divergence magazine

Vol. III Issue I September 2010

Welcome Back!- Library Textbook Shortage- Meet your Student Trustee- Travel to Berlin

Divergence Magazine2

Photography By: Robert Galvan

September 2010 27September 2010 3

Cypress Welcomes All Students

The Welcome Back event is held every semester, which gives a chance for the Associated Students

to inform the student body about clubs, organizations and groups on the college campus.

The organizations are here to recruit new members, meet new students and give the students a home and unity at the school.

“Welcome Back is more for the student body, it’s a briefing. [It is to] let the students know that they [the AS] are here to help them [and to] know that they can join. Our main purpose here at AS is to give the students a chance to be a part of something.” Stepha-nie Silva, vice president of public affairs for AS, said, “Many of the students don’t know that there is a student body representing them here. Right now, the purpose of the Welcome back is an introduction and a present to the students. It’s enjoyable, dressing up, having fun, meeting new people.”

Silva added “We use our rep fee to pay for this [event] so, we don’t take money out of the school. Obviously, we don’t give free food all the time, unless you have an AS sticker, but the students don’t know that. You can get into free sport events with the AS sticker.”

Ryan Biilings, AS student trustee, said, “Helping out in these events, enables Cypress students to get in-volved.”

The Associated Students were not the only ones in-volved in this event. Some of the club officers came out to inform the students about the club themselves including the Puente Club, Black Student Union, Inter-national Cultural Studies Association, Chemistry Club and many more.

Gillian Caceres, activities coordinator of the Puente Club, said, “I went to a club rush and some of the stu-dents convinced me to join. I went to a meeting and I decided to stay. It’s great because it helps out students to succeed, the students are great, and our activities are great too. Basically, the club is about helping people

out. That’s what I want the students to know.”

Derrick Coleman, an education major said, “I get to meet different people. Like, one of the things we are trying to do this semester is make study groups for English and Math. That’s our biggest goal this semes-ter.”

Kevin Rodgers, president of the newly-formed Inter-national Cultural Studies Association, “what inspired me [to open the club] was to inform students about the different cultures and embrace other cultures.” Rodg-ers helped form the club last spring.

Luis Grajeda, a music production major, attended the event. “It seems pretty well-coordinated. If there is anything [clubs] on music, then for sure, I’m down.” D

By Elle Lee

Cypress College Radio is now live online! Cypress College Radio is a student run online radio station

featuring local bands. Cypress College Radio is actively pursuing local bands for fresh new music to play on our

station. Cypress College Radio also features several talk shows. Nerd’s Eye View is one returning talk show featuring

Matthew Esposito, Andrew Linde, Sandro Moreno, and Thomas Willett. On Nerd’s Eye View they talk about

movies, television, video games and comics. Other returning shows are The Disability Talk Show featuring Brandi Helt and Eat My Sports featuring

Matthew Esposito and Nick Ingram.The various talk shows cover current topics in a round-

table setting. Each show is available for viewing on the Ustream site (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cypress-college-radio)

both live and after the show has aired. Any student can contact the Radio Manager and get on the air. Send an email to cypresscollegeradio@gmail.

com with any inquiries.

Editor’s Note Editorial StaffJuliana Nascimento Editor in ChiefSpencer Custodio Managing EditorDenise Gomez Senior EditorJuliana Campbell Cychron EditorDanielle Parenteau Sports EditorSydney Douglas Photo EditorChristopher Schad Photo EditorVanessa Medina Art EditorNathan Schulz Literary Editor Brandy Helt Circulation ManagerMinh Pham Ad Manager

Contributors Elle Lee, Kailey Davini, Alex Rine-berg, Austin Ancell, Paul Febo, Jeff Mercado, Meylin Cheng, Dawn South-ern.

Cypress ChronicleCypress College 9200 Valley View St.

Cypress, CA 90630Cychron.com

[email protected]/CychronReports

This issue is to welcome everyone back to school. Com-ing back right when it got hot enough to hit the beach

may seem like a drag, but life has to go on and so do we.

Things took off slow at school, starting with the heavy parking lot traffic as usual. Petition-ing seemed to be useless given the new wait lists and the sheer amount of competition, with some classes having upwards of 20 people hoping to get in. Budget cuts and delays are still affecting all of us.

Our Student Trustee touches on the subject in our Q&A in this issue. Another place also being affected is our Library. It has no money for new textbooks! Details inside.

What doesn’t seem affected is our budget for remodeling. We have new flooring in some of our buildings and even a whole new space for gathering close to the pond, the road in the middle of nowhere is gone. All very nice additions pictured in one of our photo essays.

This semester there are also some good opportunities for personal growth. You can go to Berlin for a semester on a study abroad program and you can also donate blood and save up to three lives.

No matter what you choose to do this semester, I hope you had a great summer because it’s already after labor day, the clouds have moved in and it’s back to work. D


Table of Contents

September 2010 5

Photo: Robert Galvan 18

Photo: Christopher Schad 8

24Photo: James Thompson

25

Previews


Watch The WizBy Alex Rineberg

The Cypress College Theatre Department, with help from director Jim Hornell, will be recreating the classic tale of The

Wiz the weekends of Oct.8-10 and 15-17. The event will take place at the Cypress College campus theatre, and admission is $15 for students and seniors and $20 for general public.

It will feature many of the talented Cypress College theatre students as well as music by Charlie Smalls. With an entertaining mix of singing and dancing it will be one to remember. Come on down the yellow brick road and see The Wiz. D

Blood DonationBy Kailey Davini

“What are you doing Sept. 29 and 30?

Are you at least 110 pounds? Are you at least 17 years old? If so, then you qualify to donate blood.

Come to the Student Activities Center in the conference room any-time from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and donate blood.

Over 4.5 million lives are saved each year by blood transfusions.

Blood is the easiest, least expensive gift you could give and it has much more impact than anything you could ever buy with money.

All of the donations go to the Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where the blood is used to help save the lives of people across all communities.

Make sure you drink fluids (avoid coffee or any caffeinated beverages) and have a healthy meal four hours before donating.

Please do not donate if you have any type of disease or infection that could be transferred through blood or have taken antibiotics in the past 72 hours. For further information on requirements to be a blood donor visit www.bloodbook.com D

Photo by James Thompsom

The Cypress College Theatre Department, with help from director Jim Hornell, will be recreating the classic tale of The

Wiz the weekends of Oct.8-10 and 15-17. The event will take place at the Cypress College campus theatre, and admission is $15 for students and seniors and $20 for general public.

It will feature many of the talented Cypress College theatre students as well as music by Charlie Smalls. With an entertaining mix of singing and dancing it will be one to remember. Come on down the yellow brick road and see The Wiz. D

Photo by James Thompsom

A variety of Cypress students have shared their thoughts on snowboarding. They shared their advice for those new to the

sport, giving words of encouragement, the best times and places to snowboard, how they got started, why they love it, and more for those too afraid to try it. After hearing what these students have to say, read on to learn more about what it takes to get in-volved in snowboarding.

Nicole Nobbe, a Horticulture major, began snowboarding as a freshman in high school, initially going with friends. She consid-ers herself “decent” at the sport, saying she is “barely carving.” She says her favorite snowboarding spot is “Dodge Ridge.” In her opinion, it is best to go in January or anytime there is fresh powder on the mountains.

Nobbe enjoys snowboarding because, as she says, “It’s free-spirit-ed and it’s a good workout.” Sheunderstands the fear and anxiety that can come with snowboarding, saying she has felt scared on the slopes “only when I couldn’t stop.”

Nobbe advises those who are too afraid to try the sport. “Take your time and just go for it!” Acknowledging the importance of allowing one’s self to get acclimated to the sport, she recommends that novice snowboarders “stay on the bunny slopes” until one feels confident enough to move on to a bigger challenge. Nobbe also plays softball.

Robert Worl, a freshman who has not yet declared a major, is rela-tively new to both college and snowboarding. He considers him-self a “horrible” snowboarder, having just started in 2008. Worl describes his first time by saying, “First time ever, my buddy took me to the top, and there’s one way down.” He says that he was not nervous about snowboarding before trying it for the first time.

Worl also says his favorite place to snowboard is Mt. High and it is best to go “when there’s a lot of snow.” His favorite thing about snowboarding, he says, is “the atmosphere.” To prospective snowboarders, Worl has simply this to say: “Pad your ass.” Worl also says that he finds snowboarding to be addicting. Worl also skateboards

Travis Jump is majoring in business management and automotive technology, and he started snowboarding in 1997. First trying the sport “just for fun with friends”, Jump opted not to comment on how good he considers himself to be. Like Worl, he says he was not afraid to try snowboarding for the first time.

His favorite places to go are Northstar in Tahoe and Bear Moun-tain, with the best time to snowboard being “winter, preferably right after a big [snow]storm.” Jump says what he likes best about snowboarding is the creativity, or more specifically, “creating my own jumps.” He describes the sport as “expression on rails.”

The activity has not always been kind to Jump though, as he has dislocated his shoulder three times and broken his clavicle while on the slopes. He tells those new to or considering snowboard-ing that “The faster you go, the easier balancing is.” Jump is also involved in many other sports, including basketball, softball, weightlifting, and mixed martial arts.

If one is interested in snowboarding but is unsure of how to get started or where to look for more information, there are plenty of websites that can provide a wealth of information.

The travel site uptake.com published a list of what they consider to be “The Best Snowboarding Mountains.” Out of the 10 resorts to make the cut, three are here in California: Alpine Meadows (in Tahoe City), Kirkwood (Lake Tahoe), and Mammoth Mountain (Mammoth Lakes).

One great resource to find out more about going snowboarding is http://www.californiasnow.com, which is the Official Site of California Skiing, Snowboarding, and Cross-Country Skiing.

It includes details on lessons, skills clinics, upcoming events, environmentally-friendly programs, and much more. The site also features a trip planner, resort locator, relevant news, and stream-ing videos.

Each resort site contains a great deal of detailed information. They often include directions, prices/packages, videos, pho-tographs, weather conditions, event calendars, trail maps, and tips for staying safe on the mountains. These sites also provide information on lessons, the mountains themselves, and the resorts’ environmental impacts. D

September 2010 7

One Way DownBy Danielle Parentaeu

Photo: Christopher Schad

Photo Essay - Physical Changes Around School


CleaningIn a continued effort to improve

the campus facilities for students. The board members opted to clean house and give the campus a bit of a face-lift.

Over the summer break new tables, benches and flooring was installed. The most notable of renovations made had to be the floor in the math building.

However, the tables and restrooms have yet to be rennovated.

Photo Essay By: Christopher Schad

Photo Essay - Physical Changes Around School

CleaningIn a continued effort to improve

the campus facilities for students. The board members opted to clean house and give the campus a bit of a face-lift.

Over the summer break new tables, benches and flooring was installed. The most notable of renovations made had to be the floor in the math building.

However, the tables and restrooms have yet to be rennovated.

September 2010 9

HouseAnother prominent and noticable improvement was the roadway between the library and the student center was repaved with concrete.

This much needed renovation has now created a rather exuberant and lively pathway for stu-dents to get to the library.

These are just a few of the many great im-provements that the campus has seen in the past year. As a student, it is always nice to see that the money that is being spent by the students is going back into the institution to help create a more attractive, agreeable and satisfying learn-ing environment. D


Ask Uncle Pauli Ask Uncle Pauli your questions.Send them to

[email protected]

Dear Uncle Pauli,

I have been attending Cypress College for two semesters now and I just can’t seem to get the hang of the classes, doing homework, managing my time and trying to keep a social life. I usually start off with four to five classes and by the third month I drop all of them or just give up. It all seems too hard or just overwhelming. Is there any advice you can give me to get into gear with my situation?

-Struggling student

Well college isn’t for everybody. Deal with it or join the union! D

Dear Uncle Pauli,

Lately I’ve been told by my girlfriend, that I’m not manly enough and that I’m not doing certain things right. For example, my friends always say rude things to her and I don’t feel I should say anything because it’s funny. Another time I was tickling her and she snapped and told me to grab her like a man! This was an obvious stab at my masculinity. I don’t think I’m effeminate; I do wears skinny jeans and have a scene hair cut and of course my tips are frosted, but that’s the times. Is that not manly?

I have a part time job and all I spend my money on is colorful tattoos and piercings. I guess I’ve just never had a strong male influence and the generation I grew up in is into fashion. Should men be into fashion? I have so many questions and no answers. Do you have any pointers or some advice for me?

-Hipster

Thank you for finally writing me. Yes you did grow up in a generation that wanted to bring hair glam to an-other level of homoeroticism. A couple pointers, men only have to know about certain fashions. Work clothes, dress clothes and casual wear. If you’re putting on more makeup then your lady, something’s wrong. Also if your pants are tighter than your chick’s, again something is wrong.

Women like to be held firm, yet tender and to have a sense of security around their man. So if you’re not standing up for her amongst your friends, how is she supposed to feel about you being a man when it’s a serious situ-ation? Tattoos are ok but remember appearance is everything so what you put out there is what people will assume. Furthermore, if they’re a bunch of colorful tattoos that you got on a whim that were probably horribly thought-out ideas. They probably do not reflect your personality or who you really are and are obviously a bad idea. The pierc-ings… I think only girls should have earrings or black guys.

Additionally, if you are putting stuff in your face, that leaves an easy target for piercings to get ripped out in a fight. Oh yeah, and you should leave your hair long or cut it short and proper. I see too many young men walking around with women’s haircuts thinking they fit in.

The only words I can leave you with are that a man’s work is never over. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired, you got to handle everything and make sure it’s all taken care of by the end of the day. It is the role men were left with that’s why we die early. Suck it up! -Uncle Paulie

Dear Uncle Pauli,

Lately I’ve been told by my girlfriend, that I’m not manly enough and that I’m not doing certain things right. For example, my friends always say rude things to her and I don’t feel I should say anything because it’s funny. Another time I was tickling her and she snapped and told me to grab her like a man! This was an obvious stab at my masculinity. I don’t think I’m effeminate; I do wears skinny jeans and have a scene hair cut and of course my tips are frosted, but that’s the times. Is that not manly?

I have a part time job and all I spend my money on is colorful tattoos and piercings. I guess I’ve just never had a strong male influence and the generation I grew up in is into fashion. Should men be into fashion? I have so many questions and no answers. Do you have any pointers or some advice for me?

-Hipster

Thank you for finally writing me. Yes you did grow up in a generation that wanted to bring hair glam to an-other level of homoeroticism. A couple pointers, men only have to know about certain fashions. Work clothes, dress clothes and casual wear. If you’re putting on more makeup then your lady, something’s wrong. Also if your pants are tighter than your chick’s, again something is wrong.

Women like to be held firm, yet tender and to have a sense of security around their man. So if you’re not standing up for her amongst your friends, how is she supposed to feel about you being a man when it’s a serious situ-ation? Tattoos are ok but remember appearance is everything so what you put out there is what people will assume. Furthermore, if they’re a bunch of colorful tattoos that you got on a whim that were probably horribly thought-out ideas. They probably do not reflect your personality or who you really are and are obviously a bad idea. The pierc-ings… I think only girls should have earrings or black guys.

Additionally, if you are putting stuff in your face, that leaves an easy target for piercings to get ripped out in a fight. Oh yeah, and you should leave your hair long or cut it short and proper. I see too many young men walking around with women’s haircuts thinking they fit in.

The only words I can leave you with are that a man’s work is never over. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired, you got to handle everything and make sure it’s all taken care of by the end of the day. It is the role men were left with that’s why we die early. Suck it up! -Uncle Paulie

September 2010 11

The A.S. sticker (Associated Students) is an optional purchase for students, at the beginning of registration or during the semester, to save money or get access to unique places by showing their A.S.

stamp on their identification card.

After purchasing your ID card for a mere $2.50 students have the opportu-nity to buy an A.S. sticker for $7.50.

“I have one, but I don’t use it, because I don’t know where I get the discounts,”

said sophomore, Brook Stern.

Instead of the few minutes it would take a student to cut coupons and search for better discounts, the A.S. sticker gives them the opportunity to flash their ID

getting various discounts.

Some places that offer discounted items are KFC, Senor Taco, Wienerschnitzel, and Duke and Duchess. Students can always look in the photo ID booth on

campus for other places.

A.S. president, Danial Shakeri says money from the stickers are funds for clubs and activities like Club Rush,

scholarships, awards, staff grants, free lunch and more. “All the money goes

back to the students.”

The stickers are not needed to access any areas on campus but it is a faster

alternative to cutting coupons or looking for discounts for general public. It’s also required for the free food handed out at

A.S. sponsored events. D

AS Sticker FactsBy Christian Suarez


Cypress College will hold special elections on Sept. 22 and 23 for positions not filled during last year’s election for lack of

candidates.

Special elections will be held in the pond area 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are four offices that will be voted for, senators, activites coordinator, vice president of public relations and executive vice president.

Senator candidates: Omar Pichardo, Jonathon Gryn, Tiffany Saw, Jasmine Lee, Shireen Khahat, Michael Fugrad-hill, Claudia Zara-goza and George Anthony Zuniga.

Activites Coordinators candidates: Priscilla Quintana, Alina Moore, William Belgen, Rubab Hossain, Arthur Mogleusky and Pearl Sanglab.

Vice President of Public Relations candidates: Stephanie Silva and Dana Rose Crystal.

Running unopposed for the Executive Vice President office is Luis Otero. He will only need one vote to obtain the position of executive vice president.

The AS Council is comprised of 11 executive board positions, 15 senator positions and 15 programmer positions.

Associate students sponsor many events and activites on campus throughout the school year. Associated Students also administer student-funded programs, ensuring that resources further the edu-cation and welfare of the students of Cypress College.

AS Holds Special Elections

“We uphold the constitution, secondly we are in charge of the constitution committee as described in our bylaws. I do a lot more than that, just because that’s what I’ve been doing, I’m

in charge of newsletter committee, the constitution committee, and the leadership development to make sure that new council members are ready for office next year, if they so choose to.” -Vice President Luis Otero D

“Public relations is in charge of all the advertisements, I want to change the way we advertise, technology is evolv-ing, and a lot of what we do is old school with methods like posters. I like to see how far we can take it with radio and a lot of other means to get the word out.” -Defending VP of Public Relations Stephanie Silva.

“I would aim to emphasize to have community at our com-munity college, so that the community can participate in our fun events. With my years of experience in journalism, publicity, and marketing I want people to be informed. So many people don’t even know when we have food events, club events or any events. I would like to amp up AS events and club events.” -Candidate for VP of Public Relations Dana Rose Crystal

By Austin Ancell

Photos: Robert Galvan

September 2010 13

Movie Review - Machete

At this point, Danny Trejo has become the Troy McClure of tough guy character actors. His ability to intimidate like a

real life Mexican Hulk has aided him in the many decades since he debuted in Runaway Train. Since, he has played everything from a killer vampire (From Dusk Till Dawn) to a loving uncle (Spy Kids).While being heavily recognized for his roles, his name has rarely been known by people other than cinematic cogno-scenti.

In 2007, the directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino paid homage to exploitation movies, Grindhouse, opened with a fake trailer for Machete, where Trejo played the title character. Originally conceived as a joke, the audience demanded Rodriguez attempt to make a full length and finally give the iconic side man his first lead in his 25-year career.

From the opening scene involving the origin of Machete, Trejo manages to feel at home while slicing heads and dodging bullets in an effort to save a woman as a Mexican Federal Agent. While the attempt fails with him being wounded, it explains the hard shell the character carries as he becomes a day labor. Due to his rugged appearance, he is easily thrown into fights, which he wins while eating a burrito and showing little interest in the actual violence.

Whatever money he wins, he gives to Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), a taco truck operator, which he insists she uses to help his people. She also secretly operates the Network, an underground move-ment to help Mexican immigrants against Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), a politician campaigning on the platform that all immigrants are parasites and should be blocked out by an elec-tric fence. There is also Sartana (Jessica Alba), an immigrations officer eager to deport Luz and her customers.

One day, Machete gets a job from Michael Booth (Jeff Fahey), who gives him $250k on the notion that he kills McLaughlin at an upcoming rally. After it turns out Machete was framed, Booth is told by Torrez (Steven Seagal), a drug lord, to kill him at any cost. Machete decides to fight back by kidnapping Booth’s daughter, internet harlot April (Lindsay Lohan) and socialite wife June (Ali-cia Rachel Marek). After seducing and sedating them in a pool, he dumps them in a convent with his religious brother Padre (Cheech Marin), who he also asks to help him in a violent rampage against Booth.

From there, the movie turns into a vigilante story, turning into po-litical commentary on immigration and racism. It has been years since there has been commentary this ridiculous and exciting. In a movie where heads are flying off left and right with buckets of blood, Robert Rodriguez rarely loses focus on the good time. While the commentary isn’t the movie’s strong point, Rodriguez’s patronage for the Mexican culture is what carries it through mo-ments of absurdity and eventually grounds it. By focusing on the

characters, it creates the ability to care more than think.

However, the movie would be nothing without the fantastic performance from Trejo. His 25 years of acting helps make every aspect of the character more realistic. While many of the trade-marks in Machete may seem borrowed from prior performances, the incorporation is flawless. Even the delivery of lines, such as “Machete don’t text,” are delivered with enough earnestness to make him a thrilling protagonist.

While the commentary sometimes disagrees with the audience, the story of Machete is too fun to ever get wrapped up in realism. Instead, his fight for equality turns him into one of the most iconic Mexican characters in recent years.

His desire to stand up for his beliefs is an old message, but his presentation helps make him seem invincible, initially ending up as not necessarily just a Mexican day laborer, but the man who has been harassed one too many times by the government.

Not to say that this movie doesn’t have its flaws; it does. How-ever, they are forgivable because Rodriguez has managed to make an entertaining movie that works as social commentary while creating an iconic character. In a way, this feels like the gem that Rodriguez and Trejo have both been working towards since their first collaboration with Desperado.

It’s questionable if this character will ever be seen again, despite hints at sequels in the closing credits. However, this proved that Trejo has the power to lead a movie; there probably won’t be too many people voting against it. He has charisma, that, when matched with Rodriguez’ ridiculous camera techniques, turns into one of the most entertaining director/actor team-ups since Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill series.

The political aspects may rub some audience members the wrong way, especially since the Arizona immigration law dispute is still fresh. For those who can look beyond it and take it for entertain-ment will get one of the best movie experiences of the year. D

By Thomas Willett

Photo Essay By: Sydney Douglas

Around


September 2010 15

By Sydney Douglas

Cypress College is a beautiful campus surrounded by a beautiful city that holds much for visitors and residents. The Cypress Civic Center is home to City Hall, the library, the police station and a handful

of public tennis courts. During summer, they hold Concerts on the Green that hosts a variety of bands as well as children’s activities. In the upcoming holiday season, they will hold a concert called Holiday Sing that will spotlight local children singing a variety of holiday tunes.

The nearby Community Center also offers adult sports and workshops including everything from culinary arts to dog obedience training. Connected to the Community Center, you will find Oak Knoll Park, the un-official heart of Cypress. The park is home to several baseball fields, a football field, sand volleyball court and a training circuit. There is also an annual Cypress Festival, Chili Cook-Off, and car show held in Oak Knoll during the summer.

The senior citizens of the area can attend classes, special events, or apply for any of their services, some of which are transportation and home delivered meals. A catalog of all the provided classes and services can be found in the administration office at the Community Center. Be sure to take a stroll through their art gal-lery during your visit as well.

The city is also home to a local favorite, Athenian Burger along Cerritos Avenue. The fast-food restau-rant is popular with local residents because they sell freshly-grilled burgers and have a nice Mexican food menu. Cypress may be small, but rest assured, this city has it all. D

Town


Student Trustee Q&ABy Juliana Nascimento

Ryan Billings, Cypress College student trustee, told Divergence Sept. 7 he is still trying to figure out what

his job is, but he has issues he wants to pursue.

The day after Labor Day, as if to announce the end of summer, was unseasonably cold and sitting in the Students Activities Center after a long weekend Billings seemed tired from what he told us was a long working weekend for him. Besides being student trustee and a full-time student at Cypress College, he also works at a hardware store and helps in his family’s business.

As Student Trustee, Billings sits on the North Orange County Community College District’s Board of Trustees. The board of trustees members are elected officials who preside over the budget and policies of our District, which includes Cypress College, Fullerton College and the School of Continuing Education. They make broad decisions about money that is to be allocated, special projects and district-wide policies.

Billings said it is a sort of a balancing act on the part of the Board to make sure they provide guidelines without micro-managing the campuses.

Billings could speak on his position for hours on end, but here is a quick interview with him on the subject.

How has it been so far being student trustee?

It has been enjoyable and educational. It’s been interest-ing. Last year I was in McComb’s position, the Associated Students Vice President for Campus and District Affairs, so I learned stuff, but it’s a different perspective since I am an advisory of the Board. So you’re looking at things in a more strategic, or you’re looking even more at like ends versus process, you’re looking more at goals and outcomes.

What are your duties on the school level?

I’m a member of the AS Council, as one of AS executive officer, my specific position responsibility on the AS coun-cil are the same as my responsibilities as student trustee. Essentially go to board meetings and give reports on a variety of things including some of the things students are doing.

And then for the AS Council I come to the AS council meetings and report on what’s happening at the Board

meetings and what’s go-ing on with the district.

My other responsibili-ties are just the same as activities coordinators or the senator, help out at events, at all hands on deck events like Welcome Back, Club Rush. From stuff I’ve chosen to take on, some other things I’ll be doing with the Exter-nal Affairs committee and maybe a couple of other projects. But those aren’t respon-sibilities that are inherent to my position; those are things I’ve chosen to take on.

Can you elaborate on those?

Well, I’m still trying to figure out what I’ll be doing on AS Council stuff, but I know I’ll be on the External Affairs Committee, which deals with legislative advocacy and community relations, stuff like that.

What do you do at the Board Meetings? Do you have a vote?

I have an advisory vote. So I guess the role of the student trustee is basically to bring a student’s perspective to the Board, in an advisory capacity. I have the right to make and second motions. I have the ability to cast advisory vote on issues. I can request agenda items to be placed on the board agenda. In terms of block votes, I can request things to be pulled from the block vote if specifically requested. I get all of the same materials minus anything that might go to be discussed in closed section as the rest of the Board mem-bers. So I receive the same support level from the chancel-lor and from the district office staff as the rest of the board members. And then in terms of compensation Natalie and I receive half of what the elected trustees make.

So you do get paid?

There’s a stipend for meetings attended. At Fullerton AS officers receive a stipend.

And you attend events with state level legislature. What are some of those?

September 2010 17

In terms of as a board member, the district is part of the Orange County Community College Legislative Task Force, where the community colleges in Orange County have decided to get together and try to, where they have common interest, pursue common legislative for budget advocacy agenda. Each district has a trustee a community member, a chancellor and a community relation staff, if there are areas where they all agree on then they’ll develop a common agenda on those.

The only thing as board members that everybody partici-pates in is an Annual Legislative Breakfast, and that goes on.

Now for the Associated Students we have the external af-fairs committee. The last two years, in terms of meetings that’s mostly been when we went to Sacramento for March of March with the Student Senate of California Community College. I think this year we’ll probably have an expanded legislative advocacy operation, it won’t just be the one time when we go to Sacramento, we’ll also be meeting with either members or their staff members in their local district offices.

Finally, do you have any concerns regarding the budget situation for our school?

I think everybody has concerns for the budget situation. I mean, California as a whole, higher education in California, California community colleges, our district. Now, Califor-nia has some governance issues, right?

One thing I think a lot of people in California are concerned about is our percentage of the state budget that’s being spent on higher education which is lower at this point than it was in 1960’s when California put together a master plan for higher education … But I think in California the legislature is, and political people are starting to prioritize higher education, even at the expense of Health and Human Services. Health and Human Services took drastic cuts last two budget cycles.

Community College has done particularly well, essentially, it’s been a little bit of decline in funding, but it’s mostly been flat, I mean, other than some cuts, but compared to everybody else it’s been almost flat, then of course we have been that influx of students into our institution, so every-body is concerned.

The revenue problem can’t really be dealt with at the local level. The only thing we can do, in good use you can set aside money for bad years. Our district was good, had some foresight from the Board and probably some of the profes-sional staff, before any of us were around. Four, five, ten years ago [they probably thought] “let’s be a little more

conservative on our spending side and maintain a healthy reserve and a discretionary fund.” So that’s helped cushion some of it. We haven’t seen any lay-offs, we haven’t seen any furloughs. Both Cypress and Fullerton are still provid-ing more classes than the State is paying us for.

Some institutions are like “well, we gotta cut all the way down.” And they dramatically cut class sections and sum-mer classes. Our district, compared to some has been fair. But I’ve appreciated the way, I haven’t seen the process in detail at Fullerton but at least I’ve appreciated the way it’s been done at Cypress, it’s been approached in a very analytical and well communicated manner. D


No Funds for New TextbooksBy Meylin Cheng

The Cypress College Library does not have the funds to purchase new textbooks this fall semes-

ter. The library keeps reserved copies of textbooks for students who cannot afford the course books and are anxiously waiting for financial aid, or decide to save money rather than buy expensive textbooks.

This issue developed last year when the library re-quested a Onetime funding from the college for funds to buy textbooks. The college approved this request. However, Onetime fundings are funds that cover items not on the regular budget but are limited.

When the library requested grants from the college this semester, there were no funds to purchase new text-books. Eldon Young, Dean of Language Arts said that since the state of California is under reduced funds, the “college is conservative” about spending its money.

Young and some professors found alternative ways to obtain the new textbooks.

In the beginning of the school year, Young sent emails to the faculty about the Library having a problem purchasing new textbooks. He asked the faculty if each individual could help. Many received his email and de-cided to donate books that they received from publish-ers and even donated money to the library.

Young said, “We are doing what we can to provide important needs to educating students.”

The library is also finding alternative ways to accom-modate the students.

Michael McCombs, a staff member at the Student Activities Center, explains that Cypress Foundation emailed faculties to donate books or money to the library. McCombs said, “There were five textbooks that were needed in the library which were Geography, Nursing, Math and two Philosophy textbooks.”

“On Aug. 30th, the Student Activities Council ap-proved funds to donate $445 that will go toward five new textbooks.” said McCombs.

McCombs recommends that students should donate textbooks to the library if the books are not in use. Since there will be no funds to provide books this fall semester, students who are in a financial jam for books should talk to their instructors, plan something out and not give up by dropping a class for lack of textbooks.

Some students at Cypress College are not aware of the issue. First year student, Gracie Rodriguez, was sur-prised when told about the problem saying it was the first time she had heard of it.

Rodriguez replied, “It is sad that the Library does not have textbooks to lend to students because to do well in school, books are needed for education. It is an obstacle paying for school and now books. It is making it hard to succeed.” She suggested the students should donate textbooks or sell their textbooks to the library at an affordable price rather than selling it back to the bookstore or online. If students do this, they’re “giving back to the school,” said Rodriguez.

Student Alex Solano, believed that this year the situa-tion has worsened because of a sign posted in front of the circulation desk stating there are no funds to buy new textbooks.

Solano said, “It stinks. Sometimes, I fear that the library won’t have the books I need. What happens if instructors ask for the new editions or more required books? I don’t have that kind of money to spend on new textbooks.” He feels that whoever is in charge of managing the funds in the state of California should have the responsibility to give money to students and their education rather than spending funds on unim-portant needs.

Like Rodriguez, he believes that students should take action on this issue such as donating books to the library and/or develop a fundraiser like a car wash to help pitch-in to purchase books.

This resource has had one of the biggest impacts on students because early in the semester, the number of students who checked-out textbooks was at least 716.

September 2010 19

On Aug 23, the line formed from the circulation desk to the end of the reference desk.

Young said, “This resource is unique for this institu-tion. Fullerton College does not have a textbook col-lection for students.”

Editor’s Note: According to @Cypress, 86 books have been donated so far by departments, professors and students. D

Crime Report of August

There have been seven incidents reported for the month of August. The crime

report accounts for all days, including the weekend swap-meet.

• Grand Theft, 2 reports:

- Two analytical scales were stolen from room 314 in the Science, Engineering and Math building from July 26 to Aug. 4.

- A bicycle was reported stolen Aug. 16 between the Humanities and Science building.

• Vandalism, 3 reports:

- 2 vehicles vandalized between Aug. 19 and 23.

- Student Activities Center men’s rest-room wall graffiti reported Aug 18.

• Petty Theft, 1 report

- A bicycle was stolen between Aug. 26 and 30.

There was a report of someone firing a pel-let gun in parking lot 5 on Aug. 28.

The amount of grand theft reports for Au-gust already match the total of 2008 at two reports. The data for 2009 is unavailable. D

Photo by Robert Galvan

Photography

Time Heals All Wound’s by: April Gardikis

The Circle by: Sindy Hand

The Pathway by: Sindy HandGreen Flower by: April Gardikis


September 2010 21

Alice in Wonderland by: April Gardikis

Plant by: Sindy Hand

The Cat’s Eye by: April Gardikis

Cherry Blossom by: Sindy Hand

Sindy Hand:I’ve alway liked to take pictures but didnt get serious until i was looking for a photographer for my wedding. My passion is in wedding and portrait photography. I love to see people that are in love and enjoy capturing their emotions. My goal is to get better and better each day and to have my images touch people’s heart and be successful. My website is www.sindyhand.com

Layout and Design by Vanessa Medina

April Gardikis:I started photography as a hobby about 10 years ago. It is a passion I have always had. I started here at Cypress College in the Fall of 2008 and have been going full time ever since working on my Associates degree in photography. In January of this year I started my own business called , Natural Slice of Life Photography. I offer portraits of kids, babies, families, pets, couples, parties, graduations.....etc. I am still building my client base and currently putting together my website. You can find my website ( a work in progress) at : www.adlifephoto.com , my email address is : [email protected] I welcome any and all questions and comments

Biological Response

By Nathan Schulz

There are at least 6 billion people in the world that we would like to study. Dissect them. Gather them

in a room and see how they interact. For the good of science, we would subject them to horrific experiments to better understand our own humanity.

We look forward to cutting you open.

What are calculations to a fractured mind? If I told you I love you, I’d only be saying it to gauge your retinal response. The beat of your heart has accelerated to nominal conditions. The conditions being that we can now cut it out and transplant it into the body of some-one better than you’ll ever be.

Oh the things we will learn when we put you in a cage!

I am a scientist, and I have a Ph.D specializing in not caring about your pain. I’ll put your soul under a mi-croscope. I’ll put your self-respect in a petrie dish. We would like to take samples of everything that you are, and see if we can grow them in a different environment. The subject seems to be in a state of agony.

We drew blood before, so you won’t mind if we bleed you dry.

As a committee of highly intelligent and vicious scien-tists, we would like to propose sending you into space. What would zero gravity do to the void in your heart? Spinning you around and around, but we’ll never let

you down. Stare into the sun and see if anyone re-sponds within the parameters we established.

Crying is merely the biological response to being treated like crap.

Your thoughtful donation to the advancement of our endless studies will be much appreciated. Let’s see if it will accidently help others. It wasn’t intentional, but the surprise side-effects didn’t affect us at all. You’ll recover within a standard human lifespan.

Now a toast to the hypothesis of love!

The equations have come back inconclusive. They say that you were human all along. But it was never within the budget to allow you to be. The computer has finished calculating your odds of surviving another experiment.

Your contributions to our science will be remembered. D

DIVERGENCE is looking for new talent. Students willing and ready to showcase their poetry, essays, short stories, and other forms of literature in our

upcoming issues.

Simply send an email to [email protected]

with the subject titled Literary Section.

All inquiries welcome. Enjoy!Divergence Magazine22

It’s Friday night, the time is right, and she’s looking for a soul to steal. You can feel her presence in the air, her piercing stare on the back of your neck making every inch of your skin crawl. Making you feel smaller than the spider you’ve been watching in the corner

while trying to forget that she’s here.

You cross the room for another beer and pray to God for a distraction. Some human interaction just for a fraction of a second so that you can pretend she doesn’t exist. The music plays, hips sway to and fro, and you know you should resist looking over to see if she’s gone. You realize that when you see her standing in the same place as before, see the same face that tore you apart, you will lose yourself again. You’re back in the lion’s den with only two ways out: befriend the ferocious beast or wind up ceasing to exist.

Hands in a fist, you wish it were simple enough that you could just brawl your way out of the mess but you’ve reached a level of distress that freezes you in that very moment. You know it won’t kill you but there is no denying your slowed heartbeat and cement blocks for feet.

There it is, one more time. A smell so fatally intoxicating that you breathe slowly but ever so deeply as her essence sweetly robs you of everything you have. Everything you are. You know she is right behind you now. You cower in fear because with her this near, escape is out of the question. It seems as though you are destined to be enslaved until the end of time. The hole that she has dug for you is too deep to climb out of so you must simply play in the dirt and hope she doesn’t hurt you so badly this time around.

When she finally speaks, the sound of her voice drowns out all the noise and you’re back in the world the two of you created together. Its melody throws you out to sea and its tone builds a raft. The waters of this ocean rage and cause such a commotion that you’re quite positive you will become just another cast away with no hope for anything but a few rotten coconuts for dinner. Like the poor swimmer you are, you hold onto the pile of sticks keeping you afloat with a vice grip that would make Chuck Norris jealous. Perhaps it’s a bit overzealous, but the frightening possibilities that call the ocean home are not the thing you want to face alone.

On the bed of your apparent and impending death, you listen to her take a breath and know that you will survive. See, these crippling fears that bring tears to your eyes also force you to wake up and realize you’re alive. And it’s something you strive for when alone but you just can’t seem to manage without her. Life is a blur when she is gone. No longer a story of your days, the moments you lived, just a run-on statement of actions that give you no purpose. No direction. When you look in the mirror, you can’t trust your reflection because she isn’t there to assure you of what is your nose and where to find your eyes.

She sighs because she knows just exactly how you feel. You’re sent reeling out into space, where time is suspended and there is no one to reprimand you for your mistakes. It takes only but a moment and you are no longer in this world. You were curled in a ball, trying to make it all go away and she has come to say, “It’s alright baby. I can keep you safe. Protect you from yourself. Force the demons from your mind.” And that promise binds you with ropes made of promises kept. You know that without these ties you are inept and unable to push through the trials of your days.

Your emotions and reactions have become bottled up in vials that seem to say, “This is not a man but a shell of a human being. And what you are seeing is just a lie so well constructed and uninterrupted that it’s hard not to believe.” But these bottled up feelings reprieve you from your inevitable downfall and delay each moment that could destroy you from the inside out. Yet, here she is, about to take that all from you, just like before.

With her out of the picture, time flew by in a state of chaos, discontentment, and resentment toward your past. The moments were indis-tinguishable from the next to the last but that made it tolerable because you didn’t have to think. Now, on the brink of an explosion, an eruption of emotion, you wonder how you let it all happen. You thought you had seen the end of you two, your life together, so whether your heart was still beating or not, you decided to live in fog. Because this mist was ever so perfect at disguising the moments you missed that could have kept the both of you in tandem. This was no random chain of events, but moments meant to wake you from your stupor.

Now it’s time to recuperate and pick yourself from up off the floor. There is no more pretending, because she has come to seek you out and together you will shout exclamations of enlightenment at the tops of the mountains that surround you. With this epiphany, you turn to see her loving eyes and her lips beckon for yours. In this moment, no matter the distractions in your head and around you, her presence astounds you and you are reminded of why it is you can’t seem to shut her out completely. So ever so sweetly, you press your lips to hers to thank her for everything that she is. And the world fades, becoming every shade of white so that the light illuminates her beauty and you know there is no other path but the one that you walk with her. D

September 2010 23

It’s Friday night, the time is right, and she’s looking for a soul to steal. You can feel her presence in the air, her piercing stare on the back of your neck making every inch of your skin crawl. Making you feel smaller than the spider you’ve been watching in the corner

while trying to forget that she’s here.

You cross the room for another beer and pray to God for a distraction. Some human interaction just for a fraction of a second so that you can pretend she doesn’t exist. The music plays, hips sway to and fro, and you know you should resist looking over to see if she’s gone. You realize that when you see her standing in the same place as before, see the same face that tore you apart, you will lose yourself again. You’re back in the lion’s den with only two ways out: befriend the ferocious beast or wind up ceasing to exist.

Hands in a fist, you wish it were simple enough that you could just brawl your way out of the mess but you’ve reached a level of distress that freezes you in that very moment. You know it won’t kill you but there is no denying your slowed heartbeat and cement blocks for feet.

There it is, one more time. A smell so fatally intoxicating that you breathe slowly but ever so deeply as her essence sweetly robs you of everything you have. Everything you are. You know she is right behind you now. You cower in fear because with her this near, escape is out of the question. It seems as though you are destined to be enslaved until the end of time. The hole that she has dug for you is too deep to climb out of so you must simply play in the dirt and hope she doesn’t hurt you so badly this time around.

When she finally speaks, the sound of her voice drowns out all the noise and you’re back in the world the two of you created together. Its melody throws you out to sea and its tone builds a raft. The waters of this ocean rage and cause such a commotion that you’re quite positive you will become just another cast away with no hope for anything but a few rotten coconuts for dinner. Like the poor swimmer you are, you hold onto the pile of sticks keeping you afloat with a vice grip that would make Chuck Norris jealous. Perhaps it’s a bit overzealous, but the frightening possibilities that call the ocean home are not the thing you want to face alone.

On the bed of your apparent and impending death, you listen to her take a breath and know that you will survive. See, these crippling fears that bring tears to your eyes also force you to wake up and realize you’re alive. And it’s something you strive for when alone but you just can’t seem to manage without her. Life is a blur when she is gone. No longer a story of your days, the moments you lived, just a run-on statement of actions that give you no purpose. No direction. When you look in the mirror, you can’t trust your reflection because she isn’t there to assure you of what is your nose and where to find your eyes.

She sighs because she knows just exactly how you feel. You’re sent reeling out into space, where time is suspended and there is no one to reprimand you for your mistakes. It takes only but a moment and you are no longer in this world. You were curled in a ball, trying to make it all go away and she has come to say, “It’s alright baby. I can keep you safe. Protect you from yourself. Force the demons from your mind.” And that promise binds you with ropes made of promises kept. You know that without these ties you are inept and unable to push through the trials of your days.

Your emotions and reactions have become bottled up in vials that seem to say, “This is not a man but a shell of a human being. And what you are seeing is just a lie so well constructed and uninterrupted that it’s hard not to believe.” But these bottled up feelings reprieve you from your inevitable downfall and delay each moment that could destroy you from the inside out. Yet, here she is, about to take that all from you, just like before.

With her out of the picture, time flew by in a state of chaos, discontentment, and resentment toward your past. The moments were indis-tinguishable from the next to the last but that made it tolerable because you didn’t have to think. Now, on the brink of an explosion, an eruption of emotion, you wonder how you let it all happen. You thought you had seen the end of you two, your life together, so whether your heart was still beating or not, you decided to live in fog. Because this mist was ever so perfect at disguising the moments you missed that could have kept the both of you in tandem. This was no random chain of events, but moments meant to wake you from your stupor.

Now it’s time to recuperate and pick yourself from up off the floor. There is no more pretending, because she has come to seek you out and together you will shout exclamations of enlightenment at the tops of the mountains that surround you. With this epiphany, you turn to see her loving eyes and her lips beckon for yours. In this moment, no matter the distractions in your head and around you, her presence astounds you and you are reminded of why it is you can’t seem to shut her out completely. So ever so sweetly, you press your lips to hers to thank her for everything that she is. And the world fades, becoming every shade of white so that the light illuminates her beauty and you know there is no other path but the one that you walk with her. D

Welcome to your past By Sydney Douglas

Go Places! Study Abroad in BerlinBy Jeff Mercado

The North Orange County Community College District and American Institute for Foreign Study are offering thirty

four bright students the chance to study in one of Europe’s most premier cities. And for the first time I will be leaving the United States when I and a select number of students depart for Berlin, Germany this coming march.

As many of my close mentors have told me, living in a different country presents a vast number of challenges which include being alone, having to navigate through streets you cannot even pro-nounce the name, or asking for help and have language barriers. They also say that it is one of the most rewarding experiences that you can ever take part in.

Professor John. T. Walker is one of the instructors that will travel to Berlin this March and teach German level two and Western Civilization (Hist 111). Professor Walker traveled to Germany during his days studying at Dartmouth College. He attended a semester at the University of Fieiburg where he lived with a host family and he says that semester completely captivated him and now promotes study abroad every year for students of Fullerton and Cypress College.

Some of the other courses students can look forward to include English 102, English 103, English 208, English 243, German 102, and Library 100 which will be taught by Fullerton College’s own John T. Walker and Claudia Stanger. Each course offered through this program will be fully transferable to any California State Uni-versity and University of California or can be applied for commu-nity college students that want to earn their Associates Degree.

The application process began in mid-July and is still ongoing. According to Professor Stanger the program is filling at a rapid rate. As of Aug. 31, out of the thirty four slots available twenty-seven are said to have been taken already.

Many students like me do not have the total amount of funds on hand to pay for this program up front. The various costs to include a $450 deposit at the time the application is submitted which is refunded if the student is not selected or he or she withdraws. The program is expected to cost an estimated $8,640 not including fees and expenses which bring the total cost to $9,290. Add-ons include a $625 excursion to the city of Prague (optional) as well as medical insurance upgrades and personal effects coverage which run at $65 and $90 respectively.

In order to raise the funds to study abroad I have looked at sev-eral scholarships and grants programs that provide aid to strug-gling students who wish to study abroad.

One of the highest paying and most well established programs is the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Foundation. The Gilman Scholarship offers students the chance to receive awards up to $5,000 which they can apply towards the study

abroad program of their choice. To be considered for this award a student must be in good standing academically, receive a Pell Grant at the time of their application and be an undergraduate student. Along with the applications students must also prepare a statement of purpose essay that tells the scholarship committee why you should be selected to receive the award.

Writing that paper was extremely challenging so if you are plan-ning to apply do so quickly and ask for plenty of people to review your paper. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is October 5 and applicants can expect to be notified by early December if they have been selected.

To be eligible for study abroad in Berlin students must be 18 years or older, have 12 units or more of college level work com-pleted, have passed English 100 with a “C” or higher and have maintained a grade point Average of at least 2.5.

Informational meetings will be held at Fullerton College Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 30 at 12 p.m. in building 200 Room 229. At Cypress College there will be a one meeting on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Complex Room 419. The students will depart to Berlin March 4 from Los Angeles Airport and come backMay 12.

So if you are like me and have a strong desire to “get away” then why not do it by going to one of the most historic and beautiful parts of Germany for 3 months? Berlin and all of western Europe has so much to offer and will no doubt be an exciting learning experience for anyone who jumps on that plane March 4.

For more Information on:

The Gilman Scholarship visit www.iie.org/en/programs/Gilman-Scholarship-program.

If you are interested in study abroad is http://studyabroad.fullcoll.edu. D


September 2010 25

Save a Life, Give BloodBy Dawn Southern

According to The American Red Cross “Every two seconds somebody needs blood.” That’s 38,000 blood

donations that are needed daily. One out of five people will need blood some time in their lives. 50percent of the people in the U.S. are eligible to donate but only 5 percent do.

Your one donation could save the lives of up to three people.

According to Asoociated Student Administrative Assistant Becky Rojas, Cypress College has been holding their bian-nual blood drive for over 10 years. Over 100 students and staff at Cypress College donated blood last year. When asked if they were going to donate the top answers Cypress College students gave were “I don’t like needles” and “I didn’t know about it.”

Sophomore Adam Escobedo was asked if he would be will-ing to give blood said “I would if my tattoo did not prevent me from doing so.” Although Escobedo could not donate he said “I think it is always good for people to be able to donate blood if they wished to help others.”

Nursing student Elizabeth Deharo was asked if she was going to donate blood “last year I gave blood and this year I want to give blood, too.” When asked if she had any side effects from giving blood Deharo said “The very first time I did it, I did, but I just laid down and it went away, and the food made it way better.” According to Deharo her experi-ences with giving blood here at school were, “fast, very comfortable, when they set up food and everything else it was ok.” She added “It is a good cause too, I know you save up to three lives with the blood that you give.” Deharo was going to make sure friends went along with her to donate and give her support.

In order to be eligible to donate you must weigh at least 110 pounds and be over 17 years of age. Having visited certain foreign countries can exclude you One year needs to have passed since you got a tattoo or 6 months since receiving a piercing. You must be in good health and picture ID is needed.

The Donation process is four easy steps and takes up to one and a half hours to complete. During the first step you will be registered and have your health history taken. Step two involves a mini physical where your pulse, temperature,

heart rate and blood pressure will be taken. Then a small drop of blood from your finger will be tested to see if your hemoglobin (red blood count) level is high enough for you to give blood. Step three is the donation process and will take between 6-12 minutes. During this process a needle will be inserted into your arm and one pint of blood will be drawn . Step four is where you will rest for 10-15 minutes then be given refreshments.

Donated blood will be put on ice until it reaches the blood bank at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. At the blood blank it will be scanned into the computer data base, spun in a centrifuge to separate red cells, platelets and plas-ma then tested for thirteen diseases including HIV, Hepitis B & C, syphilis and other infectious diseases. Donors will be notified confidentially if a test comes back positive.

Still asking yourself why should I donate blood? Take into consideration that every two seconds someone some-where needs blood. Donated blood has a shelf life of up to 42 days. The demand for blood donations due to trauma, surgeries, illnesses and disasters is growing faster than the supply of blood on hand. Blood cannot be manufactured, it can only be donated. Be that person to make a difference. Donate blood.

If you are interested in donating blood at the upcoming blood drive on Sept 29 and 30 hosted by Cypress College AS you can call Administrative Assistant Becky Rojas at (714) 484-7199 for an appointment or come by with your picture ID to the Student Center during the blood drive. D

Photo: James Thompson


The Shadows of the EyesBy Denise Gomez

Elizabeth Taylor’s blue eye shadow enhanced her baby-blues in the 50’s and 60’s glamorizing the blue shadow, and Cindy

Lauper rocked it during the flashy 80’s. Today, Kim Kardashian smokes her eyes with grays and charcoal, in a look which has become popular within the last decade and my personal favorite. This make-up piece is a must in many of our makeup bags, so let’s delve a little further into the topic

Eye shadow is a piece of make-up many gals, or Adam Lambert cannot do without. From a subtle application to a more dramatic look, eye shadow enhances the eye in ways no cosmetic can. Although certain looks require applying the product on the lower and upper lid, the shadow is generally worn on the upper lid and comes in various forms such as solid palettes, loose pigments and cream shadows.

Some foul-proof techniques to follow when wearing eye shadow is to make sure the color of the shadow is not the same as your iris, with the exception of brown eyes. If you have blue eyes, one should wear colors like soft browns or tans with pink undertones. People with green eyes should wear khaki and brown shades with yellow undertones. As for those brown-eyed folks, browns and charcoal shades are the best for them.

Taylor and Kardashian are some of the few well-known celebri-ties which were able to popularize eye shadow fads, but its history tells much more.

Ehow.com states that in ancient Greece, shadow was used for reasons we use it today- vanity. Although Cleopatra used a lot of black, she was also known for wearing blue shades. The Greeks preferred the blues and greens as well. These vibrant colors were made with stones such as lapis lazuli, a stone with a deep, blue hue.

History also shows that for the Greeks, this piece of make-up served as an important factor in their economy since much of it was exported within the Mediterranean. However, Iraqis used eye shadow to ward off potential evils. Ancient Egyptians, both men and women wore it for various reasons. One reason was to counteract the sun’s glare, another was to give the eye an almond shape and lastly, they believed kohl contain healthful properties such as restoring lost vision and fighting infection. This belief was in part true. Because Kohl was made from lead and antimony, a chemical element used medicinally, it was used to effectively ward off infections such as conjunctivitis.

The eye shadows used then were made from the natural resources available. Egyptians made their shadows by crushing burnt almonds, copper, or ash to name a few. In Japan, rice flower, crushed flower petals and bird droppings were used to shadow the eye, yes, bird poop!

In the early 1950’s, make-up gurus like Helena Rubenstein cre-ated colored powders inspired by French theatre. Today we have companies like M.A.C offering colors the Egyptians could only dream about. Shopping for the perfect shade can be fun and te-dious for some. It can be addicting and expensive as well. M.A.C has become a popular favorite. (The multi-million dollar com-pany’s make-up is so coveted that counterfeiter’s have recently profited in creating M.A.C replicas). With their sleek, black case and myriad of colors, it’s no wonder chicks flock to their counters.

Unfortunately, for the average college girl, forkin’ up the funds for cool-looking shadow can be a reality check. At about $15 a pop (a single shade), I had to think twice about continuously having to pay for my favorite shade (Black Tied). I decided to opt for an alternative which would cost less but would offer the same quality, meaning it would be highly pigmented and blend effort-lessly.

Although I would love to fill my clear make-up bag with the little, round cases, sometimes we forget we are paying for labels -an expense many of us cannot afford. L’Oreal was the answer to my makeup budget crisis. I resorted to L’Oreal’s Wear Infinite line of shadows and was pleasantly surprised. I discovered it was highly pigmented and blended just like, if not better than the more costly option. Like the costly alternative, L’Oreal’s shadow could also be used with water for a more dramatic effect. More so, L’Oreal costs about half the price as M.A.C’s and lasts a long time. Don’t get me wrong, M.A.C is a great product, but the price is not if you are able to get something of the same quality for less cash. It will leave you enough money to buy Scantrons and a Cup-o-Noodle. D

Photo by Sydney Douglas

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