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ccclarion.com VOL LXXV • Issue 2
September 7, 2021
COVID-19 tests required BY SKYLR SCOTT
NEWS EDITOR
SSCOT T@CCCLARION.COM
COVID-19 testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays. A negative test will be reported on the CitrusMobile pre-screening app, and positive tests will prohibit someone from returning to campus for at least 10 days, or until a negative test is taken. On Aug. 31, Citrus College sent an email to staff and students regarding updated COVID-19 precautions, including mandatory testing for everyone on campus. The email said once a week, students are required to take a rapid COVID-19 test the entire fall semester and that more information will be sent out on when and where to go for testing. Staff and faculty will have the option of taking self-testing kits or going to a local clinic. The message was sent a week after the semester started, after students had already begun taking
on-campus classes, not privy to the new testing mandate. Before the semester, Citrus implemented a voluntary testing program for all employees and students, but has now made it mandatory. Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said testing will take place in the Haugh performing arts lobby and “students should expect later in this week to get a notice.” He said the college is going to start the testing program for employees this week and hopefully have tests ready for students when they return from Labor day weekend. The tests are minimally invasive and free of cost. “Given the continuing high level of cases in LA County of coronavirus and the spread of the Delta variant, as part of our line of defense to keep as many cases offcampus as possible, we determined that it made sense to go ahead and do mandatory testing,” Sammis said.
Read Tests, Page 4
JUSTIN GEORGE - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Linebacker Isaiah Rosas finishes a 105 pound lift on Sept. 1 in the weight room before practicing on the field. For more sports coverage and game information turn to page 3.
Phantom student numbers decline
New security measures make it hard for fake students to apply BY JUSTIN GEORGE
MANAGING EDITOR
JGEORGE@CCCLARION.COM
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION FROM PIXABAY
Club memberships have gone down BY NATALIE CASTILLO
STAFF REPORTER
CONTACT@CCCLARION.COM
Clubs on campus have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 because it has become more difficult to find and accept new members. Clubs that are not meeting on campus are the College Church club, the Latino club, and the friendship club. There is no known date to when clubs will be able to gather together again since the
campus reopened in the fall. Nicholas Paulson, advisor of the real estate club, finds Zoom to be a limitation on club activities. “The COVID restrictions affected our exposure as a club and what we can do physically as a group,” Paulson said. “Only one person can talk at a time. It’s hard to break them up into groups on zoom.” Since the clubs aren’t able to meet in-person, members don’t
Read Clubs, Page 4
After experiencing an alarming number of “phantom” enrollments since the spring, Citrus is beginning to see a steady decrease in enrollment fraud. Gerald Sequeira, Citrus College’s dean of enrollment services, said in a phone interview that disenrollments peaked in the spring at 972 students. During the summer session, the
college purged 49 enrollments. This semester, only two have been purged so far. Although it is hard to confirm those are fraudulent enrollments, Sequeira said, the accounts showed signs of potential fraud. A total of 3,541 student accounts have been flagged for suspicious activity since winter session for a variety of reasons, Sequeira said. Some accounts exhibited tell-tale signs of fraud, including groups enrolled in common
CRNs, multiple iterations of the same name and international IP addresses. Sequeira said there are more mechanisms in place to prevent enrollment fraud now than in March. “We’re choking it at the starting point, so we’re not playing this cat-and-mouse game anymore.” The California Community Colleges Technology Center is
Read Security, Page 4
ASCC senator appointed president Four months after student government elections, a president takes office BY JUSTIN GEORGE
MANAGING EDITOR
JGEORGE@CCCLARION.COM
A new president was appointed to the ASCC executive board without a formal announcement. Daniel Caldera, who took office as a senator in Citrus’s student government on April 22, was elected president by the executive board on July 21, Student Life Supervisor Rosario Garcia said in an email interview. Caldera “showed interest in the president position and gave the board a statement of why he should be elected,” Garcia said, and was
CALDERA
subsequently elected. The results of ASCC’s April election revealed a small executive board consisting of a legislative
liaison, student trustee and three senators, but no president or vice president. ASCC’s constitution says that the executive board’s elective officers shall consist of a president, vice president, student trustee, legislative liaison and up to seven senators. It also says that the executive board may nominate members to fill vacancies after 10 days if the president has not appointed anyone. Caldera was emailed Wednesday for an interview, but did not respond by print deadline to confirm availability.
2 Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Opinion
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Editorial
Vaping destroys young bodies
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Vaping is harmful to everyone. Vape cartridges contain toxic chemicals and substances, but are packaged to have candy-like allure to younger generations. Despite the health risks, the youth injudiciously support this dangerous trend, even though it may be killing them. Vapor clouds are everywhere now: school bathrooms, train stations, social gatherings and even at home for some people. Little do people know
that e-cigarette vapor is just as harmful as tobacco smoke, even though e-cigarettes are framed as a healthier alternative to smoking. Some of the same harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke are also used in e-cigarettes, anti-tobacco initiative Tobacco Free CA’s website said. An alarming amount of youth are becoming addicted to vape products because of how colorful and flavorful they are. Although
they seem innocent in their presentation, vape and e-cigarette products increase the risk of disease in the developing bodies and brains of the youth. The CDC says nicotine can have adverse psychological effects on the brain, which develops until the age of 25—around the time when people take up vaping. When teenagers vape over a long period of time, it harms different areas of their brains. Vaping harms the attention
span, memory, and ability to react to things, the CDC says. The age when most people are likely to grow addicted to vaping also happens to be when they are near graduating high school and starting college. The psychological effects of vaping are a detriment to student success and can ultimately lead to students failing or dropping classes. Vaping has grown from a trend into an epidemic among the
younger generation. Students are getting addicted and compromising their academic and professional success. The vaping and e-cigarette industry will likely continue using flashy packaging and flavors to make sales and prolong the vaping epidemic. The youth must consider the implications of vaping before they decide to take a puff.
This message was approved by at least 75% of the editorial board.
A new normal for returning students CITRUS COLLEGE
CLARION Lucy Argaez editor-in-chief Justin George managing editor Skylr Scott news editor Emily Beltran Circulation Manager Staff Reporters: Natalie Castillo, Alexandra Tapia, Aaron Del Castillo-Gutierrez, Ashlee Tulk, Jesse Rivera, Anthony Rossi, Brandy Mullen, Christopher Jauregui, Mina Hunley, Miranda Palmas Patrick Schmiedt Clarion adviser Stacy K. Long Clarion adviser The Clarion is produced by journalism students and is distributed every other Wednesday during the semester. Ads are not endorsed by the Clarion.
SKYLR SCOTT - CLARION
BY SKYLR SCOTT
NEWS EDITOR
SSCOT T@CCCLARION.COM
Citrus has many returning students who have never stepped foot on campus and don’t know how to navigate an in-person environment. Even after examining the campus map many times before arriving and reading all the emails on where to park, on the first day of school, new and returning students were still confused. Students struggled to find designated student parking lots, avoid parking tickets for backing in and find their classes. The online atmosphere has worries of its own, but allows more room for mistakes. Struggling in the comfort of your own home is different than struggling in an
unknown environment. This disconnect is due to students’ whole college education being completely online. This is a problem ASCC is having. Many clubs are disappearing because it is hard to stay engaged through zoom and network without actually being on campus. Along with other struggles, everyone is trying to get in the habit of taking their daily prescreening before arriving on campus and scanning QR codes before entering buildings. For more than a year, students have been learning how to navigate Zoom, Canvas and CitrusMobile instead of the Citrus College campus. As a result, some returning students feel as though they are new students again.
While it is natural for people attending their first semester to seem a bit flustered, it is not as common for those who are in their third or fourth semester to feel the same way. By this point in a returning student’s college life, they would have congregated with some friends, experienced some campus events, and joined a few study groups. Instead, students are trying to network online through the CitrusMobile app and maybe follow a few people, but nothing more due to the difficult nature of our current society. Returning to a COVID-safe campus is difficult for everyone, but is even more difficult for those who have never had it any other way.
Editorials are the opinion of at least 75% of the Editorial Board. All other opinion is that of the writer. Views expressed do not represent those of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College and/or CCCBOT.
Libel will not be published. The Clarion welcomes feedback from our readers. If you have any gripes, questions, or comments... We want to hear from you! Send your letters to ccclarion.com/letters. All correspondence must include your student ID#, major and signature. Letters may be edited for content.
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Sports
Tuesday, September 7, 2021 3
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Citrus defensive end Brandon Armstead lifts 95 pounds in the weight room Sept. 1.
JUSTIN GEORGE - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Citrus Women’s soccer team practices drills on Sept. 1.
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4 Tuesday, September 7, 2021
News
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Clubs from Page 1 feel that they’re in a community. “Not being able to gather in person has negatively impacted the real estate club,” Paulson said. The students speak in front of the class and it helps build their confidence. Due to COVID that has stopped for right now.” Paulson said the club had a home fair last year through zoom. Speakers came and presented on zoom, those some changes made to virtual club events.
Tests from Page 1
Students participating in athletics have been taking COVID-19 tests before it became mandatory and will continue to adhere to their current procedures. Sammis said he has received nothing but positive feedback from this new health initiative considering many people are in favor of weekly testing and even a vaccine mandate. The mandate only applies to students who are taking classes or participating in activities on campus. Students who are visiting places like the library or the student services building do not need to get tested, but will need to take their daily pre-screening via the CitrusMobile app. Students can get their results at the testing site. If they tests are negative they will record that on the prescreening on the CitrusMobile app. People who fail to take the tests will not be permitted on campus.
LUCY ARGAEZ - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Goalie Litzy Gonzales Perez stops a ball from reaching the net while women’s soccer does kicking drills at the Sept. 1 field practice.
Security from Page 1 using artificial intelligence to screen for fraud in CCCApply applications, Sequeira said, which has resulted in less fraudulent applications coming through to the college. Account creators are also being asked to use phone numbers to sign up. In addition, applications are being screened manually. “We hired a person that works in admissions and records and all they do is review every single application manually,” Sequeira
said. “They’re looking for IP addresses that are outside the United States that are submitting the application, addresses that don’t look right, and they’ll double check them” to ensure legitimacy. Back in spring, faculty were burdened with having to detect fraud and drop students from their classes manually. With the help of the tech center and new employee, Sequeira said, fighting fraud should be less taxing on professors, but they should still monitor for suspicious activity. Director of Financial Aid Stephen ADVERTISEMENT
Fahey said although enrollment fraud isn’t new, it has increased due to new financial aid funds brought about by COVID-19. “As soon as you figure out what the criminals are doing, they change their playbook,” Fahey said. “This has been a really concerted effort on the part of whoever’s doing this fraud,” an effort that included using stolen identities. Money from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund and CARES Act funds could be a potential motive for those committing fraud, Fahey said. “The
current trends of fraud are all being addressed and monitored.” Sequeira and Fahey have both expressed confidence that with the help of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, Admissions and Records and faculty, the amount of fraudulent enrollments will see a decrease this semester. “I would say we were on the front end” of the response, Fahey said. He mentioned that some colleges only recently started looking for fraud in their spring enrollment numbers.