It is not surprising that voters could not care less about the Los Angeles mayoral elections, especially when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is more associated with the tabloids than with effective governance. The recent elections, held on March 5, had less of a voter turnout than elections in the nation’s leading apathy capitals, Chicago and New York. Maybe voters were more...

It was an ordinary day in Glendora, Calif. for Santa Monica College student Eric William Van Horen when he stopped at a Starbucks drive-thru before heading to school. Eric decided to pay for the customer behind him, which led to every person "paying it forward" to the person behind them in line for the next 10 minutes. "My first reaction...

Smoking is hazardous to our health. It is hazardous to our children's health, our friends' health and our sometimes-irritating neighbors' health. Research determined that secondhand smoke contains 4,000 chemicals, 250 of which are known to be harmful, and at least 50 of which are known to cause cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Homes Program....

When Kevin Lyman, founder of Vans Warped Tour, set off the first tour in 1995, he had no idea it would become a summer tradition for millions of music lovers. “I was supposed to do one year and come back to be a school teacher,” Lyman said. “That’s kind of what I’m doing now, always mentoring or disciplining.” The Vans...

The Santa Monica College Board of Trustee members discussed the upcoming Expo Line leg for SMC, as well as a new administrative building and additional parking at the Airport Arts Campus during Tuesday night's meeting. The final leg of the Expo Line will bring with it an extension dedicated to SMC. The stop at 17th St. and Colorado St. will...

The Santa Monica College men's and women's swim teams dove into the pool on Friday, hosting a meet in which they competed against College of the Canyons, Cuesta College and LA Pierce. The men's swim team outscored LA Pierce, 117-63, outscored Canyons, 118-50, but fell short to Cuesta, 109-75. The women's swim team was not as fortunate, falling to LA...

About 100 students gathered on the quad Thursday to witness Santa Monica College’s Associated Students election debate. Although it was advertised as a debate, the format was a question-and-answer press conference. Arya Shirani, the moderator, said candidates were allowed time for argument and rebuttal. However, no candidate made any attempt to do so. Shirani, an unofficial commissioner to Yacob Zuriaw,...

Robert Contreras has had an active part in the Student Veterans' Association at Santa Monica College. He recently joined Phi Theta Kappa and will graduate with a liberal arts associate degree in social and behavioral science at the end of this semester with hopes to attend the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall. Contreras also plans to get...

Systemwide changes that will affect student enrollment are set to take place at all California Community Colleges beginning in the fall of 2014. The new regulations will give priority enrollment to students who make progress toward specific goals such as attaining a degree, transferring to a four-year institution, or training for a job, according to a press release from the...

It is a common sight in the Santa Monica College library to see students taking up any available table, lying on the floor, or turning chairs into makeshift beds so that they can rest either before, after or between classes. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, burnout is described as "exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a...