FASFA filing deadline Free Application for Federal Student Aid

priority consideration deadline for the 2015-16 school year is May 31. For more information, visit the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015VoluMe 72, Issue 21 sIngle copy free - addItIonal copIes 50 cents

www.elaccampusnews.com

News Briefs

Repertoire Dance Concert The Let’s Dance Company will host the 10th

Repertoire Dance Concert on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the S2 Recital Hall. General admission is $15.

Correction In last issue, in the story “Architecture

instructor lifted off ground” identified Engineering and Technologies Professor Artin Davidian as an Architecture professor.

Hanging out

Students petition for longer library hours

Staff, faculty evaluated for accreditation process

Engineering students build mechanism to lift professor

Engineering and technologies students lifted their instructor to the second floor with ease outside E7 technology building on May 4.

Engineering professor Artin Mejy Davidian allowed students from his General Engineering 212, intro to engineering design, class to assemble a weight and balance mechanism and lift him up to about the second floor.

Davidian was so sure that the mechanism took very little energy that he had his 5-year old daughter Natalie Davidian crank the mechanism as well.

“People used about three pounds of force to lift people up,” Artin Davidian said.

Natalie seemed to have fun cranking the mechanism as she cranked it fast.

Artin Davidian said that the class had to research simple machines and then present their findings.

“After that, this project becomes a group project, for the entire class,” Davidian said. “There’s collaboration because they have to learn to collaborate together. Also, how to get calculations. They present this a couple of times and I am there questioning them, analyzing it and training them.”

Multiple tests and calculations were made by the students to determine if the weight and balance mechanism was safe and if it was going to be successfully accomplished. Although instructor Davidian was able to give some instruction on the mechanism, it was one of the projects the students had to build as their projects.

Davidian said he was trying to make this as much a real world experience as possible. He knows that engineers design things, like elevators and stairs, and people trust that they will work as they are intended to.

The students began to assemble the mechanism on the west balcony of the E7 building at about noon.

Their task was to figure out how to set everything up in a timely manner, with no help from their professor. At about 12:30 p.m. the students from his class began to crank the mechanism and lift Davidian off the ground.

Diana Melendez, engineering major, was given the opportunity to help with the cranking so she too could experience how much little force it took to lift Davidian off the ground.

Melendez said it was fairly easy to crank the mechanism.The students who constructed the mechanism had fun getting the

chance to lift up their professor, but by the time they got Artin Davidian down, they wanted to get lifted up too.

Multiple students were given the opportunity to be lifted up by the weight and balance mechanism after Davidian was brought back down.

Davidian’s wife Christine was also in attendance and was lifted up as well.

BY BIANCA GARCIAStaff Writer

BY IVAN CAZARESStaff Writer

BY JESUS FIGUEROAStaff Writer

The second draft for East Los Angeles College’s Self Evaluation summary is due Monday as part of the ongoing Accreditation process and will be reviewed during the summer.

One hundred and ten faculty and staff members have completed an online workshop to help ELAC with it’s accreditation process. The workshop explained the basic accreditation process. Every seven years the schools in LACCD go through an accreditation process.

ELAC did not meet accreditation requirements in 2009, however gained full accreditation in 2010.

“There are different levels of sanctions. ELAC was given a warning,” Faculty Accreditation Chair Barbara A. Dunsheath said.

ELAC was placed on the lowest level of sanction and had to address six issues before being accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

ELAC had to submit a mission statement to be approved by the LACCD Board of Trustees, develop a written decision making process, augment student support services if they needed to be and evaluate them regularly.

“We are playing catch up on SLOs,” Dunsheath said. Student learning outcomes are a challenge, because they are “hard to measure.”

“The goal is to continually improve. We are trying get faculty

to think more about what students are taking away from class,” Dunsheath said.

Many faculty members were hired based on their understanding of the subject they teach and don’t have the proper training.

Dunsheath said some faculty members are concerned with academic freedom and don’t like an outside entity telling them what to do.

A new quality focus essay is being put together to help meet standards. There will be three action projects to be worked on for the next seven years and will be turned in on May 18 along with the self-evaluation summary. ELAC’s Governance Policy Handbook is currently being revised.

Anyone with ideas, or believe a certain program, committee, or project should be highlighted in the self evaluation is encouraged to contact Public Information Officer Alejandro Guzman.

Accreditation in the United States has been conducted by private non-profit agencies for more than 100 years.

The federal government uses accreditation to assure the quality of institutions and programs that it provides federal funds for.

Most state governments will initially license programs and institutions without accreditation; however then require accreditation to make state funds available.

ARTSCasa 0101 premiers “An

L.A. Journey”

NEWSASU announces new

officers

FEATURESRobert Chavez shares musical experiences

See page 3 See page 4 See page 5

Students for Political Awareness President Christopher Cruz and Non-Traditional Student Union President Pedro Flores Jr. have partnered together to create a petition to extend the Helen Miller Bailey Library hours.

Although East Los Angeles College offers many resources to students, they are not being made accessible to every student on campus.

The reason for the petition is to help the non-traditional students have full access to the library even if it requires for the library to stay open late.

Flores, Cruz and Claudia Blasuer, a current non-traditional student and formal AB 540 student, have shown a huge emphasis on the importance of the “non-traditional student” and how it applies to many students at ELAC.

AB 540 students are students who are not non-traditional students that are allowed to attend college and pay in-state tuition fees as long as they meet certain requirements.

The University of California Los Angeles has a program called Night Pal. The program’s purpose is to keep the library open 24 hours a day.

Flores and Cruz have considered

a similar program that gives students more time to study. This would give students a greater chance of transferring and increase their grade point average.

The library can be monitored by campus police and only registered ELAC students are allowed inside the library after 9 p.m..

Flores is also conducting an online survey about extending the library hours. This survey has about ten questions and takes about five minutes.

Not only will this benefit the non-traditional student but it will benefit every student attending ELAC.

Cruz and Flores have been going around campus with the petition and talking to students and faculty about the need of extending the library hours.

They have also been making quick appearances before class sessions to explain what the petition is about and collect signatures.

Twelve hundred signatures have been collected so far. Both faculty and students have signed the petition.

Many clubs such as the Feminist Majority club, The Sociology club, the Psychology club, Students Against Substance Abuse club, the Transfer club, and the Puente club have been supportive.

LIBRARY Continued on page 3

ASUElectionResults

HANGING AROUND—Engineering major Diana Melendez, center, raises professor Artin Davidian up with a weight and balance mechanism constructed by General Engineering 212 students outside the E7 Technology Building on May 4.

CN/JESUS FIGUEROA

PROCESS Continued on page 3

www.ELACCampusNews.com

WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2015Opinion2 EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS

Campus News encourages letters to the editor relating to campus issues. Letters must be typed and double spaced. Submitted material becomes the proper ty of Campus News and cannot be returned. Letters should be limited to 250 words or less. Campus News reserves the right to edit letters for grammatical errors or libelous content.

Anonymous le t te rs w i l l not be pr inted. Writers must s ign submissions and print their names and a phone number where they can be reached. Letters should be addressed to the editor of Campus News. Submissions can be made at the mailroom in building E1 or the Journalism department office in the Technology Center in E7-303.

East Los Angeles College Campus News

1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez E7-303

Monterey Park, CA 91754(323) 265-8819,

Ads (323) 265-8821 Fax (323) 415-4910

The East Los Angeles College

Campus News is published as a learning experience, of fered under the East Los Angeles College Journalism program. The editorial and advertising materials are free from prior restraint by vir tue of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The opinions expressed are exclusively those of the writer. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the Los Angeles Community College District, East Los Angeles College, or any officer or employee thereof.

PRINTING BY NEWS PUBLISHERS PRESS

EDITOR IN CHIEFJade Inglada

MANAGING EDITORJesus Figueroa

ONLINE EDITORSDarlene Galvan, Andrew Ruiz,

Danny Vasquez

ART DIRECTORLindsey Maeda

FRONT EDITORMarcus Camacho

OPINION EDITORRogelio Alvarez

NEWS EDITORJulianne Obregon

FEATURE EDITORMegan G. Razzetti

ARTS EDITORStephanie Garibay

SPORTS EDITORSGeorge MaldonadoBryce T. Ronquillo

PHOTO EDITORAlexa Santana

COPY EDITORSIvan Cazares, Jesus Figueroa, Kristen Garcia, Joshua Inglada

CARTOONISTAnthony Bosque

STAFF WRITERSCarlos Alvarez, Cardling Del Real,

Maria Isidoro, Joseph Ovalle, Amber Paramo, Jose Rojas,

Juan Ramirez, Cortez Cruz Serrato

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSJesus Figueroa, Tadzio Garcia,

Julianne Obregon, Danny Vasquez

VIDEOGRAPHERSBianca Garcia, Stephanie Guevara

ADVERTISINGStefanie Arocha

DISTRIBUTIONJesus Figueroa

Agustine Ugalde

ADVISERSJean Stapleton

Sylvia Rico-Sanchez

Media impacts students’ self-image• Replenish your body with water - 2.2 liters or

9 cups of water for females and 3 liters of water or 13 cups for males. (via The Institute of Medicine)

• Maintain a healthy diet - It is highly recommended for students to see a nutritionist to develop a diet plan.

• Exercise daily - It is recommended that people should have cardio-exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. (via American Heart Association)

• Visit a doctor regularly - The Student Health Center is located in G8 111 and offers services such as STD testing, mental health services, physical examinations and emotional/behavorial counseling. Appointments can be made in person or by phone at (323) 265-8651.

Fat is an overused word struck up in conversations between East Los Angeles College students. Students should learn to appreciate their body and learn to be comfortable in their own skin.

As young adults, we have grown up seeing super models succeed because of their skinny image.

The perfect size zero has become what most women aim for, in order to make themselves feel beautiful.

People who give up on their health goals might view themselves as obese.

Students should continue to work toward their health goals, which also helps increase their self-confidence.

Media is partly responsible for placing social standards on self-image.

According to the South Carolina Department of Mental health, it is

BY JANE FERNANDEZ AND ROGELIO ALVAREZStaff Writers

VOICEC A M P U S What health issues most concern you?

Jesse Calderon

Obesity because nowadays most people,

including myself, go through that due to lack

of exercise.

One of the main issues is AIDS especially since a lot of students don’t have health insurance.

Jazmin Quijada Izmael Juarez

Any kind of cancer because it’s very deadly

and uncurable.

Justine Perez

Diabetes because it runs in my famliy.

Health Tipsestimated that 53 percent of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. That number increases to 78 percent by age 17.

Society often sets generic guidelines as to what clothing size is considered skinny. Labeling clothing sizes as “skinny” affect how students feel about the clothes they wear.

According to a study by the University Of Colorado, over the past 30 years, women have become increasingly dissatisfied with their physical appearances.

This correlates with depiction of thinner women over time.

Therepresentationproject.org states that girls between 11 and 14 see on average 500 ads a day.

Ads also have a negative effect on how people view themselves.

Recently, the media has shifted their focus on weight issues as more health problems emerge.

Models suffering from anorexia have sparked many news stories that can help college students realize that being model size skinny is not

beautiful or healthy. South Carolina Department of

Mental Health also stated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder; it is estimated that 7 million are women and one million are men.

Plus-size models are not afraid to show what to many is an imperfect body, but by following their stories and seeing how comfortable they feel with themselves and how successful they can be, college students can learn to take advice from them.

“A beautiful woman is one who never compares herself to others, because what others have, doesn’t make her feel insecure,” said plus-sized model Denise Bidot.

The media might create an idealized view of what people should like, but ELAC students should strive to make themselves feel comfortable in their own skin.

Students who seek counsel for personal issues should make an appoimtment at the student health center.

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 News 3

East Los Angeles College gave the community and students an opportunity to learn about open positions and possible career fields May 7.

The Job and Career Fair provided opportunities for students after graduating from ELAC.

A variety of companies such as U-Haul, UPS, AVON, Inclusion, and the Employment Development Department distributed information on available jobs and career opportunities.

ELAC’s Business, Community Service, Computer Applications and Office Technologies, theater arts and other departments were also present.

According to David Paredes of UPS, giving students a part-time job with the availability for them to work in morning, afternoon, evening, or any shift best convenient, will give the employee an opportunity to finish their education.

UPS is offering 17-25 hours of work at $10.10 per hour. The job

available is for a packaging handler. According to Paredes, the job

requires loading and unloading items onto trucks.

The event interested a fair amount of students and other individuals.

“The event allowed me to look at opportunities into getting a summer job and made me think of my career

after I graduate from a four-year university,” ELAC student Tien Lu said.

U-Haul was also a major interest of students, with groups of three to four individuals sometimes crowding to the area.

The information for students who want to branch out and work for

BY GEORGE MALDONADOStaff Writer

Community benefits from Job and Career Fair

ASU board decided for 2015-16 school year

BY JOSHUA INGLADAStaff Writer

ASU prepares for end of semester activites

“It is an issue not just for non-traditional students, but for everybody in general. We want to transfer,” Blasuer said.

According to the col lege navigator, there are about 37,000 students enrolled in ELAC.

Eighty-one percent of those students are part-time, while only 19 percent are full-time.

Blasuer takes night classes and spends only two days on campus because she works full time.

She is a mother who stresses the struggles of being a single mother and student as well as the importance of having support from the college.

She mentioned that there are a lot of mothers on campus. “(There are) a lot of single mothers that need the support. One of the reasons why I didn’t go to college is because I was a single mother,” Blasuer said.

Cruz and Estrada wil l be presenting the petition at the governors meeting on Monday.

Library: Petition

to be

presented to

BOGContinued from page 1

Gallery

NAO BUSTAMANTESOLDADERAsmall MAY 16toAUGUST 1 openingreception

SATURDAY MAY 16TH

4 to 6p.m.VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM

U-Haul is available for them online at uhauljobs.com

Education is one thing most of the companies pushed for students to have as their number one priority.

With the completion of their bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, they could establish more success for the company.

The dress attire for future employees looking for jobs and careers was to be semi-formal.

A small amount of individuals dressed in interview attire. Bringing an updated resume was also encouraged.

Not all booths consisted of on the spot applications or future employment, although they did allow individuals to build up resumes and earn valuable skill sets.

ELAC’s Business Department, didn’t offer any jobs that an individual could apply for, however, “we offer skill certificates that benefit your resume,” Ariane Kreidl said.

The ELAC Community Service opportunity, according to Erika Leon, offers career training programs and has available classes

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES—Social Security representatives discuss career opportuities with community members and help build resumes at the Job and Career Fair May 7 at the S2 Courtyard.

CN/JULIANNE OBREGON

that are year round for individuals of Los Angeles.

Army recruiters were also there to answer any questions about it and what it can do for an individual’s education.

“Coming to the career event, I didn’t expect to learn a lot (although) I can apply to places (now) I didn’t know before. That will give me my priority for school,” ELAC student Akoni Agoncillo said.

The career event made it possible for students to learn about benefits that will make them capable of succeeding in career fields of their choice or help them earn money to pay for school.

Process: ELAC looks to meet accreditation standards

The process is broken down into six steps, a self study in which the institution, or program writes a summary outlining performance according to accreditation standards, a peer review in which a team of faculty members and administrators edit the summary and a site visit from an accrediting organization.

If satisfied, the accrediting agencies then grants the institution or program accreditation, or preaccreditation status and lists it in an official publication with similar institutions and programs.

Institutions and programs are periodically monitored and revaluated to make sure that they continues to meet accreditation standards.

The accrediting agencies use commissions made up of faculty and administrators from several institution to affirm accreditation for new institutions and programs, as well as ongoing institution and programs.

These commissions may also deny an institution or program accreditation.

The accrediting agencies will then periodically monitor and evaluate the institution,or program.

These agencies are accountable for the quality of higher education in the U.S. and must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Eighty recognized institutional and programmatic agencies operate in the U.S. Accreditation is not a governmental activity, however recognition is.

Continued from page 1

BY ALEXA SANTANAStaff Writer

N ew Associated Student Union representatives have been elected.

As of May 5, Romel Lopez won the position of President with 368 votes.

“I’ll be the first in my family to graduate,” Lopez

said. “Information was a key item that helped me get where I am today. I want to be able to give that information to the student body and the less-informed.”

The position of Executive Vice President went to Yareli Contreras, who was present at the tallying of the votes. She received 495 votes.

Alfredo Elias Hurtado took the spot of Vice President of Finance with 536 votes. 840 votes earned Zihdong Guo the position of Treasurer. Jessica Ramirez won the position of Secretary with 815 votes behind her.

Voters were given the choice to vote between several possible candidates for each category. Indecisive voters were given the option of voting for Void to make their vote blank.

The highest number of votes went to Cristal Zuniga, ASU’s Historian, who

The Associated Student Union held its last meeting of the semester to discuss activity funding deadlines, end of the year events and the chartering of clubs.

At the end of the business day on May 15 is the club activity match funding deadline at the Budgetary Affairs Committee (BAC) meeting.

By this day both Vice President of Finance and Treasurer must return funds that clubs have not used.

The funds will return to the book rental program and clubs will not be allowed to receive the money back.

“We were given $10,000 at the beginning of the year to spend on book rentals. What ended up happening was we saw an influx of student conferences and student tours which (took) a lot of money out of that account. So we thought we’ll pull money out of the book rental program to fund these events,” ASU President Sonny Martinez said.

Students across campus are welcome to join the Extended Opportunity Program & Services (EOP&S) and Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) for their end of the year event.

The event will provide food for approximately 175 students.

What’s new with ASU?

Aside from budget approvals, ASU approved final events to take place on campus to end the semester on a good note.

This will be the first year Relaxation Week will take place and will be held all day throughout the week during finals to help students de-stress.

ASU members have the privilege to take yoga classes and receive massages from the health center.

On May 26, The Habit will host this semester’s food giveaway for ASU members.

The Habit will serve approximately 480 students, therefore spaces are limited.

Lastly, ELAC can expect two new clubs as they were chartered this past Friday.

The English Club wants to bring more popularity to English and literature.

They hope to give back to students in communities that can’t afford tutoring and anything that pertains to the major.

Their meetings are every Tuesday at 12:15 to 1:30.

History Circle was rechartered and wants to bring awareness to students and faculty about historic events involving the community.

They meet every Thursday, but no time was given.

received 1,058 votes in total.Contreras said she still needs time to

process the fact that she was voted as the new Executive V.P.

She plans to use her position to try and do a lot on the board this year.

“Especially with the clubs. I actually helped start one club, so I know what it’s like to be part of a club. I want to advocate more clubs,” Contreras said.

Contreras started the Dreamweavers group at ELAC, a club for former and current foster care youth.

Contreras plans to focus on her studies first before she gets too immersed in her V.P. duties.

She said that a lot of her support came from her working in the Art Department and being part of many clubs on campus.

The candidates all have one week to file in any complaints and concerns before the votes are made official. ELAC Vice President Oscar Valeriano will be the one to certify the winners of the election.

The voting process took place at both the main campus and the South Gate Education Center. Each voting session lasted for two days.

The final results of the election and names of the runner-ups will be posted and can be viewed on ASU’s group page on Facebook.

The new representatives take office beginning fall 2015.

Associated Student Union representatives

2015-16 school year

PresidentRomel Lopez

Executive Vice President Yaneli Contreas

Vice President of FinanceAlfredo Elias Hurtado

TreasurerZihdong Guo

SecretaryJessica Ramirez

HistorianCristal Zuniga

End of the semester activities

Relaxation week•Activities begin June 1.•ASU members have the privilege to take yoga classes and receive massages from the health center to help them de-stress during finals week.

Food Giveaway•The event takes place May 26.•The Habit will host this semester’s food giveaway for ASU members.

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015Feature4

ASIAN AMERICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENTERPRISES, INC. A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO EMPLOYEMENT, EDUCATION, ENTERPRISE AND EXCELLENCE

216 W. Garvey Ave. Ste. #E, Monterey Park, CA 91754 • Tel 626-572-7021 • Fax 626-572-6533 • Email: info@aaede.org • www.aaede.org

AAEDE Internship Under the general supervision of the Director and Administrative Assistant, the intern has primary re-sponsibility for the summer planning of AAEDE’s 4th Annual Job/Career Fair and secondary responsibil-ity to support our local library and their Reading Rockets Program by tutoring elementary school stu-dents in literacy. We expect interns to be individuals, self-starters, and leaders. If you’re the type that has no interest go-ing beyond what you are told, this is not for you. We are looking for an excellent team player who pos-sesses a professional attitude and have the ability to manage multiple projects. You will be expected to perform at a professional level, to own up to your mistakes, and to grow personally and professionally. The intern will have the opportunity to learn and assist in all logistical aspects of event planning and mar-keting. This is a paid Internship. Duties include but are not limited to: -Prepares or assists in preparation of proposal to potential hiring companies to attend the event. -Develops, compiles and writes communications and promotional literature for distribution such as newsletters, brochures or flyers; coordinates process from development through printing and distribution. -Interacts and maintains liaison with vendors and outside agencies. -Conduct research for venue selection, outsourced services, creative ideas, etc. -Create collateral materials, such as name badges, diagrams, signs, etc. -Help assure accurate reporting: rooming lists, attendee rosters, etc. -Some cold calling as required. -Miscellaneous office support such as processing documentation, filing, research, reporting, data entry, responding to emails, etc. Minimum Qualifications: -College students pursuing an Associates/Bachelor’s Degree in any subject. -3.0 GPA or above -Academic students seeking professional training within an office, business environment. -Analytical, relationship building, and interpersonal skills are essential. -Strong organizational, written and verbal communication skills. -Attention to detail and strong follow-through. -Punctual, reliable and patient. -Passionate about the mission and values of our organization. -Flexible self-starter who can work both independently and in a team environment with a positive can-do attitude and ability to multi-task. -Comfortable developing resources and cultivating sustainable relationships internally and externally. -Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and WordPress Instructions for Applying: Please submit RESUME by Friday, May 29st, 2015 via -Email: info@aaede.org Subject Line: AAEDE Internship -Mail: 216 W. Garvey Ave. Ste. #E, Monterey Park, CA 91754-1688 -Fax: 626-572-6533

AAEDE Internship Opportunity!!! Deadline: Friday, May 29, 2015

Music instructor Robert Chavez Jr. found his passion for music directing while he served as a conductor for the U.S. Army Band for 24 years.

He organized the first Latin band for the army because he felt there was a need for it for Latin soldiers and their families.

Chavez was sent to other bases to form Latin bands and by the time of his retirement in 2001, there were about 87.

Chavez graduated from the University of Texas, San Antonio with a bachelors degree in Music Composition and Music Theory.

He then moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to earn his master’s at UCLA and graduated with his masters in Afro-Latin Caribbean Music.

According to his wife, Reyna, she encouraged him to start his own band. As of September last year, he started his band Los Angeles Mambo All-Star Orchestra (LaMaSo).

When Chavez first moved to Los Angeles, he spent most of his time studying for his master’s.

He was used to directing music like he did in the military. Being in Los Angeles was a different scene for him.

Chavez felt that he had paid his dues and was going to retire and stick with teaching, but his wife thought otherwise.

“I started pushing him and pushing him. I encouraged him and praised him because he’s very talented,” Reyna said.

“Very few directors and writers have the knowledge that he does for all kinds of music. I wasn’t going to let his talent go to waste.”

She saw for herself that he was a great director and he had an enormous amount of music that couldn’t go unheard.

The 24-piece band was formed with people he met since earning his masters and made its debut performance at East Los Angeles College’s First Friday Jazz concert on March 6.

LaMaSo is working on its first album, “A Vivir,” and aims to release it the first week of December.

Chavez is also the producer of his wife’s album, “Alma Mia.” Reyna was not satisfied with the outcome of the first attempt of making the album until Chavez encouraged her to finish it with his help.

Reyna said he brought the right musicians and directed the album, which it came out beautiful.

“I was privileged to have him produce the album because it came out great and everybody loves it,” Reyna said.

He was involved with everything from the music to the graphics of her album.

His father, also a musician who helped Chavez develop his love for music at an early age, also contributed to the album by writing one of the songs.

Chavez teaches the Music History of Mexico class at ELAC and at University of California, Los Angeles Extension during the summer.

He teaches a class where students learn the music history of Mexico and incorporate social issues as they relate to the music.

Patricia Lazalde is currently enrolled in the course and said her reason for taking his course is because she feels Mexican music should be part of her life.

“I love the way he teaches, I love his presentation and the passion. He really has a lot of drive and wants us to know it,” Lazalde said.

She explains that Chavez always encourages his students to further their education and expand their

knowledge of Latin culture. Aside f rom teach ing and

producing music, Chavez is also a published author of four books.

He wrote one of his books for his course at ELAC called “Mosaic Landscapes, the Music of Mexico.”

“There is no book that combines the music and history of Mexico. I didn’t want the students to buy three, four, five books. There are books on mariachi and there are books on banda, but no book that puts everything together,” Chavez said.

Every time he visited Mexico, he would take pictures and eventually put them all in one book

His other book, “The Magic of Mexico,” won first place for best use of photography in the Latino Literacy Now Foundation, f o u n d e d b y Edward James Olmos.

BY ALEXA SANTANAStaff Writer

Instructor spreads passion for Latin music

In spite of financial struggles, Music student, David Jesus Ybarra, remains driven to overcome his struggles and accomplish his goals.

Growing up, Ybarra’s family struggled financially.

According to him, his mother, Micaela, has been his greatest example of perseverance. Ybarra received his first guitar on Christmas after his family had barely managed to pay off the guitar on layaway.

Ybarra has played in coffee shops, backyard shows and small venues under the name “Borderline Promises.”

His debut album, “The Silence Between Heartbreak,” is scheduled for release later this year.

The music program, along with the instructors, have had a major impact on Ybarra’s musicianship.

A u d i t i o n s f o r t h e E a s t Los Angeles College Applied Music Program are held every semester.

To become a student for the Applied Music Program, applicants are required to audition in front of a music instructor for about 10 minutes. Only about 20 students are accepted.

Ybarra recalls his first semester in the music program.“The Applied Music Program brought me to the realization that I do not know everything there is to music, and at the same time, the program taught me to enjoy the experience of learning and incorporating that knowledge to my love for composing and performing music,” said Ybarra.

Some of the professors that have inspired him include Dr. Chie Nagatani, who lead him to play classical guitar, and introduced him to Dr. Ken Nagatani, who Ybarra credits as the reason why he’s majoring in classical guitar music performance.

At ELAC, Ybarra has obtained his associate degree in general studies with an emphasis in arts and humanities, music and after the summer, in liberal arts.

Ybarra is set to graduate from ELAC’s Applied Music Program this June and has been accepted into Cal State University, Los Angeles, where he will be pursuing a bachelor ’s degree in Music Performance as a classical guitarist.

“If you are pursuing a career in music, it is important that you get used to working hard,”said Ybarra. “The Applied Music Program gets

you in the right mindset,”His hour-long solo student recital

on March 23 was not the first time Ybarra has performed in front of an audience.

Ybarra has previously played in the recital hall as part of the music program’s mandatory student recitals.

According to the ELAC Music Department, the Applied Music Program requires students to participate in two or three student recitals each semester.

“I really try to show my soul through my music, and I think anyone who takes the t ime to genuinely listen to my music will see glimpses of my life experiences and also come to realize they have similar experiences,” said Ybarra

Ybarra has p layed shows at Airliner Nightclub, the Whisky a Go-Go, Love and Hate Rock Bar and Corazon del Pueblo.

“I think my journey as a musician is tough financially, but my love for music drives me to become a music teacher someday,” said Ybarra.

“I hope to accomplish a lot through my music. Who knows, maybe someday one of my songs will be on the radio. That would be a great honor.”

BY ROGELIO ALVAREZStaff Writer

Student strives for musical success

CN/DANNY VASQUEZ

MUSICAL INFLUENCES—Robert Chavez Jr. explains the infusion of Mambo, Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz and Swing, the influences of the L.A Mambo All-Star Orchestra during their debut on March 6.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT— David Jesus Ybarra sits on the stairs outside the E7 building while playing “Nocturne in C Major” by Johann Kaspar Mertz.

CN/ROGELIO ALVAREZ

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 Arts 5

Filmmaker George Miller returns to the world of Mad Max and reinvents the post-apocalyptic world in “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

In the film, Miller takes the audience to a wor ld where civilization is gone, to a place known as the Wasteland where the necessities are controlled by the Citadel and its allies, Gas Town and the Bullet Farm.

In this world there are no laws and no mercy.

Road Warrior Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy, is a man that is haunted by his past and is convinced that the best way to survive is to wander the desolate land alone.

It isn’t until he meets Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, that he realizes there are still things worth fighting for.

Furiosa is a woman of action that will do whatever it takes to get back to the place she calls home.

“I thought there was something really powerful in the name,” Theron said about Furiosa at a press

East Los Angeles College collaborated with Cinema Without Borders and the Polish Film Festival Los Angeles to present ELAC’s first Polish Animation Night festival and pay tribute to Greg Jonkajtys.

Jonkajtys was presented with an outstanding achievement in animation award by Cinema Without Borders at the end of the night.

Jonkajtys is an accomplished Polish filmmaker, animator and visual effects artist. He is well known for his work on movies such as “Hellboy,” “Sin City” and “Pan’s Labyrinth” as lead animator.

Several animated short films were showcased at the festival, including Jonkajtys’ second film “Ark.” He used painted household i t e m s s u c h a s plastic containers and straws to create the inside of a ship.

H i s u s e o f both stop-motion a n i m a t i o n a n d digital animation created a visually appealing world and told a compelling s tory of a man c o n t e m p l a t i n g suicide. He did this with only sound effects and no dialogue.

“Our goal is to introduce international animation to an American audience. We want to expose people to what we are doing here,” Animation Professor Mike Libonati said.

A panel consisting of Director and Founder of the Annual Polish Film Festival Los Angeles, Animator and Story Artist Cinzia Angelini, Editor of Animation magazine Tom Mclean and Jonkajtys discussed the differences between American animation and European animation.

Animation produced in the United States is mostly targeted at children and are founded by private enterprise.

In contras t , d i rectors and creators in Europe have to work with a production company to provide some of the money and apply for government grants for the rest, which results in animation that targets adults and often incorporates a political message.

BY IVAN CAZARESStaff Writer

Accomplished animator honored at ELAC

Director re-envisions fury of ‘Mad Max’conference May 2 in Hollywood, California. “You didn’t have to know anything about her. Anything that was emotionally driving her was already represented in her name.”

At the Citadel, Furiosa drives the War Rig, the most valuable vehicle and war machine owned by the Warlord of the Wasteland, Immortan Joe, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne.

Furiosa first meets Max after she flees the Citadel with the War Rig across the Wasteland with precious cargo belonging to Immortan Joe.

Immortan Joe has convinced his War Boys that he is an immortal that has returned to deliver them to the Warrior paradise of Valhalla.

The moment Immortan Joe finds out what Furiosa has done, he pursues her with his War Boys and allies in a high-speed chase through the Wasteland.

As the War Boys rally together to follow their god in the chase, Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult, despite his weakening health, joins the others to prove his worth to Immortan Joe before he dies.

Theron, known for “Prometheus” and “The Italian Job,” was able to

become a character similar to Max, a female warrior.

Furiosa has lived a life filled with sorrow and pain that she runs from just like Max.

Though this film had little dialogue, Theron was able to portray Furiosa’s struggle and vulnerability, especially when she discovers the home she remembers no longer exists.

But no matter what blocks her path, Furiosa pushes forward and never quits.

Hardy, known for “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Inception,” also plays a character that doesn’t bow down easily.

Max is haunted by the people he has failed to protect and though it weighs him down, he keeps moving forward.

Hardy displayed the loneliness that Max suffers as well as Max’s need to live on his own.

At first, Max only agreed to help Furiosa on her quest because without her, he would have no transportation.

But after fighting alongside her against Immortan Joe and his allies, he decides to support her cause.

According to Hardy, Max was able to make a connection with humanity once more throughout the film.

Hoult, known for “Warm Bodies” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” plays a character that knows he doesn’t have long to live.

Despite that, Nux chooses to join the chase in Max’s black 1974 XB Ford Falco Coupe with enthusiasm and joy.

“It was the first time on a set that I got natural chills,” Hoult said when discussing the car chase. “Every hair on my body stood on end.”

Hoult radiates the youth and joy that Nux displays as he gets closer to his goal of being the one to bring Furiosa back to his leader.

This reboot of the “Mad Max” movie kept the audience captivated and left them wanting more.

Even if this is the first “Mad Max” film an audience member has seen, there will be no confusion as to who each character is and what the storyline is.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” is out in theaters Friday and is rated R for intense sequences of violence and for disturbing images.

BY JULIANNE OBREGONStaff Writer

CN/JESUS FIGUEROA

STAR POWER—Mad Max: Fury Road” lead actor Tom Hardy speaks about making Max his own after getting the blessing by original “Mad Max” trilogy actor Mel Gibson.

“Not all animation in Europe is political. There is children animation,” Juszkiewicz said. The process varies depending on the country and there are many more collaborations, due the lack of funds in Europe.

European producers of animation are forced to experiment a lot more because of the lack of funds.

They also address issues such as war, the human psyche and poverty in an imaginative and creative way.

“ It would be a mistake to consider the U.S. as only commercial. They deserve credit for their animated features. It’s the best and only original content in the industry,” Juszkiewicz said.

Some American animators accuse Japanese animators of being lazy for

using still characters in an action pose and highly stylized backgrounds moving at high speed to create the illusion of motion.

Japanese animation enjoyed a boost in popularity during the ‘90s and has become a phenomenon in the United States, thought there is a large number of Japanese animation or anime being produced just

for profit. Polish animation and animation

from other European countries has gone largely unnoticed, which is why those who create it have creative freedom. They don’t have a dedicated audience and create their films as art.

The movie “Little Postman” was featured at ELAC. The film brings graffiti to life and tells the story of a young postman delivering mail during the Warsaw uprising.

“Little Postman” is a great example of what can be done with animation and proves that someone doesn’t need a lot of money to tell a compelling story.

“Poland has an amazing history in animation and artists around our planet have been inspired by their strong, but still simple character design and new approaches to storytelling,” Bijan Tehrani said, the editor-in-chief of Cinema Without Borders and Director of the ELAC International Animation Nights Festival.

Casa 0101 premiered “An L.A. Journey,” the story of Lorenzo Alfredo, an 11-year old K’iche orphan from the mountains of Guatemala and his troublesome journey to the United States.

The play delivered director Emmanuel Deleage’s stated vision and goal for the play was to tell a story of hope, human migration and positive attitude.

It also gave a clear concept of destiny, which he found fascinating.

The play began with Alfredo singing a unique and intriguing K’iche song, that was translated to both English and Spanish on a screen on stage.

The play has a radio DJ as a narrator for most of the story, who has a big reveal by the end of the play.

The K’iche language was spoken by five-year-old Lorenzo, played by Yocani Tonatih, when he was a child and his grandmother, played by Yolanda Gonzalez.

Homeless 11-year old Lorenzo, played by Olin Tonatiuh, has strong work ethic and high hopes.

Tonatiuh’s portrayal of five-year-old Lorenzo had the audience fixated on him. He carried the entire performance well.

A stubborn, whining Olivia, played by Blanca Melchor, takes in 11-year-old Lorenzo and together they run an at-home tortilla-making

BY BIANCA GARCIAStaff Writer

‘An L.A. Journey’ shows inspirational story

ON-THE-AIR—Radio DJ, played by Angel Lizarraga, right, tells the story of Lorenzo Alfredo to a caller, played by Erick Chajon, in “An L.A. Journey” at Casa 0101 main stage in Boyle Heights.

business and Lorenzo gets a place to live.Melchor delivered a great performance and

brings Olivia’s character to life.The bond between the two is there from the

moment they meet to the end of the play.The set was projected onto blank walls.There were different visuals for each scene –

from pictures of the Mayan symbol to mountains and pueblos in Mexico and Guatemala city.

More life could have been brought out of each scene if there were more sound effects and better lighting.

The costumes were also lacking.The message of the story was about hope,

hard work and faith.The actors all did a good job portraying the

characters.Lorenzo Alfredo appears singing and dancing

to a song that he loves and finds it to be relevant to his story.

Alfredo shared how thankful and blessed he was to have met two ladies that work for Jovenes, Inc.

They have helped him tremendously since hearing his story.

Every seat in the theatre was filled and the audience was entertained and captivated by the performance.

The founder and some of the staff of Jovenes, Inc. and Casa 0101 production team was in attendance.

The play was more touching at the end than at the beginning.

CN/JESUS FIGUEROA

“Our goal is to introduce international animation to an American audience.”MIKE LIBONATI

Animation Professor

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015SPORTS6

East Los Angeles College sophomore guard Marcus Romain signed his letter of intent to continue his collegiate basketball career at Mississippi Valley State University.

“I think its prostigous to go to an Historical Black University,” ELAC Head Coach John Mosley said.

According to Romain, a balance of recruiters watched his game tape and learned about him through other recruiters.

Loyola Marymount University, Cal ifornia State Universi ty, F u l l e r t o n , Te n n e s s e e Te c h University, Lamar University, California State Bakersfield, B e a u m o n t U n i v e r s i t y a n d Mississippi Valley State University, were those interested in signing Romain.

Although, he didn’t visit all of the schools. He had only visited Lamar University on an official visit.

Romain was one of three players

BY GEORGE MALDONADOStaff Writer

BY MARCUS CAMACHOStaff Writer

After a series of off-season moves, the East Los Angeles College football team looks to bounce back and have a successful, fall season.

ELAC’s off-season began with the firing of head coach Steven Mojarro. Mojarro had a record of 11-19 in his three seasons as head coach and went 3-7 to finish the year.

The Huskies replaced Mojarro with first-time head coach Eric Marty.

Despite this being his first head coaching job, he has coaching and playing experience from competing in the U.S. and overseas.

“We have implemented the various elements that as a staff we believe is vital to being a successful football program. That means a heavy emphasis on our strength and conditioning, teaching scheme and technique and making sure that we maximize our facilities and resources at ELAC,” Marty said.

The team continues going through some major changes during the off-season.

The Huskies’ new offense is what the coach calls a balanced pro-spread system. The system is the combination of various elements of spread and pro-style offenses.

Spread offense is when the quarterback is in shotgun position and there are multiple receivers on the field.

Pro-style offense is a term that means any system that replicates the offenses used by the professionals.

T h e H u s k i e s ’ o f f e n s e i s schematically similar to what the University of Southern California is doing on offense currently, however they also borrows elements from other college and professional teams.

The defense is similar to what the Seattle Seahawks run. The Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll runs with four defensive lineman and one high safety scheme.

The Huskies went into the off-season trying to recruit as many players for each position.

“We are recruiting as hard as we can. Our coaches understand that recruiting is the lifeblood of our program and the most important job of every coach. Players win games, not coaches. Our job is to get as many talented, quality young men on the roster as possible,” Marty said.

Although the team has done some recruitment, it will not know which of them will make the roster until the first day of practice on August 14.

ELAC has struggled to find a consistent starting quarterback, since Aaron Cantu back in 2012. Marty is working during the off-season to get a quarterback.

“To ensure our quarterback is successful, first we will make sure we put a great offensive line around him, have a strong rushing attack and give him weapons on the outside,” Marty said.

“It’s critical to put the quarterback in a position to be successful, coach him up and develop him and cater to his strengths,” he said.

E L A C h a d a c o u p l e o f quarterbacks that transferred in for this upcoming season and one or two more in recruiting.

With all the new changes, Marty is happy with some of the players that are returning from last years team.

“I’ve been very impressed with the talent on campus, returning from last year,” Marty said.

Marty was excited to work with linebackers Jose Aguero, Jonathan Enriquez and Carlos Gomez as well as defensive backs Ryan Cisneros and Adrian Rodriguez.

New coach, new team brings new look to ELAC football

Basketball player transfers to division-1 universityon the Husky basketball team who played and started every single game in the last season.

“We provided the framework, and he worked to get to a division-1 university,” Mosley said.

Averaging 17.5 points per game on 10.8 field goals per game.

Romain feels that scoring is the best part of his game, and that he can transition to division-1 basketball.

According to Romain, Mosley helped keep his confidence up and put in the work necessary all season to be successful.

Some main points Romain knows he has to improve on are his physicality and to add some weight to his body.

According to Romain, Mississippi Valley was the best situation for him to develope as a better student and athlete.

The university team showed strong interest in recruiting him and will give him the opportunity to showcase his ability.

All season he felt like he was under recruited, although he out

performed other players that were highly recruited.

“The right situation presented itself,” said, Romain.

Romain was born in Brooklyn, New York where he attended Progressive Christian High School.

He moved to California three years ago.

His father, a big supporter continues to live in New York, and came down to watch some of his games.

His father and uncle both were big influences in him making his decision. Romain said his father didn’t pressure him to choose a specific college.

Instead, according to Romain, his father wanted him to decide on the school that would make him happiest.

The level of play is “more aggressive out in New York, and a little bit more competitive,” said Romain, compared to the competition he played in California.

Romain says he can quickly contribute to Mississippi Valley

because he believes he’s “good enough to play a certain amount of minutes (to) come in and play right away.”

At the end of the day, Romain understands that esrning a spot in the rotation will be up to him.

His years playing for ELAC coaches and his teammates helped him develop his game successfully. “(They) gave me a good idea of where I am at and what I am capable of,” Romain said.

When it comes to being a student-athlete at Mississippi Valley, Romain feels ELAC counselor Dorothy Teola has prepared him to succeed academically.

Mosley believes Romain has a great future and academically is doing well, with more than a 3.0 GPA.

After getting experience and knowledge of the game, in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball, growing up and playing in the east coast, and basketball at ELAC, “It’s going to be all up to me,” Romain, said.

CIRCUS SHOT—East Los Angeles College men’s basketball team guard Marcus Romain, No. 3, takes a wild shot over Mount San Antonio College center Thomas Cowman, No. 45, in ELAC’s conference opener on Jan. 7 in Walnut, California. ELAC lost to Mount SAC 87-67. CN/JESUS FIGUEROA