By Veronica Reynolds

Sheriffs warn cyclists by leaving citations for il-legally parked bicycles

at Los Angeles City College (LACC).

Bicyclists park where they can, only to return from class to find a red warning citation on their seat. There are more than 80 students who ride their bikes to campus on any given day, and approximately 58 spots.

"The bike racks are always full and people are always lock-ing them to fences," said Celine Briggs, a psychology major at LACC. "There aren't enough in front of specific buildings, espe-cially Holmes Hall."

Some classroom areas are busier than others, which makes it harder to find a place to park a bike.

The rack near the Associated Students Organization (ASO) Of-fice is usually full, while the Ra-diology Building has less traffic

and more slots on the bike racks. "Bicycles should be parked in

the bicycle racks," said Deputy Keith Johnson of the Los Ange-les County Sheriff's Department.

The bicycling community in Los Angeles is gaining momen-tum as gas prices rise and bike culture becomes hip. Orange 20, a retail bike shop located two blocks away from LACC, had to move into a larger building, two doors down.

"We're just challenged right now as a campus because of the construction that's going on," said Dr. Jamillah Moore, President of LACC. "We're limited on space, but we give them an opportunity to lock up their bikes and work with the space we have."

A common problem is that students do not use the bike racks that are not close to their class-rooms.

"Most people don't know where [the bike racks] all are,"

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ollegianC

Editorial

Opinion

News Features Arts & Entertainment

Sports

INDEXPage 2

Page 3

Page 8

Pages 6, 7

Pages 4, 5, 9, 10, 12

Page 11

Los ANgELEs

FEATURESCorrespondent Daniel Oh continues his journey through Africa

City College students 'act out' in off-campus productions

Page 6 Page 8

SPORTSLady Cubs come together and end the season with a victory

Page 11

BICYCLE on page 5

By Victoria Safarian

Future Los Angeles City College (LACC) stu-dent, Jamal McRae,

proved how honest he is when he stumbled upon a wallet in a campus restroom on Nov. 21.

The wallet was on top of a fix-ture in the men's bathroom in the Administration Building. When McRae opened it, he saw several hundred dollars and immediately thought he had to get the wallet back to its rightful owner.

"I put myself in his shoes,"

McRae said. "I’ve lost important things before too."

The lost wallet contained a personal identification card and $743. McRae turned everything into the LACC Sheriffs Office.

A few hours later, 72 year-old Richard Robinson wandered into

the sheriffs station and told Dep-uty Richard Pfeiffer how he had lost his wallet. He then got quite a surprise.

"I was really shocked, espe-cially with the economic situa-

SamarItan on page 4

Good Samaritan Proves Honesty Still a Virtue

Cyclists Park by Any Means Necessary

The student Voice of Los Angeles City College since 1929

By Theresa Adams

Bail has not been posted for the 72-year old Los Angeles City College

(LACC) finance instructor, who police charged with the murder of his wife on Sept. 28.

Berg, who taught at LACC at

the beginning of the fall semes-ter has remained in custody at the Los Angeles County jail since his arraignment on Sept. 30. The normally clean-shaven instructor entered the courtroom through the side door for his preliminary hearing. He was escorted by the

Sykes Signs Out After 38 Years

Full story on page 4

Photo by Beatrice Alcala/LA Collegian

The crew that keeps the campus running surrounds Willie E. Sykes as the clock winds down on his 38-year record of perfect attendance at LACC. (Top left to right) Mark Toomes, Amos Powell, domestic technician, Shelia Gibbs, Willie Sykes, 38 years, (bottom left to right) Erskine Jones and Winford Bullard.

BErG on page 4

Ronald Berg (center) converses with his defense attorney at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center (formerly the Criminal Courts Building) in Downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 18.

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IMPoRTANTDATES

Investigation Continues,No Bail for Ronald Berg

FALL FINAL EXAMS WEEKDec. 15 - 20

Full Schedule on Page 12

WINTER SESSION 2009Jan. 5 - Feb. 8, 2009

SPRING SEMESTERFeb. 9, 2009

Volume 159, Number 6 Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"So many awesome videos, so little time. How I came across? I don't know, but I'm glad I did. It Rocks!"- MJEvanich, Online Subscriber

Full Story on Page 7

Editorial Los AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 2

Media Arts Department, Chemistry 208Los Angeles City College

855 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029

Editor-in-Chief: Ivie Anne Hasegawa, William DeWitt

Managing Editor: Danielle Rivera

City Editor: Theresa Adams

News Editor: Jamie Hong

Opinion Editor: Theresa Adams

Sports Editor: Timothy Carpenter

Photo Editor: G. Flamenco

Arts & Entertainment Editor: Jessica Russell

Design Editor: Kevin Hidalgo

Distribution Manager: CJ Thomas

Advertising Managers: Victor Enriquez, CJ Thomas

Reporters Gerson Bautista, Virginia Bulacio, Ronnie T. Clark, Joseph Jackson, Chong Lee,

Jamie Hong, Monica Olofsson, Veronica Reynolds, Danielle Rivera, Victoria Safar-ian, Keith Thomas, Jonathan Velasquez

PhotographersGuillermo Flamenco, Ronnie T. Clark, Jessica Russell, Jessica Watkins

CartoonistsTercius Bufete, Adam Daugherty

Faculty Adviser: Rhonda Guess

Email: lacollegian@yahoo.comEditorial / Advertising offices: (323) 953-4000, ext. 2831 (Mon. and Wed., 1-4 p.m.)

The college newspaper is published as a learning experience, offered under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff.

Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by virtue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, Los Angeles City College, or any officer or employee thereof.

© 2003 Collegian. No material may be reprinted without the express written permission of the Collegian.

Next Issue: March 4

Editorial deadline:March 2

Advertising deadline:

March 2

For all submissions including letters to the editor and public-ity releases, send materials to

Collegian Office: Chemistry 208

Letters to the EditorI am a long-time student at LACC

and wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I appreciate your newspaper. With every issue released, I find that you poignantly cover the mat-ters that concern students most, giving depth, scope and articulation to the is-sues of key importance. Specifically in the 3rd issue, I would like to comment on Megan Ayers article, "Think About Someone Other Than Yourself." This was a terrific piece!

It is refreshing to see a young lady express such deep emotion and con-cern about others whom are living in far less fortunate circumstances. What impressed me most was how she elo-quently shared the pain she feels over the homeless issue and how she wishes to give more, to sacrifice, in order to help others before herself. I am proud of students like Megan who embrace the ethic of selfless giving and her de-sire to start a club addressing serious is-sues affecting quality of life. I'm confi-dent that many students will support her courage, vision and desire to making a lasting change that will hallmark the legacy of what our college represents. Follow your dreams to your last breath Megan.

Cordially,

Alexander

My name is Tim Hane and I'm a registered student at LACC. I ride my bike to LACC from my home in nearby Hollywood.

When I arrived on the first day of classes to the front of the campus on Vermont, I noticed there were only TWO bike racks, which were so small that they could each only realisti-cally accommodate two bikes each. That meant there were only four bike parking spaces at the front of the campus.

I did what many others did, which was to lock our bikes to nearby railings, etc.

One day I came out to find a notice affixed to my bike with a rubber band giving me a warning that my bike wasn't allowed to be locked there.

Here's my idea for a story:Where are the places to Lock up bikes? Why is so much attention paid to parking for the cars (new

parking lot) and also getting people to school via public trans-port (LACC subsidized I-PASS/I-TAP) and seemingly so little attention paid to us bikers?

If there are bike racks located on campus somewhere, why aren't there signs indicating this like those for the bike racks in the front of the school? The sign could read:

"If bike racks are full additional racks at located …"Because of the current economy many of us are using bi-

cycles. Those of us who are interested in minimizing our im-pact on the environment choose to use bikes. A bicycle actually creates ZERO greenhouse gases unlike public transportation which does create greenhouse gases.

Could you please do an investigative story about this? I for one would like to know what the real situation is for bikers on campus? Why don't we have good quality bike racks at the front of campus that will accommodate more than just four bikes?

Thanks,

Tim Hane

By Andranik Abrahamian

The construction of the LACC parking lot start-

ed about a year and a half ago. The parking problem for the students and the res-idents, unfortunately, has been ongoing for years.

New complaints start-ed about the construction project when they put a big green fence around a small parking lot. There was a 3-D picture on a poster in front of the construction site, but there was nothing on the poster to describe the project.

“What is this going to be, what are they build-

Parking Problems Continue

By Byron Umana

Short staff, lost funding and the call of depres-sion have led California

schools to deny freshmen accep-tance into various colleges for the upcoming term.

It has been a little more than a week since the California State schools administrators announced that they would cut about 10,000 students from the 23 campuses in the upcoming school year. Schools have also changed the enrollment deadline to an earlier

Will There Be Education for My Children?

Reports of violent crimes, fires and corporate corrup-tion fill the airwaves on a

regular basis. Real estate prices are way down and Citibank will lay off approximately 53,000 employees. An opinion in a previous edition of the Collegian Newspaper asked what hap-

pened to the good news. The man who went into the campus

sheriff’s office in search of his miss-ing property will tell you that he had some of the best news he has received. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. The wallet he lost had been returned and the $743 it contained

was still safely tucked inside. Good Samaritans are recognized

as people who respond with kindness to the needs of others without asking what benefit they might receive for themselves. You may have had the pleasure of encountering some of these people in your classroom. They hang

out pretending to be ordinary people but when you need someone to step up and do the right thing, they are right there waiting to oblige.

In times like these, when it is dif-ficult to find the brighter side or see the glass as half full, actions like the one from the Good Samaritan help to

renew one’s faith in people. There is a popular commercial on

television that says, “Here’s to you …!” So to the gentleman who did not allow himself to be motivated by greed or selfishness, “Here’s to you!”

We applaud you for your integrity.

New student, "Mr. Good Deed" Majors in Honesty

ing?” said a local resident in Armenian. “These peo-ple can’t even bother to notify the residents what this is going to be. This is ridiculous.”

Once the construction got underway, the big prob-lems began. Construction began around 5:30 a.m. and sounded like a war was go-ing on just outside the front door of every home. The thing that bothered them the most was the smoke and dust coming up from the site. One resident com-plained that he had a diffi-cult time breathing.

“I have a balcony and I can’t enjoy it," said Ve-hanush Arabatlyan, an area resident. “There are people in this neighborhood who are over the age of 65 and they have breathing prob-lems. This needs to stop!”

Arabatlyan tried to get the residents to sign a peti-tion to shut down the con-struction project but she

was not successful. The residents of Heliotrope had to go through a traumatic experience for a year and a half.

After all of this, there was a huge, beautiful struc-ture ready to be used and to solve all the parking prob-lems in the area. The park-ing lot has been finished for almost a year now, but it’s very clear that the problem has not been solved. Many of the students say they did not know about the lot.

There were no flyers or posters to notify us that the new parking lot was ready for use, so most continued to park in spaces meant for the residents. They also con-tinued to be late to class as they searched the streets for a place to park. Two years, lots of controversy and the brand new parking lot has not been the solution to the old parking problems.

date and increased the G.P.A. re-quirement so that fewer students will apply.

The day after the announce-ment was made, students marched outside universities in protest of the change in the enrollment policy.

Andrea Wilson, a 17-year old high school senior and several other students believe that the universities have made the right decision. Daniel Cruz, a current LACC student, believes fewer people may mean a better envi-ronment for learning.

Those who agree with the policy believe that the best and brightest of the bunch will emerge. Those who oppose it ex-press concern about whether or not the future of education is for society as a whole. Those in the lower socio-economic brackets, feel that it is unfair for students

in lower income areas to be de-prived of an education because they do not have the same income as their privileged counterparts.

Now comes the question that must be answered. Is the school system fair to the kids living in rural and urban areas? Next year, community colleges will be crowded with incoming fresh-man. Some students will opt for out of state colleges because they believe they may have a greater chance of getting in.

Have California schools let our children down or is this just another adjustment people must make in this economic crisis? Right now, the one thing we do know, is that we can expect a longer line in admissions depart-ment.

opinionLos AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 3

What tip would you give to other students to help them prepare for final exams?

COMPILED By Gerson BautistaPHOTOS By

G. Flamenco

Michelle ParaisoMajor: Nursing

"Endless coffee, and I’m not even kidding, endless! Endless coffee and good notes."

Jose QuinteroMajor: Mechanical Engineering

"If they are struggling [in] a subject they should go to tutor-ing."

Sandra ValenciaMajor: Communication and Acting

"It’s very simple, study from the beginning of the semester, then everything will be easy."

Calvin GualpaMajor: Cinema

"Stay away from distractions; try not to stay up too late study-ing and cramming everything in at once, and get a good night's sleep."

Christian MumcianMajor: Photography

"Study your a** off, do lots of good research on the Internet. The Internet is the best resource for information."

Cartoon by Tercius Bufete/LA Collegian

Cartoon by Tercius Bufete/LA Collegian

Cartoon by Tercius Bufete/LA Collegian

Cartoon by Tercius Bufete/LA Collegian

NEws Los AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 4

tion today, " said Robinson, who did not miss his wallet immedi-ately. "I went to buy something at the 99-cent store and realized it wasn’t there. I was more con-cerned about my I.D card. You know, it takes so long to get all those things back, but I was sur-prised when I found out about the money."

While Robinson was head-ing to the 99-cent store, Deputy Pfeiffer made a valiant effort in trying to track down the owner of the wallet. He even called Robinson's sister in the Virgin Islands.

"Wallets with a large sum of money rarely get turned in," Pfe-iffer said. "This student did an excellent job in doing so.”

A relieved Robinson wanted

to reward the sheriffs for their as-sistance, but they declined. Rob-inson also telephoned McRae to meet the good samaritan and thank him for his kindness.

"I couldn’t believe it," Rob-inson said. "You know? I didn’t [want to] take too much of his time because he was with his girlfriend, but I did give him a reward of $200. I wanted to give the deputy $100 so he could buy pizza for his crew, but he just told me to give the money to Ja-mal.”

Robinson was a mathemat-ics major at LACC 20 years ago and lives in the area. McRae, the good samaritan will begin class-es at City College in the spring of 2009.

SamarItan from page 1

bailiff. Berg stood near the wit-ness stand but never looked around the courtroom.

He wore prison-issued blue pants, a yellow shirt and he was handcuffed. Police officers, at-torneys and a series of public de-fenders sat in the first two rows on the left side of the courtroom facing Berg. The former instruc-tor remained standing for the hearing of the People v. Berg.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Alex Ricciardulli, pre-sided. The judge, who is also a professor of law at Loyola Mary-mount University, called the court to order and read the case for the record.

"Mr. Berg, you understand you have the right to have a pre-liminary hearing within 30 days of today?" said Judge Ricciar-dulli as he looked directly at the defendant.

Berg said he understood and agreed to a continuance until Jan. 7, 2009.

Reginald Peters, the public defender, told the court that the

detectives had not finished their investigation.

The courts returned Berg to Los Angeles County Jail, where he will remain unless he can post bail. Berg's new life as a defen-dant in a criminal case is a stark contrast to his years teaching at LACC, Trade Tech and in the LAUSD. Berg appeared oblivi-ous to the crowded courtroom. There were men in suits and ties, girls in sweat suits wearing big gold earrings and guys in baggy jeans who leaned against the walls and sat on benches outside the various courtrooms.

The victim's family attended the court proceedings. Abner Monleon, the victim's brother, and his sister Rhodora, sat near the last row on the right side of the room. They focused on every word articulated by the lawyers and the judge. Monleon, who previously stated that he thought the crime against his sister might have been the result of "elder abuse," sat with an advocate from the Victim-Witness Assistance

BErG from page 1

323.644.3888

Men's Clinic

Program."The service is offered

through the L.A. County District Attorney's Office," said the rep-resentative, who did not want to be identified by name. "Victims of crime and families of homi-cide victims are often contacted by representatives to offer coun-seling referrals and support to the families at court appearances."

The Monleon family plans to attend the next court appearance, but until then, they will consult with the Victims-Witness Assis-tance program.

"We just take things day by day by day," said Rhodora Mon-leon.

By Theresa Adams and Monica Olofsson

Step through the double-doors and your own reflection shines back

at you from the perfectly buffed floors. Photographers bring their models here for photo sessions and City College Administrators use the building to show off the well maintained classrooms.

The trash cans are empty. The bathrooms are spotless. A visitor could even chance it and possibly eat off the floors. It is the Chem-istry Building and it has been this way since Willie Sykes began tak-ing care of it nearly 40 years ago.

"He is a hardworking guy, perfect attendance. I have no complaints," said Regina Cole, a supervisor who has worked with Sykes for the last four years. “It’s his baby. His building outshines

the other buildings. He wants to get the work done."

When Sykes started at LACC, there were 27 people working in the Operations Department and a sub-list for workers waiting for a position to open up. He has worked for the District and also the LAUSD for more than 38 years.

Sykes is assigned to the night shift, which begins at 7 p.m. Friends and colleagues say he will be on time and ready to work, because he takes pride in what he does.

Sykes is originally from Ar-kansas and says that in the country, if you don’t get your work done, you get your rear spanked. He has been married to his wife Frances for more than 30 years and the couple has raised two sons.

He is always busy working, so it is difficult to get a moment to

talk to him. If you get a chance to ask him anything about his time working here, he will tell you about the good old days. It was peaceful and quiet without all the people in the classrooms and buildings. From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. “You could get your work done,” he would say.

“If you don’t sweep these rooms every night, it’s bad,” Sykes said. “You’ve got to take pride in your work. How are stu-dents going to help you maintain things if you don’t take pride in your work?”

Over time, things can happen to change the course of one’s life. Last year, Sykes and his fam-ily suffered the loss of one of his sons, who died at the age of 27 after an undiagnosed illness. His brother died three days later on a freeway when his car was hit by an 18-wheeler. His dedication never

wavered and he continued to show up every day, literally working his way through the pain.

Other things are different as well. Now, only about 10 people work the night shift and there is no waiting list. Next month, Sykes will say goodbye to LACC’s cam-pus and the Chemistry Building. His record of perfect attendance and desire to work is a model for success that will be difficult for others to replicate.

Look down one last time at the beautiful floors polished by Sykes. Remember the care that went into every movement made with the polisher. While that is happening, Sykes will be some-where remembering the good old days, as he enjoys his retirement and the latest episodes of “The Price Is Right” as well as “All My Children.”

Custodian Says Goodbye After Three Decades with College

1530 Hillhurst Avenue 2nd Fl

Los Angeles, CA 90027

LACC Police WireComplied By Tim Carpenter

11/14 3:30 p.m.-11/17 6:30 a.m.: Contractor reported theft of copper pipe. Location: Franklin Hall Base-ment. Loss: $4,000.

11/18/08, 6:50 p.m.:Student reported an individual attempted to purchase marijuana. Loca-tion: Jefferson Hall.

11/19/08, 1:30 p.m.:Staff member reported a student who failed to turn their cell phone off. Location: MLK Library.

11/20/08, 12:20 p.m. Student reported theft of bicycle. Location: Bicycle rack, Men’s Gymnasium. Loss: $60.

Photo by Beatrice Alcala/LA Collegian

Willie Sykes in his final semester at LACC, looks forward to retirement after 38 years.

“I’m not going to half do anything. If I’m not going to do it right, I won’t

do it at all.”

newsLos AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 5

By Tim Carpenter

Gallup polls went against the grain and predicted that Harry Truman would defeat

Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election. They have been correct ever since. Now that the 2008 presidential election is in the history books, profes-sors are sharing their views on polls that varied so widely during the campaign season. Voters and media outlets focused on several. These included the Har-ris Poll, CBS, the Washington Post and Zogby polls.

"There are approximately 15 to 20 polls that the American people notice," said Sociology Professor, Anthony Clark. “In my opinion the Gallup Poll is the most accurate used today.”

A History Professor at Los Angeles City College, Horacio Fonseca, recalled

how many pollsters predicted that for-mer L.A. Mayor, Tom Bradley, would defeat George Deukmejian in the 1986 California gubernatorial race.

"Tom Bradley was running for gov-ernor," Fonseca said. "And people told the pollsters that they would vote for him [Bradley], then on election day, voters went the other way."

This is now called the Bradley effect. Some believed it could have repeated in the 2008 race for the White House with President-elect, Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. Again, Gallup got it right.

"Even though there could be potential errors in polls, Gallup is the best poll-ing company in the world," said History Professor, Ron Pelton.

Gallup does detailed work. The orga-nization looks at many different factors like race, income and geographical loca-tion.

"Gallup breaks down the way people voted and presents it so the [American] public has a better understanding on how Americans voted in the 2008 presiden-tial election," Pelton said.

In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, assumptions were not always accurate. In an American Spectator on-line article, Kristen Soltis says it is hard for outsiders to trust a pollster's assump-tions about the behavior of voters. There are many factors to polling, most of which can be manipulated.

"You can have different results be-cause most polls send out the wrong in-formation to the media, meanwhile, Gal-lup is organized and professional with the way they conduct polls and surveys," said U.S. History Professor Rami Samu-elson. "To me, Gallup is the best polling company out there."

City College Professors: One Poll More Reliable than Others

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Barack Obama John McCain

Mar 2007 Jul 2007 Nov 2007 Mar 2008 Jul 2008 Nov 2008

Favorability of Barack Obama and John McCain

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"It gives a broad aspect to the general election not just the presidential elec-tion but other elec-tion races across the country."

Prof. H.R. Fonseca

Prof. Anthony Clark

"There are approximately 15 to 20 polls that the American people notice. In my opinion the Gallup Poll is the most accurate used today."Graphic from Gallup.com

Poll-arizationsaid Deputy Johnson.One suggestion by Vice

President of Administrative Services, Bruce Baron, could help alleviate this confusion. He suggested creating a spe-cial pamphlet that would outline the location of all bi-cycle racks as well as safety and storage tips to help stu-dents become safer riders and lower their risk of becoming

a victim of theft. He also of-fered a little good news for students.

"We're adding several bike racks around campus," Baron said. "We'll suspend any warning [tickets] until we get the adequate number of bike racks."

BICYCLE from page 1

Students secure bikes outside of Holmes Hall. The lack of bike racks on campus for cyclists to lock their bikes to any stationary objects.

Photo by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

FEaturEs Los AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 6

Top

99Restaurant

* LA Weekly

A view of taxi-motorists in Benin. Depending on the distance, a ride can cost 30-80 cents in American currency.

Never before in my life had I felt more acutely that I was in a foreign country.

Or more accurately, that I was a for-eigner.

Having lived in a city as diverse as Los Angeles, it felt odd being singled-out solely based on my color. After my arrival in Ghana, I was sent to Be-nin. There in the middle of the wet, clay roadside, a cluster of taxis and vans stood, parked around bread and concession stands. In the distance, the Good News Corps car that had dropped us off was fast disappearing around the bend.

During the drive to Togo, I found that my guide’s name was Bienvenue, and that he was a missionary student in Benin. ‘Bienvenue’ means ‘wel-come,’ which made me wonder if the Good News Corps chapter in Benin had deliberately sent him as my re-ception to Africa.

Bienvenue purchased a loaf of bread from a vendor along the way. It was our sole sustenance through-out the eleven hour trip. Ripping off hunks of the loaf, I spotted a small insect crawling through the crust. Shrugging, I flicked the beetle away and continued biting into the bread without much thought. Chewing thoughtfully, I realized two things:

1) in America, I’d probably throw the bread away.

2) African bread has grains of sand in it.

Finishing the sparse meal, I leaned my head against the window and, feeling a bout of exhaustion, passed out into sleep.

Bienvenue shook me awake. I was groggy, sticky, hungry, and my con-tact lenses were blurring my vision. Dizzy and gagging from the smell of burning petrol, I realized that the car had stopped by a road jam packed

with motorcycles. Smog permeated the air everywhere and I attempted to roll up the window when Bienvenue pulled at my arm, motioning that we were to get off. Still light-headed, I stepped out of the car and looked at my guide, waiting for some kind of explanation. Curious as to where I was, I called out to a boy and mo-tioned toward the surroundings, put-ting on a puzzled expression. It was my attempt to ask where I was. After a moment of thought the boy clapped his hands together and exclaimed, “ahhh!” Before running off he waved his arms at the buildings and said: “Cotonou!”

Cotonou? I was in Cotonou, Benin? Already?

The shock hit me as I sat down hard. It had been two days since my arrival to Africa, but it was there at Cotonou city that I realized “I’m staying here for one year...” Bienvenue returned at about this time, a motorcyclist fol-lowing him. With half my luggage balanced on my lap, I rode precari-ously on the back seat, amazed at the sights of Benin as we rushed by.

It was the last and most glorious leg of my journey. The first of many motorcycle rides through the city of Cotonou. Arriving at the concrete house that served as the GNC center in Benin, my chapter, Pastor Kim, welcomed me with a meal and a mat set out in an airy room. Completely exhausted, the last thing I remem-bered thinking was “my first night in Benin…”

Collegian Africa Correspondent,

Daniel Oh

Vegetable stand along a route to Togo. Native woman balancing goods on her head.

Vendors at Ghana. They tend to gather around foreign tourists. Photo courtesy of Xie, Long-Sheng.

formation he gathered by speaking to old family friends, Cook put to-gether the background for "Blood Harvest."

“I should do this now for the next generation," Cook said. "[I need to] let them know what really happened."

His favorite part about writing is the “spontaneous creation” and tells fellow aspiring writers to “read re-ally widely in the genre you want to write in and write regularly, at least three times a week. [If you] do it less than that, it never gets finished."

His favorite book is “The Bot-toms” by Joe Lansdale. Look out for his third book “Tommy Gun Tango,” coming out in July.

“I don’t find it hard to find sto-ries to tell,” Cook said. “Everyday you find 20 stories to use … the hard part is which one to use.”

BESt-SELLEr from page 12

RepoRteR's NoteBookNotes from West Africa: Embracing Africa

Photos Courtesy of Daniel Oh

FeAturesLos AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 7

By Chong Lee

She sneaks up and assas-sinates guards, fights a horde of zombies, treks

a forgotten temple or dons Greek war paint and swings large blades. These are things "UltraNeko," a normally docile Los Angeles City College student does on a weekly basis. Thousands of video game en-thusiasts flock to her site to watch her online exploits.

Students can see a range of adventures starring the Internet game host from the comfort of a computer chair. Deep in the world of YouTube, the spunky heroine “UltraNeko” draws gamers into what seems like another world. She plays two roles: "UltraNeko," who is drawn into a virtual game world of survival by the scientist "Dr. Sa-die,” who is her alter ego.

The show is called "Sadie's Gaming Infection" and it's a world constructed and run by a City Col-lege student named Sadie. Video games are the entrée with reviews, interviews, and skits also on the menu.

Fans from all around the world tune in and comment on her vid-eos.

"Sadie is still our favorite gam-er ever,” said Canadian subscriber Ryan Westlake. “Love your reviews and attention to detail.”

Sadie's show has gained im-mense popularity on the video web-site YouTube, where it is currently featured, earning more than 13,000 loyal fans and a growing recogni-tion in the gaming community. She has been featured on YouTube's gaming section and has more than 100 videos, some of which have been “hit” more than 300,000 times.

"I have just discovered a new world; your channel!" said a fan from the United Kingdom. "I love your videos and your channel is awesome!"

What makes Sadie's web-based show so engaging is her ability to appeal to a predominately male de-mographic with humorous insights and well-crafted skits. While her current role in video games sees her deeply immersed, her knowl-edge and exposure dates back to an early age in her life.

"My biggest influence was my brother Sonny," Sadie said. She credits Square Entertainment's "Final Fantasy" series as the cata-lyst that propelled her into gam-ing.

She then discovered the popular video-sharing website, YouTube. At first, Sadie posted videos spo-radically, simply commenting on a game’s strength or weakness. Not long after, she realized she wanted the show to become more than just mere amateur videos.

"It started as a hobby, but now it's become so much more," Sadie said. "I love making the show. It's a lot of hard work, but it's so much fun."

The most interesting aspect of Sadie's videos is her ability to improvise hilarious commentary while playing games. Whether it's an interview, a skit or an observa-tion during a gaming sequence, her comments garner responses from viewers who praise her humor.

"I have a lot of fans that tell me my videos make them smile every week, and they look forward to it,"

she said.Legions of fans have embraced

"UltraNeko" and her show, even going as far as declaring them-selves "Infected Gamers," in hon-or of the name of the show. At a recent video game convention, fans spotted her among the huge crowds with requests for pictures and au-tographs.

"I have a lot of really support-ive fans," Sadie said. Fans contrib-ute to the show with graphics, mu-sic and artwork. "It's great to have fans that want to help support the show."

Sadie's interviews and connec-tions with prominent people in the gaming industry have also been of great interest to viewers. Her chemistry in videos with gaming industry leaders like music com-poser, Tommy Tallarico and voice actor David Hayter of "Metal Gear Solid," have given her show cred-ibility and appeal.

“I've been watching your vid-eos since day one and I'm a big fan of your show,” said a 19-year-old subscriber from South Carolina. “I look forward to your videos at the end of every week and they always put a smile on my face. Stay cool Sadie.”

Sadie went to a small high school where girl-gamers were few and far between.

"There are lots of stereotypes and negative myths about gam-ers,” Sadie said. “They are often considered violent or shut in." Sa-die hopes to help change these ste-reotypes.

Sadie's popularity continues to grow as more gamers see her videos and watch her weekly epi-

sodes. She remains ambitious as she reaches for a larger

platform in the massive world of the internet.

LACC student hosts web-based video game show seen all around the world.

'UltraNeko' Infects Gamers with Online Show

By Danielle Rivera

In the Oct. 8 issue of the Collegian, student jour-nalists claimed that the

Los Angeles County Sheriffs in-fringed upon their First Amend-ment rights.

Sheriff Lee Baca gave a writ-ten response to the Collegian several weeks after it reported the incident to the L.A. County Sheriffs Department.

"My goal is to ensure your complaint is fully investigated in a timely manner," Baca said in a letter to the Collegian.

In his statement, Baca said

that he forwarded the complaint to Captain Ralph J. Webb, com-mander of the Community Col-lege Bureau. Baca directed Webb to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

“I appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention ... it afforded me to evaluate perfor-mance of our personnel,” Baca said in his letter.

Now that the Sheriff's Depart-ment has recognized the problem between the local sheriffs and L.A. City students, the rift be-tween the two parties can poten-tially be mended.

L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca Offers Dialogue Over Freedom of Press

Photos by Jessica Watkins/LA Collegian

arts & ENtErtaiNmENt Los AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 8

LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHTPoetry in Motion with ‘Jean Micah’By Jessica Russell

Kimiko Micah Jean McCarthy is a 19-year-old girl of many talents. The New York native migrated to Los Ange-les when her family moved here from Harlem when she was 10 years old. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico to a Mexican and African American Mother and a father who is half Cuban and half Puerto Rican.

Collegian: When did you first start writ-ing poetry?McCarthy: I was 9-years-old when I first started writing poetry. The first one I can remember? It was about me and how I was feeling at the time – a lost girl, hiding from myself.

Collegian: Has your poetry changed now that you are older?McCarthy: yes. It’s evolved a lot. It’s not so dark. It’s deeper.

Collegian: What are some things you have written about that have changed you?McCarthy: I wrote about when I first real-ized that I was a lesbian. My fiancé asked me to marry him but he said I couldn’t be with girls any more. I loved him, but then it clicked. I was like ‘Oh well, that’s it. I guess I’m a lesbian.’ So that’s one of my favorite poems.

Collegian: What styles of dance do you do?McCarthy: Samba! I absolutely love samba. I am the samba queen. But I can also do lyrical, hip hop, salsa, cumbia, belly dance, African, meringue, Jamaican dance hall, bomba – that’s the Puerto Rican national dance. Oh. I can pop lock.

Collegian: It seems like you are a girl of many skills. Do you have any other tal-ents?McCarthy: Well, I sang opera for three years in high school. I wanted to be an R&B singer but my voice is too high. I’m a first sopra-no.

Collegian: How did you end up with a Japanese first name?McCarthy: Honestly? My mom’s name is Kimberly and she wanted to name me some-thing with Kim in it, but not Kim or Kimberly. So, one day while she was pregnant with me, she sat down to watch television and saw a Japanese girl named Kimiko. She looked it up and saw that it means pureness, stands alone, and a leader not a follower. She loved it. So I got stuck with Kimiko.

By Joe Jackson

Vocal students from the Los Angeles City College Music

Department performed some of Broadway’s most famous and be-loved songs in a musical theater concert in Clausen Hall on Nov. 13. City College students pro-vided more than an hour of enter-tainment to a full house.

Larry Leigh, the student who performed “King Herod’s Song” from Jesus Christ Superstar, sang the piece with fun and zeal. Leigh’s showmanship was ex-tremely good, putting his heart and emotions into the song.

“I like to sing good songs,” Leigh said. “I like to sing playful songs. In addition, I like songs I can have a little fun with.”

Jane Blomquist organizes the LACC Musical Theater Concert every year, but she was ill on concert day. Music professor,

Christine Park took the stage and welcomed the audience in Blomquist’s absence.

Gaspar Vargas offered anoth-er memorable performance. He sang a song called “Make Them Hear You,” from “Ragtime.” Gaspar has a good voice, one rich in soul. His delivery was very en-tertaining, lively and worth hear-ing.

Sarah Moore and Mark Trigg also sang extremely well. Both students performed a song called “Dear One" from “The Kiss of the Spiderwoman.” Moore and Trigg sounded as though they have had substantial vocal training. Both had the sound of Broadway stars, and Moore confirmed she has had lessons.

Members of the audience laughed as Luis Marquez de-livered a selection from “Little Shop of Horrors.” He affection-ately sang “Grow for Me” to a potted plant. Marquez did a great

job and the audience showed its appreciation with loud applause.

One of the highlights of the concert came when Franchesca Parks sang “When You’re Good to Mama,” from the hit musi-cal, “Chicago.” Her voice was wonderful, and she was beauti-ful, sassy and sexy, in the role of “Mama.”

“I love the song, and I love the Broadway musical,” Parks said. “I would like to record pro-fessionally and maybe keep the theater as my second job.”

Finally, Mark Trigg shined in his second performance. He sang “Johanna” from “Sweeney Todd.” Trigg has a memorable tenor’s voice and has been sing-ing since the age of seven.

Ten singers performed in the Clausen Hall free concert, all de-livered outstanding performanc-es.

Vocalists Bring Back Broadway(Left to right) Bernadette Guckin, Robert Burnham, Mark Trigg and Sarah Moore pose at the end of their per-formance of "Dear One" from the musical "The Kiss of the Spider-woman" on Nov. 13 in Clausen Hall.

Photo by Jessica Russell/LA Collegian

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Amanda Noret (right) crosses paths with the Big Bad Wolf while traveling to her grandmothers house in the on stage production of 'Into the Woods.'

Journey to 'Joy Luck Club' and 'Into the Woods'By Jamie Hong with addition-al reporting by Monica Olofs-son

Karen Huie ran away from home at the age of 15, hung out

in New York’s Chinatown as a gangster’s girlfriend, watched him pull the trigger to a man’s forehead and dropped out of college. She ended her first marriage at the age of 25 and now plays dual roles of Lindo Jong, and the Mother of An-Mei, in the remake of Amy Tan's “The Joy Luck Club” in Downtown Los Angeles.

Amanda Noret left Lub-bock, Texas and moved to Los Angeles where she enrolled in City College. She now plays a

bratty Little Red Riding Hood in the Lyric Theatre's produc-tion of Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods," a fairy tale with a twist.

Huie and Noret have never met, but their paths cross as they perform in productions that offer them a chance to shine outside of campus.

Huie studied cinema, televi-sion announcing, screenwriting and photography classes at Los Angeles City College (LACC) and recently, she dropped all of them to dedicate her time to "The Joy Luck Club." Her family regarded her decision to act as an embarrassment and did not acknowledge her acting career until she became "Rush Hour" star, Jackie Chan's dia-

lect coach.Huie says she comes from a

traditional Chinese family that was taught "not to make waves and blend in” for peaceful sur-vival in the American culture. In many ways, she represents the rare flower that blossomed in a society blanketed with thorns.

Huie speaks with a po-etic beauty that emulates Amy Tan’s writing as if fate itself brought Karen and “The Joy Luck Club” together. Do not be fooled by her delightfully re-bellious past, Huie's adventur-ous, youthful ways seemed to have blossomed into a woman with heart and wisdom.

“I just believe that if you work really hard ... and take all

of your personal baggage and you try to wrestle those to the ground, you’ll just be a free-er person," Huie said.

Amanda Noret was born in Texas, but she has no trace of a hometown accent and sounds like the girl next door. She first starred as an actress in the pro-duction "Annie" when she was still in the fifth grade. Her first film project came when she was only 12 years old. Noret says her parents are very sup-portive of her acting and they enjoy coming to her shows.

"The hours are sometimes very bizarre and you have to have support," Noret said. "It's very important."

Noret has been study-ing business at LACC and

will soon transfer to Cal State Northridge.

Noret, at times, resembles Academy Award winner, Reese Witherspoon with the celeb-rity's intelligent persona and refreshing attitude. In "Into the Woods," Noret portrays a “no-fool” Little Red Riding Hood different from what audienc-es are used to. In fact, all the characters in the play are from well-known children’s stories, such as "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk" and" Rapun-zel," but with somewhat more developed personas.

"She is bratty, yet vulner-able," Noret said of her charac-ter. "She loses her family and is thrust into a world where every-thing that she had disappeared.

Everything she believed was right, is wrong. Her story is about the loss of innocence."

"Lindo" and "Red" are both drawing crowds to "The Joy Luck Club" at East West Play-ers on 120 North Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, and "Into the Woods" at the Lyric Theatre on 520 N La Brea Ave, also in L.A.

"The Joy Luck Club" has been extended by popular de-mand through Dec. 21. For more information, call East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or email info@eastwestplay-ers.org.

"Into the Woods" is playing through Dec. 14. For show-times and tickets, call (323) 939-9220.

LACC Karen Huie plays mother of An-Mei, as she feeds her blood to save and show the utmost respect to her sick mother.

newsLos AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 9

By Ethan Ruiz

Long lines at the LACC book-store are as common as pay-ing for classes, but the man-

ager says it is due to insufficient space and resources.

In recent years, there has been a steady increase of time spent in line for textbooks. At the start of each college semester, students face the harsh real-ity of buying overpriced textbooks that they will need for the coming school year.

The groans and moans are heard by all students as they know they will be

buying books that might be expensive, and the state of the current economy is not making things any easier. Now there is a different kind of moan and groan re-verberating among students. The sound of agony as they wait in line for hours to buy these much needed books.

“I have had to call work at least twice to tell them I am coming in late because the lines have become so long and out of control,” said David Morgan, a third year English major. He says that the long lines and hassles of buying books at the bookstore have become “like a broken record that won’t stop.”

Morgan believes the bookstore

could improve the situation by hiring more employees to work the registers and by staggering lunches.

Students also complain about the conditions while they wait: no air condi-tioning, a hand full of employees work-ing the registers and the close spacing in between the lines and bookshelves. These inconveniencies have forced many students to look elsewhere to buy their textbooks and question the value of the bookstore.

“It all begins with the staff here at the bookstore,” said Christie O’ Con-nor an LACC Bookstore employee of 20 years. “When you have 16,000 stu-

dents needing books and a good portion of those are cramped inside that little building, it can become somewhat frus-trating.”

O’Connor is the manager of the LACC Bookstore and she says that the long lines have come as no surprise to her and her staff, as it is something they prepare themselves for each semester.

The current location of the book-store is where the LACC Cafeteria used to be. This explains its small interior and lack of modern facilities necessary to accommodate the large student popu-lation at school that flock to buy their books at the start of each semester.

“I have noticed that out of the five registers at the bookstore, only two are being used at a time when the workers know people are lining up for an hour to get their books,” said Jeannette Vasquez, a second-year English major. This was a major concern of students regarding the bookstore and the long waits, some-thing they have little control over.

O’Connor has revealed that in the coming semesters, students will be able to buy their books online through LACC’s Bookstore website and have the option of reserving books, a solu-tion she hopes will reduce the lines.

Lines at Bookstore Become Part of Campus Life

By Bianca Guerra

Tutors sadly announced that the Math-Tutor-ing Center in Jefferson

Hall 311, has cut hours of opera-tion due to state budget cuts. The math tutors have been assigned fewer working hours as a result of the economic crisis that has struck California. School of-ficials have been left with no other alternative, but to open the Math-Tutoring Center later and close earlier than usual.

"For the past 10 years, the Los Angeles City College (LACC) Math Tutoring Center has dedicated itself to assisting students with any general math inquiries and helping them excel academically in their studies," said Norma Savakyan one of the math tutors.

Math Department Chairman, Roger Wolf, explained that the budget deficit has been linger-ing since last year, but Gov. Schwarzenegger recently began

cutting education funds. Math instructors like Nellie Sow has always referred anxious math students to the center but now that will change.

“We have never had a situa-tion like this in all my 15 years of teaching here at LACC in spite of some budget compli-cations. This would be the first time in history when students would have to seek outside re-sources for math tutoring,” Sow said.

Since the newly implement-ed business hours have taken ef-fect as of October, math students have flocked to the new Martin Luther King Jr. Library for help.

“I feel so disappointed to find out that now I have to ask the librarians for help! It’s totally ridiculous,” said Michael Cruz who attends a Math 125 course at LACC. He hopes that school officials will devise another al-ternative soon to assist students with math.

Budget Cuts Shock Math Students at LACCBy Michele Padilla

What started as a peaceful study session on a

Thursday night, turned into the sounds of wheels clanging and wood scraping across a tabletop as a group of skateboarders skid-ded down the hill near the side of the Chemistry Building inter-rupting at least one student try-ing to study.

The incident happened when Theatre Academy student, Mike Hernandez went outside to get a drink. He had some time to kill before his girlfriend picked him up so he decided to spend it memorizing his lines.

"The sound of their wheels was very distracting,” Hernan-dez said. “I came out here be-cause of the peace and quietness of the area. The last thing I want-ed to see or hear were a bunch of skateboarders. Had I known they would be out here I would have stayed in class.”

According to some on cam-pus, this was not an isolated

incident. Skateboarders can be found riding on any given day or night. However, skateboard-ing on a Los Angeles Commu-nity College District campus is in direct violation of California Vehicle Code 21113. There is even a large sign that can be seen at the entrance to the college on Vermont avenue that reads, “No Skateboards, Rollerblades, Roll-er-skates or Bicycles Allowed.”

A number of students have voiced their concerns over the dangers of skateboarding on campus. An elderly student who wished to remain anonymous said, she “is frightened by skate-boarders who whiz by”, right as she steps out of class. She thinks skateboarding on campus is dan-gerous, not only for the elderly students, but also for the visually impaired.

“A first offender may get a verbal warning followed by dis-ciplinary action by the school or a citation,” said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy, Richard Pfe-iffer.

The Los Angeles City Col-

lege website has a listing of standards of student conduct, which includes rules and regula-tions, that if violated will subject students to disciplinary action. Skateboarding on campus is a violation of Board Rule 2803.27 - “Performance of an Illegal Act, conduct while present on a col-lege campus or at a location op-erated and/or controlled by the District or at a District-sponsored event, which is prohibited by lo-cal, State or federal law.”

“Skateboarding is dangerous, especially with all the construc-tion going on. There are a lot of blind corners,” said, Sports Med-icine Professor Robert Horowitz. “It used to be even worse when they would come on campus to film themselves doing tricks.”

Not all students on campus think skateboarding is danger-ous or annoying. Some see it as a cheap, efficient way to get to class.

“I don’t think there is any-thing wrong with skateboarding on campus, it’s not like we are doing tricks or anything,” said,

one skateboarder who wanted to remain anonymous. “It takes less time and is more convenient to ride a board than walk. The peo-ple that think skateboarders are always in the way are just mad that they have to walk.”

The Sheriffs try their best to enforce the school’s policy. However, sometimes students resist.

“Skateboarding on campus is a safety hazard. It is also disrup-tive to students trying to learn and is damaging to the land-scape,” Pfeiffer said. “This is not a skate park, this is a place to learn.”

Still students continue to dis-obey the law and ride their skate-boards, bikes and a few even rollerblade. Violations of these offenses can result in fines up to a maximum of $250.

“I believe it is OK as long as they are not causing a ruckus or just bursting through a crowd,” said computer science major, Adrian Espinoza. “If it helps them get to class faster more power to them.”

Students Attempt to Skate by College Policy

By Jamie Hong

At least 2,000 classes could be cut throughout the Los Angeles Com-

munity College District (LACCD), with a possible increase in tuition from $20 to $26 by Janu-ary of 2009. There could be a second hike by July which would take tuition to $30 per unit. This could leave an estimated 100,000 full-time students statewide without support as the State As-sembly considers a 4.4% budget cut to community colleges by the winter session.

Twenty-five new legislators have been sworn in as of Dec. 1, but i t is unclear whether they will handle the budget problem by the end of this year. The cuts and tuition hikes are still on the table accord-ing to the Commu-nity College League of California. They say the gover-nor's proposal for $332.2 million in cuts to community colleges is still on

track. "You're paying more and getting

less!" said Linda Tong, Associated Stu-dents Organization (ASO) Senator of State and Governmental Affairs at Los Angeles City College (LACC). "If the classes are reduced ... you're going to end up being here for three, four, five years," Tong said.

It is highly possible that winter and summer sessions will be cut from three sessions to only one. Tong says the stu-dent body in the LACCD has had a 7 percent increase, but the state only pays

for 2 percent. This forces the dis-trict to spend all of its money

on the 5 percent difference, which could cause a re-

duction of 2,000 class-es district wide.

" M y

friend’s mother passed

away and he had to pay for his mother’s $ 6,000 burial

costs through car washes and it’s crap! [the tuition hike and budget cut]" said Carmela Gonsalez, an ASO Senator

of Public Relations. "These are the community college stu-

dents they are tuition-hiking. A lot

of UC students have been protesting against it … [due to the cuts in classes] if you want to advance in your IGETC or honors program [you can’t].”

"The legislature keeps playing with the vote, if the legislature keeps chang-ing the day to vote, how are students supposed to vote?” Tong said. The State Assembly has changed the day numer-ous times.

Not only will the pocketbooks of students suffer, but the quality of teach-ing is at risk as well. A certain number of full-time professors are required in California Community Colleges. Tong says the current deficit means the dis-trict cannot hire more full-time faculty. With the retirement of 45 professors, there will be more part-time professors than full-time and the district can be fined as a result.

"If the quality of teaching goes down, your quality of education goes down ... ," Tong said.

Students can make a difference by logging onto http://www.

ccleague.net/act/call-today.html, type in LACC's zip code 90029, copy

and paste the email shown and send it to

the California State As-sembly members listed

on the page.Students can also sign

an online petition to stop budget cuts at http://www.

thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-cutting-californias-education-

budgetChancellor Mark Drummond of the

LACCD will be on campus Dec. 9. Stu-dents can address him personally on campus. For more information speak to the ASO office.

Tuition Remains at $20 Per Unit, So Far

By Veronica Reynolds

Police believe that Jorge Cruz Iraheta, 31, violated a restraining

order and entered the home of his estranged wife on Nov. 21, where he shot and killed his two children, Ashley, 7, and Andres, 9. After he shot his children and their mother, Marta, he pointed the gun at himself and took his own life, less than two blocks from campus.

The mother survived and was rushed to the University of Southern California Medical Center where doctors treated her for a gunshot wound to the leg and is now in stable condi-tion, according to the Los An-geles Times.

Residents who were outside their homes on Normal Street Saturday night ducked as shots rang out on their block.

"Gunshots went off and this woman was screaming wildly,"

said Heather Clifford, a resi-dent of Normal Street. "I turned the lights in my apartment off. I was really creeped out."

At 9 p.m., police received a call from Marta who com-plained about a violation of a restraining order. When police came to the scene the man had already left. Police spoke to the woman and left the scene short-ly after with plans to return for a follow up visit to check on the situation.

Approximately 50 minutes later, dispatch received another call that reported shots fired at the same location. Police re-turned to the scene to find two children and two adults victims of gunshot wounds.

One police officer said that this type of incident where young children are involved brings sadness to the communi-ty it happened in as well as the police officers who responded.

Murder-Homicide Shakes Community, a Short Distance From Campus

Cartoon by Adam Daugherty/LA Collegian

Twenty-five new lawmakers took the oath of office this week, and must now make a decision on tuition hikes and budget cuts that will affect California students statewide.

sports Los AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 10

City sports seasoned to Perfection

A year in sports photographyThe good, the bad, and the painful

LACC's Madison Tarr (right) and Magda

Rogerz (left) attempt to return the 'birdie' in a doubles match

against East L.A. Col-lege on April 11.

Photo by Julio Huerta/LA Collegian

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

Third Baseman yuki Ishida (15) watches Catcher Christopher Espinosa (8) attempt to catch a foul ball in the fourth inning at Pote Field on Feb. 5, 2008. The new baseball coach, George Hinshaw and his team lost to the Saddleback Gauchos 12-4.

Photo by Benjamin Simpson/LA Collegian

Cubs guard Branden Fisher #5 drives around Fighting Owls guard A.J. Gasporra #20 dur-ing the men's state basketball tournament at Citrus College.

Photo by Beatrice Alcala/LA Collegian

Virginia Mendoza retaliates with an aggressive spike against the Lady Lancers at Pasadena City College on Nov. 10.

Stephanie Cabrera makes a diving attempt as the Lady Cubs volleyball team suffer another loss to the Lady Vikings of Long Beach City College on Nov. 7.

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

Freshman guard Marvin Coats (10) makes an outstanding debut during the Tip Off Classic Tournament at LACC on Nov. 7-9. Coats makes his way with a steal against L.A. Harbor in return for a two-point lay-up.

By Keith Thomas

On the night of Nov. 19, fans gathered in the Los Angeles City

College (LACC) gymnasium to support the Woman's Volleyball Team as they ended their season with a victory over the Trade Tech College Beavers.

Injuries have plagued the Lady Cubs for the length of the season, leaving them with only nine players suited up for their fi-nal home game. LACC appeared confident and relaxed as they warmed up.

From the beginning of the first match, the Lady Cubs played with intensity and never let the Beavers gain momentum. Sec-ond year players like Virginia Mendoza and Stephanie Cabrera provided the leadership and en-ergy needed to seize control.

“I think we did good for not having blockers,” said Stephanie Cabrera, an outside hitter. “I played last year and we did a lot better [this year].”

Nicolette Chea-ham’s defensive stops anchored the Cubs when it appeared as if they might let another close game slip away. In the second match, the Lady Cubs focused and gradually pulled ahead to take the lead.

“It was fun, it was a little bit close but it was fun,” said Mendoza. “We had two starters that quit, so we had to

work around that. Either way, we did what we had to do and fin-ished the season strong.”

The Lady Cubs season did not go as well as many of the play-ers expected. After winning their first five games, a string of inju-ries and internal conflicts took their toll and the cubs missed out on their post season dreams.

“We definitely had our ups and downs, but I think if we would have worked a little hard-er, we could have done better,” said Cheatam. “A lot of people are coming back, so I think we have a good chance of making the playoffs [next season]. We could have made the playoffs this season but there were far too many injuries.”

The crowd was happy and the mood was cheerful as the Lady Cubs' supporters were treated to a victory, making the season fi-nale a moment to remember.

sportsLos AngeLes CoLLegiAnWednesday, December 3, 2008 11

By Frank Elaridi-Preston

Although Los An-geles City Col-lege (LACC)

is not known for making too many strides in Cross Country running, this years women’s team has surged to the State Finals. Two mem-bers of the team qualified to compete at State. Mallory Calaya and Veronica Al-aniz represented LACC at Woodward Park in Fresno California on Nov. 22. Cala-ya finished 15th with a time of 19 minutes 42 seconds. Aliniz finished 50th with a time of 19 minutes 56 sec-onds.

Calaya, a freshman who graduated from Hollywood High, has had quite an im-pact on this year’s program. “She is a little woman with talent, discipline, dedication and a big heart,” said Sylvia Mosqueda, Head Coach of the Cross Country team.

Aliniz, a sophomore and mother of two, has re-mained focused despite her many obstacles. Although her children were not able to watch the competition, Alinez’s mother and sister were there to cheer and sup-port her.

“She is a spit fire,”

Mosqueda said. “ [She is] a woman with two kids and a lot of guts, who has im-proved tremendously.”

The Cross Country team trained at Griffith Park con-sistently this season. They also spent time in the Men’s Gym, lifting weights. Beach runs rounded out the Lady Cubs workout, which con-sisted of two hours every morning and the occasional evening trek.

“ It was difficult,” Ce-laya said, “ There wasn’t just one tough team, every school was a challenge.”

This year was a test for the Women’s Cross Coun-try Team because they had to recruit athletes who were willing to compete and not just use the team as a way to stay fit.

Mosqueda has complet-ed her second season and is determined to continue to improve the program for years to come.

“All of these girls get along great and have great team spirit,” Mosqueda said. “But most of all, they were a small team with heart and always gave me 100 per-cent.”

This has been a big step for the Lady Cubs.

Lady Cubs End Season Victorious

Cross Country Goes to State

By Victor Enriquez and Dan-ielle Rivera

For the past 16 years, coach Mike Miller has roamed the Los

Angeles City College (LACC) Men’s Basketball team side-lines.

Since Miller took on the new position as LACC’s Ath-letic Director, it is up to coach Mack Cleveland to fill Miller’s shoes. The Cubs are now de-pending on the young, ener-getic coach to take over an in-experienced team.

Cleveland, more commonly referred to as "Coach Mack," was announced as the new men’s basketball head coach on Aug. 1.

“I am very excited, [Cleve-land] is a good coach,” Miller said. “I’m pleased to give him the opportunity to be a head coach this year at LACC.”

Cleveland is aware of City College’s winning history and is eager to carry on the torch. In the past 15 years the Cubs have dominated, racking up 14 consecutive South Coast Conference Champion-ships.

Cleveland has put a great deal of focus on building a team and not just star players.

“[Miller] has done a lot of great things in junior college basketball,” Cleveland said. "He built up an impressive pro-gram and I am excited to carry on his tradition.”

Even though it is Cleve-land’s first year, he has com-manded great respect from his players.

“We’re a young team, he’s a young coach and I feel [that] together we can make a run [for the state championship] this

By Jamie S. Hong

Salsa music fills the room with rhythm and an energetic atmo-sphere, as dancers, who do not

worry about looking or smelling beautiful, concentrate on working up a good sweat. It is Saturday afternoon at Los Angeles City College (LACC) and women are here to dance themselves into shape. Each has her hair tied in a messy bun and strolls in wear-ing gym shorts, leggings and sweat pants.

“These are women who just want to have fun and dance without feeling inhib-ited,” said Dolly Giner, a dance instructor with the Community Service Program at City College.

Giner is a former LACC student who transferred to California State University at Northridge. She ultimately made her way to UCLA and currently works as an in-house choreographer for industrial shows.

“It’s more of a workout than a dance-out,” Giner said. “You’re constantly mov-ing. Constant motion helps with your cardio and I always start the class with stretches. First, for five or 10 minutes, and then we dance for about 40 minutes and then cool down for about five minutes."

Students who participate in the program say they have a good time. The class is held in the Women's Gym every Saturday during the fall semester. Giner rotates a variety of Latin influenced CD's. The music ranges in tempo, changing as the class progresses.

“If they (people) want to get a good work out, this is the place to be,” said Kar-rie, a dancer and former LACC student who transferred to the California State University of Los Angeles. “If I was work-ing out on my own, I would go only for 20 minutes, but here I don’t really feel it (the pain) … And it is a workout. Let me tell you, I walk out of here sweating."

As members of the class stretch their arms, Giner hits the play button and salsa music begins to flow from the speakers.

"All right, let's get started," Giner said. “It’s pretty much an open level class be-cause the steps are not really difficult. So, anyone can get it if they choose to be patient with themselves,” Giner said. "It’s (salsa) a very flowy and central dance. With the cardio, it’s like you’re running for an hour. It’s pretty much the same thing, but you’re dancing to the rhythm of the music.”

Men are noticeably absent from this class. Women dance independently and carefree. The dancers keep an eye on Giner as she begins to move, using the studio mirror to mimic her steps.

“Flex your hands … Breathe,” she told the dancers as she rolled her hips and ro-tated her arms in circular movements.

Giner does not say much because the moves are repetitive and easy to learn. The structure resembles a basic workout re-gime. Although big motions are quite rare, continuous movement keeps the heart rate up and the body perspiring for a satisfying exercise.

“If you like to exercise and have fun at

the same time (join this class)," said Maria, who lives in the neighborhood.

“Dolly’s awesome!” said Sharmila, a student as she pants while holding her wa-ter bottle. “I work out all the time and this is the class that always makes me sweaty, which is nice. It’s fun. I think one of my gay boyfriends is coming to the next ses-sion. I like it 'cause you can kind of dance by yourself to the mirror. It’s just a fun class. You can’t take it too seriously, kind of makes you laugh.”

As the sun sets, flushed faces stretched to Leona Lewis' song “Keep Bleeding.” Maria giggled and stuck out her tongue in fatigue. The dancers breathed heavily and relaxed their muscles as the afternoon wrapped up.

Dance classes are open to anyone in the community and registration is available at the LACC Community Service Exten-sion Program Office, in the Administration Building, Room 112.

Latin Dancing Gets Ladies Into shape

Womens Volleyball coach Mynor Mendoza looks on as the Lady Cubs finally break their 14 game losing streak as they come up with a triumphant victory over the Lady Beavers of LA Trade Tech.

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

New Coach toRoam Sidelines

season,” said C.J. Davis, a Cubs guard.

“I feel like he is a good re-cruiter,” said Brandon Fisher, re-turning Cub's starter. "He built a team that can run, which is good for the style of offense coach Mack tends to run. [He] runs a motion set offense and we all can get into the flow.”

Becoming the head coach of

any program is no small task, es-pecially for Cleveland. He grew up on the Chicago South Side and was raised in a single-parent home. You could always find him at the neighborhood playground, trying to emulate his brother. Fred, the older of the two boys, who was a street legend in his own right and Mack’s idol.

Eager to step out of Fred’s

shadow and become a standout athlete himself, Cleveland re-mained focused and improved his athletic ability. He was able to produce an impressive high school and college basketball career. Cleveland was an all-star for three years at Thorn Ridge High School, where he averaged 20 points per game.

After high school, he packed up his bags and headed west to attend Los Angeles Valley Col-lege. After two years at Valley, Cleveland earned a scholarship to play at Clark University in Atlanta, GA. Even though aspi-rations to play professional bas-ketball were cut short, he con-tinued his education. Cleveland attended Cal State Dominguez Hills and earned a Master of Arts in Physical Education.

Although this is his first head coaching position, Cleveland still has an impressive resume. He began his coaching career in 2001 when he was hired as an assistant for Los Angeles Southwest College, where he helped the Cougars win a state championship.

For the 2005-2006 sea-son, he was an assistant coach at Pasadena City College. In 2006-2007, he also coached for the Light of The World Chris-tian Academy in Atlanta, GA.

Last year, he was an as-sistant coach and scout for LACC’s Lady Cubs Basketball team.

This year, Cleveland hopes he can guide the Cubs to the state title along with a South Coast Conference Champion-ship.

“With any great program you have to challenge yourself and set high goals,” Cleveland said. “I truly believe that my team can go all the way this year.”

Students participate in dance exercises in salsa class on Saturday, Oct. 18. Many of the students enrolled in the class dance to get into shape while others dance for fun.

New head men's basketball coach Mack Cleaveland begins the for-midable task of filling former coach Mike Miller's shoes.

Photos by G. Flamenco/LA Collegian

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Students at Los Angeles City College's (LACC) Chemistry Club's eighth an-nual Mole Day gathered in Chemistry

Building to celebrate National Mole Day, which is conducted by colleges and universities from around the country.

Experiments included, ’burning’ a one-dollar bill, freezing a tennis ball before it disingrated and mixing chemicals to create laundry deter-gent.

Students were especially interested in seeing how fresh ice cream was made with the use of liquid nitrogen.

John Freitas, the Chemistry Department chair, says Mole Day is celebrated in an unusual way.

“Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated in North America on Oct. 23 between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m.,” Freitas said.

The time and date are derived from the Avogadro constant by the equation of 6.02 mul-tiplied by 10 to the 23rd power and it defines the number of particles in a mole, which is one of the seven International System of Units.

"Mole Day was a great success,” said Chem-istry Club President Wali Muhammad, a physi-cal science major.

By Tim Carpenter

Chemistry Professor Meg Gifford (right), along with two students, shows the audience in Chemis-try Rm. 3 how liquid nitrogen, along with other ingredients, can turn into ice cream in a matter of minutes.

Photo by Tim Carpenter/LA Collegian

By Jamie Hong

With 33 y e a r s of film

directing and movie business in his pocket, Los Angeles City Col-lege Cinema professor, Bruce Cook, moonlights as the novelist, Brant Randall, the author of USA BookNews Best Mystery of 2008 “Blood Harvest.”

“I have been a film direc-tor and writer for 30 years,” Cook said. “It was too painful to make movies. It was such hard physi-cal work that I didn’t want to do anymore ... so I tried to come up with a plan to become a novelist.”

“Blood Harvest” surpassed his first book “Philippine Fever,” which made it as a final-ist in the top five. Cook says he was completely surprised by his second

book's success.“This [“Blood Har-

vest”] is a book based on some stories my grand-mother told me,” Cook said. His grandmother was a young bride from rural New England, who, after marriage, never returned to her hometown. Cook found out that she had been driven out by the Klu Klux Klan.

“When I learned what really happened in the 20s, [I asked] why didn’t they teach this to me in U.S. his tory?" Cook said.

W h e n he learned

the KKK were also an-ti-immigrant and anti-Catholic, Cook set out in heavy duty research. He subscribed to online networks with access to 30,000 newspapers and read up on a lot of books from the same period. By combining his research and the in-

professor 'Cooks' Up Novel

BESt-SELLEr on page 6

Professor Bruce Cook