Stephanie Mendez is an 18 year old political science major who intends to transfer to UCLA. She is a member of the SMC Debate Team and won gold at the PSCFA Fall Debate Championships. Mendez is running for the position of Director of Instructional Support in the 2016 Associated Students elections. “What motivated me to run in the AS Elections...

Nineteen year old business administration major Vladyslav Verchenko is running for the Associated Students Director of Budget Management. Verchenko is president of the Investment Club. He missed the first meeting to go the election debate and had his vice president host instead. If he’s elected, this may be a common course of action. As Director of Budget Management, he essentially...

You’re skulking around campus after a weary day of classes, searching for anything to fill the empty bubbling void in your gut. “Gurgle gurgle,” your stomach cries. You turn to the school cafeteria, the only place that seems to offer anything of substance. “Sniff sniff,” your nose says. Something sweet and tangy catches the attention of your olfactory bulbs. You...

In a city like Los Angeles, it can be hard to find peace and quiet. But at Runyon Canyon, there is a little sanctuary within the insanity of the city. The 130-acre haven lies just west of the 101 Hollywood Freeway, extending north to Mulholland drive. A short two block walk up north from the craziness on Hollywood Boulevard, it's...

The defining point of adulthood, legally and in spirit, is reaching the age of 18. It’s an exciting age that many look forward to as people can engage in ‘adult’ activities and buy previously off-limits products. The big 1-8 grants you the right to buy a lottery ticket, exercise your right to vote, go to a strip club and buy...

Last Thursday’s Democratic debate was the kind of strong, aggressive discussion that was lacking early in the Democratic primaries. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton clearly drew the lines that separate them politically and ideologically. It was real politics on display. But the issue that resounded the strongest was the topic of Israel-Palestine. In what could possibly go down as a...

Prior to last Tuesday's Board of Trustee’s meeting, a group of 25 classified staff employees, which later grew to over 50, picketed on Pico Boulevard outside of the Main Campus' 17th Street parking lot entrance in protest to the board’s refusal to provide them the three percent wage increase they asked for in 2015. “We are out here because we...

Thousands of screaming fans with painted faces and chests, elaborate costumes and homemade signs are just normal sights in sport stadiums around the world. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, Americans spend over $8 million on sports logo apparel yearly. But why? What is it that drives this deep obsession of sports fandom? Dr. Marco Iacoboni, director of the...

It was Easter Sunday, and most folks were spending their day with family and friends, or perhaps at church in their Sunday best. Yet at the Santa Monica College Pavilion — more commonly known to SMC students as our gym — “Sunday Best” had a very different meaning. For the dozens of players who came to compete in the 2016...

Terrance Ware As the current vice president, former treasurer and ICC representative of the Black Collegians Club (BCC), Terrance Ware Jr., 19, has a track record of being a leader. “I’ve been a captain for every [sports] team that I’ve ever played for,” Ware said. “I like leadership. I like to be in a position where I can make sure...