After every unspeakable act of terror, America finds itself in a state of confusion, grief, and most of all, anger. With this, an inevitable cycle of backlash occurs, often with a spike in hate speech and in many cases, hate crime. We saw it in 2001, and we are still seeing it today. ISIL (also known pejoratively as Daesh) has...

This past Thursday, SMC was transformed into a hall of madness as hundreds of students packed the quad for fall semester’s Club Row. Volunteers and officials from SMC’s myriad of student clubs set up booths and engaged the massive crowds with costumes, food, photo shoots, and other activities. Many booths followed ICC's “Throwback to the Future” theme, inspired by the...

The aroma of cotton candy and popcorn filled the air of the quad, along with the laughs and cheers of students playing carnival games. Popcorn and cotton candy were given out for free. And not to mention the free face painting!There’s nothing more appealing than the classic American carnival. The Santa Monica college homecoming committee and cheer team put on...

If Santa Monica College’s facilities have substandard air conditioning, should we install better systems or just tear down the buildings? This is the decision that was proposed last month by a DPAC Facilities Planning subcommittee. The contracting group had a lengthy discussion over whether or not to install temporary air conditioning in the Liberal Arts and Letters & Science facilities,...

Hailing from the land of Israel, SMC student Elinor Nahmani is a creative and passionate patriot. A former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces and an aspiring filmmaker, Nahmani is dedicated to preserving the memory of her homeland and highlighting the tragedies on both sides of the Middle East conflict. She sat down with us to share her views on...

For them it's about getting their side of the story out. On Friday a small group of local Palestinians and activists gathered in front of the Israeli consulate on Wilshire Boulevard to protest what they call the "Nakba," which in Arabic means the "catastrophe." In this case it means the day the United Nations declared the establishment of the state...

Spirits were high and the crowds were large on yesterday as SMC’s latest College Fair took place in the quad, with dozens of booths and representatives present. Aside from the typical UC’s or other popular universities, several new and obscure institutions had a presence at the fair. These particular schools, most of which are relatively new, specialized in a wide...

This past Saturday, the city of Santa Monica held its 24th annual community festival. Members of the community, local businesses, and city officials gathered in Clover Park to enjoy and provide a wide range of family-friendly activities including sports, fitness, food, music, and energy conservation. The event, which attracted nearly 8,000 attendees, was planned by Santa Monica's Cultural Affairs division,...

In our modern world, there seems to be a fine line between hate and free speech in regards to Islam. This fine line has been the subject of intense debate between moderate Muslims and right wing anti-Islamic pundits. Over the years, groups like the Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have been advocating for better understanding and treatment of our Muslim...

Never before has such a grungy Koreatown alley looked so beautiful. Thanks to the efforts of passionate and dedicated local artists, Koreatown and Greater Los Angeles are looking better than ever with their creative and thought-provoking murals. This past Sunday, local street artists gathered in an alley behind Gabba Arts Gallery in Koreatown to create murals in celebration of Earth...