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Opinion: CDC’s new COVID-19 recommendation is problematic

Cain Carbajal
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Opinion: CDC’s new COVID-19 recommendation is problematic

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the reporters name as “Neil Ganga” instead of “Neil Gagna.” The error has since been corrected.

The CDC put out a statement on March 1st recommending that if people are sick with COVID or another respiratory virus, that they stay home until their symptoms stop, after which they only need to wait 24 hours before returning to school or work.

With not only COVID, but the flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) still going around it could be dangerous to have sick students going back too soon, considering how crowded classrooms can get.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it was standard for sick people to quarantine and wait two weeks before returning to normal life, but these guidelines have been reduced over time. 

Recent research points to COVID being contagious as long as five to ten days after symptoms begin, meaning that even after an infected person feels better they can still carry the disease to spread to others. 

The more time passes since the national shutdown for COVID, it seems that professors make it harder and harder to make up missed assignments making getting sick an increasingly scary experience for students. 

Another reason this causes risk is because school at Long Beach City College is not built for social distancing, the classrooms are small and group work is common meaning that close interaction between students is inevitable. 

One solution to the problem is for more professors to implement similar teaching methods used during the pandemic such as uploading lectures online or having options for sick students to stay home.

While there is the consequence of students skipping class because it is easier to make work up, the benefit of preventing the spread of respiratory illness vastly outweighs the potential negatives.

Caution should be especially applied as the long term effects of COVID are still unknown, especially potential health problems later in life.

Society has done a great job of moving on from the COVID shutdown in 2020 and that is the correct response after such a major event, but at the same time health protocols should not be forgotten and the dangers of COVID cannot be ignored.

Attending school around others while not fully recovered is a potentially life threatening danger to people who have suppressed immune systems and are more at risk of serious harm from sickness than most of the population. 

Even though the CDC is usually a reliable source for COVID information, this recommendation is dangerous for college students and nobody should return to school until they are healthy and non-symptomatic.

Brushstrokes of unity, LBCC’s M building mural embodies diversity and educational excellence

Kassie Sainz
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Brushstrokes of unity, LBCC’s M building mural embodies diversity and educational excellence

Correction: This story has been pulled by the Viking News Editorial board for failing to adhere to the standards of the Viking News.

The M building mural features rainbows throughout the multi-foot painting which artist, Paul Botello received inspiration as he has multiple LGBTQ family members. (Izzy Juarez)

Empowerment workshop at Long Beach City College addresses trauma triggers and tolerance

Mario Saucedo
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Empowerment workshop at Long Beach City College addresses trauma triggers and tolerance

An empowerment workshop, organized by the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) of Los Angeles, addressed trauma triggers and tolerance at Long Beach City College.

The YWCA LA is an organization that provides support for women all over the Los Angeles area, assisting them with a hotline and therapy for all of their emotional needs.

These included dealing with sexual and physical assault and resources to deal with it that are easy and accessible through the YWCA.

The event was run by Kimberly Fernandez and Maria Garcia, two Psychology students at Cal State Long Beach who intern for the YWCA.

Kimberly Fernandez social working intern from Cal State Long Beach talks about emotional triggers at a workshop held at Long Beach City College on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The workshop was not heavily attended but discussed triggers and mental health coping mechanisms to sexual assault and trauma. (Neil Gagna)

“I have a lot of counter transfer because I’m a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, so there is a lot of counter transfer that I have with a lot of my clients but I think just focusing on the fact that this is their time, this is their moment,” Garcia said.

The event had a low turnout but they are coming back to do a workshop on boundaries and sexual assault on Mar. 13.

The presentation was split into two halves, an oral presentation with a slideshow and then in the second half they made bracelets with the one attendee and offered easy to use stress balls and equipment.

Kimberly Fernandez social working intern from Cal State Long Beach talks about emotional triggers at a workshop held at Long Beach City College on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The workshop was not heavily attended but discussed triggers and mental health coping mechanisms to sexual assault and trauma. (Neil Gagna)

The presenters explained that victims can reach out to the YWCA by calling their hotline (843-943-5778).

“I think the reason people don’t seek therapy is stigma of course, but also insurance,” Garcia said.

The event took place in a secluded corner of the loud Nordic Lounge and following a recent trend at the college it was barely promoted at all.

According to the presenters, they aim to enhance their presentation skills and talking points for their upcoming workshop on campus

They also emphasized that therapy and counseling are not limited to any specific group, and they offer services to women aged 12 and above.

Opinion: Socializing in community college is harder than it needs to be

Cain Carbajal
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Opinion: Socializing in community college is harder than it needs to be

Many students see college as a time to form connections and find a community of people they click with, but depending on what type of college you attend, it might take more work.

Community college environments can feel desolate and confusing when you first start off.

Since students in community college all study at different paces, it’s hard to form a connection with people your age because you don’t know if the people you came in with will be the people you graduate with.

The vast age difference between students on campus creates a disconnect between the older and younger students. 

Some students feel community college can be a lonely experience, where people are just trying to get in and out as soon as possible.

Four year institutions are tight-knit in nature with most of the students living, eating, and doing all their extracurriculars on campus.

Community colleges are different. With the only option being to commute, students spend much of their time commuting to and from campus and have little downtime.

School clubs, organizations, events and classes are typically the best places to meet new people, but for commuters, staying an extra hour for a club meeting or school event feels like an unnecessary hassle.

Long Beach City College specifically falls short in maintaining these clubs. Although there are a wide variety of club options with so much potential, they don’t do a great job advertising their presence, with most students unaware these clubs even exist.

Even when students are interested in joining these clubs, the website people are directed to for more information about these organizations–the Viking engagement portal–isn’t up to date. 

In turn, students are unable to contact current members to find out more information. 

Most students in community college are part-time or full-time workers, so when they aren’t on campus, they are working and don’t have much downtime to meet new people.

Students can feel self-conscious when going to these school events or joining clubs as they think it’s uncool or feel nervous going alone.

LBCC should be an easier place to harbor friendships. It already has the potential with smaller and more intimate classes, the weekly school events and the ample variety of clubs on campus.

The potential is sadly wasted, due to students’ busy schedules and their hesitation toward being more involved with the school on top of the lack of promotion for these events.

Quezada’s performance leads LBCC baseball to win against Pierce College

Ian Salazar
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Quezada’s performance leads LBCC baseball to win against Pierce College

The Vikings responded as designated hitter AJ Quezada hit an RBI as the team got back from a 2 run deficit as they won at home 8-2 against Pierce Brahmas on Tuesday. 

Vikings baseball stayed home as they faced the brahmas for the first game after sweeping the Pasadena Lancers on saturday placing them in the lead of the South Coast Conference.

The Vikings’ new starting pitcher Luis Guzman pitched strong through the five innings with a strikeout and thirteen outs in spite of the Brahmas two runs start in the 2nd and 3rd inning.

“We did a good job on hitting,” Guzman said. “Just trying to get outs and do everything I can do for this team and get strikeouts.”

While the Vikings hitting lineup responded as Ryan Geck homered to start the bottom of the 4th with third baseman James Provencio stealing home base to tie the game which started the vikings comeback.

“Just trying to get into scoring position as our guys hit pretty well,” Provencio said.

Quezada brought in with an RBI double that helped the Vikings take the lead with four more runs by Xander McLaurin and Olin Snakenborg in the bottom of the 8th. 

“It’s great to be with the group of guys like they’re like my little brothers,”  Quezada said.  “It’s my dream to play ball and it’s great to be playing out there every day” .

Utility player, Ryan Geck, positions his stance for the next pitch. LBCC baseball secures the 8-2 win against Pierce College, Tuesday, Feb. 27. (Brianna Apodaca)

During the game, revisions made by the umpires were called in favor of the vikings which head coach Casey Crook mentioned the calls were really close.

“That’s part of baseball for them to ask for the umpires to take a second look.” Crook said. “We were down early but we came back.”

As a result of the comeback, the Vikings are now on a five game winning streak as Crook believes everyone in and out of conference want to beat them.

“After this close game hopefully they’ll be more sharper and focused for Thursday” Crook said.

The Vikings continued their winning streak by taking down Pierce College again 11-8.

Men’s volleyball wins nail biter 3-2 over Moorpark

Neil Gagna
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Men’s volleyball wins nail biter 3-2 over Moorpark

Sophomore Lucca Mamone scored the game clinching block in the fifth set to secure the 3-2 win for Long Beach City College men’s volleyball over Moorpark on Friday.

“It feels great. I mean there was a talk between both teams, mainly one side, so we just had to show our game and why we were here and what we do,” Mamone said.

Moorpark kept a chatty mouth against the Vikings during the whole game but the LBCC softball team showed up to help cheer the Vikings on.

“We love as many people that come, we love any one that comes and supports us. Will definitely make sure to be better at going to one of their games,” Mamone said.

The Vikings offense stood out in the first set but seemed to have lacked in the second and third sets.

The defense also seemed to have lacked communication, which resulted in the Vikings giving up multi-point leads. 

“Communication is a big part of it but right now the other team played well, we did not play well,” assistant coach Jason Kwak said.

This allowed Moorpark to tie or even take the lead in the game multiple times during the game.

In the fourth the Vikings came together to win the set sending the game to a fifth set where the Vikings capped off the comeback win.

“We could improve on our mindset for sure. It was a little rough at the beginning, we were all playing within our own heads battling all the bad calls from the refs and it was more of a head game, at the end we finally came together and started playing as a team,” Mamone said. 

Assistant coach Jason Kwak would temporarily take over as head coach, as head coach Angel Nikolov was not in attendance.

“He’s just in Colorado doing national team stuff,” Kwak said. 

Nikolov helps train and search for the top level players looking to get into the national team.

With this win the Viking would start a three game win streak, extend their conference record to 2-0 and their overall record to 3-5 as they are playing another conference game Wednesday against Santa Monica at 6 p.m.

Protest in support of Palestine held in front of the library at LAC

Marty Triplett
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Protest in support of Palestine held in front of the library at LAC

A group of protesters held a protest at LBCC today. 

The protest took place in front of Long Beach City College’s library on the Liberal Arts Campus around 12 p.m. on Wednesday. The protestors wanted to spread awareness towards the injustices happening in Gaza against Palestinians.

Nana E (LBCC student who declined to give their full name) talked about the Women’s History Month event taking place at LBCC.

Nana felt as though since LBCC is celebrating Women’s History Month they should also discuss Palestine’s struggles, specifically with women’s struggles.

Long Beach City College student Nana E. (declined to give their full last name)chants and protests infront of LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus library. The student began chanting around 12:30 p.m. on March 6 on LAC. (Izzy Juarez)

“If we’re celebrating Women’s History Month, we should talk about Palestine. Women are dealing with a lot over there including kidnappings, and losing their children. This shouldn’t be ignored,” Nana said.

Nana herself has experienced some of these injustices herself and could relate to the Palestinians. Specifically with losing her own home at one point in her life.

“I’ve been a victim of displacement out of homes, and I’ve seen what happens. We’re connected in that way,” Nana said.

Other protestors were writing messages on the ground using chalk. These messages connected women’s rights with Palestinian rights.

“Women’s rights are Palestinian rights, 63 women will be killed by Israel today, more than half will be mothers.” was one of the statements written in chalk in front of the LAC library. 

Protester Dayquan Moeller writes in chalk infant of Long Beach City College’s, Liberal Arts library. Moeller wrote statements protesting the war in Gaza at the steps pf LBCC’s library on March 6. (Izzy Juarez)

Some students ended up joining in on the protest and started writing on the ground, and chanting along with the others.

“People think propaganda is something from the past, that is a lie, propaganda is real, the media spreads lies, but it also spreads the truth. People need to know where to find the correct information.” Jennifer Cortez said, a student at LBCC who was watching the protests at first but then joined in.

During the protest, Heather Batha, a non LBCC student was handing out flyers, which talked about companies that are supporting Israel. These companies include Mcdonalds, Hewlett-Packard Company, and Chevron.

Their goal was to bring awareness to people about these companies and get them to stop buying products from them.  

One of the quotes alongside the list of companies said, “Make sure your shopping spree is not a killing spree. Boycott products from these pro-Israel companies.”   

Despite the support being shown in the protest, the protestors were hesitant in giving their full names for the quotes.

They feel as though it’s too dangerous to do so as other people have gotten harassed online or even getting doxxed because of their involvement in speaking out.

Doxxing is when people get their information leaked online, including their full name and address.

“I’ve seen a lot of people getting doxxed after putting their full name in the quotes. I stand by everything I say and do here but I fear for my safety.” said an anonymous protester. 

Women’s swim team dominates at meet against Cerritos and ELAC

Izzy Juarez
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Women’s swim team dominates at meet against Cerritos and ELAC

In a showdown at Long Beach City College’s aquatic center, the women’s swim and diving team dominated against Cerritos and East Los Angeles College securing first in every event at the dual meet on Friday. 

The event marked a debut for Danielle “Danny” Sgontz, who participated in the diving event for her first time. 

Sgontz, who placed the lowest for the women’s one meter dive, later explained how she prepared for the event. 

“This was my first time along with some of my other teammates but honestly, I listen to Bob Marley to chill out before diving,” Sgontz said. 

Long Beach City College sophomore Danielle Sgontz swims in the women’s 500 yard freestyle. Sgontz placed second with a time of 6:10.11 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)

Women’s diving coach Shane Butler, a proud alumna of LBCC, brought his expertise to the poolside. 

Butler explained how he gets his players in a competitive mindset even if it’s their first time participating in the events. 

“As a player I never understood the levels my coaches tried getting me to but now as a coach trying to get my own players to that same level I understand,” Butler said. 

Butler also holds the school record for LBCC in the one meter and three meter diving board events. 

One of the many stand out performers of the day featured sophomore Julia Miller in the women’s 1000-yard freestyle event.

Miller clinched first with a time of 12:18.09, a total of 27 seconds ahead of swimmers from Cerritos and ELAC. 

 “Because that was my first time swimming the 1000 yard this season I was pretty happy with my time, it gave me a good starting point, so hopefully I can work towards dropping time later in the season,” Miller said. 

Long Beach City College sophomore Julia Miller swims in the women’s 1000 yard freestyle. Miller placed first with a time of 12:18.09 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)

Along with Miller, Olivia Slavens placed first in the women’s 200 and 50 yard freestyle events.

Slavens shared how she prepares for meets before swimming, “I pick one person and make it between me and them…when I make my competition 1v1 it’s easier to have that mindset that I need to win, not just want to.” 

The team’s camaraderie and determination were evident throughout the meet, as they cheered each other on and pushed themselves to new heights of achievement. 

With this victory, LBCC women’s swim team is now setting its sights on the upcoming meet at the Mt. San Antonio College invitational.

Extra Frames: more photos from the women’s dual meet on March 1 by Izzy Juarez and Sam Villa

Sharon Vargas performed in the 400-yard relay placing with her group 2nd. Still beating the other colleges at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Sam Villa)
Freshman Emmy Escoto preparing herself during the women’s 200-yard medley relay just before her group placed first. She assisted at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Sam Villa)
Long Beach City College freshman Emmy Escoto swims in the women’s 100 yard backstroke. Escort placed second with a time of 1:07.31 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)
Long Beach City College sophomore Katie Juarez participates in the women’s one meter diving event. Juarez placed first in the event with a total of 186.05 points at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)

February ASB meeting talks about the renaming of PCC

Marty Triplett
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February ASB meeting talks about the renaming of PCC

Correction: A previous version of this article misnamed the speaker of the lines quoted from the story. The speakers was LBCC’s Associate Vice President Alisia Kirkwood, not student activities adviser Kim Hamon. The article has been corrected.

At the ASB cabinet meeting on Monday, Feb. 26, the team discussed the rebranding and marketing campaign for the Pacific Coast Campus, which they are currently working on alongside the Broadcom company. 

They presented the data at the Board of Trustee meeting back in January and it was also presented at The College Planning Council meeting “CPC” last week. The ASB cabinet was the final constituency group to hear the presentation. 

PCC has undergone a major modernization and expansion of its facilities in preparation for the festivities planned for its 75th Anniversary on Oct. 19.  It will be a community party for alumni, community folks, students, and faculty/staff members.

 The ASB council will be having a celebration, and also a huge celebration for the Liberal Arts Campus when their 105th anniversary comes in a year. 

In celebration of the campus, they’re actively looking for a new identifier for the campus. Someone who will help bring positive awareness to PCC, and help with its popularity. The Board of Trustees has not yet decided to change the campus identifier officially; because they’re not calling it a vote; they’re calling it feedback because there’s no clear winner. Getting a new campus identifier 

The process started in the 2023 fall semester in September when the team formed a work group and came up with key identifier themes. They did a campus survey that went out to all students and employees as well as community members. 

Next, individual interviews with the Board of Trustees who represented their region or the area/district and got their point of view. After that, they regrouped and picked out some identifiers for testing. 

They moved into focused groups that were composed of students, faculty, staff, and a few community members. They developed a few final identifiers and then went back out to survey. 

In the focus group, the ASB team found out that the identifiers did not test well. They did one additional focus group specifically for trade students and adult vocational students specifically the ESL students. 

Most importantly, two-thirds of the sample supported a new campus identifier, which means that more than half of the people who did the survey favored a new identifier. 

“One of the terms I used to describe PCC is a stepchild. I believe that the campus is often overlooked and doesn’t have the same unique branding and hype as the Liberal Arts Campus. A new identifier will shine a light on the campus and give it a name more aligned with the courses  and the resources available for the students at PCC,” said Alisia Kirkwood, LBCC’s Associate Vice President.

“I’ve always felt like it was a missed opportunity to name a campus after a street, with its vast resources and offerings,” Alisia Kirkwood said.

“For many, a name change is an opportunity for PCC to get its moment and the faculty at LBCC want to take into account students’ opinions as they work to bring this change about.”

Men’s swimming team shows out in conference meet against ELAC and Cerritos

Izzy Juarez
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Men’s swimming team shows out in conference meet against ELAC and Cerritos

Long Beach City College men’s swimming team dominated the conference meet on Friday, only losing one event out of the 15 that they competed in against East Los Angeles College and Cerritos. 

For some competitors this was their first meet of the season, nerves grew but ultimately the swimmers emerged victorious against the others.

“We came in kinda little worried, we hit it hard these past couple weeks with some high yardage and aerobics,” sophomore swimmer Tony Montes said who placed first in every event he took part in.

“We have a pretty good freshman class who are supporting their roles, we have a lot of diversity in terms of talent so we can swim a little bit of everything.” said Director of Aquatics, Bradley Adamson. 

Long Beach City College sophomore Tony Montes swims in the men’s 100 yard backstroke. Montes placed first with a time of 56.84 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)

While the swimmers cruised through this meet they are looking to improve on their skills as a whole and also on a personal level for some.

Freshmen Andrew Lambert and Ramzi Steenhoek left the pool with scores well above for their first times, approaching further improvements.

“For our divers, both Andrew and Ramzi, it was their first time diving in competition, so they’re just learning, Andrew is taking it pretty well and he’s taking off,” Adamson said.

“Personally I already know what I need to work on for the next one, I have a plan already set out, to work harder and like on my underwaters and starts and turns,” Montes said.

Compared to Cerritos and ELAC, the Long Beach swimmers towered above in their scores, leaving a 25 second gap between finish times on events such as the 200 yard Medley Relay.

Both mens and womens teams got to the event early to feel energized and ready for their first meet.

“We never usually do that, but we brought a speaker into the locker room and we played some hype music to get everyone excited for the meet,” Montes said.

The men’s swim team will continue training hard in anticipation for their future events, most notably in April for the championships.

Extra Frames: more photos from the men’s dual meet on March 1 by Sam Villa and Izzy Juarez

Long Beach City College freshman Nathaniel D’Aloisio swims in the men’s 200 yard butterfly. D’Alosio placed first with a time of 1:56.76 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)
Ramzi Steenhoek swims in the men’s 1000-yard freestyle at the conference. Steenhoek placed at 13:40.56 in the only event LBCC lost at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Sam Villa)
Long Beach City college sophomore Edson Alvarado swims in the men’s 100 yard breaststroke. Alvarado placed first with a time of 1:03.91 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March. 1. (Izzy Juarez)
Freshman Andrew Lambert participated in the men’s one meter diving. Lamber collected a score of 154.00 during the swim conference at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Sam Villa)

Long Beach City College sophomore David Avila swims in the men’s 100 yard breastroke. Avila placed second with a time of 1:09.52 at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Izzy Juarez)
Sophomore Tony Montes prepares for his relay event at the conference on Friday. Montes placed first in every event he participated in at the dual meet against ELAC and Cerritos at LBCC’s aquatic center on March 1. (Sam Villa)
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