Year: 2020

Letter from the Editor: Put your mind and your grind to it
Opinion

Letter from the Editor: Put your mind and your grind to it

By ELLIANA KOPUT In 2017, an Instagram motivational speaker by the name of Amber Wagner, or “justlbby,” posted a video.  The dialogue has haunted my reality ever since.  “You!” Wagner smacks her lips. “You are the motherfucking shit! You are great! You are magnificent! You can do whatever you wanna do in this world!”  This video surfaced in my life during a time of lucid self-doubt, a feeling each of us knows all too well.  From all-nighters spent completing previously procrastinated homework assignments, to wading through the murky waters of minimum-wage service jobs, today’s young people are often overlooked as true warriors.  As many Gen Z-ers can agree, social media has become a tool for emotional coping, and its archives will one day be analyzed sociologically.  Today’s memes an...
News

Pima is at limit with expenditures

By JOE GIDDENS Pima Community College’s finances are in excellent shape because a majority of its income is from property taxes. These are increasing, but the trend of lower enrollment means less tuition revenue and makes up about 30% of the college’s income, according to David Bea, chief financial officer for Pima. The remaining 3% of the college’s income comes from sources such as investments, which has also seen growth in recent years. Last year, the college received $3 million from returns on investments that allowed for a number of one-time projects focused on increasing enrollment. Investment earrings are outside of expenditure limitation.   This one-time influx of cash to the college was used by the Pima College Board of Governors on initiatives to increase enrollment such as the...
Sports

Pima Softball Brief

By COREY MCMULLEN The Aztecs are off to a rocky start to the season, dropping their first three games and only scoring 3 total runs. The women’s softball team has been having a hard time getting runners in scoring position home. They are struggling at the plate with a 0.237 batting average. Feb. 4: PCC 2, Yavapai College 6 Freshman Anisah Triste hit a lead-off home run to left field in the second inning to put the Aztecs up 1-0. The Roughriders responded with three runs in the third inning to take the lead. Down 6-1 in the seventh, Amaya Turner-Viacarra drew a one-out walk. Freshman Malaealani Fraser hit a single, but Turner-Vizcarra was thrown out at home. Freshman Jazmine Ayala hit into a fielder’s choice to put on two runners. Triste followed with an RBI single to drive in Fraser. Fre...
Sports, Uncategorized

Women’s Team Fighting for Playoffs

By Corey McMullen The Aztecs continue to roll, going 11-4 from Dec. 11. Aztec point guard Alyssa Perez was named ACCAC Division II Player of the Week on Tuesday for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2. She averaged 22 points and had a total of 10 rebounds, 8 steals and 5 assists.  Feb. 8: PCC 92, Tohono O’odham CC 66  The Aztecs ruled from opening tipoff and went into halftime up 40-28. Aztec sophomore Alyssa Perez led the charge with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The Aztecs finished 34 of 40 at the free-throw line. The Aztecs ran away with the game, outscoring Tohono O’odham 32 to 15 in the fourth quarter.  Feb 5: PCC 79, Scottsdale CC 45 Both teams struggled to get any offense working in the first half and went into halftime tied at 21. The Aztecs went on a 13-0 run in the ...
2020 Oscars: hostless with the mostest
Arts & Entertainment, Opinion

2020 Oscars: hostless with the mostest

photo courtesy of wikipedia By DALTON GRIJALVA The Oscars have been, to say the least, a lackluster popularity contest in the inner circles of celebrity ties. Most of the time, the awards are full of pretentious pictures that most will never watch that don’t connect with many actual movie-goers.  The 2020 Oscars ceremony was actually a quite pleasant experience: “A surprise to be sure but a welcome one.” For example, Eminem came out of nowhere halfway through the ceremony to perform “Lose Yourself,” a performance that was 18 years overdue. The crowd’s reactions started with confusion, but eventually some celebrities, such as Zazie Beats, appeared to be into it. Though “Joker” was the most nominated film of the evening, “Parasite” was the scene-stealer of the night, winning four out of ...
11 games in, Aztecs remain undefeated
Sports

11 games in, Aztecs remain undefeated

The hits keep on coming for the Pima Community College baseball team as the Aztecs have started the season on fire, stinging together an 11-0 record at home to start the season. The Aztecs would sweep the El Paso Community College Tejanos in their four game set taking both Friday and Saturday double-headers, outscoring the Tejanos 38-9.   Pima vs. El Paso Community College  Saturday Feb. 8 - Game 1, Pima 13-5 The Aztecs found themselves behind, coming into the fifth inning 5-4. The bats came alive as Pima tacked on six runs that inning. Freshman Marcel Bachelierhit the go ahead RBI single to bring in freshman Alex Kelchas the Aztecs jumped ahead 6-5.   Later in the inning, Sophomore ArmandoAguilar hit a bases clearing three-run RBI double. He would later score on a wild pitch to make...
Kobe Bryant: A Legacy Beyond Basketball
Sports

Kobe Bryant: A Legacy Beyond Basketball

By KYLE KERSEY Jan. 26, 2020: Inside a local Panda Express, my friend Alex, a Houston Rockets fan, laments the death of Kobe Bryant by comparing him to some of the NBA’s greats. “This has to be the worst day in the history of basketball,” he says. “This would be like if LeBron or Michael Jordan died.” Truth be told, I loathed Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers growing up. Like many of you, I grew up rooting for those hyper-fun Phoenix Suns teams that always seemed to be full of young, exciting talent and yet never able to get over the hump of an NBA championship. Among the teams standing in their way were Bryant and the Lakers. One of my earliest sports memories is watching Bryant’s two buzzer-beaters against the Suns in Game 4 of the 2006 opening round of the NBA playoffs. I remembe...
Pima’s CFA to host ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
Arts & Entertainment

Pima’s CFA to host ‘Singin’ in the Rain’

Story and photo by ANGEL CANEZ Pima Community College Center for the Arts will be putting on its first play of 2020 with its production of the 1952 Gene Kelly Hollywood classic comedy, “Singin’ in the Rain.”  “Singin’ in the Rain” is slated to be much bigger, with an expected cast size of at least 23 people on stage and another 10 to 15 working behind the scenes.    Last year’s big musical for Pima was “Mamma Mia.” Pima has its work cut out for them as “Singin’ in the Rain” is widely considered by many to be the greatest musicals to ever grace the film screen.  “You have an entire background of people to help support and make the show really come alive,” said Stefan Baker-Horton, who plays the muiscal ensemble.  The production runs from Feb. 20 to March 1. Showtimes will be at 7:30 p.m...
Peak show at Picacho: Ostrich by day, ‘Lion’ by night
Features, Stomping Grounds

Peak show at Picacho: Ostrich by day, ‘Lion’ by night

Story and photo by  DALTON GRIJALVA As you drive West on I-10 toward Phoenix, you might want to check out Exit 219, which will take you to Picacho Peak.  The area is home to beautiful hikes and is the site of the smallest battle that took place during the Civil War. It’s also a great spot for Valentine’s Day.  First, start off things slowly and stop at the Rooster-Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, a slightly exotic petting zoo of sorts. The farm located all the way to the left: Just keep going even if you see dead-end signs. You pay $12 total, which is a steal for what you get to do.  The cashier will give you two cups. One cup is full of green feed pellets for the larger animals as well as a stick with parakeet food on it. I was lucky enough to snag a picture of kissing ones.  When you meander...