Renegade Rip, issue 3, Oct

Page 5
Campus
The Renegade Rip www.therip.com
Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023
Panorama Music Summit
By Jared Buys
Reporter
It was a moderately-crowded scene at
the Simonsen Performing Ars Center
at Bakersfield College on the evening
of Sept. 21 as the Panorama Creative
Music Summit. With several musical
acts to perform, the night began with
cordial introductions as the first piece
was readied.
This first piece, “In C” by composer
Terry Riley, started with rhythmic tones
looping again and again with subtle yet
rapidly evolving variations. The brass
section rang out, contrasting woodwinds
that chimed aside it. Then came
accordion and light percussion. The
piece went along for some time with
no significant crescendos or decrescendos.
Though it was musically dissonant
in some places, it was paired with expert
precision that made the air feel as
though the audience were seated inside
an enormous clock.
Then came sharp, staccato flute tones
that sounded among a continuously
plinking piano’s C note, hence the
piece’s name. Once that came, a sudden
upswell of crescendo as the chorus
of instruments grew. Bits of electric guitar
set a melodic pace as a cello set a
bassline throughout.
Later, a chime was struck that rang
out reminiscent of a ship’s bell. The
piece fluctuated in and out as it grew
loud and soft and ended with a final,
full-throated thrum, leaving only the
metronome of plinking piano to fade
off.
The song ended and the stage was
reset for the second half of night. This
next part was the Nakatani Gong Orchestra,
led by its founder, Tatsuya Nakatani,
who travels around to different
places with his instruments, inviting students
at the places he visits to man each
station.
The last piece consisted of a 16-piece
gong orchestra, arrayed around Nakatani,
who conducted said orchestra
from the front.
Some students banged their gongs in
a traditional sense, while others used
custom-made bows that Nakatani built
himself to run along the sides of the
circular bronze instruments. Haunting,
otherworldly sounds reverberated
around the performing arts center for
almost half an hour before Professor
Kris Tiner, Director of Jazz Studies
here at BC, closed out the P.C.M.S.
with a Q &A, allowing Nakatani to
have some interaction with the appreciative
audience. Nakatani had his own
merchandise and promotional material
for sale at the front of the auditorium.
Roundtable talks unions
By Gesus Garcia
Reporter
Bakersfield College hosted its first segment of The Renegade
Roundtable on Sept. 27. Five BC professors, Reggie
Williams, Savannah Andrasian, Matthew Maddex, Javier
Llamas, and Joe Saldivar led the discussion. The interdisciplinary
panel gathered at the Levan Center to speak about
labor unions and wages from both a past and present standpoint.
The discussion begins with the panel talking about strikes
seen this year. Three of the strikes mentioned were the pilot
strike, the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike and the Writers
Guild of America strike. Andrasian brought up the demands
of the UAW workers which included a 15% increase
in base payment, a 36-40% wage increase over the next 4
years and better retirement benefits. They discussed cost of
living and how it plays a big role in determining what a “fair
wage” is, determining that therefore strikes are very common
in today’s day and age.
Maddex began the history section of the discussion by
talking about the early stages of labor strikes, as he explained
how the 1768 New York tailors strike paved the way for labor
unions. Known as the earliest recorded strike, a group of tailors
gathered to protest a reduction of wages.
To add on, Llamas stated that during the Gilded Age in the
late 19th century, the government was siding with big businesses
which made life difficult for the workers.
Nevertheless, the Progressive Era allowed for the introduction
of 8-hour workdays and 40-hour work weeks, which
benefited the workers.
Llamas continued stating that unfortunately, it did not help
the economy, as high wages and weak labor unions played a
factor in the beginning of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Minimum wage was also discussed, and Saldivar advocated
for students to take a finance class that helps them learn
more about real-life economics.
Regarding working a
minimum wage job as a
college student, Saldivar
said, “You’re not supposed
to live like that,”
as students should grow
and aspire better jobs afterwards.
The next Renegade
Roundtable is scheduled
for Nov. 15, but Williams
also invited students to
GESUS GARCIA/THE RIP
Guests listen to a discussion
about labor unions at the Renegade
Roundtable.
the Gadfly Café, a similar roundtable gathering also held at
the Levan Center, on Oct. 4. He stated that the main goal of
the discussion is to gather and talk “civilly and respectfully”
about social and political issues.