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After six years student Fashion show makes its grand return

Lineth Murillo
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After six years student Fashion show makes its grand return

The student fashion show is back at Long Beach City College for the first time since 2018, with original designs created by students in the fashion program.

The LBCC student fashion show will be held at the Aquatics Center in Building W at LAC on Saturday, May 25, at 7 p.m. 

The fashion show will take place at the pool and the runway will be going over the pool.

General admission and VIP tickets are now on sale on the LBCC website under student fashion show tickets, ranging from $15 to $25. 

The event will include a pop up market at 5:30 p.m., live music and special performances, and doors will be open at 6:30 p.m.

Professional and student models will walk the runway, showcasing 100 student designs that will be judged by a panel of industry professionals. 

Model Alyssa Mendoza poses wearing a colorful assemble at dress fitting on May 16, 2024 in preparation for the Age of Aquarius fashion show. (Lineth Murillo)

The last fashion show was supposed to be held in 2020 but was canceled due to “COVID-19” and since then the students had time to build their skills which include sewing, drafting patterns, and designing. 

The upcoming fashion show will also feature students bringing their garments from 2018 and forward with a good span of the last six years of student work.

Director and professor for the fashion design merchandising program Chantel Bryant has been teaching at LBCC for nine years and worked in the industry for 11 years as a designer and product developer.

“This year’s theme is Age Of Aquarius, it’s just a celebration of destroying the past of things that don’t work and this kind of collective movement of forward thinking and bringing this retro futuristic spirit,” Bryant said. 

Model Bia Barnett, who has ten years of experience, will be one of the models showcasing the students’ designs in this year’s fashion show.

“I’ve worked with Nordstrom, Macy’s, done tons of commercials, traveled the world and my biggest accomplishment was doing a fashion show in South Korea for their fashion week,” Barnett said.

The fashion design program will be giving away scholarships and will also showcase Renaissance High School and Millikan High School students that both have fashion programs and their students will be entering garments to the next generation segment showcasing the partnership of local high schools.

Genuine Foods contract will be terminated at LBCC

Marty Triplett
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Genuine Foods contract will be terminated at LBCC

By July, Genuine Foods’ contract will be officially terminated with Long Beach City College at both Pacific Coast Campus and the Liberal Arts Campus. 

Genuine Foods supplies eateries on both PCC and LAC such as the Carson & Clark and the Viking Express.

“As far as we know we’re going to have to find new jobs. The pay here was really good, and I barely make enough money as it is, so it’s going to be a struggle for me, especially with the bills. I’m still proud of what my team and I did here, ” said Timothee Konthear Chin, lead chef for Carson & Clark.

The contract’s termination is the result of Genuine Foods not meeting their terms in contract, specifically at LAC. 

The mobile kitchens had been set up since the beginning of the spring semester months ago, but opened just last month.

It was unknown for a while as to why it took so long to open, but it was revealed that the location needed more fixing to be done to be up to code.

“The health department came to check on the trailer, and they saw it wasn’t up to code so we took the time to fix things,” Timothee Konthear Chin, lead chef for Carson & Clark said.

Current workers were not informed of why they were terminated. 

According to Raymond “Chip” West, LBCC’s Vice President of Administrative and Business Services it was Genuine Foods’ responsibility to tell their workers that the contract was terminated.

“We can’t communicate with the (Genuine Foods) workers as per the Genuine Foods contract,” West said.

The current workers were not informed of why they were terminated, as they were only told when their last day would be.

“It might’ve been my company (Genuine Foods) that dropped the ball but Genuine Foods wasn’t even the ones to tell us,” Chin said.

According to Chin, the only reason they are aware they were terminated was because of an email sent by the Associated Student Body at LBCC.

“It really sucks, because I was really committed to being at this place, and it’s perfect because I live in Long Beach, the hours are great, and the days are too. I’ve been doing this for fifteen years and the customers just liking my food was enough for me,” Chin said.

Carson & Clark is expected to remain open until the E Building renovations are completed in fall 2027. 

“Our plan is to continue to operate in this location until the new Building E is completed. The new building E will have food services, catering and other operations to support students.We anticipate a fall 2027 opening, and we are currently transitioning our food service operators,” said West.

The new food distributors, Integrated Food Services will be taking over right after Genuine Foods contract ends, they also will be in charge of LAC’s new Connections Cafe that is under construction. 

Cafe Connections will serve coffee, boba as well as other pastries and is projected to open in July. 

LA Sparks prevail 70-68 in final game at Walter Pyramid

Neil Gagna
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LA Sparks prevail 70-68 in final game at Walter Pyramid

The Los Angeles Sparks completed their five game stint at California State University, Long Beach with a win against the Washington Mystics with a score of 70-68 on Tuesday.

Due to the renovation projects happening at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks have made the Walter Pyramid on the campus of Cal State Long Beach their temporary home until the renovations are finished.

Even though this is the Sparks last game in Long Beach, the team enjoyed playing at the Pyramid.

“Oh yeah, it’s so homey here. We are just very grateful that they let us use their facility, everyone was just very welcoming. Super thankful,” power forward Dearica Hamby said.

During the first half, the Sparks struggled with seven turnovers and giving up multiple offensive boards to the Mystics.

The Sparks then worked their way back by improving their transition defense, making shots and outscoring the Mystics 38-32 in the second half. 

“I think we just picked up the pace, we had such dangerous threats in every position. They [Washington Mystics] came and punched us first but we confronted those runs upfront,” point guard Lexie Brown said.

Sparks point guard Lexie Brown drives into the paint during an offensive drive. The L.A. Sparks finish their three-game season opener at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid with a win after defeating the Washington Mystics 70-68 to get their first win of the season on Tuesday. (Ian Salazar)

The third quarter ended with a score of 57-57 leaving the game wide open.

The Sparks were up by eight points in the fourth before giving up three consecutive turnovers which cut the lead to one point.

The intensity in the arena then rises up when Cameron Brink makes a foul from her block at 1.1 seconds left in the game. 

“She’s unmatched with size. She was big tonight offensively, I know she had some turnovers late in the game but I’m just really comfortable with her on the floor right now,” LA Sparks coach Curt Miller said.

Three seconds were put on the clock but the Mystics missed the final shot attempt leading to the Sparks wrapping up the night with a victory and a score of 70-68. 

“We knew that possession was a must stop, credit to the whole team because we locked in and communicated and got that stop at the end,” Brown said.

Even with this victory, the team believes there are some things to work on before facing the Indiana Fever on Friday 

“I think it’s pretty obvious, our turnovers,” Hamby said when being asked what she’d want to fix with the team before facing Indiana Fever. “It’s going to be really hard winning games in this league in the long term if we don’t.”

The Sparks will be returning back to Crypto.com Arena where they will be facing the Indiana Fever on Friday.

Filipina-owned bookstore on Fourth Street promotes community

Mario Saucedo
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Filipina-owned bookstore on Fourth Street promotes community

Nestled in the vibrant Retro Row neighborhood on Fourth Street is a bookstore that invites people to toss out conventions and judge books by their cover, leaning into whatever calls to them upon first glance. 

Bel Canto Books, owned by Jhoanna Belfer, is a Filipina-owned shop that seeks to celebrate the works of authors of all backgrounds. The books sold are hand-curated by Belfer, who understands the importance of representation. 

“I choose to highlight books by authors you might not see otherwise,” Belfer said. “Books (on the shelves) are faced out because, as humans, we’re wired to seek out visual things. Representation matters and I want people to feel seen when they shop.”

The space is bright and airy with an essence of whimsy that encourages shoppers to indulge in the pleasure of discovery, taking in the experience one section at a time as they browse titles written by authors of various ethnic backgrounds. 

The idea for Bel Canto Books came to Belfer during the 2016 election, a time when many had their foundations shaken by the state of the country. 

“It had me reconsidering what my legacy was going to be,” Belfer said. “I wanted to find something meaningful and purposeful.”

With a background as a hospitality executive, Belfer began exploring the idea of marrying her skill set with her love for reading and community building. 

In 2018, after having held her first pop-up book sale, Belfer contemplated the question that all business owners should consider, “what is the problem you’re trying to solve?”

A local book lover takes advantage of the invitng book nook at Bel Canto Books. Bel Canto Books is located on Fourth Street and is a Filipina-owned shop. (Lolita Mojica)

“That’s where the idea for a non-traditional book club came from,” Belfer said. “There are people who like the social aspect of a book club but may not always like the book that’s chosen.”

Belfer set up a system where people could purchase tickets to attend a book club meetup and they would be given a book that she hand-picked for each guest to ensure they’d enjoy what they read. 

With the success of her pop-ups and the book club, Belfer decided to quit her corporate job in 2019 and pursue Bel Canto as a more serious venture. 

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Bel Canto Books had the opportunity to sell in the Hangout on 4th Street, which has since shuttered. 

With the lockdown in full effect, Belfer saw an opportunity to pivot and set her sights on offering yet another solution to a problem. With people unable to shop in-store, Belfer brought the bookstore to their homes. 

“I became like a book concierge,” Belfer said. “People would set their price, what they were willing to spend, and I would hand select books for them based on their survey answers.”

Soon after, Bel Canto’s online presence boomed due in part to the community of regulars who constantly showed their support in addition to other local business owners who have supported Belfer along the way. 

The opening of its first brick-and-mortar location on 4th Street earlier this year marks a major milestone for Bel Canto Books. Still, community involvement remains a major aspect of the work that Belfer and her team does. 

So when Long Beach City College’s English Majors and Minors Club (EMMC) reached out on social media for an opportunity to collaborate, it was a no-brainer for Belfer. 

“What I really liked about Bel Canto was (that) they’re owned by a POC woman and I’m a POC woman in the club,” EMMC member Areli Chavez said.

 This led to Chavez reaching out to Bel Canto about a collaboration. 

Bel Canto Books was on campus on Friday to support the EMMC at the Creative Book Fair during which affordable books were for sale and attendees were able to sit in on author panels. 

For those who couldn’t make it to the book fair, Bel Canto Books has a large presence in Long Beach with multiple ways to shop. 

Find them on 4th Street, KUBO in Bixby Knolls and Steel Cup Cafe.

Opinion: LBCC needs to help their students with mental health issues

Andrea Lawrence
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Opinion: LBCC needs to help their students with mental health issues

With 20,000 students enrolled at LBCC, a third of the students at the school deal with mental health issues, even though there is support for these students at the school,  it is only  the bare minimum.

Most of these students deal with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, eating disorders and bipolar disorder.

Even though the school tries to help these students they are doing it in the wrong way.

The school has mental health wellness workshops, but the workshops don’t go into detail on the issues that these students are dealing with.

Most of these workshops have to do with making crafts to help lower anxiety and relieve stress.

Workshops aren’t well advertised so it results in low attendance.

There are mental health services offered on campus like therapy and information on the different mental health issues but many students don’t know about these resources.

The school struggles to understand that these mental health issues may lead to students struggling in their classes and students shouldn’t be punished if their mental illness is hindering their grades in school.

Once a month for the workshops is not enough and there needs to be more held throughout the semester.

The workshops need to be more consistent, at least twice a week to help students improve and be able to talk about their issues in a group with support.

Even if the therapy on campus helps the student, the student is only allowed six sessions of therapy, then the student will have to find therapy that the student pays for.

The main reason this doesn’t happen is because the school doesn’t want to spend more money or hire more staff in order to help make these workshops better for students.

The school thinks they’re offering enough help for students, but all they are doing is putting a bandaid on a bullet hole.

The school needs to advertise the mental health services like the workshops, therapy on social media and on the website so that more students can get help that will improve their future.

LGBTQ+ students celebrated at Lavender Graduation ceremony

Lineth Murillo
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LGBTQ+ students celebrated at Lavender Graduation ceremony

Long Beach City College hosted their fourth annual Lavender graduation ceremony recognizing LGBTQIA identifying students on May 17 at the Liberal Arts Campus.

Nearly 45 attendees attended this event to honor and celebrate the 18 graduating students who identify within the LGBTQIA community. 

The ceremony began with a few words from Professor Jerome Hunt and board of trustees member Herlinda Chico. 

“Being a member of the community, this is very important to me. I have worked at numerous institutions where it wasn’t safe, it wasn’t welcoming or affirming to be out and proud of who we are,” said Hunt. 

Students were presented with a multi-colored honor cord as a token for the students’ successes. 

Graduate Ziggy Huntington Bono walks to receive his lanyard at the 2024 Lavender Graduation in room W-201 on May 17. (Cain Carbajal)

“I think it’s important that we can all be recognized here and feel safe,” said graduating student Stuart Soulek.

Graduating students emphasized their need for support throughout their LBCC experience in order to succeed.

“It’s important to me to represent as many students as we can and to provide community for as many students as we can,” said history professor and cohort for Pride Scholars, Vanessa Crispin-Peralta.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for LGBTQIA students to feel connected to each other and have supportive faculty and staff,” Crispin-Peralta said.

After honoring each graduating student, students lined up to eat.

Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean food was served buffet style by the Yalla food truck.

The official 2024 LBCC commencement ceremony will be held in the Veterans Memorial Stadium on June 6, 2024 at 4 p.m.

Families explore different fields of study at Science Night

Lineth Murillo
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Families explore different fields of study at Science Night

On May 10, 2024, Long Beach City College opened its doors to welcome the community to its annual Science Night Event.

The Science Night event was hosted from 4pm to 8pm featuring LBCC’s Math, Nursing and Science departments.

Along with multiple interactive activities held by the various departments, the event made room for a live cadaver demonstration.

“It is definitely something you don’t really hear about or get the chance to do everyday so it was very cool to see especially the reactions and questions you hear from the kids,” said parent at the event, Bobby Barkar.

Stella analyzing brine shrimp in the life science department. Science Night event at LBCC on LAC campus on May 10, 2024. (Yesenia Zamora)

Students and families from the surrounding district were invited to take part in the educational experience and its results did not disappoint. 

“I think it’s amazing to see all of these kids out here doing all of these activities especially because there are kids who may not know what they want to be when they grow up and I think this sets a great foundation for it,” said another parent at the event, Laroya Haynes.

The event consisted of multiple free range hands-on projects scattered across the LBCC LAC buildings, B and C. 

From a paint your own “cave painting” hosted by the archaeology department, to an immersive owl fecal matter dissection by the life science department, guests had plenty to do. 

Macy Swain “cave painting.” Science Night event at LBCC on LAC campus on May 10, 2024. (Yesenia Zamora)

The Nursing program participated in the event exhibiting its simulation hospital room and teaching students about the different vital signs used to dictate health.

LBCC’s engineering department also took part in the event showcasing its 3D printer live at work along with a fully functional 3D printed telescope for event use.

“I like that there’s a lot of people, a lot of kids here being exposed to science,” said nursing student, Licet Romero.

“I think it’s a great event that highlights the college and the surrounding community to hopefully recruit future scientists,” said Life Science professor Dan Nigro.

English department shares their love of literature at open house

Kassie Sainz
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English department shares their love of literature at open house

The English department and the English majors and minors club hosted an open house, during which people could learn more about the department and the club while shopping for books, hearing live poetry from faculty and enjoying free food. 

The event occurred on May 9, 2024, in the P building quad on the liberal arts campus. 

Professors Anthony Starros, Margaret Shannon, Natalie Burgess and Kathryn McMurray are some of the few who read poems or stories during the event. 

Burgess read an excerpt from the 1st chapter of her memoir about her battle with cancer.

The English Majors and Minors Club sold softcover books for $1 and hardcovers for $2 to raise money for their club. 

The books are donated by students, club members and professors. They also take donations during club hours on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

“We wanted to bring awareness to our club that’s here on campus, it’s a way to find common-minded individuals who like reading and writing,” said President of the English majors and minors club, Areli Chavez.

The club does monthly open mic nights that are open to anyone in the community. You don’t have to be a member or even an English major to participate. It’s a place where people can come together and share their work.

The club also takes field trips, hosts guest speakers and organizes book and food sale events. 

On Friday, a book fair was held in collaboration with local bookstores like Bel Canto Books. Authors talked about their experiences while selling their books. The crochet club was also there to demonstrate their work.

“The best part is being around people who share the same love for literature, books and English because growing up I didn’t have that. It’s nice to be able to meet people and talk to them about it,” English majors and minors club member, Matthias Dela Cruz said.

The English department has a few upcoming events, such as the physical release of the Saga Literary Journal on May 30, 2024. 

The journal is a collection of works by students, it serves as an opportunity to get their poetry, fiction, prose and artwork published. 

The Drury Awards, an award ceremony honoring students’ achievements in essay composition and creative writing will be held on May 23, 2024.

“I hope people start appreciating literature more cause there’s a wonderful underrated beauty to it that a lot of people don’t realize unless they really delve deep into it I get that that takes a lot of patience and a lot of effort, but the end of the day I feel like its worth it cause when you come out of it you sort of have a new outlook on the world,” said Dela Cruz.

Social Work Club’s outreach empowers students, rain or shine

Mario Saucedo
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Social Work Club’s outreach empowers students, rain or shine

Cloudy weather didn’t stop the Social Work Club as they held an information session on Wednesday May 15. The members greeted everyone who came to their table with a smile.

“I feel like the club helps empower students to be successful in both their education and community goals,” president of the Social Work Club, David Hernandez said.

Hernandez takes a lot of pride in this club due to his hearing disability. He has tinnitus and hears ringing in his ears.

This hasn’t stopped him as this has only made him want to help people even more, especially people that have disabilities like himself.

David Hernandez(left), and Shamonique Harris(right), standing next to their both for thier information session. (Zuri Minor)

Hernandez got an ear infection which caused him to have to use a hearing aid to help.

Due to this he’s had to learn sign language to help him understand what other people are saying to him.  

On top of that he has also learned how to read people’s lips as well to help him in conversations.

“I worked at a hospital for 16 years and I joined this social work program to continue to help people. Hopefully, disabled people too, like myself,”  Hernandez said.

Hernandez knows the problems that people could face when they want to ask for help, and just wants to guide them in the right direction.

He attends Long Beach currently as a student, and plans to transfer to California State University Northridge. 

Johnathan Garcia(left), and Emely Morales(right), getting campus information from Shamonique Harris(middle), David Hernandez(back left), and Mike Biggs(back right). (Zuri Minor)

CSU has one of the largest deaf student populations, and top deaf studies programs for a public university,

Hernandez plans to continue his social work there, and help students like how he’s doing at LBCC.

The club focuses on providing information to students about resources and events on campus.

They aim to help students out who might not know who to talk to, or how to use what’s being provided to support students.

This can range from basic needs, financial aid, disability help, tutoring, and on campus events. 

Hernadez was also joined by Shamonique Harris, vice president of the Social Work Club, who also aims to help the students however she can.

“It’s a great way to connect to students on a one to one basis. We feel like if students get this info, or see others present it they would be more comfortable with getting help from those departments,” Harris said.

Students can also get info on how to join the club itself. Which is what Emely Morales, a student, had come to the table to do.

“I’m majoring in social work, and it just makes sense for me to be involved in this so I can give back to this community,” Morales said.

The club holds its information sessions every Wednesday at the LAC campus, and Thursday at PCC. 

The club plans to continue this during the fall semester.

Opinion: The divest campaign is failing, here’s why

Taylor Robinson
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Opinion: The divest campaign is failing, here’s why

Correction: a previous version of this article contained an image caption not meant to be published in its entirety. The caption has now been shortened for brevity.

Across the nation colleges have been swept with large student protests and encampments against their college’s funding of the weapons industry that directly funds Israel’s siege of Gaza.

Long Beach City College’s investment into the investment company BlackRock that funds the weapons industry, specifically companies such as Lockheed Martin, who supply fighter jets to Israel, and RTX Corp who send bombs and missiles, has drawn pushback.

Specifically, BlackRock has many investments with defense companies such as military contractor General Dynamics that builds tanks, jets, and other vehicles used in war.

LBCC has had their own protests but in comparison they have been small and insignificant compared to the crowds that other colleges amassed.

If students are going to convince the school to divest it needs to be with action not words of support and LBCC has seen little action, with only a few small protests that never led to anything significant.

The major protests have been at large universities such as UCLA and Columbia where students live on campus and are typically more engaged in school events contrary to LBCC where students tend to be less involved.

This does not mean community college’s have not made a difference and gotten their schools to divest.

This past week Pasadena Community College unanimously passed a resolution to stop any future investments into weapons or fossil fuels after around 300 students organized a demonstration on campus.

If even two percent of LBCC or 400 students protested against the college’s investments, it would be difficult for the board of trustees and the superintendent-president to dismiss.

With an enrollment in the 20,000’s LBCC has not even seen one percent of its student body demonstrate for the divest.

The solution is that more people need to show up to school protests and support divesting from BlackRock and any future investments into companies that fund weapons.

Young people proportionately support Palestine over the older generations and yet this has not been represented in the turnouts of pro-palestine protests held at the college.

This means that too many students are vocal supporters but not willing to take a small action other than just protesting like reposting LBCC palestine protest news and joining groups in support of divesting such as following the LBCC Divest page on Instagram.

If students are serious about supporting Palestine and divesting from BlackRock they need to show up and support events that protest the school’s investment in the weapons that murder innocents every day.

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