Nancy Grass-Hemmert's interest in communication studies started in third grade, when her mother allowed her to sit in on a psychology class she was taking at Los Angeles Valley College. "They were talking that night about perception," said Grass-Hemmert. "And I still do the perception lectures in all of my classes because that really was a profound awareness for me,...

Club Row has come and gone and students at Santa Monica College once again had the opportunity to make their college experience that much more fulfilling. Signing up for a club in college can be very endearing for a student looking to do more on a campus than the usual four hours of classes and seemingly eight hours of looking...

The public media outlet is not a reflection of reality. People are used to what’s been on television regarding the Donald Sterling call of racism. From hearing the recording of Donald Sterling’s conversation with his back door lady V. Stiviano, it’s extremely apparently that there is a lot more happening there. The conversation is odd and strange to start off...

Something students have become accustomed to seeing all over campus in random hidden spots or out in the open are short standing boards with thought provoking questions under the headline Got G. R. I. T.? One of the more provocative questions commonly seen is "what risks are you willing to take to achieve your dream?" It's probable this question isn’t...

Last Thursday, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and considered by many as the world's greatest modern novelist, died in Mexico City, finishing his journey into immortality. Everyone from Bill Clinton to Shakira have expressed their sadness over the passing of a man who personified the joy of crafting words. The passing of Garcia Marquez is...

The results of the 2014 Santa Monica College Associated Students election were released last Friday, and they came as a big disappointment to me. I'll admit, during my early days here at SMC, I never really cared much for the AS elections. I didn't even know we had a student government. But recently, I've taken more of an interest in...

I remember smiling over the pieces of sweet licorice I had filled with spicy pepper seeds as I tricked a family friend over for a visit into eating something he would soon regret. I asked if he wanted some and without hesitation, he grabbed the candy and ate it. Never have I ever seen anyone so red in the face,...

The advocacy of various beauty images and the fight against size discrimination is an honorable cause, but not very effective if it does not acknowledge that obesity is ultimately a health hazard. Obesity has been around for decades, just as discrimination based on size. In 1969, Bill Fabrey in New York had a bellyful of the prejudices and unjust treatments...

One topic comes to mind when recalling a meeting of the Santa Monica College Associated Students last semester: microphones. Rather than discussing issues that affect the student body, the AS directors spent nearly an hour debating on how much money to spend on new microphones for their own meetings. Now, I'm sure there have been bigger wastes of time in...

As the end of March approaches, so does the end of Women’s Empowerment Month, a celebration of women's contributions to history since 1987. The creation of this annual tribute to women, was largely influenced by International Women’s Day, which since the early 1900s has taken place on March 8. The day later turned into a week, and soon thereafter a...