of money,” Law-rence Moreno, ASB coordinator said. “As an ASB member, you can buy as

many tickets as you want at the dis-counted price.”

While many students want to spend the day on an amusement ride or at the movies, others are interested in getting some exercise.

The Strand starts at Torrance County Beach, continuing for miles through Hermosa Beach and ends in Will Rog-ers State Beach. The paved trail follows along the coast and is a place to bike, rollerblade or skateboard.

Another form of exercise is beach volleyball. Join the amateurs in a pick-up game of beach volleyball on one of the sand courts in Hermosa Beach.

“We are playing volleyball at the same court on Tuesdays and always looking for more people to join our game,” Jaime Carroll, Hermosa Beach resident and amateur volleyball player, said.

Some students on the other hand are looking for an outdoor adventure. Mat-thew Amberg, 19, undecided major, is gearing up to hike through the moun-tains.

There are many hiking trails through-out all of southern California. There are plenty of day hikes with shorter trails in Griffi th Park while longer trails are found in Angeles National Forest.

“Some friends and I plan to go on a hiking trip for a few days,” Amberg said. “It’s something fun and free to do.”

Another popular outdoor activity among students is camping. While most state parks currently charge off season site prices, this is an economical way to get away.

During the day, take advantage of the free park amenities and at night re-lax around the campfi re. Fanny Turcios, 30, business major is looking forward to “a break” while camping in Kern Valley.

“We pack lots of food to grill and my

family and I relax,” Turcios said. “It is very low budget.”

Not only do outdoor activities fi t anyone’s budget, so do the art museums around Los Angeles. While The Getty Museum is always free admission, the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles (MOCA) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) both offer a student discount. Experience all the museums have to offer including new projects on exhibit throughout the month.

Another popular and inexpensive activity is catching a comedy act. The Comedy and Magic Club located in Hermosa Beach offers a list of famous comedians for a night of entertainment. Tickets range between $10 and $20.

Even though school is out of session, many transfer students use spring break to visit their top choice universities. It is a chance to tour the campus, explore a new area and meet new people.

“I am excited to check out the Uni-versity of California, San Francisco and do a little sightseeing,” Edlin Burciaga, 18, nursing major said. “I am staying with family so it is very economical.”

Volunteering is also a popular spring break activity. Some students are trading in their time to give back to the commu-nity and help people in need.

The Volunteer Center located in Tor-rance provides a database of volunteer opportunities throughout the South Bay and programs to get involved. For more information visit volcenter.org.

No matter what activity students choose, spring break can be fun and memorable even on a budget. So stu-dents can explore their options and make this week a highlight of the spring semester.

“It’s a vacation and time to have some fun,” Munson said.

April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union FEATURES 3

Ashley Curtin

SudokuFill every row across,

every column down, and every 3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9.

Each digit must appear only once in each row across, each column down and each 3x3 box.

For the solution to the puzzle, visit the Union website,

www.eccunion.com

Staff Writer

Sing-A-Long Wizard of Oz2 p.m. and 8 p.m., April 9 at the Alex Theatre

216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale 818-243-ALEX, ext. 2539General Admission: $13.50

Students: $9.50Dorothy is back and fully restored, ready for her fans to warm up their chops and sing along with her on the big screen. Audience members are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from the classic fi lm and belt out their fa-

vorite songs.

Bike Night7 p.m., April 17 at the Hammer Museum

10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los AngelesFree Admission with Student ID

The third annual Bike Night at the Hammer Museum is any cyclist’s dream come true. Bike lovers can look forward to screenings of the 1986 BMX cult classic “Rad,” portraits of stylish bikes and their riders and free snacks and a cash bar. Bicycle parking is available but riders need to bring their own locks.

The Realest Real Housewives9:30 p.m., April 14 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood 323-908-8702General Admission: $5

All of the big spending, temper tantrums and family drama of Bravo’s The Real Housewives is now on the big stage for fans to enjoy. With special guests Whitney Cummings, David Wain and Mary Elizabeth Ellis, all of the best scenes from the successful franchise will be performed. Their only request,

“Don’t be tardy for the party!”

Goose Bumps! The Science of FearMarch 11 through April 24 at the California Science Center

700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles 323-724-3623Free Admission

Fears of creepy crawlers, electric shocks and falling from great heights are explored at the Goose Bumps! exhibit at the California Science Center. With fear challenge courses and live demonstrations on fear conditioning and fear

response, students may leave a little less scared.

Spring breakon a budget

l

Unusual Events for Students to Attend During Spring Bring for Under $10

4 EDITORIALS April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Japanese Club sets standard for student organizing

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Campuses join together for an important cause

The road I took to university was long and at times, harrowing. With stumbled beginnings, I was thrust into EC after a lackluster high school career. Being the second youngest in a family full of smart people, my living room was littered with diplomas, and I knew mine was expected to go up sometime. I enrolled at EC in the fall of 2006.

If you look at my transcripts from fall 2006 to spring 2007, it is clear that my favorite grade was “W.” So, in spring 2007 I only enrolled in two on-line courses. Although I received good grades in both classes, I decided not to pursue traditional edu-cation. Instead, in a move I simultaneously regret and love: I enrolled at Musician’s Institute in Hol-lywood.

I learned to build guitars in a six month inten-sive certifi cate program. It fell awkwardly on top of both fall and spring semester at EC, causing me to not enroll for the 2007-2008 school year. I rode the Metro Rails for a total of 15 hours a week. I found the somber noise of the train soothing enough to get some serious reading done, and read more books than ever.

As the program neared its end, the school showed its true colors and didn’t net me anything other than a piece of paper and two custom guitars. I fi gured that educational shortcuts were not gener-ally fruitful, and decided to use my time off asking friends and family how they transferred out of com-munity college.

Summer of 2008 rolled around and I was on a warpath. I found the IGETC papers and the Busi-ness Administration transfer requirements available in the counseling offi ce, a fact I was previously igno-rant of. Taking no breaks, and a staggering amount

of units I began suc-cessfully trekking my way through the com-munity college expe-rience. Thanks to in-spirational professors

like Chuck Herzig, Arthur Verge, and Randy Firestone, who presented interesting material in an exciting and engaging way, I was enjoying school more than ever.

In fall of 2010 in the midst of a set of 15 units, the trans-fer process was upon me. With

a 3.2 GPA I applied to 5 UC campuses. I had pre-viously been advised by a counselor that my GPA probably wasn’t satisfactory, to which I disagreed. Still, the tedious wait for transfer acceptance letters was getting to me. What if I didn’t get accepted anywhere?

My fi rst admission decision came from UC Riverside, my top choice. I was so excited I ran out of the music library to call my mother. I gave her the news while shedding a few stress reliev-ing tears. Since then I have also been accepted to UCSC, and I am awaiting others, scheduled to be revealed in late April.

The views expressed in Campus Insight are those of the authors. They do not represent the views or opinions of the Union, its staff, editorial board or adviser.

This column is available to students and faculty. All articles may be submitted to [email protected]. Please note that articles may

Co-Editor-in-Chief.................................................Haipha SimonCo-Editor-in-Chief.................................................Nelson AmayaManaging Editor.........................................................Matt SimonCo-News Editor...........................................................Matt Simon Co-News Editor...........................................................Eric FarrellCo-Opinion Editor..................................................Haipha SimonCo-Opinion Editor..........................................Viridiana Vaca-Rios Features Editor.....................................................Samantha TroisiArts Editor..........................................................Erika Maldonado Co-Sports Editor.....................................................Nelson AmayaCo-Sports Editor........................................................Andrew LimCo-Photo Editor...........................................................Jose Flores Co-Photo Editor....................................................Patrick OsborneOnline Editor-in-Chief.............................MariaCristina GonzalezAdvertising Manager..........................................Stephanie Alcorn Adviser................................................................Lori MedigovichAdviser...............................................................Kate McLaughlinTechnical Support.....................................................Don Treat

Vol. 64, No. 14April 7, 2011

E-mail: [email protected]

Newsroom: (310) 660-3328Advertising: (310) 660-3329

The issue: Community college tuition will increase by $10 beginning Fall 2011.

Our stand: Students should participate in events that can benefi t their education.

Richard Weikel, 22,business major

Illustration by Haipha Simon

CAMPUSINSIGHT

UnionEl Camino College

—See related article on Page 1

New campus club conducts fundraiser in an effort to provide support to the citizens of Ja-pan after the March earthquake and tsunami.

With the death toll climbing to more than 12,000 and more than 15,000 bodies still missing, EC must do its part to help the cataclysmic devastation looming over Japan.

While most students on campus are making plans for their spring break, making a minimal monetary donation would make a world of difference.

Within the last two weeks of fund raising and spread-ing awareness, the Japanese Cultural Club with help from other clubs has raised $3,000 to date.

A newly active club on campus, beginning in the fall, with no more than 30 members, has demonstrated the pow-er of organizing to make a difference.

Applause and congratulations are in order for the stu-dent-run organization. Community colleges, especially, are common to have lower student involvement because of the high turn over rate of students entering and transferring out every semester.

A solid student government, for instance, is even diffi -cult to maintain for this reason. So the fact that a relatively new club has already accomplished so much is commend-able.

The club has been effective in gaining support from other clubs as well. The El Camino Society of Music, for example, will be donating a portion of profi ts from it’s bi-annual student recital for Japan relief. Members of Me-cha, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, presented a collective donation for the club as well.

The Red Cross Club on campus sold wrist bands with funds also contributing to Japanese victims. Other clubs collaborating with the Japanese Cultural Club such as the Political Science Club and the Gay Straight Alliance all

have dedicated time at booths stationed on the Library Lawn and helped pass out fl iers.

Although it is unfortunate that such a tragic event is affecting so many people, through the turmoil, a group of students have risen from the stereo typically apathetic stance.

Putting aside the pressures that come with student life, students have rallied together crossing cultural, social and economic boundaries to unite for a cause that is greater than themselves.

If every one of the roughly 20,000 students that come through our campus were willing to donate $1, imagine how many people in Japan who have been stripped of ev-erything they have known or owned could benefi t.

Stand for something! This club has set the example of breaking the mold of youth of the ‘2000s being branded as the “me” generation. This can be the beginning of collab-orative student involvement that produces tangible results.

It seems like the fl oodgates have opened and California community colleges con-tinue to get pummeled by nonstop budget cuts and class cancellations.

For one day, more than 1 million peo-ple and 112 colleges will participate in an event that will directly benefi t community colleges.

Enter “Hands Across California,” which aims to raise money for community col-leges and demonstrate the scope of com-munity colleges in California.

Students need a wake-up call and must realize that they are directly being harmed by the many cuts California is undergoing. Most recently, tuition at EC was raised to $36 per unit from the previous $26 per unit, beginning fall 2011.

Students need to take the initiative to act when events such as the “Hands Across California” come along to direct-ly help them as community colleges take some of the hardest hits from these social economic woes.

Each hand that joins together for this event will directly benefi t the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endow-ment (CCSE). The CCSE is a scholarship that offers long-term relief to the rising costs that keep many students from com-pleting their education.

The more students join together, the more the CCSE gets closer to its goal of raising $100 million by June. As the scholarship grows, so will the number of students who will be able to graduate due to this funding.

1 million people, 112 community col-leges, and a line of people stretching over 1,000 miles is a pretty lofty goal given that our college has just barely found out about it. But skepticism shouldn’t be an excuse for not taking action at all.

With the three possible scenarios the college has outlined to deal with the state’s budget cuts, EC is going to be hit hard with tuition increases, enrollment drops, and class sections being cut.

That means even more students are go-ing to be unable to afford their classes, so scholarships become even more impor-tant.

Again, enter “Hands Across Califor-nia.”

If the California Community College Scholarship Endowment can get an up-grade so more students can get scholar-ships, then, again, students should take advantage.

It’s simple: if students make their voice heard, maybe somebody in power will ac-tually listen.

—See related article on Page 1

Driving around in circles while scanning for a parking spot is typical when it comes to looking for available parking on campus. One sees a student walking towards their car, approaches with speed, rolls down the window then creeps quietly next to the student and politely asks, “Are you leaving?”

Looking around campus, the fi rst couple of weeks of the semester seems to be one of the busi-est times at EC.

Making your way through the grounds is near impossible as there are people everywhere.

Classes were crowded with students wall to wall, some standing due to limited seating and lines long enough to compare to those of amuse-ment park’s.

As with parking, it is ridiculous having to wake up hours before your fi rst class begins just to try and get a good parking spot or any parking spot for that matter.

However, now in the sixth week of classes, where have all those students gone?

What happened to those eager students that were willing to stand for the duration of that fi rst class just to guarantee themselves a seat?

Why is it every semester those that really need the class are the ones who don’t get it and the ones who don’t care, do get in the class but eventually end up dropping?

Let us not forget those students who took the last available “used” textbook, making you spend full price for your required text.

While it may be possible for some of life’s ob-stacles to be the reason for why a student is drop-ping classes; fi nancial troubles, having children or not enough time, it is still unfortunate for those

students who were not able to add that last class they needed to graduate or transfer.

According to an article by the Chronicle of Higher Edu-cation website, about 35 per-cent of students who drop out of college said they had to drop due to the stress of trying to balance work and college.

Wouldn’t it be best for everyone to fi gure out work schedules and class schedules before the fi rst day of classes to prevent themselves from dropping?

After all, not only does students dropping class-es affect other students, it affects those students who are dropping themselves.

Dropping classes prior to the 60 percent point in a term means that the Financial Aid Offi ce can ask a student to return part of all of the fi nancial aid payment.

Not only can it affect the fi nancial aid a student currently receives, but it may affect the fi nancial aid a student can possibly receive next semester.

But just as those students who were hoping to add classes in the beginning, fi nd themselves get-ting upset when they notice fewer students attend-ing classes each week, there is a positive side to all of this. There is no longer a need to get to up at the crack of dawn to guarantee a parking spot, or stand in line for 45 minutes to purchase a textbook.

Students let’s keep this in mind for next semes-ter.

Students need to stick with the program

Viridiana Vaca-RiosCo-Opinion Editor

Perseverance is key to college successCOMMENTARY

OPINION 5April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Is Japan’s radiation a threat to America?

Alma ZazuetaStaff Writer

Any amount of radiation can be

harmful.

Japan’s radiation shouldn’t be a

concern. Misael Valle, is the vice chair for the Anthropology Club. With 27 active members, the club meets in the Art Building in Room 334 at 1p.m. every Thurs-day.

What is the main goal of the Anthropology club?To bring people awareness of the beauty of the diversity of cultures around the world. Through that, an understand-ing of who and what we are. In some cases, looking at different cultures gives us a better un-derstanding of where we came from. What are some of your du-ties as vice chair of the club?My duties as a vice chair are to help set up the club activities, help with the paperwork for workshops or events and sup-port the president with anything he needs.

What inspired you to be vice chair?My inspiration was the idea that I could bring the same experi-ence I had when I fi rst joined the club, in terms of doing all that I can to help the new mem-bers feel welcome and happy to be in the club. It’s fun helping to shape the club and having a hand in making the events.

Can anyone join?Yes, anyone can join. Our meet-ings are not mandatory in any way, so if you can’t make it, we just send you an e-mail about what the meeting was about and the upcoming events. Without members there are no clubs.

What are some events that the club sponsors?Past events were bon fi res, hikes and trips to museum’s. Current events are joining in with other clubs for their events or vice versa. For example, we are teaming up with the Science Club to go camping for spring break. The most important event that is coming up is The Symposium, that the Anthro-pology Club sponsors, where students can present a paper that shows the culture in some way that they feel is of inter-est, and if you win fi rst place, then you get a certain amount of money.

What do you like most about the club? I like that all our members are very diverse. Most clubs have most of their members where they are all majoring in the same subject as the clubs title, but with us we have all sorts of majors. We have psychology, astronomy, physical therapist, nurse and art majors.

Misael ValleVice Chair

Anthropology Club

The radiation that was released after the disaster in Japan is real and dangerous.

According to the article, “Health Effect of Radiation Poisoning: Questions and An-swers” on the Bloomberg Business week website, the fi rst symptoms of radiation are exposure nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The person will also experience a loss of appetite, fatigue, fever possible seizures and coma.

Gov. Jerry Brown has said that the nu-clear Japan crisis will not affect people in the U.S., but that is a bit hard to believe.

Recently it has been brought to our at-tention that the source was a crack in con-crete of radioactive water leaking into the sea, which is now in the Pacifi c Ocean.

It has been said that they don’t know how the radiation was getting into the sump, which is a pit in which liquid collects.

Therefore, how do Americans know we cannot be affected by the Japan radiation?

That alone raises a few questions.What about the fi sh imported from Ja-

pan? Will the fi sh be OK after some exposure

to radiation? At least one place doesn’t think so.According to an article on the CBS news

website, a Los Angeles fi sh market that im-ports fi sh from Japan is having its samples sent to an Arizona lab to test for radiation.

However, the U.S. is a half a globe away from Japan.

But there are always possibilities that a small amount of radiation can become a huge amount in a matter of time.

According to the Seattle Times website, the radiation that is traveling from Japan

to the U.S., shouldn’t be a concern. The article states that we encounter radi-

ation from cellphones, but weren’t we also warned that those too can be harmful?

One can never be too careful and just like we prepare disasters that occur in our own country we should prepare for others.

Japan actually placed thousands of peo-ple in evacuation centers where they can stay away from the radiation.

One way to protect ourselves from this radiation exposure is to stockpile on potas-sium iodide pills.

According to Manny Alvarez, a doctor from the Fox News website, potassium io-dide protects the thyroid from the exposure.

It also cannot undo damage that has al-ready been done to the thyroid and there-fore the person who may be exposed needs to get treatment as quickly as possible.

To be on the safe side, if you see any of those radiation exposure symptoms, a trip to the doctors might not be such a bad idea.

Although small amounts of radiation have been found in the U.S., students have nothing to worry about.

When the earthquake and tsunami struck the country of Japan on March 11, million’s were killed and monetary loses were huge.

Beyond that, what caught people’s at-tention was the speculation of a nuclear disaster after Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear plant was damaged during the tragedy.

Soon the country began to look for ways to stop that from happening and luckily experts were able to stop the plant from creating an even bigger disaster.

And yes, it’s true that small amounts of radiation leaked from the plant and have reached a number of countries or states.

However, it’s been proven that the amounts found in California and other parts of the U.S. are too small to cause any harm.

According to an article by BBC news, levels of radiation at the Japanese plant are of about 400 millisieverts, that is the common unit for measuring radiation ex-posure.

The same article said that a single dose of 1,000 mSv can cause symptoms such as nausea or a decrease in white blood cells but it doesn’t kill anyone.

While exposure to a single dose of 5,000 mSv can kill a person within a month.

Japan citizens should be worried but not people in California because radiation here is of about 19 mSv.

Even though this number is higher than normal, it is just far too small to have any consequences on the American people.

The Japanese seem to be doing what is best for its people and they ordered anyone who lived within 12 miles of the plant to evacuate.

They also advised citizens to leave their homes or stay indoors if they live within 18 miles of the plant.

If not, both groups could face some level of danger from the radiation.

But California is more than 7,000 miles away from the nuclear plant.

Isn’t that enough to say that we shouldn’t worry?

Americans in general should be con-cerned with possible local disasters and not about nuclear radiation from the Japa-nese plant.

California might be the scenario for a similar earthquake and a possible tsunami at any time.

“The school is the last expenditure upon which Ameri-ca should be willing to economize,” Franklin D. Roosevelt once said.

However, due to continuous budget cuts, education is becoming a privilege that many students can no longer af-ford.

As we all know, our economy as a state or even as a country is not very good. Many times students pay the consequences when colleges and universities begin to face budget reductions.

According to the proposed budget reduction by Gov. Jerry Brown, community colleges could face budget cuts of at least $400 million.

One thing that’s for sure is that starting next semester, all community colleges in California will have a $10 fee increase in tuition.

For many students, this amount doesn’t seem like a lot, but to students like me, without any fi nancial aid, it could really make a difference.

Reasons why students don’t qualify for fi nancial aid are many, from students who still live with their parents, those with property under their name or are simply not well in-formed.

But regardless of the reasons why, we are all forced to

pay for our classes with our own money.

Increasing tuition will not only limit the amount of classes

we take, but also the amount of time we put into them, and that’s because many of us will be forced to fi nd a job, or get a second job. What scares me the most is to know that fees will continue to go up.

Many years ago, when community colleges started, they offered free

education, then it went up to $5 per unit. In spring 2003, students used to pay only $11 per unit, and now in fall 2011 they will be paying $36.

We currently live in a world where a high school di-ploma isn’t enough to get a well paying job, because more jobs are asking for a bachelor’s degree.

Since I was in middle school, I was told how important it is to attend college and that we are supposed to follow our dreams and stay in school.

But how, if paying for an education is harder than ever.If $36 per unit wasn’t enough, we are told that tuition

could raise up to $66, and even when students receive

fi nancial aid, it seems unfair that tuition keeps going up while fi nancial aid doesn’t.

Yes, there is always the option of a part-time job, but that only makes it harder to focus on college.

Education has always been a priority to me, and hope-fully next year I will be going to transfer to Cal State Ful-lerton.

I’ve managed to keep a 3.5 transfer GPA mainly be-cause I didn’t have to worry about a job while attending college.

I’m lucky enough to have my parents help me and I only work during summer and winter break, but not every-one can do this.

This is why education should not be at the top of the list when it comes to fi nancial cuts.

Although the $10 fee increase doesn’t apply to Cal States or UCs, they’ll be facing their own budget cuts.

Brown’s proposed budget cut could have both systems facing a $500 million budget cut for next year, while tu-ition keeps rising.

What will happen when students are ready to transfer? Some won’t. Why? Because they can’t pay for it.Now that I plan to transfer, I’m not only worried about

the process itself but about how I’m going to afford it.

Alma ZazuetaStaff writer

Fee increase might put some students education on holdCOLUMN

Kevin Kong, 28,business major

“Yes. Anything with radiation can’t be fully controlled; it can become a worldwide problem. It can affect our ecosystem.”

Rojelio Pelayo, 27, paralegal major

“No, because by the time it does hit the human body, it will be a low level which will have a small reaction.”

Dania Jaradat, 19,biology major

“It’s going to be a problem if something happens. It’s going to affect the world not just Japan. We should take precautions.”

Zarah Rebio, 18,undecided major

“No, because we haven’t re-ally heard much about it here. The media is making it a big-ger deal than what it is.”

Janith Saparamadu, 22,nursing major

“No. The Japanese government is doing what they can to con-trol this, we can take precau-tions but don’t need to worry.”

Aziz Wzun, 23,business major

“Yes. We should prepare, maybe something to cov-er ourselves or wear a face mask to protect ourselves.”

CAMPUS VIEWPOINTSBy Jessica Mendoza and Anna Ashkinadze

Is Japan’s radiation a threat to America?

UP FOR DEBATE CAMPUSCORNER

Illustration by Dan Baldonado

—Samuel Barke

Andrew LimCo-Sports Editor

6 ARTS April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Ceramic armor and dresses made of plastic bags are just a few garment pieces featured in the Art Gallery’s latest art ex-hibition. Work from 12 South-ern California artists including Joyce Dallal and Robin Valle are on display until April 29.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. Interested persons may call the Art Gallery at 310-660-3010 for more information.

ON THE SCENE

IDEAS Art Club Henna fund raiser today

‘Uncommon Threads’ featured at Art Gallery

Art

Art

Kurt Weston’s “Under the Dwarf Maple” is one of more than 70 photographs included in the photo exhibition, “Ithaka,” currently on display at the Schauerman Library in April.

Jorge Mostacero, 29, graphic design major, fi nds inspiration from music.

Beyond the computer screen

STAR RISING

Joshua Sherman

Staff Writer

Exhibition celebrates poetry month

The 13th annual Native American Cultural Festival Pow Wow will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sun-day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

American Indian arts and crafts and traditional frybread will be on sale. The family-friendly event is free and open to everyone. Interested per-sons may contact Emily Rader at 310-660-3593, ext. 3757 for more information.

Native American Club presents Pow Wow

Dance / Music

Today is the last day for Hen-na tattoos in the Art Quad. Be-ginning at 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., those interested may choose from the club’s book of designs or bring in a design to be applied. Interested persons may contact the club at [email protected]

—Joshua Sherman

Violent reds and yellows move with the wind like a fi erce wildfi re. The fl ames are caught in mid-air by the twisted limbs of a maple tree. Icy, blue branches lurk above while a sea of green shrubbery surrounds the fi ery leaves.

A scene so surreal, it’s color so vivid, “Under the Dwarf Ma-ple” comes to life at fi rst glance.

It is one of approximately 70 photographs that are being featured in the Schauerman Li-brary lobby.

“The image I submitted shows a kind of mystical envi-

ronment landscape that exists at Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon,” Kurt Weston, photographic advi-sory board member, said.

As a tribute to National Po-etry Month, the photography de-partment based its annual Student Photography Exhibition around a poem titled “Ithaka” by C.P. Cavafy.

“I selected the poem because it talks about the experience of the physical and cultural world,” Darilyn Rowan, photography professor, said.

“It’s perfect for students who are beginning to explore their own lives and the rich possibili-ties it might hold,” she said.

The 44 beginning to advanced students participating in the show were allowed to submit black and white or color photographs. The exhibit also displays a wide range of media from digital images to Holga prints.

Teddy Fletcher /Union

Sitting near his computer looking at the graphics on his screen, he reaches for his iPod, puts on his headphones and starts walking toward the door.

With the breeze in his hair, he walks aimlessly outside listening to his favorite songs hoping to rid of his creative block.

Jorge Mostacero, 29, graphic design major, said music is a great inspiration to getting his creative ideas fl owing from an idea to an actual design.

“Music is my inspiration. It’s impossible to work without mu-sic,” Mostacero said. “It gives me a lot of ideas.”

Having worked in the fash-ion industry with True Religion, as well as with Whole Foods as a graphic designer for a T-shirt line,

Mostacero started college with a different major in mind.

“I was a computer science major at fi rst; I was taking classes for engineering and got tired of taking math classes and then de-cided to take an art class which opened a different world for me,” Mostacero said.

Enjoying the sense of adven-ture that graphic design gives him, Mostacero said he likes be-ing able to explore the different aspects of designing.

“One day I can draw illustra-tions, the next day I can be pro-ducing movies. I can do different things and it’s very appealing to

me,” Mostacero said.Mostacero is presently work-

ing with The Graduation Initia-tive (Title V) Project at EC. The program is designed to help stu-dent’s graduate and complete degrees, certifi cates and transfer requirements.

“They came to the graphic design department to ask for our help in designing posters for them and I was chosen to be the cre-ative director,” Mostacero said.

Mostacero said he learns a lot from the people who surround him on a daily basis.

“A lot of the learning you get is from others, you learn from the people you work with and it helps you grow,” Mostacero said.

“I used to be a supplemental instructor and I had to lecture about graphic designing and I was learning so much from teach-ing that it was amazing how peo-ple think so differently and you get inspired from them.”

Andrea Micallef, professor of design and visual communica-tions, fi ne arts, said Mostecero is a pleasure to work with.

“He’s exactly the kind of stu-dent you’d expect in graphic de-sign programs. He comes with a rich foundation,” Micallef said. “He is an above average student, he does a great deal of research in his visual solutions.”

Although Mostacero is pursu-ing a career in graphic design, he has found a way to incorporate his interest in fi lm.

His latest project has been working in post production, mar-keting and designing posters for a zombie drama titled “Pretty Dead.” The project, he said, has been getting good reviews from investors.

As to where the future will take him, Mostacero said he plans on getting as much education as he can.

“I will be one of those old grandpas still going to college taking random classes for fun,” Mostacero said. “I love learning and it is something you should keep at your whole life. You should never stop learning.”

Viridiana Vaca-RiosCo-Opinion Editor

“I was focusing more on the positive aspect of the poem and that you have to try and enjoy the journey of life,” Jason Riney, 29, photography major said.

Among the advanced students who had the choice of displaying two photos in the show, Riney’s fi rst photo, “Madrona Refl ec-tions,” captures the subtlety of the trees at the Madrona Marsh. His second, “Evening Stroll in Palos Verdes,” features a woman and her dog on a winding path.

“There are a lot of things that are beautiful along the road in life,” Riney said.

Last Friday night’s opening reception was fi lled with a mix-ture of music, poetry and photog-raphy.

Rowan read Cavafy’s poem to start off the reception.

Music professor Ann Pat-terson’s student jazz combo per-formed various jazz compositions including a piece inspired by the featured poem.

“The arts sustain people in-tellectually and emotionally, and they are an important part of a student’s education,” Rowan said.

The next exhibition will take place at Paul’s Photo in Novem-ber and the photography depart-ment is considering the topic of “injustice” for the theme of the show.

“What the exhibitions refl ect is the learning that we have cre-ated in the photo department,” Rowan said.

The exhibit, Rowan said, was made possible by the help and support of curator Lyn Wata-nabe, Ed Martinez, public access librarian, Barbara Jaffe associate humanities dean, Albert Romero, periodicals and reserve staff, Ann Patterson, applied music faculty, and the students involved.

“During diffi cult fi nancial times, I think the arts play a very special role by giving people hope and inspiration,” Rowan said.

Joshua Sherman /Union The photographer’s reception, last Friday, for the exhibition received a good turn out.

“Ithaka” comes to life through student’s photos

PHOTO ESSAY 7April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Schauerman Library Field Trip

At the southeast corner of the campus, tiny voices gig-gled and asked, “When are we going to get there?”

“Soon,” came the answer.The children, 42 preschoolers from the Child Develop-

ment Center, had gathered for a much anticipated walking fi eld trip.

They were accompanied on this March morning by six teachers, fi ve parents, a handful of volunteers, as well as children from nearby Lincoln Elementary School.

Before forming a line, preschoolers held hands with a partner.

Teacher Toni Newman, who stood at the head of the line with a hand-held stop sign, nodded and led the way.

More than a hundred tiny feet were suddenly in motion behind her.

“A walking we may go, a walking we may go, hi-ho the merry-o, a walking we may go,” the children sang.

The occasion was the semi-annual sojourn by the pre-schoolers to the “big school,” for the “Children’s Story and Activity Hour.” The program was sponsored by the Child-hood Education Department.

“I think the walking fi eld trips are a great way for the children to get reinforcement of the safety rules we teach,” Angela Wilson, lead teacher of the Development Center, said. “They also get the experience of sharing, taking turns, paring up and looking out for each other.”

The line of children and adults trooped around the south parking lot, marching by Marsee Auditorium, past the South Gym and pool and near the Student Activities Center. Their destination: Schauerman Library.

The preschoolers arrived at 9:30 a.m. with smiles. They piled into the library and down to the West Basement. Each child sat cross-legged on carpet to hear the Child Devel-opment teachers, Susan Baxter and Michelle Moen, read books and tell stories.

Moen used a hand puppet to assist her in the story tell-ing.

The preschoolers fl ashed a variety of expressions.“I like reading the book,” Victoria Hernandez, 4, said.

“I like the book ‘Mean Soup.’ It makes me smile.”At a little past 10 a.m., the children were escorted out-

side to the Library Lawn for activities. Among the play stations were an obstacle course, a fi sh-

ing boat, plunger painting, arts and crafts and a bubble-blowing table.

“A lot of the activities are the same the children do at the Development Center. But there is something different and exciting to the children to do it in a new environment,” Wilson said.

As the day wound down, the preschoolers again part-nered up before forming a line. They marched back the way they came.

“They get excited about their art work and about taking it back to the Development Center and putting it in their cubby,” Wilson said.

Next up for the children is the April 30 Children’s Day, also sponsored by the Childhood Education Department.

Left, Pouesi Smith, 5, takes part in a painting activity. At right, Victoria Hernandez, 4, blows colorful bubbles in a pan. The students of the Childhood Education Department helped set up the arts and crafts table.

Burrowing through the tunnel crawl is Omar Reese, 5, during the activities on the Schauerman Library Lawn.

Little anglers from left are Pearce Perez, 4, and Nicholas Ton, 4, both of Gardena. The object of the fi shing game was to hook paper fi sh, an exercise that required patience and hand-eye coordination.

Teacher Toni Newman, with 3-year-old Angelica Almandrez, leads a group of preschoolers, parents and volunteers on a walking fi eld trip March 18 across the campus. The event was fi lled with activities, arts & crafts, bubble table and an obstacle course.

Jose Flores/Union Michael Williams

/Union

/Union/Union Anna Ashkinadze

Michael Williams/Union

An example of one of the many drawings created by the children during the fi eld trip.

The Child Development Center takes young students for a stroll around campus in a fi eld trip to the Schauerman Library.

Shiggy Ichinomiya

Haipha SimonCo-Editor-in-Chief

8 SPORTS April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Rituals are one of many ways that athletes use to go into game-mode.

After walking off the fi eld from pitching the top of the fi rst inning, Turk Wendell, a former Chicago Cubs pitch-er, sprints towards the bathroom with only one thing in mind. He reaches for his toothbrush and quickly brushes his teeth before the next inning begins.

EC’s Hunter Hovland, outside hitter for the men’s volleyball team, rotates the same Nike socks and pairs them with his Nike game-day sneakers because he will never mix brands when playing a volleyball game.

Filling up his tank with some extra electrolytes, David Cardona, sprinter for the track and fi eld team, imagines him-self leader of the pack, running as fast as light on the track.

Superstitions, rituals or routines, call it what you want, but many athletes have one. Starting out as a habit, ath-letes say it quickly becomes a routine and then turns into a superstition.

In the world of sports, such behav-ior has become an important part of the game.

“I always triple knot my laces,” Brice Savage, second baseman for the men’s baseball team, said. “Since three is my favorite number, it’s my good luck charm.”

Many student athletes consciously carry their superstition wherever they go. With built up anxiety and anticipa-tion for game time, athletes use these routines to mentally prepare and get in the zone.

Athletes say superstitions “pump them up” and make them excited to play each and every game, like Kay Hurd, forward for the women’s basketball team, who says that superstition puts her in game mode.

“I always have to wear the same sports bra, spandex shorts and socks,” Hurd said. While she does loads of laundry to keep up with this supersti-tion, she will never stop as it might throw her off her game. Dressed in her

lucky undergarments, she has her game face on.

Adhering to his routine, Kobe Bry-ant of the Los Angeles Lakers never deviates from his regiment of eating a piece of red meat before each game.

The Boston Celtics also have a habit of eating peanut butter and jelly sand-wiches exactly 55 minutes before every game.

Like the Celtics, Hovland is also su-perstitious about his pre-game meal.

“I always eat 2 bananas and drink a glass of apple juice,” Hovland said.

While the fruit gives Hovland physi-cal preparation, Jonathan Pettit, libero for the men’s volleyball team, uses mu-sic to prep his mind. As Pettit busts out to classic ‘80s metal coming from his iPod, the music from the electric guitar sends a burst of adrenaline through his body.

“Animal by Def Leppard pumps me up,” Pettit said. The loud music makes him determined to win.

Many baseball players are supersti-tious of stepping on the baseline when walking on or off the fi eld, but Savage believes in the reverse.

“I step on the baseline before each game,” Savage said. “After warm-ups, I run off the fi eld and make it a point to step on the white line.”

He says it’s merely a superstition that gets him ready to play each and ev-ery game.

Throughout sports, many teams have its own set of rituals to prepare as a whole. The women’s basketball team is superstitious when it comes to its uni-forms. Depending on a win, the team must wear the same color uniform to the following game to continue the streak of luck.

“If our team played well wearing a certain color, then we need to wear the same color to the next game,” Kristen Dresser, forward for the women’s bas-ketball team, said.

From good omens to pregame meals and lucky undergarments, superstitions and athletes go way back.

Preparing for a competition can be a daunting task for athletes but supersti-tions provide pre-game confi dence and an edge over opponents.

Athletes say confi dence fi res up their physical talent and improve their overall performance so no matter how strange a superstition may be the belief is both powerful and proven to work.

“My pregame ritual fi res me up,” Hurd said. “I put my game face on and am ready to play.”

Pre-game ritualsAshley CurtinStaff Writer

Illustration by Dan Baldonado

SPORTS 9April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Tomorrow at 2 p.m. atCompton College.

—Andrew Lim

Today at 7 p.m. vs. East L.A. College atCal State L.A.Saturday at noon vs.East L.A. College.Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. vs.Pasadena City College.

ON DECKBADMINTON

BASEBALL

Monday at 1 p.m. atPalos Verdes Golf Course.Wednesday at 1 p.m. atDesert Island Country Club.

GOLF

Today at 3 p.m. atCerritos College.Tuesday at 3 p.m. atLong Beach City College.

SOFTBALL

Today and tomorrow TBDat Long Beach for South Coast Conference Tour-nament.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS

Saturday at Mt. San Anto-nio College for the Mt. SAC RelaysTuesday and Wednesday at Antelope Valley College for the Southern California Hepathlon/Decathlon.

TRACK AND FIELD

Friday at 6 p.m. vs. Long Beach City College.Wednesday at 6 p.m. vs.Moorpark College.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Badminton team suff ers 21-0 shutout to the Huskies

Mistuloff pitches Warriors to a victoryWith the Warriors up by a score of

2-1, shortstop Peter Ives came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The bases were loaded with two outs.Ives patiently waited for his pitch and

BOOM! He hit a double in the gap that al-

lowed two runs to score.First baseman Garrett Cooper fol-

lowed up the double by hitting a single of his own and driving in two more runs.

All together, the Warriors scored four runs in that vital fourth inning, and went on to beat the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties by a fi nal score of 6-3, last Sat-urday.

The baseball team’s record stands at 9-17 and 3-10 in conference play.

The Warriors will be on the road to-day, as they will play East L.A. College at 7 p.m. at Cal State L.A.

“We played real well,” Cooper said. “Our pitchers threw strikes and we got some big hits when we needed some runs with runners in scoring position. Some-times things just don’t fall your way but we just have to come out and get big hits and get some good pitching.”

Starting pitcher Alex Mistuloff, made

his second start of the season and pitched into the ninth inning but was pulled after allowing a single and a double that result-ed into a run for the Mounties.

At times, Mistuloff was dominant, pitching four perfect innings out of the eight innings pitched. However, he had some control issues in the fi rst inning.

He allowed a single, walk and anoth-er single to the fi rst three batters as that left the bases loaded with no outs; catch-er Marvin Flores visited the mound after bases were left jammed to try to settle

down his pitcher.“(Flores) said to just relax, throw

strikes, and go get them,” Mistuloff said. “I was a little nervous in the beginning because it was only my second start (of the season) but after that inning, I was locked in.”

Mistuloff eventually got out of the

jam by only allowing one run in that fi rst inning.

“(Mistuloff) was probably a little anxious, but once he got into a groove, he was fi ne,” coach Nate Fernley said. “He was throwing strikes and he was great. That happens sometimes. He bared down when he had to though.”

Pitcher Mason Patterson relieved Mistuloff and pitched the ninth and fi nal inning closing the doors to a potential comeback by the Mounties.

The defense was also playing well, highlighted by a diving catch by the cen-terfi elder Anthony Graham in the third inning.

“We were making plays and our ap-proach is getting a lot better at the plate,” Fernley said. “We’re working some counts. We’re getting into counts that we can hit in instead of swinging at the fi rst pitch.”

Starting outfi elder Jeff Dorman will not be available after he was declared out for the season by Fernley after breaking his foot in a victory against the Mounties when he was hit by a pitch last Thursday.

“I’m proud of these guys because once you get on a losing streak, you can just say forget it,” Fernley said. “But we keep on working and getting better so I’m proud of what’s going on right now.”

Andrew LimCo-Sports Editor

Starting pitcher Alex Mistuloff delivers a strong outing against Mt. San Antonio College in the Warriors’ 6-3 victory Saturday.

Mike Williams /Union

Sam BarkeStaff Writer

Rabiya Hussain

Staff Writer

Although the scoreboard read 21-0, Venessa Reid still saw improvement in the team’s competitivenes.

“We were all really excited because we worked so hard,” Tanille Barnes said. “It was a tough game.”

However, even with the Warriors’ ef-forts, the much stronger Huskies won the match, 21-0.

The Warriors lost the season series to the Huskies by being shut out twice; all the losses this year has come from shut-outs.

The team’s record stands at 3-6 and with only three games left until season’s end, the

team hasn’t lost hope, Barnes said.The team’s next match will be played

at Compton College on Friday at 2 p.m.In spite of the loss, the Warriors were

pleased by their performance, Barnes said.“We did a lot better than we usually do

(with East L.A. College), and I think we’re much better now as a team than we were at the beginning of the semester,” Barnes said.

The players are still working on im-proving their clear shots, which is a shot hit deep to the opponent’s back court.

“There’s always something to work on but that is one thing that the East L.A. and Pasadena teams are much better at than us,” Barnes said. “So we’re still trying to im-prove.”

First-time badminton player Andrea Flores said the match turned out to be a great learning experience.

“(They were) very competitive and you can tell they take the game very seriously,” she said. “So I don’t feel defeated, I feel good that I learned a lot from them.”

Flores added that even the lower rank-ing players for the Huskies were highly competitive, making it even harder for the Warriors to score any points.

“Our No. 3 player played against their No. 5 player and still had a hard time,” Flores said. “They’re a tough competition.”

While the players’ individual scores are getting better, coach John Britton said, the other teams are just much stronger.

“No one enjoys losing, but the great thing is that the girls aren’t getting disheart-ened,” he said. “They are enjoying playing and they’re defi nitely getting better.”

The team’s star player, Kumiko Nogu-chi said in order to face more experienced teams such as East L.A. College and Pasa-dena City College, the Warriors need a lot more practice.

“Most of the East L.A. players have been playing for a long time and our team is mostly new players,” Noguchi said. “We’re always hopefully that we will win but it’s very hard.”

“It’s odd but as the season is progress-ing we’re getting even more pumped about the games,” Barnes said.

Last issue,we reported that swimmers Bran-don Gregory and Amanda Atkins fi nished fi rst place in the men and women 100-yard freestyle swims. However, they ac-tually fi nished fi rst in their respective 1,000-yard free-style swims.

For the Record Swimmers and divers continue to do well despite adversity

Strange bacteria fl oated around the Los Angeles Trade Tech College’s pool, the location where the meet was sup-possed to take place.

However, that did not stop the meet from still going on. The meet was just moved to EC’s pool.

While the Warriors had no problem beating L.A. Trade Tech College last Friday, they were no match for Long Beach City College.

The men and women beat L.A. Trade Tech College 179 to 70 and lost to Long Beach City College 16 to 97 and 166 to 81.

The Warriors will be heading to Pasadena City College Friday and Saturday for the Pasadena Invitational.

“This past weekend we had 21 new either lifetime or seasonal best times,” coach Corey Stanbury said.

Amanda Atkins took fi rst in the 1000-yard freestyle

with a time of 11 minutes and 36.46 seconds, breaking the pool (not school) record which was 11.38, and smashed her second place opponent who swam a time of 12:46.69.

Brandon Gregory swam his lifetime best in the 1,000-yard freestyle, taking fi rst with a time of 10:45.97, swim-ming past his second place opponent who had a time of 11:13.21.

“I thought my race was awesome,” Gregory said. “I’m really happy that I broke my record time.”

Alison Prizlow improved on her 100-yard breast stroke lifetime best with a time of 1:39.53, and Vince Fiamengo took third in the men’s 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:58.86 in a fi eld of seven swimmers.

“(Stanbury) really worked us hard in the workouts leading up to the meet,” Fiamengo said. “The team had a pretty solid performance, but I’m sure most of us were really hurting.”

Swimmer Noah Rubke also did well, swimming his best unshaved 200-yard back stroke and 100-yard back-

stroke with respective times of 2:10.79 and 58.75, taking second and third in his competitions.

“Long Beach’s team is a lot stronger and has more depth and has some really fast sprint freestylers that we just don’t have,” Stanbury said. “But we’ve got the Pasa-dena Invite coming up this weekend to practice how we’re going to do warm-ups and hone down the various details of what we are doing for conference (regionals).”

While diver Amy Tran was unable to compete due to an injury, diver Michael Colbert dove unopposed on the 1-meter board, improving greatly on his previous score of 153.90 to 175.60.

“(Colbert) has a big chance to win a conference title. There is only one guy ahead of him in our conference. He has been improving by leaps and bounds and has been learning complicated dives,” Stanbury said. “This week-end, (Colbert) and the other divers have a chance to go against a lot of the other divers in Southern California, so this should be good practice for them.”

“(Alex Mistuloff) was prob-ably a little anxious, but once he got into a groove,

he was fi ne.”

—Nate Fernley, EC baseball coach

In the bottom of the sixth inning, outfi elder Ellen Omoto stepped up to the plate under the blazing hot sun.

Two wasted swings left the Warriors on the verge of another loss.

It was the last chance to turn the game around as the L.A. Harbor College pitcher Shawnae Campbell looked on from the mound.

Then there was the step, the windup and the pitch.

Omoto made contact with the ball, sending it into right fi eld where it landed right into the outfi elder’s glove.

The out ended the Warriors’ hope as they lost to the L.A. Har-bor Seahawks, 11-1.

“I felt like I made the best contact I could with that pitch,” Omoto said. “My goal was to make solid contact and I tried my best.”

The Warriors’ next game is at Cerritos College today at 3 p.m.

“It’s unfortunate that we started off so poorly,” coach Su-

sie Calderon said. “We’ve faced some good, tough teams this sea-son.”

Compared to the last time the Warriors played the Seahawks, the errors dropped considerably and the team improved a lot, Calderon said.

“When you make a lot of errors you can’t really compete against anybody doing that,” Calderon said. “That makes the difference in the game.”

The Warriors made eight er-rors the fi rst time they played the Seahawks this season, but in their recent rematch, only two errors were made.

“What I like about these guys is that their improving progres-sively and it’s nice to see that,” Calderon said. “( Sara Gazzani-ga) pitches a lot of games for us and she puts forth the effort and that’s all we could ask,”

Starting pitcher Gazzaniga allowed 10 hits including three doubles, six singles and walked one batter.

“Once she gets in her groove, she might not get many strike-outs but she can get them to hit

those deep fl y balls,” Calderon said.

“Our whole pitching situa-tion has been a disaster this year. You can’t foresee injuries, but they happen,” she said.

Pitcher Mea Flores, who cur-rently holds the lowest earned run average in the conference, injured her throwing arm half-way through the season. In ad-dition, Gazzaniga injured her fi nger and sat out a few games this season.

After Gazzaniga pitched fi ve innings, relief pitcher Vivian Santacruz came in for the sixth and fi nal inning

“But with (Santacruz), hon-est to goodness, I don’t know what it is when I put her in, they just can’t hit against her,” Calde-ron said.

The Warriors dominated Compton college last Tuesday shutting out the Tartars 15-0, where Santacruz almost pitched a no hitter.

“Overall I think we started out really rough this year, but we’re building and getting bet-ter,” Omoto said.

10 SPORTS April 7, 2011 / El Camino College Union

Warriors lose second straight to Santa Barbara City College

Revenge didn’t happen for the men’s volleyball on Friday night as they were defeated at home.

Trailing throughout the match, the men’s vol-leyball team sat in silence while the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Vaqueros stormed the court celebrating a victory.

Within an hour and a half, the match was com-plete and the gym left empty as the Warriors couldn’t turn things around.

“We played poorly,” coach Richard Blount said. “They had more momentum, they were more excit-ed and we seemed fl at all night. And [the Vasqueros] were dinged up and we still couldn’t exploit any-thing.”

The Warriors play Pierce College on the road Wednesday at 6 p.m.

“This is a big game for us,” Hunter Hovland, outside hitter, said. “We are tied with (Pierce Col-lege) for third place in our conference so this game decides our season.”

Blount said the team has a chance to make the

playoffs, but the team needs to focus on the next four matches to keep its hope alive.

“Santa Barbara came to win,” Kyle Burgoyne, outside hitter said. “They didn’t play well against us the fi rst time and we thought it would be easier than expected but they stepped up a lot.”

The Warriors were down 6-3 in the fi rst game, but a string of serves from David Estes, libero, got them within a point. But eventually they lost 25-19.

In the second game, the Warriors came back from a defi cit with back-to-back blocks from Joseph Tanuvasa, setter, who recorded four blocks on the

game. The game went point for point but the War-riors missed serves and gave their opponents an ad-vantage, losing 25-19.

The Warriors trailed by nine points in the third game and the crowd got quiet. As they continued to miss serves, the game ended with a loss, 25-16.

“It was a bad game; no one played well and we lost very fast,” Hovland said.

With key players back from injury, the team is preparing for post-season, now more than ever.

“We need to change our mentality,” Hovland said. “Our minds need to be right to win.”

Ashley CurtinStaff Writer

Sprinter breaks 28-year-oldrecord set by Rick Dodson

Seconds away from the crack of the starter’s pistol, nerves kick in and there’s no time to shake them off.

On your mark, get set, GO!Off the starting block, David Cardona

tripped and fell to the ground, but without a moment of hesitation, he was back on his feet and in the race again.

He managed to break a 28-year-old EC record in the 5,000-meter, despite the stumble, on March 3 during the Ben Brown Invitational.

Cardona’s 14 minutes and 21.27 sec-onds trumped 14:28.36, a record set by Rick Dodson in 1983.

“You can coach a person to be fi t, you can coach a person to be in shape, but you can’t coach them to dig in that little extra bit,” coach Dean Lofgren said.

Cardona, 19, sociology major, started his running career in junior year of high school where he joined cross-country at North Torrance High School.

“Running is relaxing and is something that doesn’t take too much effort for me,” Cardona said. “It’s an escape from all the drama in life where I get to forget about

everything and say it’s a nice day.”Growing up he, looked up to basket-

ball superstar Kobe Bryant; however, he later idolized the late great running legend Steve Prefontaine.

“In high school, I’d be more of a sit and kick kind of person, where at the last 200 meters I’d go all out,” Cardona said. “Now I run more like (prefontaine) and go

guts out the whole race.”With Cardona imitating his running

to Prefonatine, he has always been run-ning all out on the track. while also going through a lot of adversity.

“One of the unique things about David is that he can reach in and give you more than you actually expected from him or knew he was capable of, “ Lofgren said.

Cardona recently signed a letter of in-

tent to Cal Polytechnic University, where many EC runners have previously trans-ferred.

“I still want to run after college, no matter if it goes all the way to the Olym-pics or if it’s just recreational,” Cardona said.

Cardona works part-time at an athletic store called Village Runner and runs with a club affi liated with them.

“He’s pretty smart about running, knows what pace to go, but he’s also a really outgoing and funny person,” Jose Lezama, track and fi eld teammate, said. “He’s a guy I could talk to about any-thing.”

He is humble, mild mannered, has a good personality and has a good sense of humor, Lofgren said.

“Last year, when coaches would walk up to me and ask: ‘Hey, which one’s Car-dona?’ and they’d point to fi ve of our guys,” Lofgren said. “And I would say ‘not them. Him.’”

“They would say- ‘That guy?’ be-cause they expected someone that was walking around with a big ego, thumping their chest, sticking their number one fi n-ger in the air. That’s just not the way he is,” he said.

Joshua ShermanStaff Writer

Shorthanded softball team continuesits slump, falling to L.A. Harbor CollegeJoshua ShermanStaff Writer

Mike Williams /UnionPitcher Vivian Santacruz winds up and throws a pitch during the Warriors’ 11-1 loss against the L.A. Harbor College Seahawks.

“Running is relaxing and is something that doesn’t take

too much effort for me.”

—David Cardona,Sprinter

Roger Morris

Runner David Cardona sprints during the steeplechase at the Cal State Northridge Invitational.

/Union

While an athlete waits for their ankle to be taped, another athlete fi nishes physical therapy just as another walks in to discuss a doctor’s note with a trainer.

No matter the medical condition, trainers at EC take athletes’ health very seriously, Kari Brody, se-nior athletic trainer, said.

With recent incidents of sudden student athlete deaths, EC mandates, “a thorough medical history from every athlete” and proper “medical clearance” to protect athletes from this risk. Also, athletes must go through a full physical examination including an electrocardiogram, Brody said.

“All of this information will help ensure the athlete is reducing their risk when they get to this level,” she said.

Even though there has been no case of a medi-cal condition tragically taking an athlete’s life while Brody has been at EC, trainers have been able to detect medical issues early on to protect athletes. Any suspicions surrounding their health and train-ers immediately refer an athlete to the proper doctor or specialist for a thorough check. Once an athlete has been treated for a medical condition, they must follow strict guidelinese to resume play, Brody said.

“Athletes will not be cleared by us to partici-pate until they come back with the medical docu-mentation stating what they can do, what they can’t do, what their diagnosis was and what testing was done,” she said.

While some athletes’ medical conditions are monitored closely, other health conditions that might put an athlete at risk for sudden death will prohibit them from playing, Brody said.

“Depending on the condition, there are some medical conditions that we won’t clear an athlete to play or the doctors won’t clear such as an enlarged heart that might put an athlete at risk,” Brody said.

Any athlete with a medical condition must have proper clearance from their doctor as well as the team physician before returning to their sport, she said.

“The trainers are really cautious and want to protect us from further injury,” Jonathon Pettit, li-bero for the men’s volleyball team said. “They are that shoulder to lean on.”

Athletes with cleared medical conditions such as diabetes are closely monitored and under strict supervision, Brody said.

“We make sure athletes are practicing and per-forming activities within certain guidelines,” Brody said.

Since most medical conditions that put an ath-lete at risk are hereditary, Brody encourages athletes to know their family medical history.

“This will inform you of any medical conditions early,” Brody said. “Things such as heart disease runs in the family, as well as high blood pressure and diabetes so just be really aware of what your family history is,” Brody said.

A few added tips for athletes Brody provides is to play the sport correctly and not put their bodies in danger. She also said proper nutrition is benefi cial to athletes’ health.

With strict athletic policies in place at EC, train-ers keep an “open door” policy for all eathletes to feel comfortable discussing any health issues or concerns with them, Petit said.

“For the most part, I feel like our athletes are very open with us,” Brody said, “and they under-stand that we are there to protect them.”

Ashley CurtinStaff Writer

Trainers keep door open for athletesIllustration by Mike Williams