News Briefs

Fall 2014 scholarship deadline The ELAC Foundation Scholarship application

deadline for fall 2014 is Saturday. Students can apply at www.elac-foundation.org/scholarships.php. For more information, contact the ELAC Foundation Office at (323) 265-8901.

University Day Several university and college representatives will be

providing transfer information during “University Day” on Thursday, between parking structure 3 and the D5 swim stadium. It will be held from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Keep track of Campus News To keep up-to-date with the latest ELAC news, “Like”

facebook.com/CampusNews, follow on Twitter and Instagram @Elaccampusnews. For more stories go to Elaccampusnews.com.

Wednesday, september 24, 2014Volume 72, Issue 2 sIngle copy free - addItIonal copIes 50 cents

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Award-winning artists’, students work presented at VPAM

The Information Technology Department is working on an updated version of the East Los Angeles College website and plans to launch it winter 2015.

The website will have an upgraded design and be compatible with mobile devices, a feature that the current one lacks.

IT manager Gonzalo Mendoza said that the purpose of the website update is to create a mobile-friendly platform for students’ smartphone and tablet devices.

The 2014 Student Juried Art Exhibit opened yesterday at the Vincent Price Art Museum’s Small Gallery, displaying 52 artworks with four students splitting three juror prizes.

Top awards were given during the opening reception held from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Juried Prize Award was given to Dorian Diaz, with a ceramic sculpture entitled “Horse for Picasso,” Chin Hin Ip, who drew two conte on paper drawings entitled “Tal’mar of the latter Titans, ‘Checkpoint’” and “Tal’mar of the latter Titans, ‘Valkyries,’” Eric E. Franco Aguilar, with a photo collection entitled “Impresion de

Libertad” and Kevin Poythress, with a digital animation entitled “The Bearicade.”

The 52 pieces on display spanned several mediums of art including drawing, painting and digital media.

Out of the 250 pieces submitted to the gallery, 52 were chosen and four won juror prizes.

The opening attracted a good amount of visitors.

“ELAC’s Salon des Refusés: Guerilla Art” set up outside the VPAM at 6 p.m. to exhibit its work in protest of the opening.

The 2014 Student Juried Exhibit will be at the VPAM until Dec. 6.

Entrance to the VPAM is free and open to the community.

For more on this story, visit elaccampusnews.com.

The new design is called Mobile-First Responsive Website Design, or mobile responsive, and aims to minimize content distractions, provide better access and deliver easy-reading information.

Mendoza said his goal is to give students easier and faster access to the website’s search links than the previous model.

“The new website needs to be friendly, appealing, colorful, easy to read and also accommodated to the new mobile devices,” Mendoza said.

The inspiration for ELAC’s new layout comes from some of the top ranked universities and colleges’ mobile responsive sites to

implement its best features as well. The primary reason for this

is to attract future students for enrollment.

The University of Oxford, Stanford University and Saint Paul College are three of the primary mobile responsive websites selected to develop a clean, efficient website for ELAC, Mendoza said.

Mendoza and the IT staff are revamping the home page and working together with various members of the administration and academic chair departments to update and change the content on the website.

The managing web content company for higher education

institutions, OmniUpdate, is helping to create an easy-to-use mobile responsive website.

The revamp will allow new content updates to post automatically once it is approved.

The content changes will be updated after the department chairs and deans validate and approve the new and accurate information.

Mendoza said if the content needs major changes, it will need to go to administration for approval.

Since there is a lot of content that cannot fit on the home page of the current website, students have to go through several pages in order to find what they want, Mendoza said.

“We are organizing the website

in terms of where the web tabs are, where the information is and make it easier for our new students to find the relevant information they’re looking for,” Mendoza said.

ELAC President Marvin Martinez said it’s important that the college website be modernized for its students since the last design update was in 2008.

Mendoza said that there will be a conference with ELAC’s student government and clubs about the website’s new appearance at the end of October.

The IT department will ask students for their opinions on the new design before the website goes live.

ELAC website to receive upgrade

BY JESUS FIGUEROAStaff Writer

BY JAdE INGlAdA ANd mARIA ISIdORO

Staff Writer

ART LIFE—Juror Prize winner Dorian Diaz, center, talks with visitors to the 2014 Student Juried Art Exhibit on opening day yesterday at the Vincent Price Art Museum.

CN/JEsus FIguERoA

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WEDNESDAY, SEptEmbEr 24, 2014Opinion2 EASt LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAmpUS NEWS

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Meditation helps relieve student’s stress

BY marcus camachoStaff Writer

BY cYnthia LagunaStaff Writer

As if dealing with finances wasn’t stressful enough, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) raised their bus fare prices last week, making it more difficult for college students to stay within their budget.

This will not affect or bother students that own a car or hitch rides from friends and family members, but for students who take the bus, the changes in the Metro fare are a bad thing.

The Metro raised the bus fare by 25 cents, bringing the total fare to $1.75 per person, with a two-hour transfer. The price of a college student’s 30-day bus pass now jumps from $35 to $43.

The problem with prices being raised is that instead of spending $3 on a bus fare to school and back, students now have to spend $3.50 to make the round trip.

Some students might say to stop being cheap and pay the fare. What they don’t understand though is

Meditation has become more popular in recent years and can be used as a stress-relieving exercise.

We all undergo great stress as a result of work, school and homework.

Meditation can help the mind cope with stress and overall emotional experiences.

This is basically a practice where one sits comfortably, concentrates on their breathing, and tries to control the mind to focus on the present, without thinking about their problems or concerns.

Many might brush off the idea as some “hippie” sort of ritual, but taking some time to silence the mind from all the daily distractions can help relieve stress.

I began reading about the benefits of yoga and meditation online and decided to give it a try. I began meditating every night, or at least tried to, as well as trying to exercise when I had some free time. At first it was difficult to quiet the mind because it began bringing up all these thoughts of school, work, and bills.

Throughout the days I advanced in meditation little by little, and each time I would finish meditating, I would open my eyes and almost forget that I was on my bedroom floor.

I began feeling motivated with energy to exercise and to go throughout my day without feeling super exhausted.

John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, conducted about 19,000 meditation studies to suggest that mindfulness meditation can help mitigate stress issues such as anxiety, depression and pain.

Meditation can help students think in a more productive way. It can help change those unproductive thoughts to productive actions.

It might all be just a mental thing, but when do we really take some time to fully concentrate without constantly being taunted by all of our daily worries?

Students can always arrange some free time to involve some productive activities.

Meditation can be practiced everywhere: after working out, before sleeping, after waking up, or maybe even at the park. It only takes about five minutes, and with

progress it enables your mind to concentrate for longer periods of time .

Another activity that can also help relieve stress is yoga. Luckily, East Los Angeles College offers a yoga class in which no one is required to have past experience. The class is one unit and counts toward your physical education transfer requirement for UC and CSU. The class is offered in the morning or afternoon.

Yoga focuses on physical and breathing exercises. It helps with development in flexibility and building strength in the skeletal, muscular, and nervous system. It reduces stress and improves energy levels. Students can practice concentration and on focusing by using meditation techniques.

These are just some suggestions than can help relieve stress in students during their free time at home.

Meditation and yoga classes can be found throughout the Los Angeles area, which are only five or ten dollars a session. It is an inexpensive way for students with a budget to seek positive activities that can benefit them to a live healthier lifestyle.

that the 25 cent increase is going to add up.

For example, last semester I was enrolled in five classes, so I would spend about $60 a month on bus fares alone.

If I had five classes now, I would be spending $70 a month. That may not sound like a lot, but I take only one bus. On the other hand a student saves on a monthly basis if they take more than one bus.

Some students might think it’s a hassle to get change so then why not get a bus pass. But getting a bus pass is harder because only full-time students can apply for them. If you don’t have 12 units, then you can’t qualify for the pass.

Metro should make it easier for college students to obtain a 30-day college student bus pass.

They should take into consideration how many buses a student might have to take on a daily basis to get to school and back home.

Also, taking the bus wouldn’t be a problem if the bus gave change, but the bus requires people to have exact change.

If a student wakes up late and needs to take the bus amd has no change for a five dollar bill, their options are: get change and be late for class and receive a tardy, or spend the whole five dollars to pay for the ride home because a day pass costs seven dollars.

If cash is tight for students, as it is for me, there are other ways to pay for a bus fare, such as with TAP or bus tokens.

A bag of 10 tokens costs $17.50. TAP is a prepaid card that you can put money into and swipe on a machine inside the bus next to the driver.

The only positive thing that came out of the price increase is that if a student owns a TAP card, they get two hours of transfers to other Metro lines to complete a one-way trip.

For the two-hour transfers, single fare riders will need a TAP card. When the card is tapped at the first boarding, the two hour transfer period will begins and transfers will be allowed from one Metro line to another.

Students will still tap their cards

at each boarding and the TAP card system will recognize if the student is within the two hour transfer window.Students are allowed to transfer unlimited number of times from one Metro bus or rail line to another within the two-hour time period.

For example, someone could transfer from the Metro Gold Line to the Metro Red Line and then to the Metro Expo Line all on a $1.75 fare. Round trips don’t qualify during the two-hour free transfer period.

When students have to pay for books and for school supplies that each class requires, the raise in bus fare prices forces low income families to find other sources of income to help pay for these finances. Some are forced to rely heavily on their financial aid or are forced to get jobs, which can sometimes make it harder to focus in school.

The price increase may not hurt everyone or seem like a big deal, but for those who take the bus it can be stressful, and it’s a terrible move on the Metro’s part.

Raised bus prices trouble students

Is it fare?Metro raised the bus fare 25 cents, bringing the total fare to $1.75 per person, with a two-hour transfer. The price of a college student’s 30-day bus pass now jumps from $35 to $43.

EDITOR IN CHIEFJesus Figueroa

MANAGING EDITORDanny Vasquez

ART DIRECTORLindsey Maeda

FRONT EDITORJade Inglada

OPINION EDITORMarcus Camacho

NEWS EDITORMegan G. Razzetti

FEATURE EDITORCortez Cruz Serrato

ARTS EDITORLiliana Marquez

SPORTS EDITORAndrew Ruiz

PHOTO EDITORJulianne Obregon

COPY EDITORSRussell J. Zazueta

Tadzio Garcia

CARTOONISTKien Ha

ONLINE EDITORSSergio Berrueta Liliana MarquezJane Fernandez

SOCIAL MEDIACynthia Laguna

Julianne Obregon

STAFF WRITERSCarlos AlvarezAyana ArroyoDulce CarriloIvan Cazares

Arthur CervantesJacquelyn V. Gonzalez

Maria C. IsidoroJoseph OvalleAlexa Santana

PHOTOGRAPHERTadzio Garcia

ADVERTISINGStefanie Arocha

DISTRIBUTIONAugustine Ugalde

ADVISERSJean Stapleton

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EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 News 3

Huskies lose home opener against SBCCBY ANDREW RUIZ

Staff Writer

BY MARCUS CAMACHOStaff Writer

Despite the ending result of the game, Mojarro’s main focus is to

get the Huskies’ first win of the season this weekend at El Camino College Compton Center.

“They’re a real g o o d t e a m a n d they’re coached up. Our focus with these guys is correct and all the mistakes we’re doing and just build on the positives,” Mojarro said.

“ We ’ v e b e e n through this before a n d w e g o t t o make sure we keep building on this, get

the kids in the right direction and making sure our kids are mentally and physically prepared for this game.”

The Huskies play Compton Center Saturday Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.

East Los Angeles College’s football home opener against Santa Barabra City Colllege resulted in a 45-13 loss Saturday night at Weingart Stadium. The Huskies, who got a total of six false start penalties,

“The thing about it is they’re drive killers. Some of these kids are anxious and they’re trying to make big plays, so that’s where they end up jumping,” Huskies Head Coach Steve Mojarro said.

“It’s one of those things if we leave the game in the hands of the officials, then we’ll be like every other person who complains. We got to make sure we execute and leave no doubt that the referees don’t throw any penalties.”

A f t e r E L A C f r e s h m a n quarterback Michael Ladino threw an interception in the first quarter, the Vaqueros responded when Brandon Edwards threw a screen pass to sophomore running back Cedric Cooper for a 65-yard touchdown.

Edwards, a freshman from Seattle, completed 17-of-25 passes for 183 yards and one interception.

The Huskies caught momentum in the second quarter as Ladino threw a bomb to Joshua Taylor followed by a Ladino quarterback sneak at the 5:39 mark to put the Huskies on the board.

Turnovers for the Huskies were also a huge factor. Running back Namaan Young fumbled the ball with less than a minute left which resulted in a Will Allen touchdown for the Vaqueros. The Huskies finished the game with five turnovers.

With 26 seconds to go in the first half, the Huskies answered back with an 85-yard drive.It included a 48-yard run from Randolph followed by Ladino and Taylor connecting once again for a 37-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead at the half, 28-13.

SBCC came out of the gate in the second half to make a statement when sophomore running back

Orion Prescott scored an 8-yard run to put the Vaqueros up 35-13. Prescott led the Vaqueros in rushing yards with 48 on 11 carries.

Offensively, the Huskies couldn’t get into a groove in the second half due to several penalties. The fa l se s t a r t penalties continued and Ladino threw another interception in the third quarter, f i n i s h i n g t h e game with three interceptions.

“It’s a lot faster,” Ladino said on the style of play and making the transition from high school to the collegiate level. “The windows are a little more tighter than what they’re supposed to be, but I just got to be ready for what’s coming next.”

Taking flight“The windows are a little more tighter than what they’re supposed to be, but I just got to be ready

for whats coming next.”

MICHAEL LADINOELAC Freshman Quarterback

The "Mujeres de Paz (Women of Peace) – 17th Annual Candlelight March and Vigil" will be held at East Los Angeles College Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. to raise domestic violence awareness.

During the event, members from the crowd will be given a chance to share their stories. The organizers of the event have taken steps to ensure the people will feel comfortable sharing their testaments.

"We will ask them to come up and give a testimonial, if they feel comfortable. Also, they will see some of the survivors who have spoken before, and hopefully they will feel empowered to do the same," said ELAC's health and fitness instructor Andrea Owens.

The event last year drew in about 200 people and organizers hope to see that that attendance increase this year.

Members of the East Los Angeles Women’s Center will speak at the beginning of the ceremony and after the march.

Following the speakers, the performances will begin with ELAC's Let’s Dance Company and a Native American group also will

Volunteers at the Noche de Ciencias event help kids build gliders on Sep. 19 at the ELAC Auditorium Foyer. The event was held to encourage students to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Parents were also encouraged to attend one of their workshops to learn more about the STEM program and how it will benefit their children.

Upcoming vigil set to raise domestic violence awareness

be performing a routine.Owens said the message the event

is trying to convey is that there are people who are there to take a stand in solidarity against violence.

According to Domestic Violence Statistics, a website that features information on abuse, every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten in the U.S. alone and at least one in every three women has been beaten, forced into sex or abused during her lifetime.

Most occasions, the abuser is a member of the woman's own family.

A significant fact, according to victims service agency,Safe Horizon, is that most domestic violence incidents are never reported.

Safe Horizon reported that survivors of domestic violence face high rates of depression, sleep disturbances, anxiety, flashbacks and other emotional distress.

Safe Horizon also reported domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women.

Each year, domestic violence results in an estimated 1,200 deaths and two million injuries among women and nearly 600,000 injuries among men.

T h e r e a r e m o r e i n j u r i e s due to domestic violence than car accidents, muggings and

rapes combined. Domestic violence is most likely

to occur between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., and happen at the victim’s home 60 percent of the time. It not only affects women, but the future of the children as well.

Studies show that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.

Girls who witness domestic violence and do not receive help are more likely to be abused as teens and adults.

On the other hand, boys who witness domestic violence are twice more likely to become abusers of their partners and/or children as adults. According to The American Bar Association, a study of 2,245 children and teenagers found exposure to violence in the home was a great factor in predicting a child's violent behavior.

The Vigil will meet at the Mural of the La Virgen De Guadalupe on the corner of Mednik and Avenida Cesar Chavez at Belvedere Park. The walk will proceed onto Collegian Avenue and Avenida Cesar Chavez and end at the East Los Angeles College Performing Arts Center Court Yard.

For more in format ion on "Mujeres de Paz – 17th Annual Candlelight March and Vigil" visit elawc.org or call (323) 526-5819.

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BROKEN TACKLE—Santa Barbara City College’s linebacker Cameron Gamble, left, misses a mid-run tackle against East Los Angeles College’s running back Randolph Will who gains 48 yards in a 45-13 Husky loss to the Vaqueros last Saturday in Weingart Stadium.

CN/JULIANNE OBREGON

CN/JULIANNE OBREGON

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 20144 Feature

CN/JULIANNE OBREGON

TAKING A KNEE—Adriana Rojas (left) and Mariaelena Hernandez (right) take a knee at the end of wrestling practice as head coach Ralph Valle addresses the team.

Soccer player gives lesson, motivates people not to give up

Ernesto Ruvalcaba has many stories to share about his journey through soccer and life. While some of them show his struggles, others tell of the happiness the game has given him despite of being a half-an-arm athlete.

R u v a l c a b a , a 20-year-old soccer player for East Los Angeles College, was born without the lower half of his right arm.

“My mom said that I was leaning on that side too much and my (right) arm wasn’t fully developed,” Ruvalcaba said.

H e s a i d t h a t despite being born like that, life has been tough for him, especially when he was younger.

“Some people don’t understand,” Ruvalcaba said, “There’s some that just stare at me weird, but I don’t let it get to me anymore.”

“If somebody approaches me and asks me about it, I will tell them. I’ll be honest because I don’t mind people asking me. Some of them are afraid to ask me because they don’t know how I will react,” he said.

Some people might be surprised when they see a half-an-arm soccer

player because it’s not a common thing despite the fact that the sport doesn’t require players to use their hands a lot except for goalkeepers

ELAC’s men’s soccer team goalkeeper and captain, Andy Gutierrez, said that was the first thing that caught his attention when he saw Ruvalcaba for the first time.

Gut ie r rez a l so said that he thought that having only half of his right arm would somehow affect Ruvalcaba’s performance, but then his opinion changed.

“After seeing him in a few training sessions, that was never an issue. His performance is top quality,” Gutierrez said.

Something that caught ELAC men’s Head Coach Eddie

Flores’ eye was Ruvalcaba’s desire when he tried out for the team.

“He has a handicap, but he didn’t really use that. He came out as any other player. He is really intense about what he wants to do,” Flores said.

“We had about 90 players and he made the cut. He has been very consistent and has started in the first two games. He is pretty basic and a fundamental player. He knows his position and he plays well,” he said.

Besides being his coach, Flores

is also Ruvalcaba’s instructor for a Chicano Studies class.

“He has a good abil i ty to communicate. I think that one-on-one he probably communicates better than he does on the soccer field,” Flores said.

That desire is what pushes

Ruvalcaba to keep moving forward to achieve his goals.

“Soccer allows me to show people that not only because you look a certain way it means you can’t do what you want or what you love,” Ruvalcaba said.

Once Ruvalcaba, a defender, steps

on the field everything changes. His style of play is perhaps not unique but he is quick, strong, well aware of his on-field surroundings and he is never afraid of a face-to-face challenge.

Ruvalcaba said that sometimes some of the players from the

opposing teams don’t want to go hard on him at the beginning of the games, but things change once they see him in action.

“I don’t mind them doing that because it helps me to see my weaknesses and my strengths,” Ruvalcaba said.

Ruvalcaba attended Montebello High School where he also played soccer for four years as a right midfielder and graduated in 2012. The struggle for this young athlete was more difficult during those years.

“Players laughed at me or started calling me names in a couple of games while in high school. It was around my junior year,” Ruvalcaba said.

“Once the seasons ended with the school team, I played with outside teams and it was there when the players made fun of me.”

This used to upset him and make him sad because he couldn’t understand why they acted that way.

“Then I realized that maybe they were mad because my team was winning or because they couldn’t do anything because I was defending well, so they were frustrated,” Ruvalcaba said.

However, playing at the college level has changed all of this. He is currently in his first year of college soccer and said that he hasn’t faced any jokes or disrespectful comments.

For more on this story, visit elaccampusnews.com

Often looked at as a masculine spor t , wres t lers Mariae lena Hernandez and Adriana Rojas are both taking wrestling at the college level head-on.

Hernandez is the team’s go-to wrestler in the 125 and 133 weight class while Rojas is competing for more mat time as the season progresses.

Rojas,18, and Hernandez,19, are members of the East Los Angeles College wrestling team. Hernandez is entering her second year with the team while Rojas in entering her first year.

Even in the beginning stages of their wrestling careers, both Hernandez and Rojas never had much apprehension when it was time to wrestle with a male opponent.

“We don’t think about it when we are out there, our main thought is just to win. Nothing else,” Hernandez said.

“My main focus is not on who I am wrestling, but my main focus is on what I have to do to my opponent in order to win,” Rojas said.

Both Rojas and Hernandez began wrestling at the varsity level their senior year in high school.

Hernandez, who transferred to Downey High School from Bell High School, excelled during her senior year, reaching the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) finals, placing in the top 10 in her weight class.

Rojas, who attended Montebello

High School, did not start wrestling until her senior year. She wrestled minimally in competitive bouts in her high school wrestling career.

She took a year off after high school and is now entering her first year as a student and wrestler at ELAC.

ELAC wrestlers Hernandez and Rojas have always stood-out on their w r e s t l i n g teams.

Both were t h e o n l y f e m a l e s o n t h e i r majorily male high school w r e s t l i n g teams.

Since the CIF does not have female high school w r e s t l i n g teams, both h a d n o cho ice bu t to compete against the boys if they w a n t e d t o wrestle competitively.

Even though Hernandez and Rojas never put much thought in the gender of their opponents both know that their male opponent have a difficult time facing them on the mat.

“The guys who face us have a tough time with it. They don’t want to be the guy who beats up on a girl or on the other hand be the guy who gets beat by a girl,” Rojas said.

Hernandez and Rojas’ main

goal since they became involved in wrestling was to do whatever their team needed in order to be successful.

Hernandez even went as far as cutting her hair to prove to her high school coach that she was serious about being on the team.

“The coach told me to cut my hair as a (joke) but I took it seriously

b e c a u s e I w a n t e d t o s h o w h o w much being on the team meant to me. F rom then on my head coach treated me like one of the guys,” He rnandez said.

Rojas had to go through slightly less m e a s u r e s t h a n Hernandez to earn her spot with the guys on her

high school team but after she was accepted she was embraced by her teammates and encouraged to reach her full potential.

“I had known the guys on the team when I joined and I enjoyed the fact my teammates would give me pointers and treat me like one of the guys,” Rojas said.

Most people, including Hernandez and Rojas could not understand why they became so consumed and obsessed with wrestling and why

they would want to compete in such a physical sport with mostly male competitors.

“I think a lot of people think we’re crazy for wrestling out here with the guys, but its so much fun. It is such a great sport and you learn so much from the sport,” Rojas said.

Hernandez and Rojas both credit wrestling in helping them make strides in their personal lives.

“Wrestling has changed me completely. I stopped running with the wrong crowd and began to focus on something positive. It made me a better person and a better daughter,” Hernandez said.

“Wrestling has taught me so much respect and discipline, it has showed me how far hard work and dedication can get you. I now know that if I push myself hard enough I could do anything that I want to do,” Rojas said.

Both wrestlers have also formed a special friendship between them.

They take every opportunity to learn from one another and push each other and help motivate each other when things do not go their way on the mat.

“I joined the team after taking one year off after high school. One of the main reasons I joined is because I heard that the ELAC team had a girl (Hernandez)...We ended up becoming very close friends,” Rojas said.

“All we want to do is help each other out in any way possible and see each other do well.” Hernandez said.

Hernandez and Rojas will both be wrestling at this weekend’s Bakersfield Duals in Bakersfield.

Former East Los Angeles College actress Alexandra Ximenez moves on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Last year Ximenez became encouraged by her friend and mentor Rich Moore, the director of “Wreck It Ralph,” to take her talents to the next level by applying to art schools. She decided to apply to two schools, the California Institute of the Arts and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

“I applied to these schools because I wanted to take my performing to a higher level. I wanted to have a foundation. I acted heavily on instinct but wanted to build a greater foundation and improve my overall technique.” Ximenez said.

X i m e n e z w a s accepted into the academy this past Spring and she moved to London to start school there last week.

X i m e n e z i s entering a three-y e a r p r o g r a m a t L A D M A i n hope of earning a bachelors degree in professional acting.

It was not until her junior year when Ximenez began to t ake p e r f o r m i n g seriously again and auditioned for the Garfield High School and East Los Angeles College’s joint production of “Zoot Suit.”

She was originally casted to just be a dancer but she then decided to audition for her first speaking role and she got the part of “Lupe” in the production.

This proved to be the jumping off point for Ximenez as she became fully involved with ELAC’s theater department after the production.

“I was the only high school student at Garfield that stuck around at ELAC’s theater department. I had met so many friends during the “Zoot Suit” production, they even ended up being some of my best friends today,” Ximenez said.

Ximenez became first involved

with the theater department in 2007 when she was still a junior at Garfield. Since leaving ELAC in 2011 she has been working for the Company of Angels Theater Department.

Ximenez’ infatuation with performing started at a very young age and it seemed odd that her curiosity with acting, singing, and dancing withstood the test of time. No one in her family had experience with performing to guide her into that specific path.

Ximenez attributes watching “Gone With The Wind” with her mother at a young age that fueled her desire to be a performer. It was from then on that she showed a great curiosity for music, acting,

and performing in front of an audience.

“I cannot really understand why I would get worked up watching the movie (Gone

With The Wind). I would feel frustration in seeing the actors perform because I too wanted to perform, I would always try to see beyond the story,” Ximenez said.

T h o u g h h e r infatuation with performing was still very much with her, it was not until she was 12 that Ximenez would get her first opportunity to perform on s t a g e i n a n actual full length p r o d u c t i o n .

Belvedere Middle School cast her

to play a part in the musical “A Christmas Carol.”

As Ximenez entered Garfield in the fall of 2005, she lost interest in being on stage and instead began to focus her attention on athletics. She was an active member in both cross country and softball at Garfield. Along with playing sports at Garfield she also was a Folkorio, Swing and Salsa dancer.

After graduating from Garfield in the spring of 2009 Ximenez decided to tryout for UCLA’s theater department but was unsuccessful in gaining admittance.

For more on this story, visit elaccampusnews.com.

Former theater star takes her talents to London

CN/LILIANA MARQUEZ

COUNTERATTACK—Ernesto Ruvalcaba, defender of the East Los Angeles College men’s soccer team, runs down the wing in a counterattack move during a practice session on Monday afternoon at Weingart Stadium.

Women wrestlers take down sterotypes

Alexandra Ximenez

BY LILIANA MARQUEZStaff Writer

BY CORTEZ CRUZ SERRATOStaff Writer

BY CORTEZ CRUZ SERRATOStaff Writer

“Soccer allows me to show

people that not only because you

look a certain way it means you can’t do what you want or what you

love.”

ERNESTO RUVALCABAMen’s soccer team player

“I think a lot of people think we’re crazy for

wrestling out here with the guys, but its so much

fun. It is such a great sport and you learn so much from the sport.”

ADRIANA ROJASWrestler

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 Arts 5

The local Pacific Opera Project’s production of Puccini’s “Tosca” is not to be missed. Artistic Director Josh Shaw introduces performances unique to the opera world here in Los Angeles.

Adding to the opera experience of “Tosca” the audience is directed to walk to a different location for each Act within the grounds of the St. James United Methodist Church in Pasadena, all set to a day’s story in Rome on June 14, 1800.

The cast includes renowned artists with top-notch voices. There is a world-class interpretation of the music conducted by Stephan Karr, POP Musical Director and a chorus of over 40, including a children’s chorus. English supertitles were added.

“Tosca” has historical references that pit warring political parties against each other, like the Rights-of-Man (Napoleon Bonaparte’s republic) against the age-old rule of church and royalty.

Within that context, Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer, and Mario Cavaradossi, a painter, seek to preserve their love.

Daria Somers, as the role of Tosca, immediately grasped readers’ attention with a velvety tone and a flow of interpretation.

Her voice is more suited for a lighter-voiced Mozart role, such as Susanna in Mozart’s “The Marriage

of Figaro.” Nevertheless, her “Vissi d’arte” is a showstopper.

Time is suspended, leaving only the beauty of Somers’ rendition of “Vissi d’arte” (“I have lived only for

art and love”) in Act II.Every phrase, each syllable and

note spoke a world of emotion. Somer’s musical sculpting left the audience, who erupted in applause

after her arias, breathless.Brian Cheney, as Cavaradossi ,

sings with a strong lustrous voice, perfecting it to Puccini-style.

There is an art to singing and

bringing your point of view across. Cheney’s nuances of interpretation displayed a well-studied role through his understanding of Italian language and the nature of the character.

After Cheney’s interpretation of “E luceven le stelle” (“And the stars shone”), the audience reacted in a roar of approval during Act III.

Act I was held in the St. James Church, with the traditional set design representing Rome’s Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle.

This did aptly work with the text, the Sacristan praying “…and the angel of Mary, she conceived the Holy Spirit…” or the “Te Deum laudamus” (“We praise thee, O God”) as a chorus of priests, nuns and a children’s choir representing altar boys.

Shaw includes a swinging censer containing burning incense to the proceedings of the “Te Deum,” playing on the audience’s senses, which heightens th is opera experience.

Baron Scarpia, played by Patrick Blackwell, is placed physically above the rituals during the “Te Deum” telegraphing that he is above the power of the church.

From a theatrical standpoint, this is playing his hand too early.

We know he’s evil through his musical motifs and his text during the juxtaposition with the chorus during the “Te Deum.”

Blackwell sings Scarpia with a robust voice and with incomparable overtones capable of filling any

opera house in the world.Scarpia portrays evil evoking

fear, which Blackwell handled w i t h c o n v i n c i n g m a n n e r . However, peop le were too comfortable around him.

Spoletta, a police agent played by Ryan Thorn, was in full character in fear, understanding the moment, during his Act II scene with Scarpia.

Act II was held in an adjoining theater and set to a scene in Baron Scarpia’s apartment in the Palazzo Farnese.

We discover that Scarpia has a torture chamber connected to his private apartment.

When the torture chamber door opened, saturated lights of red and orange made a bold statement.

Lighting Designer Ryan Shull’s ingenious tone of colors matches the emotional journey of the “Tosca.”

The opera’s Act III was outside in a courtyard, where the audience looked up at the scene that took place on a second floor balcony of the upper parts of Castel Sant’Angelo.

The lights put the audience in the correct time slot of the opera, early morning on June 15.

The death scenes include a progression of full-on saturation of lights, which further emphasized the actual deaths of Tosca and Cavaradossi and the sad ending of this love story.

The opera ends Sept. 26 and 28 at St. James in Pasadena. Saira Frank will perform Tosca on Sept. 26. Tickets are $20 for students with an ELAC ID.

The sci-fi story of “Automata” puts robots into a future chaotic world as slaves for the humans who were lucky to survive.

Lead actor Antonio Banderas has a stellar performance but falls short of being the most exciting part of the film.

In a world that has been destroyed by solar flares and only a mere 22,000 people are lucky to survive, robots called Automatas live only to serve their human masters.

The main company builds the Automatas to not harm humans and to not be able to repair themselves in hopes that the Automatas would not malfunction and turn on human beings.

When Wallace, played by Dylan

McDermott, finds an Automata repairing itself, he destroys it and reports the malfunction.

McDermott plays a dark character, who is violent and aggressive. Alongside Banderas, he is a much more powerful character.

Insurance agent Jacq Vaucan, played by Banderas, is sent to investigate and disprove that an Automata can malfunction in such a manner.

Banderas is excellent, but his charisma is lacking and at points comes off as cold and unemotional.

Jacq awaits his wife Rachel Vaucan, played by Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, to give birth to their child so they can get away from the disorder in the world they live in, but he has one last job to investigate.

Sorensen is hardly seen in the film, and the brief times she’s on

screen, it is confusing to figure out what role she plays.

The Automata robots seem glitchy and move awkwardly but capture many human emotions that the rest of the world’s human characters lack.

When Jacq digs deeper he uncovers a group of Automata’s lead by the original Automata that helped create the program to control the rest.

The film in its entirety feels slow and the story drags, but the concept is spectacular. The execution may be lacking, but the commentary this film has on the human condition keeps it entertaining.

The ending is unusual but in a good way. It leaves a bit of confusion and may continue to have the audiences thinking long after the movie is over.

Actor Liam Neeson continues his thrilling action performances as a slightly more realistic character in “A Walk Among the Tombstones.”

Although the fictional story comes to feel complex with the addition of characters throughout, it’s a terrifying action film, which does not slip into a cliché.

Detective Matt Strudder, played by Neeson, starts off a drunk officer who takes on criminals with no regard for his or anyone else’s safety.

After an incident, which leaves him traumatized, he retires from being a cop and becomes a private investigator.

Neeson puts his skills to the test, acting in a more realistic detective role.

The “Taken” action star comes

to a role, which has a more realistic tone and makes his character intense.

Matt is approached by Peter, played by Boyd Holbrook, and taken back to drug kingpin Kenny Kristo, played by Dan Stevens, who wants Matt to help find the men who killed his wife.

Holbrook is an emotional wreck, but that’s just what his junkie character needs to make his performance seem genuine.

His character goes from being a high-strung recovering drug addict, to being a user once again. The transition is well played.

Stevens has the in tens i ty in his demeanor to play a drug kingpin, while still not being able to overpower the performance by Neeson.

As Matt reluctantly accepts the job, he discovers what could possibly be a giant web of murder.

Along the way, Matt gets help

from a street kid named T.J., played by Brian “Astro” Bradley, who brings out a more human side to Matt.

Bradley is funny and genuinely counteracts the seriousness of Neeson with his mannerisms and his way of talking.

Alongside Neeson, he is able to show just how strong of an actor he is by playing off of the acting talents of Neeson.

The ending is fitting to the build up, as most of Neeson’s past action films have demostrated. It comes with twists and turns that will surprise audiences.

Although it seems a bit slow at points, every part of the film adds to the plot, so there is no wasted moment.

“A Walk Among the Tombstones” is out in theaters now and is rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, language and brief nudity.

Interpol returns from a four-year hiatus with the much anticipated new album “El Pintor” released on September 9.

“El Pintor,” which is an anagram of the bands name, gives listeners the sound of heavy synth-infused songs packed with the iconic crooning of lead singer Paul Banks.

After a long hiatus and the departure of bandmate Carlos Dengler, Interpol produced a not-so-spectacular album.

The fresh tracklist stays true to their gloomy unique sound, may be

a little too much, though.Although they are true to their

traditional sound, the album isn’t all that different from their previous 2004 blockbuster album “Antics.”

Interpol fans will agree that many of the tracks sound heavily similar to tracks that appear on other albums.

After a longband hiatus, it is disappointing to see recycled riffs and chords in the newest release.

“My Blue Supreme,” which is the fifth track on “El Pintor,” shares the similarity of melodies found in previous songs such as “Rest My Chemistry” found on their 2007 album “Our Love to Admire,” and “Take You on a Cruise” found

on “Antics.”Although it is a catchy tune with

a chilling chorus, it doesn’t stand out as something fresh, even if it is new material.

The lyrics are well written but fail to give the song strength. The hook is a more upbeat version of “Rest My Chemistry” and it is upsetting that it is featured on this new album.

The track “Same Town, New Story” gives an attempt at a personal touch to lyrics.

The lyrics tell the story of struggle wanting something new in life.

It is relatable to listeners in a particular situation who feel like ‘the whole world up on my shoulders,’ as the song goes.

This track may just be the only genuine attempt at original content throughout this entire album.

The remaining tracks on the album continue with mediocre attempts at being great songs.

A compilation of tired sounds and themes continue to play. After the ending track “Twice as Hard,” it really is easy to simply start listening to their hit album “Antics” again.

Overall, the album puts listeners in the mood for the catchy hits of “Antics” and it should have been the companion to the album to begin with.

Interpol’s “El Pintor” is available in stores and on iTunes.

‘Tosca’ production performs at three venues BY tadzio garcia

Staff Writer

CN/tadzio garCia

diFFiCULt NEgotiatioNS—Floria Tosca, played by Daria Somers, pleads with Baron Scarpia (Patrick Blackwell) for her lover’s life in the Pacific Opera Project’s production of Puccini’s Tosca Sept. 19 in Pasadena.

Neeson thrills in detective story

CoUrtESY oF MiLLENNiUM ENtErtaiNMENt

BY JESUS FigUEroaStaff Writer

BY JESUS FigUEroaStaff Writer

Automata takes over film

CoUrtESY oF UNivErSaL PiCtUrES

Interpol’s album release fails to exceed expectations

CoUrtESY oF Matador rECordS

BY MEgaN g. razzEttiStaff Writer

www.ELACCampusNews.com

EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014SPORTS6

Defending cross country state champion Laura Aceves is the first East Los Angeles College woman in the school’s 69-year history to become a Southern California Preview champion.

Aceves won the SoCal Preview women’s 5-kilometer race last Friday at Woodley Park in Van Nuys.

“I should have run a faster race, but this is the time in the early season to experiment and learn from,” Aceves said.

ELAC runner makes historyBY TADZIO GARCIA

Staff WriterThe women’s team took 12th

place out of 26 teams, and if they improve on their times, they have a good chance of advancing to the state finals, according to Head Coach Louis Ramirez.

The SoCal finals will be held Nov. 7 at Woodley Park.

The men’s team took 21st place out of 30 teams.

Sophomore Andres De La Cruz placed 29th to as finish the top ELAC runner in the men’s four-mile “A” race.

“We are now familiar with the course and its problems and can work on them to run much faster

when the SoCal finals are here,” De La Cruz said.

“For me the biggest problem was the first half-mile, falling too far behind the lead pack. This part of the (race) was too narrow for the amount of runners (competing), and someone actually fell down.”

De La Cruz caught up to the front pack and stayed with them to the last mile. “I got to the top pack with spurts of sprints, but used too much lactate (acid) in doing so,” De La Cruz said.

For more on this story, visit elaccampusnews.com.

TAKING CONTROL—ELAC’s Laura Aceves leads the cross country field in the SoCal Preview Women’s 5K race at the half-mile mark just ahead of Mt. San Antonio College’s Sierra Ungerman Sept. 19 in Van Nuys.

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