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LBCC welcomes students from summer break with a BBQ, games, and resource opportunities

Craig Roberts
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LBCC welcomes students from summer break with a BBQ, games, and resource opportunities

Long Beach City College kicked off the fall semester by offering students free food, video games, and resources at the “Welcome Back BBQ” at the LAC on September 1. 

Shielding their heads from the heat with their newly acquired textbooks, students formed a long line around the E Quad to receive their choice of a hamburger or a hotdog. The BBQ even offered vegan burgers, grilling veggie patties on a separate grill for students who required a meatless option.  

After grabbing a bite to eat, students were free to head over to the gaming truck to play video games or roam the nearby tents to gather information about the school’s clubs and programs. 

Student Affairs and ASB helped prepare and hand out the food in the E Quad for the Welcome Back BBQ on September 1, 2022. The food was free for students and brought a decent crowd. (Photo by Craig Roberts)
Some students were inside the game truck brought for the Welcome Back BBQ on September 1, 2022 to get out of the heat while playing their favorite titles. (Photo by Craig Roberts)
Throughout the barbeque on September 1, 2022, Ole the Viking was making rounds of the E Quad to interact with students and pose for some photos. (Photo by Craig Roberts)

Many students walked away from these tents with free goodies and information about the resources they qualified for. 

“The goal is for students to have a smooth transition in school by providing them with the right resources and making them feel like they belong,” said Karina Rubio, an EOPS program specialist who was at one of the tents. If students didn’t qualify for her program, she would help direct them to a tent that could offer different resources.   

The free food and program awareness offered at the BBQ falls in line with the college’s latest agenda to provide an inclusive college experience for all students. Whether they are facing economic disadvantages or just attending college for the first time, all were welcome to benefit from this experience. 

The BBQ even inspired some students to join the Associated Student Body, whose members volunteered at this event.

First time LBCC attendee Romeo Jurado, was enjoying his free hot dog and chips when asked about what he thought of the BBQ, he expressed that the event and the people volunteering created a warm welcome to his first year of college.  

“I want to join ASB this year, I want to be able to volunteer and feel involved and active in the community,” Jurado said. “In high school I wasn’t able to because everything was still mostly online.” 

There is a refreshing sense of student engagement in the school this semester, perhaps due to both lifted pandemic restrictions and the sense of belonging the school’s community is creating.

The “Welcome Back BBQ” was a great way to start the Vikings off this fall; it seems we can expect more activities this semester that will keep our students participating in campus life, and in turn begin to cultivate a new inclusive school culture that follows a global pandemic. 

 LBCC women’s soccer rallies back in the heat to defeat Fullerton College 3-2

Maisie Vilchis
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 LBCC women’s soccer rallies back in the heat to defeat Fullerton College 3-2

On Friday, the LBCC Vikings battled their way to a 3-2 victory over the Fullerton College Hornets. 

Fullerton started the game off hot with a corner and a free kick from a dangerous area all in the first two minutes. In the fourth minute, they got the first scoring opportunity of the game from a rebound off of a free kick that bounced off of the crossbar.

The goal was ruled offsides, leaving the score at 0-0.

Freshman forward, Evelyn Sandoval, broke the ice for the Vikings in the 26 minute when she perfectly placed a left-footed shot over the head of the Fullerton goalkeeper and into the back of the net. 

“It felt pretty rewarding. After playing the whole game in the heat it was nice to come out on top,” Sandoval said when describing how it felt to score.

The score at the end of the first-half was 1-0 in favor of the Vikings after they held possession of the ball for the majority of the first 45 minutes. 

When asked if dominating on ball possession is part of their game plan going into each game, Vikings head coach Eduardo Nunes said, “It is. I think the heat got to us though. Although we controlled the game, we were off a step.”

LBCC midfielder Aimee McSparren chases down the ball during the match against Fullerton College. The Vikings took 12 shots with 5 being on goal. (Photo by Marco Haynes)

However, the beginning of the second-half belonged to Fullerton. They had some promising chances on counter-attacks and a free-kick opportunity that was guided just over the bar in the 59 minute. 

Fullerton got their first goal of the night two minutes later as Izabelle Garcia struck a curling ball from outside of the 18-yard box and placed it in the top right corner. 

Freshman Lluvia Mariscal put the Vikings back on top in the 72 minute making the score 2-1.

Forward, Diana Leon controls the ball during a Viking counter attack. With the win, the Vikings go 3-0 in pre season. (Photo by Marco Haynes)

Fullerton was not ready to give up, in the 83rd minute, the Hornets constructed a set-piece that ended up finding the head of Auburn Burnett and tied the game at 2-2.

Less than a minute later, Sandoval would find herself with an open net to shoot at, scoring her second goal of the night and putting the nail in the coffin.

“We have a lot of players that come from very competitive clubs, very competitive schools, and they’ve played at a high level so they don’t get rattled,” said Coach Nunes.

The Vikings’ next game is September 9th at 2 p.m. at home vs. Miramar. 

Sports at LBCC are getting back to a pre-covid normal

Maisie Vilchis
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Sports at LBCC are getting back to a pre-covid normal

It’s not unknown that schools all over the nation have had to re-find their groove moving into this “post-COVID protocol” era. Going into the Fall 2022 sports season, a few of LBCC’s sports teams have shared their expectations for this upcoming season, and what they have done differently to prepare. 

Last year, coming back to campus for the first time since the shutdowns of 2020, teams struggled with consistency, recruiting, staying healthy, and in-person practices. These elements are key for the process of building strength, relationships, and trust in order for a team to succeed. 

Football coach Brett Peabody says, “We have to make sure we stay healthy, very careful in the way they practice. The big challenge in football every year is to stay healthy.”

After speaking with a few of LBCC’s teams, it is evident that the expectations for this year have risen. 

Men’s soccer coach Jorge Reyes says, “Last season I thought we had a pretty successful season. We didn’t accomplish what I thought we were able to accomplish, but the team was formed pretty last minute. So I thought we over-excelled because we couldn’t recruit. The players we had were the players we had.”

This year Reyes has helped to paint a clearer picture of what the team needs to aim to achieve. He says, “They know the expectations now.”

The difference in the amount of preparation teams have been given this year versus what they lost out on last year is night and day. 

Peabody speaks on this, “We feel very good, and we feel like we have a very good team this year. We got to have an off-season, which we didn’t get to have last year.”

Men’s soccer ended their season last year early in their state championship game. Reyes admits that they wobbled and limped into the game. He says, “We were injury prone.”

The preseason and recruiting time are detrimental factors when creating a bonded team. Peabody agrees saying, “Last year we didn’t have a lot of time to build the team so the chemistry wasn’t as great. This year I think both sides of the ball respect the talent on the other side.”

LBCC cheerleaders had similar experiences. At the end of their cheerleading competition season coach, Dianna Gallias admitted that the next step with the team was to qualify and eventually go to the Daytona Beach NCA national cheer competition. 

This July LBCC cheerleaders have officially earned themselves a silver paid bid to Daytona Beach. They’ve put in the work, the hours, and the commitment to cheer all summer long and it’s safe to say they are seeing results. 

When most coaches are asked what the main goal for the year is, many say they want to win their championships. Reyes answered with this instead, “My biggest goal is just having all of our players engaged academically… Obviously I’m competitive and I want to win, but not at the expense of these guys’ academics. We make it a priority here.”

The academic aspect of any sports season is arguably the most important. If the grades are lost, then so is the scholarship, and coaches understand this.

Scouts are going to be on the fields all year picking through all the talent LBCC has to offer. 

Peabody added this in regards to the number of scouts there will be this season, “It should be pretty hot around here with the amount of talent we have on the field.”

LBCC sports have a lot to prove this year, and all eyes will be on them, watching to see what they have in store.

A trip to the Patchwork art show in Long Beach 

Marlon Villa
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A trip to the Patchwork art show in Long Beach 

Whether it be sewing handmade dolls for 30 years, making artwork as a way to move forward after a separation from a partner, or doing robot based paintings for over a decade, artists from all sorts of backgrounds came together to participate in the Patchwork art show in Long Beach.

Artists from all sorts of backgrounds came together to participate in the Patchwork art show in Long Beach with some of them being ceramics based from a wide variety of options such as vases, mugs and plates. Photo by Marlon Villa

Tatiana Redin does hand-built earth clay jewelry, which is a special blend of clay from Long Beach that has iron and sand in it that creates a very unique oxidation.  

Redin’s entire line is inspired by the journey of finding worthiness within, “because clay is a really humble material that you have to honor it to find its preciousness within it,” Redin said. 

She originally started making these for herself out of seeking grounding in her life. A separation between Redin and her partner helped Redin discover how ceramics was like a wise teacher and an outlet as well.  

Luzaragan’s urban wood art work at the patchwork show where artists from all sorts of backgrounds came together to participate in the Patchwork art show in Long Beach. Photo by Marlon Villa

“There’s three parts: grounding, growing and glooming, which is kind of the journey of when we encounter hard things in life so it’s inspired by that,” Redin said.  

Jose Vargas and his wife have been creating handmade dolls for around 30 years now. 

Their dolls bring together different cultures in pop culture, such as Princess Leia from the Star Wars movies and El Chavo from the Mexican TV show, El Chavo Del Ocho.  

Jose Vargas has a partnership with his wife where he takes care of selling the dolls that she makes sewing them, on top of that he sells the t shirts his daughter makes which she designs and he does the screen printing. Photo by Marlon Villa

Matt Spangler illustrates robot paintings with the robots doing many different things. In 2010, Spangler wanted to draw a robot every day for a year, and at the end he really liked what he was doing, so he just continued doing it and one robot started to emerge into everything else.

Spangler has been drawing the robot in his paintings today since 2011. 

A lot of the illustrations start off digitally, usually designing them on Procreate or Photoshop. He used to do a sketch everyday and that was all digital work in an attempt to better his techniques. He uses acrylic paint, typically on a canvas or paper.  

For paintings, if there’s a concept Spangler really wants to flesh out, he will do it on a small scale first to see if it works.

A customer at Carmens coffee bar at the patchwork art show which artists and local food vendors from all sorts of backgrounds came together to participate in the Patchwork art show in Long Beach. Photo by Marlon Villa

Once he sees it is something that’ll work, he then will go to a bigger canvas, which takes anywhere between two to four days.

The Patchwork art show was held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and the next ones will be held in Oakland, CA on June 11 and Santa Rosa, CA on June 25 and 26. 

A look inside the new M Building on the LAC

Matthew Walker
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A look inside the new M Building on the LAC

LBCC’s newly rebuilt M building on the Liberal Arts Campus is set to open for staff and faculty in August, featuring a mixture of classrooms, offices, and student service centers.

The new building, which replaces both the M and now demolished N buildings, will house academic departments, such as Language Arts and Computer and Office Studies, as well as student services, such as Disabled Students Programs and Services and the Writing and Reading Success Center.

At 81,970 square feet, the M building will house 25 classrooms, 11 labs, 18 conference rooms and 61 offices.

The project is the first state-funded, design-build project in the California Community College system, with a total budget of $77,255,042, funded by the state and Measures E and LB.

Construction of the project began February 2020 and was completed February 2022. The project was designed by HPI Architecture, constructed by C.W. Driver and managed by the Cordoba Corporation, who have managed a number of previous building projects for LBCC.

“The design process is a lengthy process. We do multiple meetings with the core team, including the president and vice presidents,” said Abdul Kunbargi, senior construction manager for Cordoba.

“They make the major decisions (about designs). Then we meet with the end users, (such as) the different department heads that will be residing in the building, and ask them for what requirements there are.”

One of the end user requests that was fulfilled by the building design is a specially installed vent that will pump out fumes produced by 3D printers used by COS classes.

Another unique feature of the building is the lockdown system. Every classroom and office features a prominent red button housed in a yellow case that, when pressed, will lock every room in the building and prevent entry by everyone except law enforcement or campus security.

“One push of the button, it locks the building down, god forbid an active shooter or something like that,” said Kunbargi. “(People) can go out but it doesn’t allow people to come in.”

This feature was requested specifically by the school.

Faculty and staff will also use keycards to access rooms and classrooms they are assigned to rather than the keycode pads seen in other buildings on the campus.

Employees can expect to move into their new quarters at the end of August, while students will start classes there in fall 2022.

Opinion: Stop the stigma surrounding polyamory

Eduardo Gomez
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Opinion: Stop the stigma surrounding polyamory

Monogamy is widely accepted among society as what would be considered a normal relationship. However, this is just an idealization of the harsh reality of monogamous relationships, which tend to only sometimes work.

According to a 2021 survey done by Health Testing Centers where 441 people were polled, 46% of people in monogamous relationships admitted to having affairs outside their relationships. 

Non-consensual polyamory seems to be more common than consensual polyamory between couples, and yet comparecamp.com reported that 1,912 Americans were asked about how they felt about polyamory and 56% felt that it was morally incorrect.

For some people, polyamory just makes sense. Many people do not get into polyamourous relationships simply to sleep with other people, although that does seem like a perk, most people’s reasoning goes beyond lust.

Polyamory can help those who do not want to confine themselves to the restrictive guidelines of monogamy feel more confident in their self identity. This holds to be especially true for people in the LGBTQ+ community, where polyamory is more prevalent than in heteronormative couples.

Psychology today also reported that People who identify as bisexual/pansexual tend to be more likley to identify as being in an open relationship. The same goes for gay men as well who have the highest rates of polyamorous relationships.

Some couples can be the perfect match personality wise while not being sexually compatible. Maybe you fall for someone that checks all your boxes and your head over heels for them, except one. Perhaps they’re asexual or have sexual desires your not comfortable fufilling. 

It would be a travesty to break a bond that works beyond sex. Open relationships can help to fulfill the parts of people’s lives that are lacking. Relationships are not black and white and there is not always a simple answer to every couple’s problem.

Psychology Today reported that 45 percent of consensual non-monogamous relationships consist of a primary relationship with secondary relationships that are less committed. These types of relationships showed significantly more intimacy between the primary relationships, meaning polyamory doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the intimacy of having what’s known as “your other half”.

Polyamory can actually increase emotional closeness between primary partners. Having a non-monogamous relationship means having to be intune with your partner’s emotions, since jealousy can still pose a threat to these types of relationships. There is more room for effective communication, since there is also less incentive for couples to withhold information from each other.

Polyamorous relationships can also help with the longevity of relationships. According to The Daily Mail, the average relationship lasts 2 years and 9 months. 

For polyamorous couples on the other hand, the average relationship between primary couples last about 8 years, Psychology Today reported.

Despite this information, one in four couples that identify as polyamourous have faced discrimination for their lifestyle preferences. This can discourage a lot of people from publicly admitting being in relationships like this and can also deter those who may be interested in knowing more about consensual non-monogamy.

There are many monogamous couples that end up switching to consensual non-monogamy further into their relationship as well. This adjustment can improve communication skills and can offer a better chance at couples having a healthy long lasting relationship.

Consensual non-monogamy is not only for the sex-crazed hedonist. People in polyamourous relationships seek greater relationship satisfaction with their romantic partners.

LBCC Faculty Diversity Internship Program holds its first graduation ceremony

Matthew Walker
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The faculty and professional development department of Long Beach City College held its first graduation ceremony for their Faculty Diversity Internship Program on Wednesday.

The one-year program is for grad students, post-grad students and local residents who are looking to change careers paths to becoming employed as a faculty member at Long Beach City College.

This program is run by the FPD department, in conjunction with the human resources, and was designed to guide and assist those who want to pursue a career in teaching.

One of the main focuses of the program is to help diversify certain departments that historically are lacking in minorities.

“Our goal is to increase representation to accurately reflect the population of our students,” said Veronica Alvarez, assistant professor at LBCC.

Alvarez plays a key role in the program and is excited to see it get a second life, so that more people have access to jobs they otherwise would not have been able to obtain.

“The program went on for about 10 years, but it was a long time ago and it wasn’t fleshed out and developed like it is now. It’s a partnership with the academic senate under FPB and human resources.”

Those who enroll in the program are provided with everything they need in order to obtain either full-time or part-time employment as a member of the faculty, including being assigned a mentor who has experience in the department that they eventually hope to join.

These mentors are meant to provide insight into the daily responsibilities of someone in their position as well as share their teaching techniques for both synchronous and asynchronous classes.

At the end of the year-long program, mentors decide whether or not they feel their pupil is ready to become a valuable member of the school’s faculty and they can then sign off on their graduation.

Robert Garcia is a mentee who completed the program and hopes to begin teaching philosophy courses as early as this summer.

“When I went to grad school I knew what I wanted to do was go back and teach philosophy. I took my first philosophy class at a community college, LA Valley College, and I was blown away so I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Garcia.

“You can study a discipline, whatever it is, and you can kind of understand it and get how it works, but it’s a whole different story to try to reach students and teach it to them,” said Garcia. “Being able to get up to date with what’s happening in community colleges was really important to me because I went to community college in 1997 and it’s changed a lot since then.”

Before the ceremony started, there was a live performance by “Octopus”, a band made up of music students from LBCC, as well as a land acknowledgement to honor the traditional ancestral land of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and a student speaker.

Fruit, sandwiches, drinks and other snacks were available for those who were in attendance.

Student artists redefine what it means to do ballet

Maisie Vilchis
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  • Joe Clements and Tailor Marshall practicing with the barre. (photo by Moises Vargas)
  • Lauren Kochheim and Shae Reyna practicing on the barre. They are in the advanced ballet class at LBCC (photo by Moises Vargas)
  • Lauren Kochheim practicing on the barre. (Photo by Moises Vargas)
  • Joe Clements warming up on the barre during the advanced ballet class. (photo by Moises Vargas)
  • Advanced ballet students stretching on the barre (photo by Mosies Vargas)
  • A portrait of Shvawn Bausley. Bausley is enrolled in the dance program at LBCC and recently graduated from Cal-State Dominguez. (Photo by Sophia Cobb)
  • “I always felt discouraged because I am not super feminine but I do love ballet and its nice that now theres more language around gender and teachers are understanding of that.” -Shae Reyna (photo by Sophia Cobb
  • Group photo of the advanced ballet dancers. Featured from left to right: Shvawn Bausley, Kamarea Taylor, Natalie Carrera, Lauren Kochhiem, Michelle Galvan, Joe Clements, Shae Reyna (photo by Marlon Villa)
  • Shvawn Bausley performing a jump. Shvawn has been dancing since she was a toddler and continues to dance at LBCC. (photo by
  • Joe Clements performing a jump. Clements hopes to go to dance school after leaving the dance program here at LBCC (photo by Maisie Vilchis).
  • Natalie Carrera preforming a jump called a grand jete. Carrera is in the advanced ballet class at LBCC. (photo by Maisie Vilchis)
  • A protrait of Natalie Carrera. Natalie is an aspiring actress and long time dancer. (photo by Sophia Cobb)
  • A group photo of the advanced ballet dancers. From left to right: Shvawn Bausley, Kamarea Taylor, Joe Clements, Natalie Carrera, Michelle Galvan, Shae Reyna, Lauren Kochhiem (photo by Marlon Villa)
  • A portrait of Joe Clements. Clements is a former computer engineer who recently found his passion for ballet in the LBCC dance program (photo by Sophia Cobb).
  • Shae Reyna in a warrior pose. (photo by Sophia Cobb)
  • A portrait of Lauren Kochheim. Kochheim is in the dance program at LBCC who would like to be a professional modern dancer (photo by Sophia Cobb).
  • Michelle Galvan doing a jump. Michelle is in the advanced ballet class at LBCC (photo by Marlon Villa).
  • Michelle Galvan, a ballerina in LBCCs advance ballet class. (photo by Sophia Cobb)
  • Portrait of Kamarea Taylor. Taylor started dancing as a toddler at her church. Now Taylor is a choreographer and dance instructor for kids at her church as well a professional dancer. (photo by Sophia Cobb)
  • Group photo of the advanced ballet dancers. Featured from left to right: Shvawn Bausley, Kamarea Taylor, Natalie Carrera, Lauren Kochhiem, Michelle Galvan, Joe Clements, Shae Reyna (photo by Marlon Villa)

The LBCC dance program has cultivated an environment for dancers of all backgrounds to feel welcomed, included, and confident in their abilities while also breaking the biases often seen in traditional ballet. 

Kiarra Kinghorn, who has been a dance instructor for the school, teaches several different styles such as ballet, modern, and jazz. Kinghorn has set the “barre” for what it means to be a dancer in this day and age by providing a safe space for anyone who is passionate about dance.

“I have a philosophy that dance is for everyone, I think it’s really changing in recent years,” Kinghorn said.

Behind the doors of the newly built Q building, you will find a pair of ballet slippers being worn by ballerinas from every walk of life. Whether you’re seeking a new hobby, reigniting an old passion, or just looking for a different way to exercise, the dance studios at LBCC have a place for you.

“I sort of had an experience like many have had, a lot of abusive teachers or authoritarian choreographers and I am trying to change that. I think it’s wrong, I try to open it (dance) up to people who haven’t had it and have been disenfranchised from taking a dance class,” Kinghorn said.

Joe Clements is a 29-year-old returning college student that formerly studied computer engineering. Clements started dancing a few years ago but had never done ballet before. Although he had been fascinated by ballet his whole life, he was reluctant to try it until he signed up for his first ballet class this semester. 

“I saw how happy the other people were dancing and I was so scared of doing it that I just wanted to try it and it really set me free once I did,” Clements said.

Clements mentioned how LBCC is one of the few places he could think of that offers ballet classes to adults who are just getting into it. Now Clements hopes to go to dance school and share his newfound passion with others along the way.

“I always tell people who are looking to develop themselves to pick a creative outlet that you’re not comfortable doing and for me, that was dancing,” Clements said.

In the past, classical forms of dance like ballet, have been known to be restrictive. Dancers are highly criticized for their bodies and overall appearance. This can be intimidating for people who don’t fit into the description of what a typical ballerina would look like.

According to a study titled “Body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders in elite professional female ballet dancers” by the Annals of Clinical Psychology, body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders are more prevalent in ballet dancers than in the general population. 

Despite the negative aspects revolving around physical appearance and lack of representation for women of color, Shvawn Bausley, a 34-year-old Black student who has been dancing since the age of three continues to be passionate about dance.

“I have always been in love with dance. I never had the body for it or was able to pursue it, but I’ve never been able to give it up. It’s helped me mentally, it’s helped me physically, and it’s helped me overcome things,” Bausley said.

Taylor explained how her fascination with dance as a kid first was inspired by women like Debbie Allen and Katherine Dunham. Both are dancers of color that have left an imprint on dance history forever during the 20th century.

“We don’t have teachers, we have dance moms. It’s not a facade when we say it’s family here, we truly and legitimately care about each other,” said LBCC ballerina Tailor Marshall. 

Instructors like Stephanie Powell and Kiarra Kinghorn keep close tabs on their dancers, ensuring that they feel confident in themselves and their abilities. The instructors check in with their students to make sure they are taking care of their bodies and not over-exerting themselves to ensure that the dancers can continue to dance for as long as they please.

If you’re interested in joining the LBCC dance program, several classes are still open and available for the upcoming summer and fall sessions. Most of the dance classes do not have a prerequisite and can be taken in no particular order.

Native American flutist performs at LBCC

The Viking News
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Native American flutist performs at LBCC

Native American flutist and flute maker performed a small concert with Bill William, Angela Moisa, and a few volunteers from the crowd on Tuesday at Long Beach City College’s LAC location. 

Lopez and William have been performing together for around seven years now. They first performed together at El Camino College, where William is a professor. 

Both Lopez and William agreed with enthusiasm that they enjoy playing alongside each other. 

“There’s some magic that happens. There are only four flute players that I can play with because it’s a dance,” Lopez said.

Accompanying Lopez and William was Angela Moisa. Mosia played the drums, including an ocean drum, and the singing bowl. Her base rhythm helped keep the flutists on track as they moved through each song. 

Bill Willams, professor at El Camino, performs the didgeridoo alongside Mac Lopez in the E quad at LAC on Tuesday. Their music is entirely improvised and the in synch spontaneity is what brings the magic to their sound. (Photo by Shelby Tiefenthaler)

Lopez shared a little history regarding the ocean drum. This type of drum is meant to mimic the sounds of ocean water bringing the tides in and out and the crashing waves. When this instrument was first created it was made with giant turtle shells with some sort of beans or beads put inside to get the same effect.

Miosa is also a master Reiki and includes sound in her practice of healing. She is able to use the singing bowl to create anything from a soft ring to an echoing-roar of a ring. 

“This sound has the ability to change the brain waves and puts you in a different state of mind. When you’re in these states it promotes healing,” Moisa said.

Throughout the concert, Lopez explained the process of making a traditional Native American flute. According to Lopez, one of the most important aspects of flute making is the state of mind during the process. 

Native American flutist and flute maker brought a multitude of his work and other instruments to LAC on Tuesday. These instruments consist of about 15 different flutes, drums, including the ocean drum, singing bowl, and at least one didgeridoo. (Photo by Shelby Tiefenthaler)

Lopez believes that one must be in a good spirit and good energy to craft something so beautiful. If negative thoughts are flowing during the weeks it takes to make this instrument, then it will sound poor and be out of key.

“If you go to the water and say positive words, the crystals that emerge from the water will be beautiful. But, if you go to the water and say something raunchy, then some sort of ugly crystal will be made from the water,” Lopez said. 

On average, Lopez says it takes two to four weeks to complete a single flute. 

Lopez continues to play music simply because “It makes me feel good.”

Debate: How should MacKenzie Scott’s multi-million dollar donation be spent?

Eduardo Gomez
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Debate: How should MacKenzie Scott’s multi-million dollar donation be spent?

In June of 2021, Long Beach City College received a gift from high-up. That gift was $30 million from MacKenzie Scott after she divorced Jeff Bezos as part of her initiative to spread her wealth to schools across the country.
The spending of the gift was recently decided, but the question remains whether or not this is the correct approach. Much time and effort has been put into deciding its fate, so how do the options stack up?

Craig Roberts: LBCC should spend the money now to help alleviate immediate issues and those in the very near future.

We really should spend the money now, not many opportunities like this are granted where one can dump a giant heap of funds into a problem and make a serious immediate impact, or at least one in the very near future.

But with such a large amount of money, not only can some issues now be helped, but future ones as well. There’s more than one way to invest money other than just saving it.

Just as a home is an investment, so is a building. It’d be a commitment that would last longer than the funds themselves and could be easily accommodated for. 

Investing in students now is also an investment for the future. Some may donate to the college in the future if they see that the college used the donation to really make an impact. Others might come back and teach, and some might end up having their own children attend. You never really know what positive results can come from simple good will. 

The other issue with holding onto and investing money from something like a donation is how susceptible that money is to having its purpose changed with new officials, say 20 years from now. Whereas if the money were spent now and whatever programs or projects were finished before that point, the money would have definitely served its purpose.

While such corruption is unlikely, it’s always a possibility. And with the population of LBCC, not one worth taking. It would be a devastating blow to the institution. 

Equity issues will always exist, this is simply the natural state of a capitalist society. But making attempts to help break that constant every so often are needed for both practical survivability and morale. 

Spending the money now would result in many students being more motivated to work harder, seeing that the college truly wants them to succeed and is willing to go to great lengths to ensure it. 

The school owes it to the students, especially coming from a pandemic, to build equity back up sooner rather than later. If we wait, equity could get worse and by the time money is ready to be spent, it would be too late as is often the case.

Eli Orozco: The Board of Trustees effectively decided how the money gifted by MacKenzie Scott will be distributed.

The LBCC board of trustees made the best decision as to how MacKenzie Scott’s $30 million gift will be used. The decision making process was transparent and well thought out. Most importantly, it is focused on making a transformational impact on campus.  

The gift was given to LBCC by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who used a large portion of her divorce settlement with the billionaire as a gift for colleges that “are chronically underrepresented.” 

This gift came out of the blue, donations of this size are not common at LBCC. Despite the unexpectedness of the gift, the LBCC board of trustees took a well-thought out approach to how the money would be used. 

The board of trustees decided the money will be used to benefit both current and future students at LBCC, by investing one-third of the gift to build interest. 

The board built an advisory group that was selected to reflect LBCC and Long Beach’s diverse community and held meetings to help with the decision-making process. They also allowed people outside of the institution to voice their opinion as well. 

Dr. Enette Morton, a professor at CSULB, was an advisor for MacKenzie Scott’s gift and said the board of trustees “had a diverse perspective.”

Since transformational gifts of this nature are not common at LBCC, having multiple public meetings on how the gift will be used helped the board of trustees identify who would benefit. Morton said, “The committee had input by students.” 

Ensuring that this decision-making is transparent allows for the community outside of LBCC to have an opportunity to voice their opinion on how the gift can impact them. Although the money would only go to future students attending LBCC, the benefactors of this money can go on to become Long Beach’s leaders. 

According to Mike Munoz in an interview with Inside Higher Education, LBCC was chosen as a recipient because of the school’s work on equity and racial justice. 

Deciding to continue working on equity and racial justice on campus can spur future donations to be endowed to LBCC. Since LBCC is using its gift to make a transformational impact on future generations, this can lead to donors believing in that vision.

Donors give gifts like this because they want to make an impact on future generations. MacKenzie Scott intended this money to be used to create a social impact on underrepresented communities. Having part of the money be invested to help future generations of LBCC students is the best way to make a continuous social impact.

Since LBCC will be investing one-third of the gift, this can catalyze other donors to have trust in LBCC’s future vision of equity and racial justice and feel their donation will become fruition.

Progress is made with time. To see real change from a gift of this magnitude is to make a transformational change for years rather than months. This decision was made meticulously with strong inspiration for the meaning of equity and racial justice.

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