The Corsair

The Corsair The Santa Monica College newspaper since 1929. The Corsair is a student newspaper. HQ is The Newsroom in the Letters & Science building.

It's written, edited, designed, and photographed by journalism and photography students. The print paper is published once a week and is available in news stands throughout the campus on Wednesday mornings. The online newspaper is at thecorsaironline.com. The paper covers news, arts & entertainment, opinion, health & life, and sports. If you're a student at SMC, it's your paper.

Kassab said, “I’m a big fan of AI because it’s an efficiency tool, but I want to stress tool. It doesn’t replace the bra...
06/15/2026

Kassab said, “I’m a big fan of AI because it’s an efficiency tool, but I want to stress tool. It doesn’t replace the brain. So I’m a critical thinker advocate to teach people first how to do whatever they need to do, and then give them the tools to be more efficient so when AI is hallucinating, you know that doesn’t make any sense, right? So for professors that are saying AI has no place in the classroom, you are doing a disservice to the students. However, you are right that they first have to know the basics, and then the building blocks.”

Third-place winner and crowd-pleaser RE-LEV is a “retrofittable magnetic levitation solution for currently existing infrastructure at the Alameda Corridor.” The company has created and patented new proprietary maglev technology that promises to improve the 1- to 1.5-inch gaps between the rail and the train to 2.5 inches. This improves on the 1970s design that is still being used today. Re-Lev has already met with interested venture capital firms like Lachman Godman Ventures and Swell Capital Inc. All three sharks were interested, as were the audience members. 

“You’ve got people hooked when you’re pitching this idea, so you don’t have to sell, frankly the cost savings. The only two questions that have to be answered here are why should I take you and your team seriously, and two, once I believe that you can do it, how far away are we from doing it?” said Dan Eidell, a shark and founding partner of Birthmark Capital.

Click the link to view the full story.

Written by Vicki Mehdi | Vicki Mehdi
Photographed by Karina Custodio
| Nik

On a campus where thousands of students pass through each day, Santa Monica College’s cafeteria is intended to serve as ...
06/14/2026

On a campus where thousands of students pass through each day, Santa Monica College’s cafeteria is intended to serve as a central gathering place. But some students say the food quality and overall atmosphere fall short of expectations.

Jonathan Pierce, a first‑year SMC student who previously attended John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School, described the cafeteria as “mid,” saying the food is neither particularly good nor particularly bad. He said the environment itself also feels less welcoming than the cafeterias at his former schools.

“People leave scraps of food behind on tables,” Pierce said. “A lot of students are fresh out of high school and might be more immature, so they don’t clean up after themselves.”

Click the link to view the photo story.

Written by Kayvon Nili-Esfahani | Kayvon Nili-Esfahani
Photographed by Masie Najafi
| najafi.masie

On Friday, May 15, 2026, the Santa Monica College Percussion Ensemble held a show at the SMC Performing Arts Center in S...
06/10/2026

On Friday, May 15, 2026, the Santa Monica College Percussion Ensemble held a show at the SMC Performing Arts Center in Santa Monica. The show was performed under the direction of Megumi Smith. The ensemble covered a variety of musical pieces and included a dance number set to “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens at the end of the event. 

For the exact dates and times of SMC’s performances next semester, check the SMC Music Events Calendar.

Click the link in our bio to view the full story.

Written by Maria Lebedev |
Photographed by Kantapong Wongjirasawad | and Maria Lebedev

TV Broadcast Production student Andrew Sanchez has brought his “hit T.V Series” “Rob” to Santa Monica College. On May 29...
06/10/2026

TV Broadcast Production student Andrew Sanchez has brought his “hit T.V Series” “Rob” to Santa Monica College. On May 29, the co-creator and director hosted a screening of the project followed by a Q&A session that lasted nearly as long as the episodes themselves. According to Sanchez, “Rob” was originally conceptualized as a five-minute project for his Television Field Production Workshop class but developed into something greater when his longtime friend, co-creator and star of the show, Robert Lopez, joined the production.

“It was supposed to be a five minute clip for Media 48 as an assignment and you know we filmed in Portland, Oregon” Sanchez said. “Probably about three days before I drove up there, I called him, I was like ‘are you still doing this project with me?’ and he was like ‘yeah I’m interested’ and I said ‘OK.’ I have an idea.”

The pair initially became close by playing video games together on PlayStation around 2014 but it wasn’t until they attended high school together that their friendship was truly solidified.

Click the link to read the full story.

Written by Vicki Mehdizadeh |
Photographed by Kantapong Wongjirasawad |

06/10/2026

Corsair News reporters Nathan Hansen and Patrick Conlon attended the weekly Geography Club meeting on Tuesday, May 19, at SMC to ask students their thoughts on the lasting impact of the 2025 Palisades Fires and the sustainability of rebuilding in fire-prone areas. 

They met with the Geography Professors Jing Liu and Pete Morris to get an in-depth analysis of the fires and the rebuilding efforts currently underway.

To read more of the Corsairs’ ongoing coverage of the Palisades Fire recovery, click the link in our bio.

Video by Nathan Hanson | and Patrick Conlon |

Edited by Eli Vikstrom |

“I love trying to match whatever people’s vibe is, but the ones I’ve been seeing more is very chrome, clean, polished, c...
06/08/2026

“I love trying to match whatever people’s vibe is, but the ones I’ve been seeing more is very chrome, clean, polished, clean girl aesthetic,” said Heidi Delyla Fletes, a cosmetology and English major completing her first year at Santa Monica College. 

“I think it’s mostly because of influencers nowadays. We see a lot of girls wanting that clean-girl aesthetic and we love it.” Fletes said.

Fletes said Hailey Bieber Kylier Jenner are some of the celebrities sparking inspiration among younger generations with pearl chrome polishes. She enjoys bringing that television a

Click the link to view the photo story.

Written by Christine Xolotl Muñoz |
Photographed by Elizabeth Bacher |

Long before the runway lights turned on, Santa Monica College students spent months building LA Mode 2026 — SMC’s annual...
06/07/2026

Long before the runway lights turned on, Santa Monica College students spent months building LA Mode 2026 — SMC’s annual student fashion show. The show was built through two interconnected courses: Fashion Show Production and Apparel Collection Design and Production. 

Student production teams organized model casting, social media promotion, hospitality, sponsorship outreach, rehearsals and designer-model coordination, while student designers developed and constructed their collections

LA Mode 2026 is scheduled for Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m. at the John Adams Middle School Performing Arts Center in Santa Monica. A Cloud Carpet reception begins at 4:30 p.m. with sponsor giveaways and networking opportunities for students, alumni and industry guests. The show will feature 21 student-designed collections presented by student models. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for students and can be purchased at smc.edu/tickets. 

Click the link to view the photo story.

Written and photographed by Silke Eichholz |

The Corsair Volume 128 | Spring Issue 6 is Live! Click the Link in the Bio to Read!–Front Cover by Silke Eichholz | –Let...
06/07/2026

The Corsair Volume 128 | Spring Issue 6 is Live!
Click the Link in the Bio to Read!
–
Front Cover by Silke Eichholz |

–
Letter from the editor
Written by Katie Easterson |
Graphic by Katie Easterson
–

Remembering Capt. Jere Lee Romano

Written by Milca Lopez |
Photographed by Elizabeth Bacher | , Mary Funsten, Nicole Haun, Jose Aguila, and Daniel Bowyer

–

Mary Bauer Urges Students to Reject Hate

Written by Silke Eichholz
Photographed by Silke Eichholz and Elizabeth Bacher

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Global Motion Dance

Written by Paola Carrasco |
Photographed by Silke Eichholz and Tom Rosholt |

–

Big Mama Thornton

Written and Photographed by Juliana Frame |

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Back Cover by Tom Rosholt

“He did not hesitate, and began to evacuate the counseling and special program building while undergoing fire,” Adams sa...
06/07/2026

“He did not hesitate, and began to evacuate the counseling and special program building while undergoing fire,” Adams said. “He saved multiple people’s lives without any additional backup.”

Colleagues of Jere Romano describe his death as a significant loss to the department and community. 

He participated in fundraising efforts for cancer research and convinced the American Legion to donate money to the SMCPD for body cameras, according to Adams. Romano also built comradery in the department by creating initiatives. He’d challenge his officers to raise money for Adams to wear a kilt to FBI National Academy Associates Board of Directors meetings, Adams said.

Click the link in the bio to read more.

Written by Milca Lopez |
Photographed by Elizabeth Bacher | , Mary Funsten, Nicole Haun, and Daniel Bowyer

At the Laemmle Royal theater, a crowd gathered for the screening of the documentary film “Big Mama Thornton” on Thursday...
06/06/2026

At the Laemmle Royal theater, a crowd gathered for the screening of the documentary film “Big Mama Thornton” on Thursday, May 14, in Los Angeles. The film celebrates the life and legacy of Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, an accomplished Black blues singer and the original performer of the song “Hound Dog,” later popularized by Elvis Presley. According to the film, Presley covered the song without permission or credit to Thornton, effectively erasing her from the popular history of the song.

Director and producer Robert Clem felt the need to tell her story, as she would have turned 100 years old this December. Multiple members of Thornton’s family, including her nephew Lamont Fields, and Mike Stoller, co-writer of “Hound Dog,” attended the screening.

Click the link in the bio to read more.

Written and Photographed by Juliana Frame |

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