Photo by Ismael Reyes FRIDAY March 30, 2007 Cheer Cheer Squad wins nationals in Las Vegas. Page 10 In This Issue News...................2-7 Feature.............8-10 Entertainment......11 Calendar.............16 Opinion................15 www.elvaq.com Helga Aguayo has been fighting for her husband Augustin’s release from prison. Her husband is currently serving an eight-month sentence in a German prison after being charged as a deserter for his strong convictions against the war. See story, pages 8-9. Volume 91 Number 3 ‘Shooter’ New action film shines at the box office. Page 11 Tuition New fee increase burdens students’ pocket book. Page 4 E L V AQUERO E L V AQUERO Glendale College Glendale College
Transcript
Photo by Ismael Reyes
FRIDAY March 30, 2007
Cheer
Cheer Squad wins nationals in
Las Vegas.
Page 10
In This IssueNews...................2-7Feature.............8-10Entertainment......11Calendar.............16Opinion................15
www.elvaq.com
Helga Aguayo has been fighting for her husband Augustin’s release from prison. Her husband is currently serving an eight-month sentence in a German prison after being charged as a deserter for his strong convictions against the war.
See story, pages 8-9.Volume 91 Number 3
‘Shooter’
New action film shines at the box
office.
Page 11
Tuition
New fee increase burdens students’
pocket book.
Page 4
El VaqueroEl VaqueroGlendale CollegeGlendale College
2 Friday,March30,2007 www.elvaq.com
NEWS
Faculty Claims Over E-mail Violates Labor LawBy Olga RamazEL VAQUERO EDITOR IN CHIEF
Isabelle Saber, chief negotiator for the faculty guild, addressed
the Board of Trustees on March 19 after an email sent to the guild on March 14 rejected the most recent contract offers put forward by the guild.
Saber, along with more than 70 faculty members congregated in Kreider Hall to protest an act which they call a violation of la-bor law by the college district ne-gotiating team.
“We, the faculty of GCC, are not interested in war and we are here tonight to find an amicable way out of this situation,” said Saber.
The email sent to the Guild stat-ed that the Guild had requested an increase of 7.3 percent for all sal-ary schedules, retroactive to July 1, 2006 for adjunct health ben-efits. These numbers were factual errors, according to the Guild.
The problem surging from this email is the fact that the district’s negotiating team rejected the of-fer before talking to the guild ne-
gotiating team or the guild lead-ership. This violates labor law in the sense that the items that were on the negotiating table were pub-lished before being agreed on.
According to history profes-sor Gordon Alexandre, the email and the administration’s actions are a “violation of labor law and due process” due to the district’s failure to “come to the table to officially reject the counter pro-posal” when they [the district] had previously asked to receive [the proposal] in writing.
Saber had been asked by Mary Mirch, the associate dean and chief negotiator for the district, to send a written proposal of the guild’s offer, document which she was going to send to Mirch the morning of March 14 when she received the email rejecting the offer.
Since the BOT meeting, sev-eral discussions have taken place among faculty, the administration and board members in order to “smooth out” the situation, ac-cording to Saber.
“What happened was a breach of process and a possible viola-tion of labor laws,” she said. “I
think the administration under-stands that now and the board has gotten involved in rectifying certain miscommunications that have happened.”
One of the main points being addressed in these discussions is the need to improve communica-tion among faculty and the ad-ministration in order to prevent further such incidents from oc-curring.
BOT President Armineh Ha-copian and Superintendent/Presi-dent Audre Levy attended a guild meeting to explain their posi-tions.
This meeting gave Levy and Hacopian an opportunity to listen to what faculty members had to say about the current situation.
“Dr. Hacopian has graciously been trying to hear both sides and mend some fences,” said Saber. “She met with [the guild] and she’s really trying to understand the issues to find a solution.”
“[We want to try to find] a way to not just coexist, but deal with each other amicably and profes-sionally,” she added.
Faculty is also hoping for a more open door policy from Levy,
a policy which would allow better communication between the fac-ulty and the administration.
“The consensus has been that we have been barred from com-municating with Dr. Levy in the past [but] I understand that is going to change,” Saber said. “We [the faculty] welcome that change.”
The guild has presented their counter offer, the one that was rejected, in writing. They are still waiting on a response.
Saber assures that “this is not faculty fighting with the adminis-tration out of greed.”
“What we are trying to do here is actually make sure we can get good faculty members to contin-ue the level of dedication and ex-cellence we’ve [GCC] had for so many years,” said Saber. “But if we can’t pay our part-timers well and they go to other colleges, or if we can’t pay incoming full-time
Letters may be reproduced in full or in part and represent only the point of view of the writer, not the opinion of El Vaquero or Glendale Community College and its district. Letters must be signed and typed and include the full name and address of the writer. El Vaquero is a First Amendment publication.
editor in chief
OlgaRamaz
staff members
Graig Agop Susan Aksu Kara Aranas Tamara Baskin Vida Djaghour Sose Frankyan Richard Kontas Vartanoosh Kiourktzian Lenin Lau Anita K. Marto Sumaya Mehai Rachel Mills Diana Petras Jennifer Tinoco
design adviser
Charles Eastman
El Vaquero accepts story ideas in news, features, profiles, sports and entertainment from the public. To submit an idea or an article, e-mail the editor at [email protected] or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5349.
faculty well, they take positions elsewhere because the pay is so low.”
The faculty at GCC has not received an adequate pay raise for several years now. This year, the college received some extra money from the state which the faculty hopes can be allocated to their salaries.
The faculty fears that if an issue like this does not get resolved, the most affected population will be the students.
“You guys are our first prior-ity,” said Saber. “We as teachers care about your well being and your education tremendously. We want this issue resolved so that we can go back to the business of teaching and interacting with stu-dents fully.”
Student Government Chooses New Officers New officers were elected
last week to fill positions in Hrach Orujyan, ASGCC [Asssociated Students of Glendale Community College] for the spring semester. Hrach Orujyan, current student president, said of the voting process: “I think elections went very smoothly.”
“Unfortunately, we have a limited amount of positions open and the candidates worked very
• $2,200 - negotiable• OK for sharing• Includes: 2 car garage, washer/ dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator• 10 minutes from GCC• New floors, kitchen, paint
Call: 323-719-8631Theater arts major, Derenik Keshish, 21, casts his vote in Plaza Vaquero on Nov. 29.
ASGCC president and Student Trustee, Hrach Orujyan, and Tzoler Oukayan,Student Activities Coordinator (not pic-tured), process voters in Plaza Vaquero on Nov. 29. Voters, Jaicom Mojica, 20, and Sevag Bairamian, 18, had limited options; in some cases there were only as many candidates as positions to fill.
Photo by Anita K. Marto
hard to gather votes. Right after Fall semester is over the new ASGCC executive committee will start working on recruitment for the legislature’s appointed positions.
“We will be doing classroom visitations and trying to reach out to all the communities of the GCC to get a diverse group of people to sign up for the interviews for the five appointed positions in the legislature. We will be appointing one representative for each committee.”
associated students of glendale community college
spring 2008 election winnersVice President of CampusRelations Rober Terziyan
Vice President of CampusOrganizationsEdwin Akoubians
Senators of Finance Ovsanna Khachikian Aksel Martirosyan David Mkrtchyan
Senators of Campus OrganizationsLilya Avagyan Susan Ghazarian Klaris (Sharis) Shabandari
Photo by Anita K. Marto
Vice President of AdministrationEdit Arakelyan
Vice President of CampusActivities Christoper Khrlobian
Senators of Administration Robert Agaverdian Sevak Agazaryan Steven Ferguson
Senators of Campus ActivitiesSelin Minassians Arda Oukayan Garnig Saakyan
Senators of Campus Relations Sesil Aksu Anna Nersisyan Siranoush Sarkisyan
While prospective transfer students are awaiting ac-
ceptance responses from Califor-nia public universities, those very universities on March 14 moved to raise tuition fees.
UC fees have been raised 7 per-cent, and Cal State fees have been raised 10 percent.
During meetings that took place at UCLA and Cal State Long Beach, both the Board of Regents and Cal State trustees decided to enforce the increase for the fall 2007 semester in order to main-tain various students services.
With the increase, annual fees for UCs will now be about $7,300 a year, and $3,400 for Cal State campuses will charge $3,400 a year.
According to Kevin Meza, transfer center coordinator, 800 students transferred to Cal State campuses and 250 students trans-
ferred to UC campuses. After the 13-6 vote was passed for UC and 15-0 vote was passed to raise Cal State fees. The meeting, along with the decision, leaves UC and Cal State students wondering how they will be able to keep up with the changes.
Prospective transfer stu-dent Lina Davoudian, fears that the increase could af-fect her plans to transfer to the school of her choice.
‘This increase will re-ally have an effect on which university I transfer to,” she said. “The price is just too much to pay for.”
Although this increase is sur-prising, it is not the first time it has occurred. Members of Re-gents admit that the increase is the fifth increase in the past six years. Not only is it the fifth, but according to Regent members, it may not be the last.
GCC counselor and mother, Roxanne Dominguez, is among
the few parents who have experi-enced the increases throughout the year. Dominguez has a son who is
currently in his second year at UC Berkeley as an engineering major. Dominguez said that as the cost of living heightens so does the fees, which could potentially put a major strain on all current and prospective UC students.
“The cost of living is so high and it’s already hard enough,” said Dominguez. “My son has a part-time job, got a loan, but it’s still hard and there’s just been too many increases in the last year,”
she said.One of the biggest issues that
circulates this sudden increase is the fact that those students who are planning to transfer in of fall 2007, will be responsible to pay this increase. One group of students, which are among the largest hit by this increase, are AB-540 students. A-B 540 students are undocumented stu-
dents who are required to pay in- state fees and are not eligible to receive any type of financial aid. Since AB-540 students are only eligible for either little or no aid, it does pose a concern to whether or not these students will have the opportunity to transfer.
According to Hoover Zariani, service learning center coordi-
nator and AB-540 committee member, a majority of these stu-dents have a small income which causes them to struggle to receive a proper education.
“When I think about the in-crease for California public uni-versities, it just makes me sad,” said Zariani. “It makes transfer-ring and going to school for these students that much harder. No matter how high the prices in-crease they [A-B 540 students] still can’t pay.”
Not only do higher increases affect those attending next semes-ter, but it could also affect those that have any type of plans of transferring in the future. Along with books, housing and the cost of living, students will now have another obstacle to with stand.
“When I think about the increase for California
public universities, it just makes me sad.”
- Hoover ZarianiService Learning Center Coordinator and AB 540
Committee Member
(888)610-0800
CLASSES STARTING NOW IN SHERMAN OAKS!
‘Modern Lovers’ Exhibits an Array of Exclusive Art
Photo by Olga Ramaz
“Untitled, 2007” is an oil on linen piece by artist Brett Cody Rogers. Rogers is one of the many artists whose works are featured in “Modern Lovers,” the latest installment at the Glendale College Art Gallery. Some of the other artists include: Jeffrey Rugh, Stan Koplan, and Jonas Wood, among others. The show is being curated by Kathryn Andrews and runs through May 5. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. For more information call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5663 or visit www.glendale.edu/artgallery
www.elvaq.com Friday,March30,20075
NEWS
Construction Site Suffers Tolls of Accidental Fires
Geology professor John Leland points out the area where a small brush fire broke out on February 16. The small fire was started by a spark released by a construction worker’s torch.
By Olga RamazEL VAQUERO EDITOR IN CHIEF
In less than two months, the new construction site has seen two
fire incidents, both of which have been attributed to human error.
The fire incidents of March 12 and February 16 did not bring forth any monetary loses, but did however raise some concern and a call to action.
According to Director of Busi-ness Services, Bill Taylor, there is currently a “movement” to clean up any extra brush that can be po-tentially hazardous.
This action comes directly after the dry brush led to a small fire on February 16, which was con-tained within 10 minutes by the Glendale Fire Department (GFD), fire station 24, located on Cañada Blvd.
However, Geology professor John Leland said that completely removing all of the brush from the area can increase the chances of erosion.
“The positive aspect of having any kind of brush cover our slope, especially such a small slope that
is so steep above the parking lot, it helps keep the ground a little bit more stable,” said Leland. “So those roots uphold the rock and soil in place. If it’s a bare slope, it’s going to erode very quickly.”
Four engines and two ladder trucks came onto the scene after they were dispatched at approxi-mately 8:42 a.m.
“There was obvious smoke and there was lots of people who were making phone call,” said Public Information Officer, Capt. Jim Frawley.
At approximately 8:52 a.m., the fire units called “knock down,” which indicated that the fire was completely down.
Reports indicate that the fire was started by sparks that flew from a blow torch that a con-struction worker was operating.
The most recent fire took place behind the Advanced Technology building at approximately 4 p.m., outside of a welding class.
The origin of the fire is un-known, but Taylor assumes that it could have been started by a student who flicked a cigarette butt near the construction site.
According to Frawley, a wood-
en shed used by the construction company to store tools and other equipment, caught on fire, creat-ing a dark cloud of smoke.
Commuters and people around the campus report-ed the incident to the GFD.
Taylor said that the danger of this particular fire would have been if the diesel fuel that was being stored in the shed, would have been ignited by the flame.
Frawley said that this fire was also contained in a matter of 10 minutes and required one engine to arrive at the scene.
He also added that incidents like these are common in construction sites and that the way they can be prevented from happening again is if one takes the proper steps to secure the areas.
The Bhupesh Parikh Allied Health and Science building is scheduled to open in the fall and with so much time in between un-til the opening, there is still more room for fire incidents.
Senator of Campus Organizations Resigns Classifieds
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* To place an ad in El Vaquero, contact our ad representative at (818) 240-
AS president David Arakelyan announced that the Senator
of Campus Organizations, Mitzi Mendoza, resigned from her posi-tion, due to an accident she was recently in which required sur-gery. Arakelyan said that it will not change anything in the AS-GCC legislature since they are planning to appoint someone to that position next week.
The student government is also organizing a Campus Beautifi-cation committee that will help maintain the campus and makes changes to the way the campus looks. They are currently work-ing on putting up signs and maps around the campus to help those who do not know their way around the college campus. They are also working on providing the campus with maps that reflect the new building, which is currently under construction.
An Adviser Appreciation Day was held in the JW Smith Student
Center on March 27 at noon. The student government does this ev-ery semester as a way of thanking those who take the position of ad-visor for a club. Food was served for those who attended.
An upcoming project that the student government is preparing to be a part of is a documentary. Eric Stern who is a part of a com-pany called Doc Workers that that uses documentaries to make aware of national issues, is work-ing on a documentary titled, “In Debt We Trust.” What Stern is trying to do is explore the world of debt, such as national debt, consumer debt and of course col-lege debt, and relating it to the government. Glendale Commu-nity College was selected to be a part of this project along with other schools such as UCLA. AS is currently trying to set up a team for this project and will provide more information when every-thing is set up.
As a part of the discussion, Arakelyan just wanted to remind his staff to do the best job that they can,“You would want to use
your time wisely here [in stu-dent government],don’t try to get away from responsibility” said AS president David Ara-kelyan, “It will be better for the community and for every-body.”
Mitzi Mendoza
Campus Events
• Blood Drive- The AS-GCC and the American Red Cross will sponsor a blood drive on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the J.W. Smith Student Center, room 212. For more in-formation call (818) 240-1000, ext.
• Performance- The band Dirty Diamond will per-form at Plaza Vaquero on Thursday, starting at noon.
• “Sabbatical Report”- Pro-fessor of Latin American Studies, Carlos Ugalde, will present a slide show of his year-long travels to Europe and Latin America. The presentation will take place in Kreider Hall start-ing at noon. Admission is free and open to the pub-lic.
6 Friday,March30,2007 www.elvaq.com
NEWS
Book Grant Offers Students Opportunity to Save Cash
to pay for textbooks and there is a need for something to be done to help them with the costs.The Book Assistance Program helps qualified students pay for a portion of their textbooks.
Applicants for the program must be Board of Governor fee waiver (BOG) eligible students or qualify as AB 540 or be an in-ternational student and currently have a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. Also, they need to be enrolled in a minimum of six academic units, have completed the English and Math Placement Tests, com-pleted a GCC Orientation session and have met with a counselor to complete a Student Educational Plan (SEP).
The campus offers students various ways to pay for text-books. The Extended Opportuni-ty Program and Services (EOPS) funded by California, offers book vouchers for low-income and educationally disadvantaged stu-dents. However, applicants must be California residents, be a full-time student, have completed less than 30 units in order to enter the program and must qualify for BOG “A” or “B.” Upon comple-tion of 70 units and/or six semes-ters students no longer qualify for EOPS.
“The international and AB 540 students do not get any fi-nancial aid at all and often times struggle to pay for college fees,” said Susan Dougherty, the suc-cess network coordinator. AB 540 students are those who have at-tended a high school in California for three years or more and have graduated from a California high school.
Another option to pay for text-books is the Emergency Student Book Loan offered by the Associ-ated Students of Glendale Com-munity College (ASGCC) where students can get a loan of $100 per semester. Students have 30 days to repay the loan.
According to Dougherty, “Many students stopped attend-ing school because they were not able to afford the books.”
In the past two decades the textbook prices have nearly dou-bled at a rate of inflation. This has discouraged many students to at-
tend college since they also need to worry about paying for tuition on top of textbooks.
“Something needed to be done to help students with book costs,” said Scott Ziegler, the co-founder of the Book Assistance Program.
The funding for the program is provided through donations from faculty and classified staff and a one time donation of $25,000 from ASGCC. Various fundrais-ings, such as hamburger cook-off and raffle tickets help raise mon-ey for the fund. However, student volunteers are needed to help out with various fundraising activi-ties. “My dream is to go out in the community and find someone who would sponsor us with a lot of money,” added Dougherty.
According to Patricia Brad-ley, Glendale College Bookstore Book Buyer, “Students think that we are doing a 100 percent mark-up on book prices, but that is not true.”
The bookstore buys the books from the publisher and marks up books 22 to 25 percent.
“About every two years books go into newer editions and the problem with staying with old editions is trying to get a hold of the old copies to have enough for each student,” said Bradley.
During finals week the book-store buys back the used books if the book is going to be used again for the next semester. In this case students get 50 percent money back. However, if the book is not
going to be used for the next se-mester then the price is dropped to wholesale value. “We add $20 to $25 on the used books,” added Bradley.
“The Book Assistance Program is a very good program,” said stu-dent Arash Taheri, who has been receiving help from the program for two semesters now. “After completion of 70 units I lost my EOPS voucher, but fortunately the same semester I got a $100 book voucher from the Book As-sistance Program, which was a big help,” said Taheri.
According to Ziegler, “So far we have been able to help any student who has asked for the help, but it will not be the case since more and more students are
finding out about the program and we have limited funds.” Some students have donated their used books in case if students need them then instead of the voucher they can just borrow the books. “Our biggest issue right now is fundraising, but we are working on better fundraising options,” added Ziegler.
For more information about the Book Assistance Program contact Susan Dougherty at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5318 or Scott Ziegler at (818) 240-1000, ext. 3366.
El Vaquero Awarded With General ExcellenceBy Olga RamazEL VAQUERO EDITOR IN CHIEF
The staff of El Vaquero out-did themselves at a recent
conference, sponsored by the Journalism Association of Com-munity College’s (JACC), by walking away with a General Excellence plaque on March 23. The conference was held in Sac-ramento from March 22 through the 24.
General Excellence is award-ed to only the best college papers within the association.
Prior to the conference, entries for the mail-in portion were sent out for judging.
Mail-in entries are clippings of published works from the past year which are judged by fellow journalism instructors and pro-fessionals.
The General Excellence check-list for newspapers include: Cov-erage and Content, Writing and Editing, Opinion Content and Photography Art and Graphics.
Graphics Adviser Charles Eastman rejoiced in the staff’s accomplishment.
“Intelligence, persevearance and integrity are the staff attri-butes that drive the success of the El Vaquero student newspaper,” said Eastman. “I’m proud to be a small contribution to this ever churning production wheel.”
Each of these categories con-tained sub-categories which are scored on a five-point scale, with five being the highest.
From 100 possible points, El Vaquero scored 92 and only 17 other colleges won this prestigious award.
The staff mailed-in the last three issues of the spring semester [Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 15] for judging.
This is the first time El Vaquero wins this award.
Members of the staff during the spring semester contributed greatly to the success of the paper.
The JACC state conference is held every year in the spring and alternates between Los Angeles and Sacramento. The Southern California convention is held in the fall at Cal State Fullerton, competition which involves only community colleges from southern California.
The former staff included: Fea-tures editor Alison Geller, News editor Pauline Guiuan, Photogra-phy Editor Jane Pojawa, staff writ-ers Stephen Hotchkiss and Michael Coleman, and photographer Em-manuel Belviz. Aside from compe-titions, the students who attend the conference are exposed to an array of workshops that are intended to help and encourage them in their future journalism endeavours.
The last three issues of the spring semester [Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 15] scored 92 out of 100 possible points, making it possible for El Vaquero to win General Excellence at a recent state conference.
New Building Promises Valuable Amenities for Students
Next semester students will be seeing progress all across
campus and it will not be just parking progress in the fall se-mester. The Allied Health and Sciences building will be opening its doors to digital arts and nurs-ing students of GCC.
The new building is the result of generous donations from many sources in the community and is 60 percent funded by the state. Since the 1990s the building was planned to be home to a new nursing student facility and an airplane hanger. But the airplane hanger idea was thrown out when the program that GCC offered was cancelled.
The space on the first story then was left open for another depart-ment. After discussion and de-bate it was decided that the first story would house the digital arts department. The second story is going to be maintenance’s per-manent offices, and the third story will be home to the nursing department as well as two nurs-ing labs.
“The first floor for the digi-tal arts students will be offer-ing students four instructional classrooms, each with 27 work stations equipped with Macin-tosh computers,” said Rob Kibler, Visual and Per-forming Arts De-partment Chair.
Kibler also ex-plained that one of the greatest benefits that the digital arts stu-dents will have is an open lab in the building. The open lab will be a 25-station room with no classes in it. This will allow the digital arts students to come into the room when they want to work on something with-out having to worry about in-terrupting a class in session.
The digital arts department is eager and hopes that the building will be able to meet the demands and needs for the growing num-
By Rachel MillsEL VAQUERO FEATURES EDITOR
ber of students interested in the field.
The second story of the build-ing will be the maintenance offic-es. The maintenance teams have never had an actual building with walls to call their home.
What is being offered for the maintenance teams as of right now are a shed at the north end of campus, some carts with their tools neatly stored in the back, and random cubby holes spread out across campus in various buildings.
Now the building will actually offer this department their own offices, actual set up workshops, and a professional loading dock. Director of Business Services Bill Taylor said that the trucks for the loading dock will even have their own lane.
Lew Lewis, Director of Facili-ties, is looking forward to deco-rating the hallway of the offices of the new building. Currently Lewis and his team plan on find-ing black and white photographs of the school through the ages and hang them on the walls.
“I’m staying on two years after this thing is done,” Lewis said in regards to the pride and happiness he has towards the building.
The nursing department will be the greatest beneficiary in this building. They will be moving from the San Fernando complex
to the third floor. On the third floor the nursing department will gain access to not just one, but two nursing labs, fully equipped
with state of the art hospital and computer labs. In addition to the two labs four classrooms will be up and running. If the nursing department is overflowing with students then the classrooms can be easily expanded from a lecture hall into a bigger lecture room.
A corner of the first floor will house the Emergency Medical Technician(EMT) program.
The students of the nursing de-partment are ready to make the
move from the bungalow styled classrooms to an actual building.
“The new building is going to help offer the nursing department
more credibility,” said Angelica Trinidad, a nursing student. She and her classmates believe that the actual building will reflect the program well.
Bhupesh Parikh believes strongly in contributing to lo-cal community colleges. Parikh told NRIinternet.com “I believe smaller colleges offer bigger op-portunities to middle and lower class students,” From his large donation Parikh will be given
the honor of having the building named after him.
Three different departments will be changed for the better
due to the generous contribution from Parikh and other parties. The building will finally provide concrete place for two groups that have not had that luxury on campus.
Photo by Richard Kontas Construction personnel work around the clock to finish the new building which is scheduled to open in August.
An artists’ digital rendition of the new Allied Health and Sciences building.
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8 Friday,March30,2007 www.elvaq.com9
FEATURE
Helen Aguayo just wants one thing, to get her husband out of prison. Aguayo is the wife of Conscientious Objector Augustine Aguayo who is currently serving and eight month sentence in prison in Germany for desertion.
On Tuesday at the Anti-War Teach-In sponsored by the Justice Coalition, Helen Aguayo spoke about her husband hoping to garner more support.
According to his wife, Aguayo enlisted in the Army as a medic in 2003 because he wanted to do great things for his country and to further his education. Aguayo, however, was not a Conscientious Objector when he first enlisted. He realized he could not kill right before he was to be deployed, said his wife.
Jim Lafferty, of the National Lawyer’s Guild and the Bill Smith Military Resistance Project said that according to the Geneva Convention, medics are not allowed to carry weapons or fight but Aguayo was issued a weapon regardless. However, Aguayo refused to load his gun while he was serving in Iraq for a year.
After being deployed in February of 2004, Aguayo applied for discharge as a Conscientious Objector, however, six months into his detour he was denied without reason. Recently though, the Army has stated that his Believing his case was mishandled, Aguayo decided to file a Writ of Habeas Corpus with the federal court for the Army’s wrongful denial of his CO discharge. Prompted by Aguayos filing of Habeas Corpus, the Army came up with a supplemental memorandum stating reasons for Aguayo’s denial of CO. The memorandum stated that because Agauyo was not religious and had not explained his claimed beliefs prior to or during his enlistment, his CO was denied. Aguayo’s wife believes this reason is invalid. “Just because you’re not religious, doesn’t mean you don’t have a conscience,” she said.
On August 24, 2006, the habeas corpus was denied and a week later, Aguayo’s unit was ready for deployment again. On September 1, 2006 Aguayo went AWOL, missing his unit’s deployment. The next day Aguayo turned himself in to the Military Police station. However, he was told by Army personnel he would be going to Iraq even if they had to forcefully handcuff him in the plane, instead of facing a court-martial.
In September of 2006, Aguayo again went AWOL in Germany. Believing he had no other option other than to go back to Iraq, Aguayo decided to flee his home base in Schweinfurt and go into hiding in California. On September 26, he held a press conference from Los Angeles, California expressing his beliefs against the war. That same day he drove up to Barstow, California and turned himself in at Fort Irwin.
According to his wife, Aguayo was convicted of desertion before the 30 days were up. According to military protocol, once a member of the Army has been AWOL for 30 days or more then can be charged with desertion, however Aguayo’s wife says he was only gone for 25 days.
Aguayo appealed his case and maintains the fact that his fits the description of a CO. His case is currently at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.
Despite this anti-war teach-in being peaceful, it did not go unopposed. Many member’s of the Conservative Coalition were present at the teach-in. One member was Thomas Armistead, who was standing outside the door handing out flyers that stated “Augustine Aguayo is NO Hero”. Armistead who was a medic for 14 months in the army said that “[Agauyo] is claiming to speak for the soldiers. He was perfectly fine with serving in the military but days before he was being deployed he claimed to be a CO.” Another member who declined to state his name said, “He is responsible for what he signed up for and that filing for a CO is just a way to get out of the war.” Both of these members claimed to be there own free will and not because they are supporting their coalition, however an email was sent out by Melissa Cassara of the Conservative Coalition asking members to support them to combat the anti-American and anti-military speakers. The email also had questions listed that members should think about asking Agauyo’s wife.
Although she faced some opposition from an angry coalition member, Agauyo’s wife went on trying to gain assistance. When asked about how the family is facing her husband’s jail time, she said “It’s difficult for our children, especially in school, it’s hard for them to focus. They just want their father back.”
Anti-WAr teAch-in
Photo by Ismael ReyesThomas Armistead from the Conservative Club handed out flyers and spoke out against Augustin Aguayo’s case at the Anti-War Teach In conducted by the Coalition Club.
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-Story by Vartanoosh Kiourktzian
—Photos by Ismael ReyesLeft: Rebecca and Raquel, both 11 years old, supporting their mother Helga who spoke about her husband, Augustin Aguayo’s, experiences in Iraq.
Right: Flowers accompany plaques with the names and descriptions of three fallen soldiers. At the top of each plaque it reads, “Who Dies For Bush’s Lies?”
Students March Against the War Machine
-Story by Jennifer Tinoco
An estimated 50,000 anti-war demonstrators filled the streets of Hollywood on March 17, a day which marked the four-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. The demonstration was put together by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism organization, also known as A.N.S.W.E.R. and many volunteers.
The streets were closed from Hollywood and Vine, stretching down to Sunset, and back to Hollywood and Highland. Police officers in horses and in motorcycles supervised the entire demonstration.
Children of all ages walked with their parents, pregnant women held banners that said “Bring Our Troops Home” and “Buck Fush,” people on wheelchairs chanted and people of all colors participated in the protest.
Nikhil Murthy from Los Angeles wore a black cloth that covered his entire face, with holes to breathe and to see of course. “We wear this as an artistic way to protest against the war,” said Murthy. Fake coffins symbolizing dead U.S. troops were being carried by groups of volunteers.
Joe Free, who is a political artist, displayed his famous George Bush doll that measures between eight to nine feet and depicts Bush as clown. On one hand the doll holds a missile and on the other it holds American dollars.
“I have been doing this since the year 2000 when Bush first stole the presidency,” said Free. His work may be viewed at www.eDiablo.com
Teenagers from several high schools, including Hamilton High, and people representing various communities throughout southern California, came together to protest the ongoing war.
“Bush escucha, estamos en la lucha” chanted the Latinos for Peace group, whose chant translated to “Bush listen, we are in a struggle.”
The Los Angeles Food Not Bombs group (a non-profit organization) handed out free food to everyone in attendance to raise the awareness that our government should spend billions of dollars on the needy instead of on the war. Serving various fruits such as bananas, pineapple, strawberries, and melon, they take food that would be thrown away and make healthy vegan meals for free to serve to the hungry. For volunteering information about this group, visit Lafoodnotbombs.org.
Some protestors, like Rochelle Pierce, demonstrated with a friend and not with a group. “I hope that Congress will find out about this demonstration and change their minds because we need to start the impeachment and stop the procrastination,” said Pierce.
Whether people heard about the demonstration from the radio, or at the Immanuel Presbyterian church, or from a friend on the popular website MySpace.com, everyone there
showed a huge amount of support with zero pro-war people to be seen. The Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) here on
campus, also known as A.L.A.S. had a few members who attended the demonstration.
“I attended the march because I watch the news and I hear about all the injustice that is going on with the war in Iraq and it does not feel right,” said student Jorge Aguero who is also a member of A.L.A.S.
It was not just common folk who are upset with this war, prominent people of our society like the internationally known group Ozomatli performed at the end of the march to show support for peace in Iraq. They are a multiethnic ten piece band that play primarly Latin, hip-hop, and rock. Ozomatli is known both for their extremely vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, and others.
Various speeches were given by people who represented their community groups, as well as troops who served for the U.S. military.
“I think that any manifesto has to have its successful parts, because it makes it possible for the people to have their voices” said Aguero. “ I am glad to have been a part of such a big demonstration,” added Aguero.
10 Wednesday,November28,2007 www.elvaq.com
ARTSANDENTERTAINMENT
The Viking hero Beowulf (left) and his trusted second-in-command, Wiglaf (right) set sail in search of greater victories in “Beowulf.”
F i l m o o o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o
r e v i e w
High school seniors knowthat theeighth-centuryepic
poem “Beowulf” is the oldestwork of any significance in the English language, and that it isusuallymarkedas thebeginningofEnglishliterature.
Beowulfhaseverythinggoingfor it:greatactors,anepicstorywith thrilling conflict and last, but not least, digital technologythat is the glue that holds it alltogether.
is unlike any movie ever made.Youshouldn’tsee“Beowulf”forthecharactersorstory,butforthecomputergraphics,actionandthemind-blowingspecialeffects.
“Beowulf” tells the story ofa Danish kingdom led by KingHrothgar(AnthonyHopkins)thathasbecomethevictimofademonnamedGrendel(CrispinGlover).After Grendel kills a group ofvillagers during a celebration,the king offers half his gold toanyone who can rid the land ofhim. Beowulf, (Ray Winstone)conquers ocean storms to comehome and kill the monster, forglory,notgold.
The action scenes betweenGrendel,whoisintheformofa
skinlesshumanwithgoryfeatures,and Beowulf, are incredible andso absolutely realistic with the3DanimationthatIfoundmyselfclosingmyeyesinfright.
Beowulf manages to killGrendel, with nothing on buthis headband. Beowulf thinkshe’ssavedtheday,buthelearnsthatGrendel’smother (AngelinaJolie) is the big monster andthat she can change shape andtransformintoagorgeouswomanwhowearshigh-heelsandnothingelsebutgoldonher skin.Whenhe reaches her lair, she seduceshimandmakesadealwithhim,thusallowinghertoliveandgivebirthtoanewson.
This provides an opportunityfor Beowulf to become king,an opportunity he can’t refuse.Years pass by and the name ofBeowulfspreadsacrosstheland.Butamistakefromhispastsooncatchesup tohim, leading toanexcitingclimax.
This film could have been made without the 3D animationand you might have gotten amore realistic emotion out of it,but you wouldn’t have gotten a
cooler dragon or sea monster tocombat.
“Beowulf” is definitely a film worth seeing on the big screen.Onastandardscreen,itmightnotbeasimpressive,evenwithhugeHDtelevision,itwouldn’tbethesame.Andifit’sworthseeinginthe theaters, it’s worth finding one that’sscreeningin3D.
Rated: PG-13 for intensesequences of violence includingdisturbing images, some sexualmaterialandnudity.
RunningTime:113min.
Cast: Ray Winstone, AnthonyHopkins, Angelina Jolie, JohnMalkovich,CrispinGloverDirector:RobertZemeckisScreenplay: Neil Gaiman, RogerAvary,Anonymous(epicpoem)Studio:ParamountPictures
Rating:outof
The monster Grendel’s seductive mother is determined to avenge her son’s death in “Beowulf.”
www.elvaq.com Friday, March 30, 2007 11
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
‘Shooter’ Aims to Protect Against All Enemies
F i l m o o o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o
r e v i e w
BySoseFrankyanELVAQUEROSTAFFWRITER
“Yesterday was about hon-or, today is about jus-
tice” is what a brilliant marks-man has to prove after he isframedasapresidentialassassin.
Based on the novel “Pointof Impact” by Stephen Hunter,“Shooter” isaboutaformerMa-rineScoutSniper,BobLeeSwag-ger (MarkWahlberg), who loseshis partner during a failed mis-sion in Africa. Distressed andemotionally wounded he leaveshis job and retreats to a remotemountain dwelling with hisdog. After three years, a retiredcolonel, Isaac Johnson (DannyGlover) pays him a visit to tell
himthatAmericaneedshishelp.Doubtless, the never-ending
thrilling actions ofthemoviewill holdthe viewer’s atten-tion from start tofinish. Almost ev-ery 10 minutes thescreen is filled with splittingheadsfroma mile and blow-ing up buildings.The high speed carchases will makeone’s heart pound.
Johnson tellsSwagger that some-one is out there tokillthepresidentandhe needs Swagger’shelp to stop the threat through
his experience in long-rangeballistics. After Swagger rejects
theplea Johnson remindsSwag-ger that he has solemnly sworeto protect America against allenemies, foreign and domestic.
onelasttime,onlytorealizethathe has been double-crossed and
framedfortheat-tempted murderof the Presidentand the murderof the Ethio-pian archbishop.
W o u n d e dwith two bulletsSwagger is run-ning against theclock to find the realhitmenandprove his inno-cence when herealizes that hislife is at stake.
As Swag-ger states in the
movie, “the government spenta lotofmoney to teachmehownottodie.”Heusesall thetech-niqueshe learned in themilitaryto stay alive. With nowhere toturn to he finds his friend’s wid-owed wife Sarah Fenn (KateMara)whohelpsSwaggerrecov-er from the two bullet wounds.
Swagger learns that the conspir-acy and the innocent lives takeninAfricaareallaboutoilmoney.
One might argue that this isexactlywhatishappeninginIraqand Afghanistan and we needsomeone like Swagger to stoptheensuingwarthathasclaimedthe lives of many AmericantroopsandinnocentIraqipeople.
Swagger, in his quest for re-venge,takesdownthemostpow-erfulpeopleinthecountryinclud-ingSenatorCharlesF.Meachum(Ned Beatty). Meachum andJohnsonthinktheygetawaywiththeircrimes,butSwaggerprovesthemwrong.
Themoviewillcertainlymakeone uncertain whether our gov-ernmentcanbetrustedandwon-der if protecting us against allharm and providing us with theluxuriesweareusedtoisdoneinamoralway.
* APR= Annual Percentage Rate, as of 3/1/07. The introductory fixed-rate for the first six months of all new LAFCU credit cards is 2.9% APR, afterwhich the fixed APRs range from 7.99% to 15.65%. All cards have no annual fee, and the grace period for repayment of balances for purchases is 25 days, and the Late Payment rate is 17.90% APR. All LAFCU loan rates are based on the term, collateral, down payment, account relationship, and credit history, and all loans are subject to credit-granting criteria. Rates, terms and conditions subject to change without notice. You must be a LAFCU member to obtain credit.
For the first six months(Regular Rates as low as 7.99% APR*)
It’s easy to join LAFCU! – Visit our Glendale branch at corner of Glendale & Colorado Blvds
or in Culver City • Downtown LA • Gardena • Van Nuys
BASEBALL
The Vaqueros split a pair of games last week to improve to 16-13 overall and 4-8 in the WSC South. They lost to College of the Canyons 7-3 last Tuesday and beat Los Angeles City College 8-7 Saturday. They had a bye Thursday. In the win over LACC, Jeff Ward singled home the game winning run in the ninth inning.
Glendale plays at Bakersfield Saturday at 6 p.m.
WOMEN’SSOFTBALL
Glendale dropped two of three games last week to fall to 12-16-1 overall and 7-6 in WSC. They beat Santa Monica 9-2 last Tuesday and lost to Canyons 5-4 and 4-3 Thursday in a doubleheader. In the win over Santa Monica, Jennifer Nazarian got the win and also had a pair of hits. Jamie Avancena Vanessa Escobar had three hits each.
Glendale competes in the Ventura tournament Saturday and Sunday.
TRACK & FIELD
The Vaqueros competed in the Riverside Invitational Friday and had outstanding results for the men and women.
For the women, Tove Berg set a school record in the 3000 meters in 9:59.55, breaking the record set by Carol Adams in 1980 in 10:13. Berg also finished second in the 1500 meters in 4:49.1. Lili Hernandez finished second in the 3000 meters in a personal best time of 10:35.82 and third in the1500 in a personal best time of 4:55.7. Sandra Martinez was third in the 800 in 2:27.6. The 4 x 400 relay team of Sandra Martinez, Crisel Venancio, Desiree Ruiz and Lili Hernandez finished fourth in a season best time of 4:33.32.
For the men, Chris Lopez was a winner in the 1500 meters in
a personal best time of 4:04.68 and finished second in the 3000 meters in a personal best time of 8:53.32. James Poet was also a winner in the discus with a throw of 36.4 kilometers and he finished second in the hammer throw in 43.3 km.. The 4 x 400 relay team of Troy Huizenga, Ricky Davis, Michael Flowers and Chris Marshall finished second in a season best time of 3:20.7 and the 4 x 100 relay team of Lucas Williams, Ricky Davis, Chris Marshall and Troy Huizenga finished second in 43.62. Varaz Markarady was second in the discus in 36.1 km and third in the high jump in 5-10. Michael Flowers was third in the 1500 meters in a personal best time of 4:06.2. and Ricky Davis was third in the long jump at 22-1 and Alonzo Menifield was third in the javelin with a throw of 44.7 km. Troy Huizenga was fourth in the 200 meters in 22.9 and finished eighth in the 100 meters in 11.28. Joseph Valerio was fifth in the shot with a put of 37-2 and James Poet was sixth in 37-feet. Chris Marshall was ninth in the 100 in 11.3.
MEN’S TENNIS
Glendale is 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the WSC after beating Bakersfield twice last week, 5-0 last Tuesday and 7-1 Thursday. In the win over Bakersfield Thursday, Dylan Kim, Norik Otuzbiryan, Matt Taoatao, Greg Arutyunyan and Craig Strazzeri had wins in singles as did the doubles teams of Kim and Otuzbiryan and Taoatao and Michael Maarup.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
The Vaqueros match against Santa Barbara Tuesday was rained out and scheduled for April 12.
The Vaqs will face Santa Monica at Home Tuesday and will travel to play Cuesta College on Thursday.
The Lady Vaqueros defeated Bakersfield College 6-3 at
home in a West-ern State Con-ference game last Thursday, improving their record to 3-3 on the season.
In the doubles match, Glen-dale’s Jennifer Chung (1) and Maria Bagaforo (2) played a sol-id match against Amy Cowan and Jennifer Kelly, tieing the score at 8-8, but eventually lost the tie-breaker 7-9.
“Everytime our ones’s [Jung] and two’s [Bagaforo] go, they have a tough match,” said Coach Terry Coblentz, “They never gave up, and they fought against one of the tough teams in our confer-ence. So we have to give them credit for working hard.”
GCC’s Miyuki Yokozuka (3) and Sonia Rodriguez (4) defeated Bakersfield’s Leia Perkins and Roneva Monreal 8-3. Nancy Bo-
gado (5) and Zaria Rojas (6) won their match 8-5.
“We had a great day,” said Co-blentz.
For the singles, Chung lost her match 3-6, 2-6 and Bagaforo also
lost both of her sets 3-6.
G l e n d a l e ’s Yokozuka de-feated Perkins, winning both her sets 6-2. Bogado defeat-ed Bakersfields’ Brittany Owens 6-1, 6-1. Rojas won her match against BC’s
Ruth Kresha 6-0, 6-1.“We’re a great team,” said
Jung, “because we always [work hard] and it doesn’t matter what happens on the court because we know we gave all-out effort.”
“We bonded well and we stick together no matter what.”
“I’m very, very proud of the women athletes,” Coblentz said.
“And [I am] extremely proud of how they are working, whether they win or lose.”
Today:Men’s Tennis v. Grossmont
at 1 p.m.
Tuesday:Women’s Tennis v. Santa Monica College at 2 p.m.
Tuesday,April10:Men’s Tennis v. Ventura
at 2 p.m.
*Baseball v. Bakersfield at 6 p.m.
Thursday,April12:Baseball v. Santa Monica at 1
p.m.
Softball v. Santa Barbara at 2 p.m.
*All baseball games are played at Stengel Field and Soflball games played at the Glendale
Sports complex.
GAMES
“[I am] extremely proud of how they are working, whether they win or lose.” -Terry Coblentz Women’s Tennis Coach
Photo by Anita K. Marto Pitchers Richard Barrett, Frank Bernard and Ryan Perez during fly ball drills with catcher Ben Torrie and assistant coach David Lopez.
The Vaquero baseball team guided by Coach John Cicu-
to is batting it’s way on to WSC victory for the fifth time in GCC history.
The team of 25, only eight of whom are returning sophomores and the rest freshmen, have a 10-14 record in the Western State Conference with only nine games left before the playoffs.
The Vaqueros had been on a 4-0 winning streak at the beginning of the season until Pierce College ended it with a 9-8 victory over them. Two games later, the Va-queros were once again defeated by Pierce College 11-2. The Va-queros had been on a 4-0 winning streak at the beginning of the sea-son until Pierce College ended it with a 9-8 victory over them. Two games later, the Vaqueros were once again defeatedby Pierce 11-2. Beating Pierce College seems to be of mutual importance for the enire team, however their game at Pierce on Tuesday proved to be disappointing for the Vaqueros with a 9-1 loss.
“The two top teams in our conference are Pierce and Ba-kersfield,” said freshman pitcher Ryan Perez. “They’re usually the team to beat.”
The Vaqueros were unsuccess-ful against Bakersfield the first time they played them on Feb. 21 falling 5-1, but the second time they [Vaqueros] were victorious winning against them 8-6 on March 1.
“If the Vaqueros compete with a sense of urgency all nine in-nings, I would put my money on the Vaqueros each and every game,” said Cicuto.
Perez also mentioned the need to compete for all nine of the in-nings. For example, during the Feb. 24 Pierce game; the Vaque-ros were leading 8-0 until the last half of the ninth inning when Pierce managed to rack up nine points.
The goal of the Vaqueros this year is to win at least 20 games, a mission which has not been ac-complished since 2000. In 2006 the Vaqueros were 9-33 in sea-son and in 2005 they were 13-25. They are strong when it comes to speed and defense, but according to Cicuto, in order to break their
record they need to work on time-ly hitting.
Perez said, they [Vaqueros] tend to get too comfortable and relaxed after they start off strong.
“The moment we fall behind we start to panic and make care-less decisions, which cost us the game,” he said.
“We had our ups and downs, but we’re a very talented team and we should peak this week,” said sophomore pitcher, Nadav Poringer.
Freshman Chris Arredondo was a pitching asset for the Va-queros before breaking his wrist during a tournament at Mt. San Antonio College. He had pitched a 1.2 ERA (earned runs average) and a 2-1 win-loss average out of the eight games he started in.
“Our guys are going to have to step up and pick up the produc-tion to make up for our loss,” said Cicuto.
The pitcher’s wrist is still re-covering and is expected to sit out for the rest of the season.Richard Barret also pitched well with a 3.08 ERA in all games combined. However, during conference, his pitching slipped to a 6.52.
Base running for the Vaqueros has also been strong this season, with a total of 77 stolen bases.
Sophomore Brian Bistagne has the lead for the most stolen bases with 20 in the season. The short-stop also leads with the highest batting average of .387 and re-mains consistent in both confer-ence and tournaments. Bistagne also has 40 RBI, the most for the Vaqueros for the season. In conference, Andy Marquardt has the leading batting average of .391, close to a perfect .400 and catcher Ben Torrie has an average of .313.
The team prepares itself through intercollegiate games, and club games. The rigorous practices are at Stengal Field Monday through Saturday during the season and Monday through Thursday dur-ing the fall.
“Our team chemistry is really good. The guys have a great bond,” said sophomore Brian Ward. “We all play for each oth-er when we’re out there and we don’t let each other down.”
Cicuto says he has been coach-ing at GCC since 2000 for two reasons; one being the quality of the athletic department. He feels that the support from the coaches, as well as their interests in the athletes and programs, is “one of a kind” and a unique department. Another reason is the players he coaches. He is assisted by Steve
Coots, David Lopez, Anthony Chevrier and Rick Marino.
“Helping our players transform into men, on and off the field, is very rewarding,” said Cicuto.
Several players from the Va-queros have plans to continue with their baseball careers after GCC. Perez hopes to transfer to Loyola Marymount to continue playing baseball on their Division I team.
“I can never imagine myself not playing baseball. It’s become a part of me and without it, I’m na-ked,” said Perez. Perez has been playing baseball since age 10 and has played every position, but says that pitching is his strength. He is currently the closing pitcher for GCC.
Poringer has plans on trans-ferring to a Division II school in California and Ward hopes to get drafted by next year onto a Cali-fornia-based team.
“Our coaching philosophy is to have a 100 percent transfer rate of all eligible student athletes. If our players take care of their priori-ties in the classroom, we can find them a university to continue their baseball careers,” said Cicuto.
El Vaquero
In the CENTERof it all,
www.elvaq.com
semi-documentary look while detailing escalating violence. The ALAS film festival takes place in the J.W. Smith Student Center, room 212 at 7 p.m. Ad-mission is free and refreshments will be provided.
“Hearts and Minds” —The second installment in a film fes-tival co-sponsored by the Asso-ciation of Latin American Stu-dents and the Latin American Studies Department, is “Hearts and Minds,” a 1975 Academy Award winner for Best Docu-mentary. This film explores the history and attitudes of the op-posing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage, film and interviews. The film also focuses on the views of the Vietnamese people. “Hearts and Minds” will be screened Friday at 7 p.m. in room 212 located in the J.W. Smith Student Cen-ter. Admission is free. For more information on the film festival call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5470.
theater
“All in the Timing” — The Glendale College Theatre Arts Department is showcasing five one-act comedies by David Ives. The show opens on Thursday in
exhibition
“Modern Lovers” —A group art exhibition curated by Kath-ryn Andrews will feature works by Jeffrey Rugh, Stan Kaplan, Brett Cody Rogers, Jonas Wood and many more. The show runs at the Glendale College Art Gallery, located in the Library building, until May 5. Admis-sion is free. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday. For more infor-mation, call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5663 or visit www.glendale.edu/artgallery
film
“The Battle of Algiers” —The Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) and the Latin American Studies Department is sponsoring a series of films to be kicked off tonight with the screening of “ The Battle of Algiers.” The film, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, focuses on the struggle of Algerian people against the occupying French forces during the 1950s. This film, which was a 1966 Acad-emy Award nominee for Best Foreign Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, adopts a
the Auditorium Studio Theatre. Guest artist and former GCC stu-dent, Matt Foyer, will be direct-ing these performances which run Thursday through Saturday and April 12 through the 14 starting at 8 p.m. Matinees are at 2 p.m. on and April 13, 14 and 15. The en-semble cast includes Daniel Kim, Amber Blackburn, Carlo Morelli and Nick Campbell, among oth-ers. The plays contain adult lan-guage and are not recommended for children. Reservations are stronlgy advised due to limited seating. Tickets are $10 general admission and $6 for students and seniors. Groups of 10 or more pay $4 per person. For more informa-tion or to make reservations call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5618.
academic news
Scholarship Applications — To-day is the final day to get schol-arship applications. Applications can be picked up at the Scholar-ship Office located in the Student Center or from the college Web site. To apply for scholarships, students must have completed 12 units, have a 2.5 or higher GPA and be currently enrolled at GCC. For more information contact the Scholarship Office at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5591.
14 Friday, March 30, 2007 www.elvaq.com
C a l e n d a rOn Campus
health
“Finding Joy in Life: A Medi-tation Series” —The Health Center is sponsoring “Finding Joy in Life: A Meditation Se-ries” begining on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. Pamela Both-well, former director of Shamb-hala Center, will be presenting the series. The presentation will take place in San Rafael 112. For more information contact the Health Center at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5909.
environmental
Earth Day 2007 — Project Earth Tomorrow and the Science Edu-cation Center is sponsoring Earth Day 2007, which takes place April 9 through the 12. Earth Day 2007 will screen two films, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and “An Inconvenient Truth.” The event will conclude on April 12 with an Earth Day Fest, which will feature booths, eco-friendly products, interactive games and food, among other things. Prizes will also be raffled. For more in-formation contact Bonnie Mer-cado at [email protected] or Jean Lecuyer at [email protected] or call (818) 240-1000, ext. 5358.
adult classes
Life Long Learning Seminars — Through June 13, a wide range of free classes are being offered to mature adults as a part of the Glendale College’s Life Long Learning Seminars program. Courses’s such as Quiltmaking, Philosophy and Ethics, Sketching and Oil paint-ing classes will be held at sev-eral locations throughout the community. For more informa-tion on class times and the Life Long Learning Seminars, call (818) 243-5196.
sale
Book Sale — Alpha Gamma Sigma Honors Society will be holding a book sale today near the Administration building. For more information contact Jenni-fer Ghazal at [email protected] or contact Marianna Sargsyan at [email protected]
To list an item on the Calendar, contact Olga Ramaz at [email protected]
Around TownC. Martino and Stephanie Han Windman are on display at the Art Center at the Brand Library at 1601 West Mountain St., Glendale. The exhibition will feature an assortment of paint-ings and mixed media works by all three artists. “Signs + Sym-bols - Exhibition” runs through April 20. For more information on the exhibition call (818) 548-2051. For additional information visit www.ci.glendale.ca.us/li-brary/brand_index.asp
theater
“Romeo and Juliet” — A Noise Within presents Shake-speare’s classic tale of romance and death, “Romeo and Juliet.” The play opens Saturday at 8 p.m. and runs through May 25.
exhibitions
“Joe Ledbetter: Fever Dream” — The final showing of Joe Ledbetter’s most recent work will be tonight at Gallery 1988. The gallery is located at 7020 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. For more information call (332) 937-7088.
“Hammer Projects: Ezra Johnson” —An animation ex-hibit that tells the story of a pair of art thieves in New York City runs through May 5. The Armand Hammer Museum is lo-cated at 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. For more informa-tion call (310) 443-7000.
“Signs + Symbols - Exhibition” —Artworks by Shannon Fincke,
There will be a special preview tonight at 8 p.m. Since its first performance, “Romeo and Ju-liet” has spawned three operas, two major ballets, two musicals — most notably “West Side Sto-ry” — and countless film ver-sions. Tickets range from $26 to $58. A Noise Within is located at 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. To make reservations call (818) 240-0910, ext. 1. For additional information, visit www.anoise-within.org
“My Fair Lady” — Written by Alan Jay Lerner and Fred-erick Loewe, “My Fair Lady” takes center stage at the Glen-dale Theatre Centre located at 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. The play runs through April 7. “My Fair Lady” is the story of phonetician Henry Higgins,
who transforms the flower girl, Eliza Doolittle into a society lady. Performance show times are Wednesday, Thursday, Fri-day and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday mati-nees are at 3 p.m. Tickets for the show are $21 Wednesday and Thursday evenings as well as for Saturday and Sunday matinees. Tickets for Friday and Saturday evenings are $24. For more in-formation call (818) 244-8481
music
Los Angeles Philharmonic —The Los Angeles Philharmonic will perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday at 2 p.m. Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the orchestra in the premiere of his own “Helix,” as well as
pieces by Ravel and Prokofiev. Jean-Yves Thibaudet will be featured on piano. Tickets range from $15 to $135. The concert hall is at 151 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 972-3034.
film
“Casino Royale” — The Glen-dale Central Library located at 222 E. Harvard St. will be screening the latest James Bond film, “Casino Royale” [PG 13] on April 10, as a part of its Film Program. The criti-cally acclaimed film features a new Bond, Daniel Craig. Ad-mission is free and open to the public. The film starts at 2 p.m. For more information call (818) 548-2030.
John McCain Will Struggle to Win NominationBy Vartanoosh KiourktzianEL VAQUERO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Campus CommentsWho Do You Think Has a Better Chance of Winning on the Republican Side?
Amanda Hall20
“Giuliani, traditionally mayors have a better chance of winning.”
JoeBoghosian19
“Giuliani has a better chance than McCain. He handled 9-11 well.”
TimothyNeven20
“John McCain because he’s a
little more well known.”
Mary Claire Garcia19
“John McCain, because Rudy Giuliani has been controversial.”
Compiled by Vartanoosh Kiourktzian and photographed by Richard Kontas
The House of Representatives and the Senate both have
Democratic majorities and many say that the Democrats won in November because people are ready for a change, so where does that leave Republican Presidential candidate John McCain?
According to a recent Gallup poll (March 7) 44 percent of Re-publicans and Republican leaders said they would rather vote for his main opponent, Rudy Giuliani, despite his being the more liberal candidate, and only 20 percent said they would vote for McCain.
So why is McCain less popular than Giuliani among Republican voters? He has a distinguished military record, he is against abortion, he supports the Bush administrations efforts in Iraq and he is against gay marriage. So what caused McCain to go from the frontrunner to second best?
One reason McCain doesn’t have a chance this upcoming election is recent anti-Republi-can sentiments. With the recent debacle the Bush administration is facing with Iraq, voters and es-pecially Democrats do not want another four years under a Repub-lican president.
Republican voters might also just be looking for someone not as right-leaning as the current president. Bush’s approval ratings are at 33 percent and Republicans are looking for someone different to represent them. McCain is not that guy.
Republican voters are looking for someone who can beat Hillary
Clinton. Recent polls as of Feb. 9 show that if the election came down to Clinton and McCain 50 percent of un-decided voters said they would vote for Clinton and 47 per-cent said they would vote for McCain. If the election were be-tween Clinton and Giuliani, 50 percent of voters said they would vote for Giu-liani and 48 percent said they would vote for Clinton.
The term flip-flop-per has also come to be associated with McCain. He likes to call himself “straight-talking” and an “in-dependent maverick” who stood up to his own party on the anti-torture amendment; however, in the Sen-ate he has voted as a conservative Repub-lican, not the “inde-pendent,” which he dubbed himself.
Despite a long record of voting against abortion rights, in August of 1999 McCain told the San Francisco Chronicle that “cer-tainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and danger-ous operations.”
However in November of 2006, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, McCain stated,
“I’m a federalist. Just as I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states, so do I believe that we would be better off by having Roe v. Wade return to the states. And I don’t
believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade.”
Although being the self-pro-claimed maverick, McCain seems to be choosing sides based on what the party sees fit. Despite voting for the war and voting to spend $86 billion for military operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan, McCain now says that the President was ill-advised when it came to Iraq
and that his former Sec-retary of Defense Don-ald Rumsfeld “will go down in history, along with McNamara, as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history.” McCain also met with crazy evangelical pas-tor Jerry Falwell last year after once calling him an “agent of intol-erance” and is now tak-ing a more religiously right stance.
Back in 2000 McCain collided often with the Republican party and seemed to be on the brink of beating Bush. Back in 2000 liber-als whispered to each other that this might be the time they vote for a Republican, and even Kerry asked him to run on the Democratic ticket.
The McCain of 2000 is gone. Instead in his place there is the Mc-Cain of 2007, who seems to be trying to please his party and the religious right in-
stead of being the self-proclaimed independent maverick. Perhaps Mc-
Cain should worry less about pleasing his party and more about pleasing the country.
Senator John McCain, no longer the independent maverick, will struggle this upcomming election.
