A car crashed into the bushes near parking structure one at LAC Tuesday morning after the driver lost control and swerved, according to Long Beach Police.
Both the driver and passenger were safe, and no one was harmed during the accident.
The driver of the car didn’t want to disclose their name or make a statement regarding the incident.
Three cop cars from local police and an officer from campus responded to the accident to investigate.
“The car was driving northbound at a fast speed and tried to lane change, lost control and veered into the bushes,” said officer Leonel Valdez on any information regarding the incident.
The accident occurred around 9:40 a.m. at the main entrance of parking structure one on Lew Davis Street and Clarke Avenue.
All four tires of the vehicle deflated as it hit the curb and into the bushes near the structure.
Jeff Hogan, a worker for the Long Beach Fleet Services, prepares to tow the car involved in the car accident. The car accident occurred Tuesday morning at LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus near parking structure one. (Izzy Juarez)
Jeff Hogan, who works for the Long Beach fleet services, arrived on scene to recover the damaged Lexus ES 330.
The driver was ticketed and cited for unsafe lane change and speeding.
It’s 30 minutes until showtime on a Friday night and members of LBCC’s Daytime and Evening Big Bands mill about the temporary trailers where the music department is housed at LAC.
Sitting among them as they chat excitedly and crack jokes is Kirsten Edkins, a well-renowned jazz saxophonist, educator and recording artist.
Edkins, who is a special guest set to perform with the band for the school’s end of the year jazz concert, speaks to the students with a warm sincerity.
As an educator, Edkins places importance on encouraging students to enjoy the process of learning music and staying true to themselves.
“When I’m working with students,” Edkins said. “I encourage them to remember who they are behind their instruments.”
Behind her instrument, Edkins is something of an industry trailblazer having been the first woman ever to perform in Bill Holman’s Big Band.
She’s also performed with several other grammy award winning bands such as John Beasley’s MONK’estra and has recorded two albums.
“She has one of the best tones I have ever heard,” said longtime friend and bandmate Chris Wabich. “It’s authoritative and classic. You can just hear when someone loves their instrument. That’s Kirsten.”
Her signature sound comes from years of practice, having started at a young age during which Edkins was privately taught by some of the best in the business.
“My older brother played the trumpet,” Edkins said. “And I just thought it was so cool.”
Even though she did learn piano, saxophone had her heart from the beginning.
Early on, Edkins gravitated toward jazz music with one of her biggest influences being John Coltrane.
“I love how ornate and complicated his sound is,” Edkins said. “It’s so raw.”
Coming up in the industry, Edkins faced her fair share of struggles (along with plenty of positive experiences) in the boy’s club that jazz music can sometimes be.
She considers herself fortunate to now be in a position to give back by educating others, especially other aspiring female musicians.
“When you study with Kirsten, the feeling is definitely safe and nurturing,” said former student Kaela Seltzer who was taught by Edkins over seven years ago.
“It’s rare that you meet someone and feel like they’re totally on your side,” Seltzer said. “She meets you where you are and she’ll keep trying, changing her approach if she has to, to make sure you’re getting it.”
For the jazz concert at LBCC on Friday, Edkins was joined by a member of the Daytime Big Band, Daphne Gilwedel, for a saxophone solo.
Trading quick smiles in between breaths, the pair took turns, seemingly speaking to one another through their instruments.
Trepidatiously at first, Gilwedel’s tones built into an expression of merriment, evident by her facial expressions and were greeted by Edkins’s sure and crisp tones, her reassurance to Gilwedel that the moment was hers for the taking.
Edkins takes pride in being able to usher in the next generation of jazz musicians and it shows.
“Everyone brings their own stories,” she said. “And that’s what’s so cool about music.”
Edkins’s latest album, “Shapes and Sound” is an amalgamation of all that she’s learned and the life experiences she’s had thus far.
“It’s post pop and contemporary without being derivative,” Wabich said. “It’s her acknowledging the past with one foot in the future.”
Kirsten Edkins is joined by Daphne Gilwedel for a solo during her performance with LBCC’s Daytime Big Band on Dec. 8, 2023. (Lolita Mojica)
Students at LBCC face an array of issues that impact their learning such as parking fines, economic insecurity and scarce resources for those with disabilities.
At the end of each semester, Professor Jen Nellis has students in her English 1 class complete a final project where they work in groups to consider their idea of a utopia college and formulate solutions to the issues they would like to see fixed on campus.
“I used to have them present to each other,” Nellis said. “I realized they were speaking to the wrong audience. So this year, I’ve invited board members and people who can make these changes happen.”
On Thursday, Nellis hosted an open house of sorts where the four groups presenting were given the opportunity to state their issue and provide solutions.
The first group brought up the parking situation on campus.
“We actually had someone who had to drop out because of parking tickets,” a member of the group, Xavier Diaz said. “They got a parking ticket and couldn’t afford it. The fees added up and eventually, they could no longer drive their car so they stopped coming to school.”
Diaz and his group suggest a tally system where those who violate parking laws are given a strike or tally.
Once they reach a certain number of strikes, they would then receive a ticket.
The second group brought up a solution to combat the economic insecurity that some students face.
“This is the Viking Marketplace,” said group member Kyshia Hearns while motioning to an iPad with a Facebook page on display. “Here, students can post items to buy, sell, trade, or give away.”
All transactions are handled on campus to ensure safety and limits are placed on pricing so that items do not get upsold.
Ideally, the group hopes that more students will join the Facebook page, which is already active, and utilize the trading aspect.
“We want to promote the bartering system,” Hearns said.
The third group presented a case for updating the health and wellness resources available to LGBTQ students.
“I had questions about my gender identity and wanted help,” student Jennifer Trinidad said. “They just handed me a couple of outdated pamphlets and that was it.”
Trinidad’s group also highlighted the fact that most of the resources available about sexual education are for heteronormative people.
In addition to updated sex education, Trinidad’s group hopes to see a health center that can also answer questions about gender reaffirmation and identity.
The final group that presented tackled the issues students with disabilities face while on campus.
“I have autism,” student Emily Garcia said. “So I need a note taker (while in class) which the DSPS center is supposed to help with, but they never seem to have anyone available.”
Garcia’s group also suggested that the center should focus on empathy when training those who work there.
“Not all disabilities are visible,” Garcia said. “I may not look like I need help but I do.”
An employee of the student life center Taila Robinson visited with each group to hear their pitches. Robinson responded to the group explaining DSPS concerns.
“It’s true. Why have the accommodations if you don’t have the resources,” Robinson said.
In envisioning their ideal college experience, Nellis’s students see an inclusive and supportive campus.
Students and staff (left to right) Suman Mudunuri, Emily Garcia and Alexander C. Vega all talk over the ideas for the DSPS program located in the M building. The english presentation took place in the M building on Thursday. (Michelle Cardenas)
LBCC’s choir and Big Bands ditched the Santa hats and jingle bells for their end of the year concert and instead highlighted the complex, raw sounds of jazz music through performances that put their individual talents on full display.
Friday’s jazz concert featured the Evening Jazz Choir and the Lyrical Workers under the direction of Andrea Calderwood and the Daytime and Evening Big Bands under the direction of Patrick Sheng.
“We’re not singing tonight, but we’re happy to be here,” said Ntombi Peters, who has been singing in the Evening Jazz Choir for over 15 years. “It’s nice to show support and see what others are working on.”
The Evening Jazz Choir, under the direction of professor Andrea Calderwood, started the night with four songs, including a song by Barry Manilow accompanied by drums, piano and bass.
True to the theme, a few of the students performed scat solos, the improvised imitation of jazz instrumentation using one’s voice.
The Lyrical Workers, an audition-only group, performed another four songs, one of which was arranged by Benjamin Nicholas, a jazz and composition student at CSULB.
“It’s gratifying and affirming to hear my work sung so beautifully,” Nicholas said.
The Lyrical Workers are gearing up to attend a conference in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz music.
During Friday’s show, they sang an acapella rendition of Billie Eilish’s “My Future” that moved a few audience members to tears.
After a brief intermission, the daytime big band performed a set that started with a solo sung by Jocelyn Berry, during which the band provided backup harmonies with the vigor and showmanship of big bands from the 50’s.
Then, they were joined on stage by saxophonist and recording artist, Kirsten Edkins.
One of the songs they performed is an original by Edkins titled “Party Slug,” an ode to a cat she once had.
During the song, Edkins was joined by Daphne Gilwedel, a saxophonist in the daytime big band.
“It felt kind of surreal,” Gildwedel said of her solo with Edkins. “She brought up the idea of us having a conversation with our instruments. I had a really great time.”
The set also included a song by Thad Jones during which pianist Kenny Evangelista had a solo that was long, loud and energetic.
His hands crossed over one another, fingers traveling from one end to the other and back again, a wry smile on his face.
The show ended with a set by the Evening Big Band during which they paid homage to legendary jazz musician Thad Jones during which they were joined by professor Patrick Sheng who played saxophone with them.
Jones’s music is playful and full of attitude with sounds that start off quiet and build into loud, unchained crescendos.
LBCC’s singers and musicians embodied the spirit of jazz for a night that displayed all the work that went into learning the complexities associated with the genre.
A student stands outside the market on campus, scarfing down a Cup of Noodles in cold weather.
The meal cost her 97 cents. It’s not substantial, but it’s better than nothing.
“This is OK, I guess,” the student, Carissa Berry, said.
With the cafeteria still under construction, some students struggle to find affordable food options on campus.
There are food trucks that are on campus daily, but with the average price for an entree being around $15 it’s not the most economical solution.
According to Bob Rapoza, director of business support services, the school pays about $3,000 a week for the food trucks to be on campus.
In recognizing that food trucks are not a permanent solution, Rapoza said the school has purchased a mobile kitchen that is set to open early next year.
The mobile kitchen, which sits in front of the ASB building, will have affordable meals and will employ a couple of students.
In the meantime, the only ready-to-go meals available to students is a Farmer’s Fridge vending machine that sells jars of salad and wraps with prices ranging from $6 to $12.
For students of limited financial means, the Viking Vault hosts a free food pantry on both campuses with the support of the Basic Needs program.
The pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at LAC and only Wednesdays and Thursdays at PCC.
Students only need to show up and share their student ID number to receive free items such as diapers, produce, eggs, and other grocery items.
The Basic Needs program also facilitates things like rental assistance for economically impacted students and free breakfast once a month on both campuses.
“We’re looking to destigmatize the idea of needing assistance,” Brianna Chavez of the Basic Needs program said.
With resources available to those who need it, many students still struggle, unaware of opportunities to receive them.
A student who utilizes the Basic Needs program, Jonathan Stcyr, feels changes should be made in how the school shares information about the food pantry.
Many students who could benefit from the program are left underserved for lack of knowledge.
“They should utilize social media more,” Stcyr said. “Everyone’s tapped in (to their phones), they should be reached where they are.”
Currently, the Basic Needs program sends out emails periodically and makes class presentations to raise awareness about the program.
Chavez agrees with the sentiments of Stcyr, however, that a stronger social media presence would be helpful.
Still, for students who want a decent meal, the problem of affordable options on campus does remain.
While they may be able to get free food at the Viking Vault food pantry, a lot of the options have to be cooked.
Stcyr went on to say that having a few microwaveable options, along with a microwave in the vault would be useful.
The printers at LBCC are often totally out of order or only able to accept cash. One printer in the library at LAC has been cash only since at least August due to poor connection from the card reader.
Things like printers are vital for students’ success. There are some classes that require print outs for every class meeting, such as labs.
“From my understanding, the card readers have issues with the service in the library,” library systems technician at LAC, Ruben Amador said, “this specific location of the printer has bad reception.”
Amador explained one way this issue could be fixed would be by installing a permanent port to the printer so they didn’t have to rely on wireless service. In order to do this, the school would need assistance from the third party vendor the printers come from.
“There have been talks to install a permanent port with the company we deal with but there has been no end of conversation yet,” Amador said.
The library has two printers side by side on the first floor, but only one can accept both cards and cash.
“I started working here in August and when I started, both printers down here (on the first floor) were cash only, “ Janette Rodriguez, employee at the LAC library said.
“They fixed the color one around September but the other has been broken for awhile,” Rodriguez said.
There are other places to print, like the math success center at LAC, but those printers are also oftentimes cash only.
The only saving grace is the computer room on the second floor of the library that accepts cards for its printers.
“When students need to print, we send them upstairs,” Rodriguez said.
There are some students who do not even know there are printers upstairs for them to access. There are no signs that the printers have to say that the printers work upstairs.
“I had no idea the upstairs existed until I went to class and told my professor I couldn’t print and she told me to go back and go upstairs,” Julie Sanchez, LBCC student said.
At PCC, the situation can sometimes be worse since there is only one place on campus to print, not multiple like LAC.
PCC often has the same problem. There is a room for computers in the library, but there have been times that the room has been closed entirely or unable to accept cards as well.
“I spent ten minutes at PCC trying to print and the worker in the library kept having me try my card and I even tried cash, but my coins kept falling right out the bottom dispenser,” Sanchez said. “She even unplugged it twice because the girl in front of me was able to print.”
The printers remain unable to accept cards at the end of the Fall semester.
Correction: An initial version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote to Mike Pearlman instead of Richter Clough who actually gave the quote. It has been corrected.
LBCC Criminal Justice Association Chapter Sigma Pi was recognized by the American Criminal Justice Association as the top academic competition team for 2023 at the Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday at the LBCC Liberal Arts Campus.
The ACJA holds two separate academic competition conferences each year, one in the fall semester and one in the spring semester.
During the fall conference competitions that took place in October, Chapter Sigma Pi won a total of 15 trophies, and a few of these trophies are some of the hardest to get in these competitions.
“Among these awards, the team swept the criminal law academic competition, first, second, third place, and was the first place team in an interactive crime scene investigation competition. The hard work of this team has helped bring the Administration of Justice Program at Long Beach City College into the national spotlight,” newly-elected Board President Vivian Malauulu stated.
Both competitions took place at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
The chapter was represented by LBCC criminal justice professors Michael Biggs, Richter Clough and Mike Pearlman.
When Clough came up and spoke, he gave lots of credit to his students putting in hours upon hours of work to get to where they are now.
“What’s not seen is the amount of time that they put on campus. These students stayed late on campus many times until midnight. They worked all of August, all of September, and the third week of October is when we took the trip and traveled,” Clough said.
Pearlman presented that LBCC averages about five to six trophies per competition, admitting the team had the confidence that they would win about six or seven during the competition.
Once the team regrouped outside after they were recognized by the board, LBCC American Criminal Justice Association President Sigma Pi Chapter Mathew Stone reflected on the team’s performance and what future impacts he thinks this organization will make for LBCC.
“I think this club is going to be a big part of Long Beach City College’s future in law enforcement and criminal justice in general. For someone who wants to be a part of forensics, you still have to process everything and still deal with a lot of that. So it’s a great resource to anybody interested in criminal justice,” Stone said.
The Chapter will look to build off a strong 2023 as 2024 is right around the corner.
Long Beach City College District Board Trustee Vivian Malauulu has been elected as the new Board of Trustees president, taking over for Herlinda Chico as she completes her term.
Chico was recognized amongst her peers during the Wednesday Board of Trustees meeting while also being given a plaque by Superintendent-President Mike Munoz, commemorating her service as board president.
“It’s an honor and a privilege when I get to sit up here and attend these events and I get to see the love and enthusiasm for this college and for making it successful, it drives you even further. Thank you for allowing me to serve, I really appreciate it,” Chico said.
Chico now holds the trustee position looking over area 4 which includes East Long Beach and Catalina Island in the LBCC Board of Trustees.
As the meeting continued, the board went on to nominate a new candidate, with trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk giving Malauulu the first nomination.
Immediately after, Board of Trustee Vice President Virgina Baxter seconded Malauulu’s nomination.
LBCCD Board of Trustees members talk at the Board of Trustees meeting. The meeting happened on Wednesday. (Zack Siedel)
All of the members voted in favor of Malauulu becoming the new president.
Once Malauulu was elected, Munoz gave the floor to Malauulu to speak on becoming the new president.
“Thank you to my colleagues on the board for once again entrusting me to lead. I sincerely hope that this term as president is smoother than the last,” Malauulu stated.
Malauulu was last Board president during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she immediately said was a tough spot to be in for her.
She then emphasized on what hopes to be different this time around without a global pandemic.
“You may recall the last time I was board president, we had a pandemic, so it was a little rough. I’m hopeful that things will be a lot smoother this time around and we don’t have a global catastrophe. Thank you all, I appreciate the confidence and I look forward to serving,” Malauulu said.
Malauulu’s term will begin in 2024 as she looks forward to having a much better term than the term she had during the pandemic.
Correction: An initial version of the caption of the photo of Rene Hoyo stated he was professor, but he is an instructional assistant. It had been corrected.
People need to pee.
It is one of the immutable facts of life: everyone uses the bathroom.
For many students, entering the men’s or women’s restroom while attending classes on LBCC campus is something they barely spare a second thought to, but for students who don’t feel safe entering either bathroom, tracking down a bathroom the students can use can be a hassle.
LAC, like most other colleges, has single stall, gender neutral bathrooms for students to use. The issue is, many of these bathrooms are out of the way, difficult to find, or in buildings with low foot traffic.
“When I have to use the bathroom during a class in a building with no gender neutral bathrooms, I just hold it. It’s such a dysphoric experience when I have to go into the women’s restroom, especially when I’m presenting more masculine,” Payne West, a LBCC student said.
West is one of several students and faculty who regularly use the few single stall, gender neutral bathrooms available on campus. 12 single stall bathrooms are available to students at the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC), compared to 44 men’s and 44 women’s multi stall restrooms.
“It’s infuriating because it can pose a health risk, having to hold it when I don’t feel safe going into the men’s or women’s restroom,” West said.
West is nonbinary, not aligning with either category of man or woman. Prior to attending LBCC, West went to a community college near Bakersfield, where they said it was much harder to find any gender neutral bathrooms at all.
“There were probably no gender neutral bathrooms in that whole town. Yes, it’s better (at LBCC) than other places, but it’s like they just don’t want to get better,” West said.
Ross Trujillo, another nonbinary student, has been attending LBCC for five years, but only started to use the single stall bathrooms after they began identifying as nonbinary and returning to school after the COVID-19 quarantine.
For Trujillo, going to the bathroom is something they have to plan in advance, ensuring they can go to a gender neutral bathroom to relieve themselves before attending class in a building with only men’s or women’s bathrooms.
“I don’t want to make people uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s important to put other people’s needs above our own, but I have to pee too,” Trujillo said.
If Trujillo has to go during class, they have to decide between getting gawked at in the men’s room, questioned in the women’s room or walking to an entirely different building to find a gender neutral bathroom, eating away at valuable class time.
This gender neutral bathroom is on the second floor of the M building. This is one of three gender neutral bathrooms in the building. LBCC has a lack of gender neutral bathrooms. This is one of the few that is available to all students (Zuri Minor)
“One time someone asked me if I was in the right bathroom. It was the women’s restroom and I’m biologically female, so it was a little surprising. I just said ‘yes’ in a pitched up voice, even though my voice isn’t that masculine just to make sure they wouldn’t get scared,” Trujillo said.
LBCC has attempted to address the lack of single stall bathrooms by ensuring that all newly constructed buildings include at least one gender neutral bathroom per floor, according to Business Services Vice President Raymond West.
Currently, the only buildings with gender neutral bathrooms are those that have been renovated within the last decade, meaning the P, M, W, V and J buildings all have single stall bathrooms.
The outlier is the A building, where the student health services offices have a single occupancy bathroom students can use upon request.
“The challenge we have in old buildings is that you can’t take a pre-existing bathroom and convert it to a single occupancy bathroom,” West said. “but how can we say you belong, when you can’t even find a place to (use the bathroom)?”
Rene Hoyo, an instructional assistant at LBCC, stands in front of the gender neutral bathroom in the M Building. Hoyo is a instructional assistant that works in the M building at the LAC campus. Hoyo needed to use the bathroom, and says that he often uses the gender netrual one. He likes the privacy, and has no problem with what people refer to him as. (Zuri Minor)
While the push for the construction of more single stall, gender neutral bathrooms continues, there are options LBCC can consider to further help students and increase the number of gender neutral bathrooms accessible to them.
Currently, the LAC P building houses three gender neutral bathrooms, but two have been locked and designated as ‘staff only’ bathrooms. On the second floor of the V building, single stall bathrooms exist behind lock and key, also designated to be staff only.
When asked about this distinction, Vice President West said it was likely enforced at the discretion of the buildings’ department dean, and could not give a further answer as to why these bathrooms are inaccessible to students.
LBCC could also push to expedite the reconstruction of old campus buildings that do not house single stall bathrooms. As the percentage of nonbinary and transgender students increases, so will the need for bathrooms they feel comfortable using.
Rene Hoyo, an instructional assistant that works in the computer and office studies department lab, said he felt more comfortable using the single occupancy stalls for privacy and cleanliness.
“I always come back here to use this bathroom. If I’m by the B building I might use the bathroom they have there, but otherwise if I have to go, I come back to the M building to use these bathrooms,” Hoyo said.
Hoyo talked at length about the struggle gender non-conforming and transgender people face when using public restrooms.
“I work a lot with members of the LGBT community. A lot of the time we go to places with no gender neutral bathrooms and people feel awkward going into the bathroom. They worry they might make others uncomfortable. They might not worry as much in a gender neutral bathroom,” Hoyo said.
“There just needs to be more. What we have now is not enough,” Trujillo said.
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