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LBCC to host career workshops throughout the month

Moises
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LBCC to host career workshops throughout the month

Long Beach City College will host a number of developmental services for one’s career, primarily through workshops offered by the Career Center throughout the month of May, along with a chance at a $25 Amazon gift card.

The workshops featured in May will go over resume building, adaptability, how to handle an interview, networking, and how to come to a final decision on your career.

Career development is a massive part of advancing one’s life and as a community college, the focus is more geared to this near term development for one to move forward.

“Basically what we do is help students with applications, pair them with enrollment specialists, and provide what assistance we can,” Bri Pinkerton said, who is an administrative assistant and works with the transfer center, student support, and career academy.

Pinkerton also helps run some of the fairs and events put on by the departments she works with, such as grad fest.

Upon entering the Career Center’s room on the LAC campus, Pinkerton was busy finishing up work for grad fest and sorting certificates for students awarded scholarships. 

Many students enter college undecided or change their major at least once while in college. This is something else the center tries to help with.

“We’re trying to get undecided students to join the workshops to get a feel for the process. Some things we talk about are tuition, CSU versus UC, and so forth,” Pinkerton said.

Accommodations for these workshops can be provided by contacting Disabled Student Programs and Services 72 hours ahead of time at (562) 938-4558.


The Career Center can be reached at (562) 938-5195 for student appointments and (562) 938-3174 for business contacts.

Centers can be found on both the Liberal Arts Campus and Pacific Coast Campus in A-1097 and LL-206 respectively. 

Listed below are when the workshops are which can be registered here. 


21st Century Skills Series: Adaptability
Tuesday, May 10, 2022

11:00AM – 12:00PM

Networking Your Way to Success

Monday, May 16, 2022

3:00PM – 4:00PM

Interviewing Skills
Friday, May 20, 2022

12:00PM – 1:00PM

Career Decision Making
Wednesday, May 25, 2022

1:00PM – 2:00PM

Part-time professors sue LBCC for underpayment

Matthew Walker
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Part-time professors sue LBCC for underpayment

Long Beach City College was presented with a class action lawsuit co-sponsored by the California Teachers Association on April 4, representing two of the schools’ very own part-time professors.

Art history professors Karen Roberts and Seija Rohkea claim that the school’s pay contract for adjunct professors is in violation of California labor laws, since they are not paid minimum wage for the hours they are expected to put in outside of the classroom.

“We are not paid to meet with students, we are not paid to grade papers, we are not paid for any class prep, we are only paid for the time that we have in the classroom and we have tried to bargain office hours previously and it has been unsuccessful,” Roberts said, a part time professor who has taught for over twenty years.

“We surveyed the part time faculty a few years ago and we found that part time faculty that participated in the survey put anywhere between three to ten hours outside the classroom,” Roberts said.

“And on top of that, the pandemic has exacerbated that, we are trying to get compensation for all the work we did to get all our classes online which was a tremendous amount of training, they were only willing to pay me for three flex hours,” Rohkea said.

67 percent of Long Beach city colleges teaching staff is part time, this is 16 percent higher than the national average.

Hiring an abundance of adjunct professors is reflective of the schools efforts to maintain a tight budget but the professors are wondering where is the money from COVID-19 grants as well as the money given for the cost of living adjustment (cola) passed by Gov. Newsom last semester sitting?

“The money is there. The question is what are they doing with it, why are they hoarding it, why aren’t they paying adjunct in every capacity to do right by the students and to be there by the students,” Rohkea said.

LBCC has a reserve of money bigger than most city colleges, which is at about 30 percent.

“There is a problem where they are expecting part time faculty to work for free, we should be paid minimum wage for this additional work that we are doing,” Roberts said.

Part time professors do not get compensated for any hours they put in outside the classroom, but with a turn over rate of 1 in 3 per year, part time professors feel that they are at the mercy of the district and have to put in their all, not only because they care about their students but because teacher evaluations can control their fate at the college.

“We’ve really fallen into the category of gig workers and many of our students don’t even know that, so who is left out is the student and as adjuncts we know that our job security comes at the heels of student success so we have to put in that extra time for every single student that comes to us for help,” Rohkea said.

The average part-time professor makes less than $20,000 a year, and some even have to rely on government aid between semesters just to get by.

Some adjunct professors like Rohkea and Roberts have to work at multiple colleges to make ends meet.

Eileen Goldsmith is the representing lawyer for the professors brought on by the California Teacher’s Association who are standing with the two professors and are co-sponsors of assembly bill 1752, a union contract bill that would require part time professors to receive compensation at an amount that is more proportionate to what full time employees are paid.

“We are looking to change the practice of how adjunct professors are compensated and we would like to bring them closer to parity with full time professors,” Goldsmith said.

According to Goldsmith, a case like this could easily take a year or more until we see any changes in the teachers contracts.

Goldsmith says she is exploring similar cases across other districts, as well with other part time professors facing similar issues.

If the adjunct professors succeed, the district will have to compensate part time professors from 2019 and on.

There are currently 600 professors involved being accounted for and there could potentially be more from past professors who no longer work for the school.

LBCC men’s baseball team clinches South Coast Conference Championship

Eduardo Gomez
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Facing challenging odds such as key players sustaining injuries and difficult games, the Long Beach City College men’s baseball team was named co-champions of the South Coast Conference after finishing the season with a 19-5 record against their conference opponents.

This is the sixth conference championship in the last seven seasons for the Vikings and it comes off the heels of a season riddled with injuries and other obstacles. 

“We went through a lot of injuries, coming off of the covid lockdowns, and there were still some question marks in the Fall about how and where we were going to do all of our workouts,” coach Casey Crooks said. 

Despite having to deal with injuries as well as other issues that were out of the team’s control, the Vikings remained resilient and did not succumb to the challenges they were faced with. 

The team closed out their season with a dominant 15-1 run where they outscored their opponents 135-58. 

“It just felt like we took care of business and did what we should have,” right-handed pitcher out of Cerritos, California, Matthew Pinal said. 

There were multiple come-from-behind victories pulled off by the Vikings this season that spoke to the kind of mentality that the team worked on maintaining.

“There’s been games where I’m thinking it doesn’t look too good, but the team comes back and performs and they just never stop competing,” Crooks said. 

The team benefited from strong pitching performances, in spite of the fact that the dugout was riddled with injuries and there were only a few moments during the season where all of the pitchers were healthy at the same time. 

“The whole dugout kind of picked up, even the guys who weren’t playing. Everyone kind of stepped up and did their part,” Pinal said. 

Come playoff time, one part of the team’s plan will be to “come out hot and keep the momentum going,” pitcher Moises Guzman said.

The team finished the season with a dominant 15-1 run where they outscored their opponents 135-58. 

The hot streak that the team finished the season with did not result in the Vikings being overly confident about heading into the first round of regional since they know that, “Playoffs is a step up,” said Pinal.  “We just gotta take everything a little step up and keep winning.”

The Vikings will face College of the Desert in the first round of regionals this Saturday in the first game of their best-of-three series against the roadrunners.

Activists of Long Beach gather to defend Roe V. Wade

Sophia Cobb
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Activists of Long Beach gather to defend Roe V. Wade

Hundreds of abortion rights activists rallied infront of the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to protest the recently leaked Supreme Court decision that could potentially overturn Roe V. Wade.

The draft of the decision was leaked on Monday to the media outlet Politico. If the Supreme Court votes to overturn Roe V. Wade, abortion laws would be controlled by the states, which would ultimately result in many states restricting or banning abortions completely.

“Abortion access is fundamental to human rights,” activist Sheila Bates said, who publicly spoke during the rally. 

“It is a racial justice issue, a disability justice issue, a healthcare issue, a class issue, a housing issue and an educational justice issue,” Bates said.

Bates explained how Black women and other women of color would suffer the most from abortion bans.

“Reproductive justice is about full bodily autonomy and healthcare, and we have to be honest about the fact that black and brown people and black and brown women have never had full access to their bodies,” Bates said.

Abortion rights activists marching along Broadway in Downtown Long Beach. Photo by Sophia Cobb.

The rally began with several speakers who shared their thoughts regarding the leak. They also led chants that the crowd engaged in, such as “Right-to-life your name’s a lie, you don’t care if women die.”

The crowd then marched the streets, where they marched along Broadway, starting from Magnolia Ave to Pine Ave, then continued up to 3rd St and back up to Magnolia Ave, making a full circle.

About halfway through the march, a police car approached the crowd from behind and told everyone to move to the sidewalk, but they refused and continued to walk on the street for the entirety of the march.

A child sitting on the staircase outside of the courthouse while holding a sign that reads, “Our bodies our choice”. Photo by Sophia Cobb.

Among the crowd of the rally was Katie Stanton.

“I’m here today because I’m furious with such a deliberate abandonment of women, honestly,” Stanton said. “It literally means the difference between life and death for some women.”

By having a history of working in reproductive health, Stanton knows first-hand what an abortion can mean for some women.

“I’ve worked in a reproductive health clinic and I’ve helped women on one of the worst days of their lives. It’s never an easy decision, but it’s their decision and it’s their right,” Stanton said.

Stanton also discussed her concern on how abortion rights are not the only thing that’s at stake right now.

“There’s so many things that this affects, and the fear of taking away my right to possibly marry my fiance who’s a woman,” Stanton said.

Jessica Rodriguez (left) and Katie Stanton (right) sitting outside the courthouse at Tuesday’s rally. Photo by Sophia Cobb.

Also attending Tuesday’s rally was Carole Sergy, who remembers when the Supreme Court  passed Roe V. Wade in 1973.

“When I was a young girl, there was no abortion,” Sergy said. “I’ve been coming to these (rallies) for a long time. I’m very concerned about not just the end of abortion, but how this is the beginning of such a negative, dark thing, trying to take away access to birth control and gay rights.”

Sergy urges people to wake up and take action.

“Wake up, folks. This is going to be our world here in the United States. I find that unacceptable,” Sergy said.

This was one of several rallies that took place in Long Beach throughout the week, and it is foreseen that many more will come in the near future. 

Abortion rights activists marching along Broadway in Downtown Long Beach. Photo by Sophia Cobb.

LBCC to hold cultural graduation celebrations

Moises
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LBCC to hold cultural graduation celebrations

At the end of this semester, Long Beach City College will be holding cultural graduation celebrations for various affinity groups in addition to the official commencement ceremony. 

There are four affinity groups being celebrated this semester: Latinx, African American, APID and the LGBTQ community. 

Although this is rather new to LBCC, this is a practice that has been around for several years and has been implemented by both colleges and universities alike.

“We see this model across the nation, where institutions have their general commencement and then there’s these additional cultural celebrations that are done as well,” said Sonia De La Torre, the dean of student affairs.

Cultural graduation ceremonies are intended to create an environment in which people from similar backgrounds can enjoy themselves to the fullest extent while surrounded by others who share cultural similarities. 

“It’s an opportunity for students to experience a more intimate celebration that is reflective of culture and traditions that evoke a sense of community,” De la Torre said. 

During the pandemic, these cultural celebrations were held virtually and therefore, no limits were needed to be placed on the amount of students who could participate. 

“Last year, all of these were held virtually and they were well attended. We didn’t want to remove that access by now being back in person, so we’re going to try a hybrid model and see how that goes,” said De la Torre. “We recognize that the space we’re going to be in is a little bit limited in size, so a livestream will allow community members to also participate and celebrate our students.” 

Students who are graduating this spring and want to participate in these celebrations but don’t personally identify with a particular affinity group are encouraged to reach out so that they can also partake in the events. 

“I don’t think that anyone would be excluded,” said LBCC Ethnic Studies and Political Science professor Dr. Jerome Hunt. “I think that it’s more so that the committees don’t necessarily always have the best way to get in contact with individuals. So if anyone out there is associated, or feels associated with one particular affinity group but may not have been contacted, they can definitely reach out to the Office of Student Equity, myself, or any of the various affinity groups on campus to make sure they are included.”  

On the surface, this may seem like somewhat of a step backwards when considering there was once a time where there were separate ceremonies for racially motivated reasons. 

However, the motivation behind LBCC and other schools holding these cultural graduation ceremonies are inclusivity and validation, not exclusion.

“It is in no way replacing commencement,” said Dr. Hunt. “In fact it is just another additional celebration that allows for our various affinity groups to be able to celebrate in the ways that mean the most to them.”

The celebrations are set to take place in the week leading up to the main commencement ceremony at the new W building on the Liberal Arts Campus. 

Students who are graduating this Spring and belong to a particular affinity group can expect to receive an invitation to that group’s event;  anyone who does not receive an invitation but feels inclined to attend is welcome to reach out themselves to obtain one. 

Thrower Casey Davis takes first in South Coast Conference Prelims

vikingnews
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Thrower Casey Davis takes first in South Coast Conference Prelims

Freshman thrower Casey Davis took first place in the shot put at the South Coast Conference Championship Finals this past weekend at East Los Angeles College, with a throw of 40 feet 4.25 inches.

Davis is from Lakewood California and has been competing in field events since middle school as a leisure sport, but once she reached high school it became more serious.

During high school, she started making it to CIF and different invitational meets, doing proper workouts, and throwing farther, which carried over to her career here at LBCC.

“I feel really good about (my throw), but I know that I can do a lot better,” Davis said. “There were little hiccups along the way, certain throws that I didn’t like, but I’m just trying to get better as the day goes on.”

Besides competing in track and field, Davis also played basketball from middle school until her first year at LBCC.

“I used to play basketball all throughout middle school, high school, and my first year at Long Beach City,” Davis said. “That’s when Covid happened and that’s when I had to stop and just mainly focus on shot put.”

Davis is a determined, focused, and coachable athlete. Head coach Marcus Carol was proud to speak on her performance at the SCC Finals.

“I’m proud to see her development and also see her performances be consistent throughout the year and continue to improve throughout the year,” Carol said.

Davis’ conference was extremely competitive, and a lot of the competitors she saw at the SCC Finals will also be at the SoCal Championships.

“It was very key and important to see how (she) responds to pressure, and takes care of business in such a competitive environment, because (she’s) going to need to do that two more times throughout this year,” Carol said.

Davis says she is most proud of her determination because it has helped her get to where she is today.

“If I want something to get done I’ll definitely get it done, or if I have a goal in mind, which is Conference Champion, then I’ll definitely make that happen,” said Davis.

The SoCal Finals will take place on Friday, May 13 at Moorpark College.

LBCC track and field’s Azjani McGill wins two 1st place titles in SCC Championship Prelims

Frederick Iwuagwu
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LBCC track and field’s Azjani McGill wins two 1st place titles in SCC Championship Prelims

Long Beach City College’s track and field team took home several titles while competing in the South Coast Conference Championship Prelims this past weekend at East Los Angeles College.

Freshman Azjani McGill won first place when competing in the men’s long jump and in the 200-meter race, while also taking second place in the 100-meter race.

“Winning the long jump, it felt good just because I have done long jump in high school, was kind of okay at it, but of course, I wanted to do better,” McGill said. “Coming here (LBCC) and working with Coach Carroll, who is an expert at long jump, makes me very happy that I won the SCC Championship for it.”

McGill began his athletic career playing baseball and basketball and eventually decided to run track in middle school. McGill started feeling like he no longer wanted to run anymore and came to a realization during his high school years that he was actually good at running track. 

In high school, McGill earned all-league honors, qualified for the CIF state championships, was a Central Coast Section finalist as a sophomore and junior and was titled Team Captain as a senior. He was a four-year-letterwinner in the track and field program who also holds school records in the 100 meter (10.79), 200 meter (21.40), and 4×100 meter (41.91). 

Due to the pandemic, McGill’s final season was cut short during his senior year in high school so taking home a title for this current season brings everything back full circle.

McGill has a lot of things to be proud of, but what he takes the most pride in is being able to get through hard times. When his season was taken away, he found himself at a loss for motivation because he was under the impression that he was not going to run track any longer nor be able to get back into it.

With his dedication, persistence, and full support from his loved ones, McGill was able to bounce back and go harder.

“He (McGill) is a very coachable athlete. Anything that comes from the coaching staff, he buys in. There is no ‘I’ in his attitude. He accepts what the coaches say and executes, which is a big key in his success and development,” said Marcus Carroll, the director of cross country and track and field at LBCC.

When McGill isn’t on the field, he is working on his goal to obtain his degree in engineering with thoughts of focusing in communications once he transfers to a 4-year university.

At the moment that it is all said and done, McGill aspires to run for Team USA, return back to Los Angeles from Paris in 2030 and represent Team USA again in the future.

McGill will be competing in the SoCal Trials meet at Moorpark College on May 6.

Podcast – Faces in the Crowd: Episode 1 (featuring Christopher Chinn)

Frederick Iwuagwu
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Podcast – Faces in the Crowd: Episode 1 (featuring Christopher Chinn)

Long Beach Museum of Art host local artist Alex Gardner’s exhibition “We Are All Existing Right Now”

Maisie Vilchis
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Long Beach Museum of Art host local artist Alex Gardner’s exhibition “We Are All Existing Right Now”

Long Beach based artist Alex Gardner’s “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art, draws viewers into a faceless, familiar world of intense emotion, distress and comfort.

“The purpose of an artist is to objectively reflect the time the work is being made. And since I’m getting older, I’m hoping to provide a sense of optimism in our doom obsessed society,” Gardner said.

“Daddy Sam Don’t Care” (2020) is one of the largest paintings included in the Alex Gardner “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. The exhibition ran until May 1, 2022. (photo by Sean Davis)

The gallerie’s write up on the exhibition describes Gardner’s work as “figures, devoid of facial features or defining characteristics that are effigies of the human experience” with contrasts and polarity that “spotlight the ways in which we seek the same outcome: to love, to feel connected, and to safeguard what we have built.”

Despite having shown his work around the world on three continents, Gardner, a California State University Long Beach graduate and Long Beach resident, said this show is a unique experience because it is in his own community

“Sandwich On Sourdough” (2019) is one of the paintings included in Alex Gardner’s “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. (Sean Davis)

“It’s cool for local friends and family to see (my work) and get to enjoy the moment with me. This is the most exciting and meaningful show for sure,” Gardner said. 

Caitlin Wilcox, a Long Beach resident who graduated CSULB with Gardner, is excited to see her former schoolmate displayed at LBMA, “I graduated (from CSULB) with Alex. He was always drawing and very talented. But getting to see this, it makes me very proud. Especially in Long Beach,” Wilcox said. 

“Don’t Hate Yourself” (2021) is one of the paintings included in the Alex Gardner “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. (Sean Davis)

“Locally people have heard about it and people seem to enjoy it. Ignorance is bliss on attendance numbers though. It’s a proud moment for sure but the show doesn’t get a lot of press (at LBMA),” Gardner said.

“It’s good for the art to get outside the insulated art shows and scene to a more accessible audience and broader crowd,” Gardner said.

“My Amnesia” (2021) is one of the four oil pastel and watercolor paintings by Alex Gardner in the “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. (photo by Sean Davis)

On his journey to gallery artist, Gardner is happy for the success he’s seen but never satisfied.

“I started making art in 2005 when I started school and I quit my day job in 2015,” Gardner said. “My ten-years-ago self would think I’m a huge success, but now it’s a feeling of never being satisfied.” 

“Nice View” (2021) is one of the paintings included in Alex Gardner’s “We All Exist Right Now” exhibition at the Long Beach Museum of Art. (Sean Davis)

“You just have to be happy on the inside and learn to love yourself. But I’m making money. Still driving my ‘05 Element but I pay my rent and travel,” Gardner said.

Developing a style is simple, “To develop a style, add or subtract. That’s all you can do,” Gardner said. 

But reaching your goals and finding what one considers success is another thing: “It’s a matter of delusional confidence and imagining where you want to end up.”

 Atiya Yuwana and Kyle Barrett receive South Coast Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year Awards

Frederick Iwuagwu
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 Atiya Yuwana and Kyle Barrett receive South Coast Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year Awards

Returning home with the Co-Swimmer of the year award given to Atiya Yawana and Kyle Barrett, Long Beach City College’s women’s swim team dominated at the 2022 South Coast Conference swim championships.

Not only did these two athletes receive conference awards, but they helped end a drought in LBCC’s women’s team by winning their first SCC Championship title in the past 16 years.

Both Yuwana and Barrett are sophomore students at LBCC but are first-year swimmers with this team. Throughout their high school years, both participated in swimming activities.

Barrett started swimming at a young age, but the prospect of her being a swimmer began at one of her earliest doctor’s appointments. 

“It’s actually funny, my parents always say that at one of my first doctor’s appointments the doctor was like ‘Oh she’s going to be a swimmer, she’s tall and is just going to be a swimmer,’ ” Barret said. 

Barret prefers water polo over swimming, she admits that at a young age she became bored with swimming, took on water polo, and has been in love with the sport ever since.

Being a student-athlete comes with a great deal of responsibility, Yuwana and Barrett shared how it can become overwhelming at times and how they pull through those situations. 

“I get overwhelmed pretty easily, but kind of seeing an end to it and seeing your end goal. Working more towards finishing that instead of looking at everything you have to do now,” Yuwana said. 

“My teammates are mainly the only thing keeping me going because if it wasn’t for liking being here, then I wouldn’t be here,” Barret said.

Both girls also credit the LBCC coaching for helping them reach the spot they are in right now. 

“They definitely got me back into loving the sport, training for the team instead of focusing more on yourself and your own times,” Yuwana said. 

Barrett struggles with pre-race jitters but reveals that her coach Bradley Adamson helps ease these nerves as he encourages her to breathe deep and visualize every moment of her race. 

Whether it’s walking up to the block, standing on it, or ending the race, Adamson encourages his athletes to run through the entire event in their minds to picture how they want to do in their race.

Yuwana competes as a back-stroker and in the individual medley, with her favorite event being the 100 backstroke as it is similar to a sprint. 

Throughout Yuwana’s swim career she is most proud of where she is right now as she will head into state championships in second place.

“The coaching and the team at LBCC have been nothing but amazing, and I definitely could not have asked for anything more,” Barret said. 

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