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LBCC brings back commercial music program after a decade

Jeanette Lem
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LBCC brings back commercial music program after a decade

For over a decade, LBCC’s music program has not offered commercial courses that teach students the business and technical side of the music industry. This year, they’ve decided to bring it back.

Since the commercial music program was cut in 2012, the music department has focused on teaching performing arts, which consists mainly of vocal and instrumental lessons.

Patrick Sheng, director of Instrumental Jazz Studies at LBCC, has officially kick-started the commercial music program that will be returning in the spring of 2023. 

“It seems a little ridiculous that in the 21st century we don’t offer these kinds of classes,” Sheng said. “Musicians need to have technical skills to really make it. All of the professional musicians I know record their own music, so I thought this should be something that I teach my students.” 

The program will offer courses in live sound techniques, music recording techniques, music business, and even songwriting. Students will be able to take a combination of these courses to receive a certificate of achievement in commercial music.

Sheng and the program’s advisory board decided to classify it under “CTE,” or Career Technical Education instead of an academic program to gain more funding for the courses.  

Since CTE focuses on hands-on equipment learning, the school allocates a good amount of money for course materials. This is beneficial for the commercial music program because technology and software change yearly in the music world. 

Sheng had been wanting to bring back the commercial arts program since he was hired in 2014, but the resurgence of this program is also in part because LBCC has placed greater importance on CTE programs in recent years. 

“It was an interesting choice to cut the program in the first place because it was one of the higher-performing programs in terms of enrollment,” Sheng said. “But the atmosphere at the college ten years ago was cutting vocational programs and focusing on academics and transfers. Since the administration has changed since then, it’s now the opposite. We’re big on vocational stuff right now.” 

Sheng and the advisory board have decided that commercial arts at LBCC will not be made a transferable major. The only transferable major in the music program at the moment is musicianship and performing arts. 

Students who are interested in taking commercial music classes do not have to play an instrument to complete the certificate of achievement. 

“Students should know that these classes are beginner friendly, they can take them with no knowledge at all,” part-time professor Louie Teran said, who will be teaching the music recording techniques class next year.

Teran got his start as a mastering engineer through LBCC’s commercial music program before it was cut. He has since worked on soundtrack projects for “The Dark Knight,” “The Lego Movie,” and “Glee.” 

“I want my students to look at someone like me, who took these classes at a community college just like they are doing,” Teran said. “I want them to know that they can make it in the industry just like I did by starting off here.” 

So far, the commercial music program only has part-time faculty teaching the courses. Most of the professors are still working in the industry, and are only teaching part-time. 

Sheng and the advisory board have just put together a proposal for a full-time position in the program, but they don’t believe it will be filled in the near future.

“I estimate there will be 40 positions requested, and there are other departments that have priority hiring,” Sheng said. “I’m not optimistic that the position will be filled in any time soon, but I have to try to at least submit a request.”

LAC and PCC Library hours extended

vikingnews
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LAC and PCC Library hours extended

Both the LAC and PCC libraries have recently announced an extension to their hours of operation. Previously open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the hours have been extended to 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The extension comes just in time for finals season, as the last three weeks of LBCC’s fall semester are quickly coming to a close. 

Staff hopes that students will utilize the new hours of operation to find a place of refuge on campus to study. They are encouraging students to get ahead of their necessary studying for finals.

The spirit of supporting students appears to be strong among the student workers of the LAC library, who have to work extra because of the extended hours.

“I’m fine with it as long as it helps the students,” said Michelle Chao, a student worker at the library’s circulation desk. “Personally, I think 7:30 is too early, but if it’s to accommodate students I think it’s ok.”

Another worker at the circulation desk spoke on his thoughts on the hours as well but expressed concern for the late hours.

“I do feel bad for my friends who have to work late, some of my coworkers are staying until 9 p.m. and most of them are women, they have to do the buddy system when walking back to their cars late at night,” said student library worker Andrew Inda. 

“As a student though, I think it’s cool because it’s better for those who want to stay late or earlier, and the school is accommodating that,” Inda said.

The hours are certainly being taken advantage of as early yesterday morning students could be seen in the library, typing away on laptops or phones, plugged in and ready to go. 

It is still undetermined whether the extended hours will remain after the end of the fall semester or if the hours will go back to normal once the final week of the semester has concluded.

The change in hours may also reflect a shift to normalcy, as hours have slowly extended coming out of COVID-19.

Though masking is still encouraged, students have one by one removed their face masks. Only a small portion of the student population can be actively seen wearing masks on campus, adding to a returned sense of normalcy for the semester.

Women’s 2022 volleyball season at a glance

Matthew Walker
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Women’s 2022 volleyball season at a glance

Viking’s women’s volleyball put up a fight this year as they pushed through a tough season filled with adversity, and ended their season with a record of 2-10 in conference and 3-16 overall.

The team averaged 9.46 kills per set and 12.7 points per set in conference this season. They ended with a total of 388 kills and 50 service aces.

In past years, the Vikings have had a winning women’s volleyball program and have generally been a strong team to compete against.

This year the team was set to face several different struggles, from losing players to injuries and losing players due to academic ineligibility.

“As a coach and as a program we dealt with a lot of adversity, and it showed just with our record,” head coach Tyler Jackson said.

Although there were not many highlights for the Vikings this year, they were able to defeat Pasadena, who was ranked 13th in state, which was a big accomplishment for the women.

Freshman Danika Iosua was one of the stand out players this season for the Vikings, being one of the few expected to always play on the court.

“She’s only about 5 ‘7” but she plays like she’s 6’. She really was the glue for our team this year.” Jackson said.

Sophomore Caleyse Saunders was another strong player for the Vikings but was unfortunately injured mid season, causing her to miss a few games.

“She was out for several games which made it hard on us, but then she returned back for the last couple matches and it really made all the difference.” Jackson said.

Iosua and Saunders were both named second team all conference.

The entire indoor lineup will be coming out for the beach volleyball season in the spring of 2023 including most of those who were injured or ineligible.

“As many can say, it’s not the record we wished for, but I know each and every one of my girls is so talented in their own ways and worked hard no matter the outcome. I know we will use this past seasons record as motivation to build, grow and prepare for the next season.” Iosua said.

The Vikings are hoping to build a stronger program in the upcoming beach season that can carry over for the next indoor season.

“We have several transfer athletes that just love our program, love our school and our community and have been super interested in wanting to join us,” Jackson said. “I think it says a lot for having such a hard season and losing indoors, but to still have such a huge amount of interest from other athletes from different programs. I think it also says a lot about what we’re building here at Long Beach City.”

Vikings Talk Podcast, News Recap: Nov. 13 – Nov. 23

Matthew Walker
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Vikings Talk Podcast, News Recap: Nov. 13 – Nov. 23

Vikings Talk recaps the stories posted on the Viking’s website from Nov. 13 – Nov. 23.

Viking Talks discuss Wendy Koenig’s memorial service that occurred on campus and the election results for Board of Trustee members Sunny Zia and Virginia Baxter.

Get a glimpse into the jewelry and metal work courses offered on campus and the “Game of Sk8” competition hosted by Skate Dojo that took place at Michael K. Green Park.

Viking Talks also reviewed the results for the Women’s Soccer Tournament as well as took a look into LBCC’s newest edition to sports, esports.

Out of the shadows: LBCC student turns his life around after growing up around gangs

Matthew Walker
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Out of the shadows: LBCC student turns his life around after growing up around gangs

After having been released from jail earlier this year, 23 year-old student Adrian Burt found himself sleeping in a baseball dugout at Heartwell Park with a blanket and a phone as his only possessions.

He had lost everything, including his car, home and job. The people he thought would be there for him knew that he was homeless, but did not respond to him when he reached out for help. 

“I can’t blame them,” Burt said. “I was drinking and using drugs like meth, which made me act out and led me to get arrested.”

Burt had been no stranger to homelessness before this point. He had been on his own since the age of 17, and his entire life he had been used to dealing with hardship. 

“One day I was walking around Downtown Long Beach and I saw a resource fair. I saw the LBCC tent and was just trying to see if they were giving out anything for free. That’s when I met Jose Ibarra.” 

Jose Ibarra is the director of the Phoenix Scholars program at LBCC. This program intends to help gang-impacted individuals go to college and provide them resources for academic, financial, and emotional support. After talking for a while, Ibarra suggested Burt go to college. 

Burt had declined Ibarra’s invitation to college at first, but was the perfect candidate for the Phoenix scholars program. Growing up in Riverside, Burt had lived in the shadows of gangs. 

His father was in the Mexican Mafia and had landed himself in prison for murder. His father then killed himself in his cell when Burt was only 3-years-old.  

Growing up without a father affected Burt. He recalled a memory of when he began doing his own research online to find out more about who he was. Through social media, he found one of his father’s old friends from high school. 

“The woman who was friends with my dad sent me an article about him,” Burt said. “I remember her telling me ‘read this and understand what you’re getting into if you really want to know about your dad.’ ”

While reading through the horrors of what his father and other Mexican Mafia members did in the article, Burt discovered he had half-siblings: two older brothers and a sister. He typed his siblings’ name into Facebook’s search bar, and called them once he found out who they were. 

Burt’s siblings had followed their father’s footsteps in joining gangs. Burt recalled a moment when a car drove slowly past him as he conversed with his half-siblings outside their house. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as the car circled back around the block. The people in the car fired gunshots at them, then sped off. 

“That day didn’t change me wanting to meet my brothers and sister,” Burt said, “but I realized that was the path they took. I don’t want to be impacted by that lifestyle, but I am and I always will be. After that day I was like, OK, I have another vision for myself. I’m not a perfect person but I don’t want to have a bad life.” 

Adrian Burt, a 23-year-old LBCC student in black and white. Burt was once homeless and has family involved in gangs. (Jeanette Lem)

After that interaction, Burt had made it his focus to work on his academics and play football in high school, but trouble was brewing at home.  His mother made herself a reputation for partying and leaving him and his younger siblings home alone while also dating abusive men. 

“One day in high school, I came home from football practice and my mom was getting hit by her boyfriend. She was pregnant, so I hit him and ended up breaking his jaw,” Burt said. “I thought I was protecting her. I thought she was going to kick him out, but she ended up kicking me out instead. I was 17. That was the first time I was really homeless.” 

Burt’s grades started to falter after that. He was top 30 in the state of California in 2016 for football and even had a scholarship waiting for him to play at UC Berkeley, but they required a 3.0 GPA. After Burt had gotten kicked out, his high school GPA fell just shy beneath that at a 2.8. 

While other high school students were worried about what to wear for prom and whether they’d get accepted into universities, Burt was worried about finding a place to sleep at night. He slept on multiple friend’s couches until the school year was over.

“Once I graduated that school, there wasn’t a place for me to go anymore. That free food and somewhere to spend time during the day, that was gone. I fell in with the wrong people after that and got into drugs after high school,” Burt said.

At 19, Burt had started using meth and was drinking, but after a few years of being involved with a bad crowd, he wanted to try to get his life together again. He moved to Long Beach to live with grandparents to get sober and start over. But he soon began feeling the withdrawals from the drugs and partying he used to do. 

“I thought everything would get better when I got to my grandparent’s house, but I was in a dark place. I was depressed. I was trying to stay clean, but I ended up getting really drunk one night and I got really aggressive. That’s when I got arrested,” Burt said.

“I was a different person when I was on drugs, and my friends and family saw that side of me. After jail I came out with a growth mindset, but I understood that I did people wrong and I needed to show them that I was doing better. I knew that was going to take time,” Burt said.

So although Burt had initially declined Ibarra’s offer to go to college and enroll in the Pheonix Scholars program, he thought about their conversation as he went back to his car to sleep for the night. 

He figured maybe going to college could be a way to better himself. He felt he had nothing better to do, and it was hard trying to find a job in his situation. 

Adrian Burt stands in front of the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium on the LBCC LAC campus. (Jeanette Lem)

A few days later, he went over to the Liberal Arts Campus to check it out and ran into Ibarra again, who then helped enroll him into school.

“Phoenix scholars guided me in the right direction and helped me stay in college,” Burt said. “If I didn’t come here, I don’t know where I’d be. I’d probably turn into one of those druggies on the street. I was close to relapsing, like going back to drugs but I didn’t.” 

“I’ve seen him grow confidence in himself and own his life since I’ve met him,” Ibarra said. “He has a way of using the narrative of his life to empower himself and empower others. He overcomes all barriers, and still manages to show up for himself.”

The Phoenix Scholars program was able to connect Burt with Jovenes, one of LBCC’s housing programs. He now lives in an apartment building with four other students and studies welding technology full time. 

“I made a promise to myself that I’m gonna do this,” Burt said. “I’ve achieved a lot these past couple of months. My whole mindset going into school was that I’m going to be homeless for two years and tough it out, but I can come out of this. I always have.” 

Art through adversity: A LBCC artist shows the importance of love and community

Matthew Walker
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Art through adversity: A LBCC artist shows the importance of love and community

“One Love,” A drawing of rapper Nipsey Hussle and singer Selena Quintanilla Perez in a happy embrace hangs on the wall of the art gallery, inspired by reflecting on the past and present of its artist, LBCC student, Jeremiah Henderson.

Henderson is the only student to have his art showcased during the “Cuidate Mucho” art gallery, and his story is one of art through adversity.

“Growing up I discovered my love for art and coming from a low-income household, my grandma couldn’t afford the best art supplies, so I made the most out of the spare pencil and paper around the house,” Henderson said.

At first, the big picture was always involving his art being displayed in museums, but over time he found himself unsure of where his dreams were going.

“I thought it was impossible for someone with my background to become what I wanted,” Henderson said, “I started settling with the idea of being a tattoo artist so at least my work can be seen.”

The tattoo artist’s direction stayed that way for a while, until the untimely death of a close friend, sending Henderson into a depressed state. He found himself sketching and drawing constantly, using the art as a distraction to get the sudden tragedy out of his head.

Shortly after, he moved to L.A. from his hometown and experienced culture shock from all the negativity displayed. 

“I noticed immediately the hostility and differences between Hispanic and minority communities, where love was absent even if they were neighbors,” he said.

This was when Henderson knew he wanted to create an art piece that showed two can come together no matter their backgrounds, with less hate and more love.

An art piece displayed at the art gallery here on campus, “One Love” by student Jeremiah Henderson shows the love of two icons. The piece is part of the 2022 “Graphite on Paper” exhibit. (Juleah Corzantes)

He chose Nipsey Hussle due to him being a personal inspiration and an icon for minorities, same with Selena, as she is an inspiration for many Hispanic households and communities.

“The both of them, being so loved and sadly dying in violent ways, made the communities and neighborhoods set aside all differences and come together, to celebrate the love they had for these artists. That’s really what got my art going and what I wanted to represent for others to see, how it is possible for everyone to love one another,” Henderson said.

The “One Love” art piece took Henderson about two months to come up with.

“Originally I only had Nipsey Hussle sketched as he has always been a main inspiration for me, but due to my work, I was constantly exposed to environments that were heavily Hispanic populated and I loved everything about it, so I decided to incorporate Selena in it as well,” he said.

Henderson is the only student at LBCC to be featured in the art gallery, his piece was hand chosen by the new art director Karla Aguiniga. 

“They were setting up shop and I saw Jeremiah’s drawing, it was so beautiful and the meaning along with the title I knew it would fit perfectly for the show,” Aguiniga said.

“At first I had no idea what the theme for the art exhibition was going to be, I brought the piece along with others to an art market in hopes to sell it as a print, Aguiniga saw it and immediately let me know that it would be amazing for it to be featured in the gallery, a week later I saw my name in the flyers around campus and was a little shocked,” Henderson said. 

The gallery experience was like no other for Henderson.

“It is unreal because this time last year I was sleeping in my car, having no family, no support, nothing. If I were seen on the side of the road, I would assume no one would take a second glance at me and would just think I’m a bum, no one knew my intentions were good, and that all I really wanted to do was be an artist,” he said, thankful for the support he has now.

Phil and Katherine Burno, West L.A. natives, are among those who helped Henderson shift his life for the better, providing a support system he’d been sorely lacking in Los Angeles. The couple met Jeremiah through the West L.A. Living Word Christian Center, where Phil Burno works as a pastor.

The church is located in a strip mall close to Henderson’s first tattoo shop apprenticeship, as well near to where he would often spend nights in his car. The longer he attended church services, the better the Burnos got to know him. Then, in November of 2021, Katherine first proposed inviting Jeremiah to stay in their home. 

“When we brought him home, it was a situation where he had to get accustomed to the idea of being in a place where he’s safe, and he doesn’t have to worry about being taken out because of him failing to accomplish something…we were committed to helping him, and taking care of him,” Phil Burno said, recalling what it was like having Henderson stay with them those first few weeks.

Katherine Burno also shared her emotions pertaining to Henderson’s art and journey.

“He is part of our family…his art obviously is so much a part of who he is but the story of him being homeless and in his car, that’s a minor part compared to how much God has grown him and given him opportunities to do better in  the things that he wants to do in his art and how much he’s grown. It’s been amazing to watch all of that,” she said.

Henderson’s academic journey was also greatly assisted by Katherine, as she encouraged him to consider attending school for his art, scheduling tours for several art schools, as well as helping him get enrolled at LBCC.

“His eyes were open to so much more in the art world and we started talking about it, and helped him get enrolled [at LBCC] and he has just grown so much in his art since he started his work in Long Beach and just being able to have a place of security, where he doesn’t have to scramble to make ends meet,” Katherine said.

Artist Jeremiah Henderson holds a piece of his art while sitting in the K Building of LBCC. Henderson moved to L.A. following the death of his friend and used the negativity he saw between neighbors to inspire his piece “One Love” which is on display in the Cuidate Mucho gallery. (Cain Carbajal)

The main theme Henderson wants to impart when looking at his art is that your upbringing doesn’t have to define you for the rest of your life.

“Your background doesn’t have to hold you back because in the drawing it shows Hussle, and he was a gangbanger before people knew his name and Selena was a small town singer in a struggling household. No matter the face or upbringing they both made people happy, and people came together not focusing on what they looked like or came from, but sharing love with the music they gave to the world,” Henderson said.

His art display drew a crowd at the opening of the art gallery reception. He was greeted by students and other local artists congratulating him. 

The love he received from campus is returned, as he noted his time here has helped him grow as an artist, “I can honestly say I have been creating my best work here while being enrolled at this school and look forward to the rest of my time here.”

2022 Viking’s football recap

Emily D'Amico
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2022 Viking’s football recap

The Vikings played their final game on Saturday night against Cerritos in the Western Bowl, losing the game ending their season with a final overall record of 5-6.

On their first game of the season, The Vikings seemed to be much more than locked in, defeating L.A. Southwest 72-6. The Vikings would also end this game with 18 penalties letting their emotions get the best of them, which would become an issue they would deal with throughout the season.

Discipline has been an issue that the team has been made aware about, as head coach Brett Peabody said since the start of the season, “We did not play up to the standards we set for ourselves.”

Vikings quarterback Will Madonna also had some words for his team regarding the way that their season ended, “It was disappointing we didn’t play good enough for the talent we had.”

Despite their mistakes, the Vikings chemistry has constantly seemed to be growing as their communication improved with every game, whether it would be through their support or figuring out team issues.

Another major problem for the Vikings would be the balance between their offense and their defense. Many of their losses would result on one side not playing on the same level as the other.

Vikings sophomore running back Johnathan Wattson, #3, would play a major role in the Viking’s offense leading the team with 11 touchdowns and a total of 845 yards with a total of 168 rushes.

Alongside Wattson’s impressive runs, the Vikings offensive line was crucial in making this possible. For most of the games the offensive line would receive praise and gratitude through fellow players and coaches for their strengths, visions, and ability to open up space.

The final season averages for the offense are 367.5 total yards per game, 119.2 from rushes, 248.4 from passes, and 29 points per game.

As for defense, Vikings freshman linebacker Jamarlo Campbell, #19, would lead the team in total tackles with 62 alongside fellow Vikings freshman linebacker on defense, Austin Bressler, #9, leading the team in solo tackles with 34.

The final season averages for the Vikings’ defense are 349.5 yards allowed per game, 161.9 rushing yards allowed per game, 187.5 passing yards allowed per game , and 27.5 points allowed per game

Although the Vikings season didn’t end in the way that they wanted it to, they have improved from last year’s record and seem to be locked in and working together to try to solve their issues as a team.

They have made it known they are aware of what they need to work on and are willing to put in the work for the outcome they fight for.

2022 Viking’s cross country recap

Emily D'Amico
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2022 Viking’s cross country recap

Long Beach City College’s cross country team showed out this year as they closed out their season competing at the CCCAA State Championships, with nine athletes representing the school.

The women’s cross country team had a strong season, where they qualified for state as a team and finished 19th at the state meet.

The girls representing Long Beach City College were Ailene Rios (So), Natalie Mejia (Fr), Jamileth Alvarado (Fr), Frida Hernandez (Fr), Lorena Galaviz (Fr), Katelyn Moratoya (Fr) and Jennifer Martinez (Fr).

Rios finished her season with a time of 19:10.5 and placed 20th overall while Mejia was the second highest finisher with a time of 21:37.4 putting her at 92nd overall.

Rios’ best time this season was 18:54 which was a major highlight for her.

“The highlight was definitely breaking 19, that was one of my last races and it was a good one,” Rios said. “That was definitely a highlight because that was the end goal.”

Women’s head coach Karen Vigilant was extremely proud of the ladies for pushing through this season even when it looked to be tough.

“In the beginning we were struggling to have five on our team and then towards the end we made it through, so that’s a big accomplishment,” Vigilant said.

On the men’s side there were two men who made it to state as individuals, Riki Moscoso (Fr) and Noah Macias (Fr).

Moscoso finished 120th overall with a time of 22:46.3 and Macias finished 127th overall with a personally improved time of 22:49.5.

Coming off of an injury, Moscoso’s best time this season was a 21:28, which helped him qualify for state.

Before the upcoming track and field season and next year’s cross country season Moscoco said, “I want to strengthen my groin and hip area because that’s what led to my injury during this season. If I just improve on that I feel like I’ll be able to do good in track and cross country for next season.”

Eight out of the nine men that competed for the team were first time runners at the college level and they managed to get second in conference this year.

“I was happy with our outcome considering they are all freshmen, most of them should be returning next year so that excites me for next season,” said men’s head coach Julio Jimenez.

Aileen Rios and Riki Moscoso were both named first team all conference. Natalie Mejia and Noah Macias were named second team all conference.

LBCC’s track and field season will start in early February of 2023 and the Viking’s will be hosting two home meets this season. The first home meet will be on Friday, March 10 at 11 a.m., and the second meet on Friday, April 7 at 12 p.m.

The Vikings end the season with a loss against Cerritos during the Western State Bowl

Soderek San
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The Vikings end the season with a loss against Cerritos during the Western State Bowl

Long Beach City College lost the Western Bowl to Cerritos 35-28 on Saturday in a game full of flags and fights. Between the two teams, there were 23 penalties in total called, which costed a combined total of 231 yards.

The Vikings have regularly made it to bowl games and won them over the years, which made this loss only the second defeat in a bowl game since 2014. 

The Vikings started the game off on offense and wasted no time flipping the field. Vikings wide receiver Trennel Ridgely would catch an 18 yard pass from Qeanu Campbell-Caldwell and give the Vikings the first touchdown of the game.

The Vikings chemistry was ecstatic all throughout the first quarter, cheering on their teammates and showing their appreciation for every player playing their role.

LBCC running back Keathton Jasso shouted to his teammates, “They can’t stop you O-line!”

The Falcons responded quickly with a touchdown of their own at the three minute mark in the first quarter. The Falcons attempted and failed at a two point conversion, resulting in a score of 7-6 for the remainder of the first quarter.

The start of the second quarter was intense as the Falcons scored a touchdown and two point conversion. 

Both teams had spoken harshly at each other, going back and forth throughout the entirety of the game.

Vikings quarterback No. 10 Qeanu Campbell-Caldwell, prepares to make a throw during the Western State Bowl. (Matthew Walker)

The energy from the Falcons home crowd was certainly an advantage as you could hear them from across the parking lot.

All seemed to be going well for the Vikings until the ball was fumbled and recovered by Cerritos middle linebacker, Aiden Chapman. This play led Cerritos to another touchdown with 54 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Attitudes changed quickly for the Vikings following the scoring drive, but there was still a positive atmosphere maintained.

With three seconds left in the second quarter Vikings receiver Kyle Miller caught a 30 yard pass from Vikings quarterback Qeanu Cambell-Caldwell giving the Vikings another touchdown to stay in the game.

By halftime the score was 21-14 in favor of the Falcons.

The third quarter was not as impactful as the two before for Cerritos as they were unable to score. However, LBCC used this quarter to put another touchdown on the board.

Running back Jonathan Watson would once again play a major role for the Vikings, scoring a touchdown at the six minute mark. The touchdown was followed by a successful field goal to put the score at 21-21.

Cerritos started the fourth quarter strong as immense pressure was felt on both sides of the teams. The Falcons would end up gaining two more touchdowns, one at the 12 minute mark and the next at the seven minute mark. The two drives would put the score at 35-21.

The Vikings got rather heated, exchanging words to the refs and the players which incurred a penalty. LBCC was able to make one last play and scored another touchdown at the two minute warning, bringing the score to 35-28, but that was not enough for the Vikings to pull through.

Viking’s wide receiver No. 1, Trennel Ridgely, makes a run during the Western State Bowl. (Matthew Walker)

The Vikings were greatly disappointed and filled with emotions as they were not able to end their season the way that they hoped.

Vikings quarterback Will Madonna, who contributed all throughout the season but was not able to play in the game, had some words for his team.

“Today we felt like we played together for one of the first times, where it wasn’t one-sided like either having a really good offense or really good defense,” said Madonna.

The Western Bowl marked the end of the postseason for the Vikings who finished with a 5-6 overall record and 2-3 conference record. 

Opinion: LBCC shouldn’t support Chick-fil-A due to it’s anti-LGBTQ history

Matthew Walker
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Opinion: LBCC shouldn’t support Chick-fil-A due to it’s anti-LGBTQ history

Chick-fil-A has a distaste for queer people. The religiously conservative fast food company’s former CEO has given millions of dollars to groups that oppose and actively fight against gay rights year after year making the company’s homophobia no secret, yet Long Beach City College brought the discriminatory company onto campus as a treat to the students.

For this year’s Friendsgiving, the college provided free food from multiple vendors for the students, one being Chick-fil-A. The gesture came from a place of gratitude, but the decision was an ignorant one considering Long Beach has one of the highest populations of queer residents.

Long Beach is one of two cities in California to have a perfect score in the 2019 Municipal Equality Index from the nonprofit Human Rights Campaign, which identifies the most LGBTQ friendly cities based on local government. The school itself is headed by an openly gay man, Superintendent President Mike Munoz.

For a college that stresses the importance of inclusivity and diversity, it should practice what it preaches by not giving its dollars to companies that have openly tried to suppress the demographic in question. It sends mixed signals as to what the college is supposed to represent and comes across as disingenuous.

It is not breaking news that Chick-fil-A has had anti-LGBTQ sentiment for some time now. The first account was in 2010 after it was revealed Chick-fil-A’s CEO Dave Cathy donated $5 million to anti-gay groups between 2003-2010.

Yahoo Life reported Cathy’s son then doubled down on the companies actions in 2012 in a radio interview where the founder’s son said, “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,’” referring to the legalization of gay marriage in the United States.

In 2019, the company issued a statement announcing that it would stop donating to anti-LGBTQ groups after its bad publicity, but it has yet to ensure a LGBTQ friendly workplace practices, or acknowledge their past actions and branding as negative.

Chick-fil-A has claimed to no longer donate to anti-LGBTQ groups since 2019, but Cathy still donates thousands of dollars out of his own pocket to groups that oppose the Equality Act like the National Christian Charitable Foundation (NCF).

Cathy has since stepped down as CEO of the company as of late 2021, but still serves as VP and the chairman of the company’s board.

The college needs to boycott the company from now on if it wants to claim to be a safe space for LGBTQ members. This is not a hard ask, considering it has been attempted before at other colleges like NYU, NorthEastern University, Notre Dame and even the entire city of New York.

The student and staff population of Notre Dame University attempted to keep the fast food chain away from their campus in 2021, claiming “bringing Chick-fil-A to campus would run contrary to Notre Dame’s commitment to inclusion and desire to create good in the world,” reported the South Bend Tribune.

Although their attempts were unsuccessful, they tried to fight the company’s influence instead of actively welcoming it, which is still a noble attempt worth acknowledgment.

Colleges should be at the forefront of change and revolution. Here students should be able to envision a society we want to build and live in and the college should act as a breeding ground for that.

There is no excuse as to why we had to have Chick-fil-A at LBCC when the company does not promote a society we would be proud of and would be welcomed in. If the school would like to bring fried chicken sandwiches onto campus, there are several surrounding businesses that cater to that such as Jay Birds, Cluck & Blaze, Jack in the Box, and McDonalds.

With all these businesses that haven’t notoriously promoted hate and homophobia, LBCC has no excuse for choosing food from a company that has. Chick-fil-A’s views may be misguided but at least they stand by their beliefs and branding, as should the college.

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