The Union Vol. 78 No. 10

COLLEGE

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946

ECC, other community colleges, see rise in crimes

Parking Lot C logs 8 violations, including catalytic converter thefts

Following a decrease during the pandemic, El Camino College joins the ranks of California community colleges facing an increase of crimes on campus.

As of May 1, a total of 59 crimes have been reported on campus or in close proximity to the campus, according to the El Camino Police Department crime log.

Abiding by guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community colleges in

By Emily Barrera

2020 went entirely online, limiting the amount of foot traffic on campuses.

The population decline led to the number of crimes decreasing, with El Camino’s 2020 annual security report reporting a total of 15 crimes, versus 2018’s report stating 57 crimes.

With population numbers growing on campuses and the communities surrounding them, over a 100% increase in all crimes has been seen since 2020, as reported by each community college’s Clery Act.

Miscellaneous crimes have been linked to students while stalking and vehicular theft are included in the most frequent crimes that are being committed by non-enrolled individuals.

Passed in 1990, the Clery Act requires all colleges and universities to report campus crimes and data, which is then released in an annual security report on Oct. 1 of each year.

El Camino cancels commencement ceremony speeches

By Raphael Richardson

El Camino College’s upcoming graduation ceremony on Friday, June 7, will not have physical student speakers or a keynote speaker, officials said.

The 77th Annual El Camino College Commencement Program

will instead have students’ speeches posted online and not have a video stream of the event, which officials say was done to save money and time for attendees.

The news of the cancellations was first made public by the Associated Students Organization on May 8, which released a

statement on Instagram criticizing the decision made by the college.

ASO President Jose Merino, who is graduating, expressed his disappointment with the cancellations and lack of student input in the decision.

“It’s pretty disheartening to hear the institution not

trusting students enough to be able to spread their message and to unify students… where we’re able to celebrate each other’s achievements,” Merino said. “I would love to see a student speaker at this commencement.”

By Kae Takazawa

The Board of Trustees has approved more than $120,000 over the last few months for El Camino College’s 77th Commencement Ceremony happening on Friday, June 7. Ten items in preparation for graduation were given go signals in February. The board added two more items during its board meeting on May 20. Expenditures approved by the board from February are only for the main graduation ceremony. These include security services, cart rentals and professional trumpeters.

The board signed $34,611 for security services, which include crowd traffic control and metal detectors at the Murdock Stadium entrances.

Parking fees to return next fall semester

By Eddy Cermeno

El Camino College students who plan to commute and park on campus in the fall 2024 semester will have to pay for parking permits.

Permits will cost $20 for every fall and spring semester and $7 for winter and summer semesters, beginning this fall.

The Board of Trustees approved the reinstatement of parking permits for El Camino students and employees during its meeting on May 20.

El Camino employees will get parking permits but will not be charged for parking unless they are in special parking spaces reserved for them, Vice President of Student Services Jeff Stephenson said.

Unlicensed Dispensaries Defense attorney Ronald Hedding, far left, and Los Angeles County Public Defender Larson Hahm, far right, look on as VIP Collective’s owner Weijia Peng, 34, inside left, and manager Ethan Astaphan, 30, are sentenced on April 25 for the murder of El Camino College student Juan Hernandez. Hernandez was murdered in 2020 while working at VIP Collective, an unlicensed cannabis dispensary on Western Avenue in South Los Angeles. The trial revealed much about dangerous and exploitative conditions for workers in the cannabis economy. Photo by Kim McGill

El Camino College, stop wasting people’s money

By Union Editorial Board

El Camino College needs to raise over $40 million to crawl out of a major deficit, because the college has been spending more money than it’s been receiving.

Now we’re being told, as students, that we will have to pay for parking next semester and that tuition fees for nonresident students will go up by $24 per unit, all because El Camino is reckless with its money spending.

This isn’t right.

Let’s do some calculations.

El Camino spent $20,279.59 this semester for “extra security” at night to “monitor” overnight rented equipment because, apparently, the 11 campus police officers aren’t enough to watch over plastic chairs.

They have spent $64,137.59 on lampposts to “showcase a wide range of current and former students of various backgrounds, ethnicities and identities” because we need this at our college.

A company called Brad Jacobson, Inc. will be paid $15,000 for “photography and videography services for events on and off campus.”

The college already has a videographer. He is in charge of the college’s Instagram, filming and taking professional photos of college events.

There is something much more puzzling.

El Camino has a full-time director of public information and government relations. This position is the one that sends us updates about the college via email to let us know about upcoming events. It is also in charge of sending and looking over the letter from Brenda Thames,who is the president of El Camino College.

The college is paying a “freelance writer” named Mary Ann Harmon $60,000 to “provide subject matter expertise on the development of numerous documents for the district including news releases, Annual Report, President’s Newsletter, High School Newsletter, Viewbook, Neighborhood News, and remarks or speeches.”

That’s just paying another person an additional $60,000 to be a second public relations director for the college.

If we add up all these unnecessary fees, we come to a total of $159,417.18.

All this money comes from “Fund 11,” which is essentially the college’s own money.

We could go through every unnecessary purchase order and contract El Camino has with a company, and it will prove how wasteful the college is with its money.

El Camino is in a budget deficit with a possibility of bankruptcy because of its actions. Why make other people like us pay?

The college can buy extra security for plastic chairs. They can spend thousands on colorful lamp posts. They can also pay a videographer to be there “when Marketing staff are unavailable after hours and on weekends,” but these are not the necessities for students that everyone has just been begging the college for.

Vice President of Administrative Services Robert Suppelsa even said in the first budget town hall on Feb. 16, “El Camino has been spending more than it has been earning for the past 10 years.”

Let’s all agree that there’s no hope for the years to come unless the college wises up.

El Camino, please spend people’s money wisely.

Editor’s Note: In Vol. 78, No. 9, the following names were misspelled: Erik Saucedo, Kinzie Malony and Connor Meidroth.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEWS AND MANAGING EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

ARTS & FEATURES EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

Ma. Gisela Ordenes sablayenya@gmail.com

Eddy Cermeno eddyrcermeno@gmail.com

Johan Van Wier jvanwier22@gmail.com

Angela Osorio angoso1638@gmail.com

Nasai Rivas opinioneccunion@gmail.com

Erica Lee erjalee@gmail.com

Raphael Richardson eccunionphoto@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Nick Geltz ngeltz4140@gmail.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Senior Staff Writers Staff Writers Photographers Intern

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISERS

Kae Takazawa kaelealani@gmail.com

Ethan Cohen

Joseph Ramirez

Joshua Flores

Katie

Olivia Sullivent

Jaylen Morgan Osvin Suazo

Tommy Kallman

Caleb Smith

Clarence Davis

Elsa Rosales

Eric

Monroe Morrow

Renzo

Rhiannon Ellis

Stefanie Frith sfrith@elcamino.edu

Kate McLaughlin kmclaughlin@elcamino.edu

PHOTO ADVISER Nguyet Thomas nthomas@elcamino.edu

ADVERTISING MANAGER Jack Mulkey elcounionads000@yahoo.com

CORRECTION POLICY: The Union takes corrections and clarifications very seriously. If a correction is needed, email The Union at eccunion@gmail.com for all corrections and inquiries pertaining to a story.

EDITORIALS: Editorials represent the views of the The Union’s editorial board. Columns represent the views of the writer. Neither are representations of what the newspaper staff, other students, our advisers, faculty or the administration think.

LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMN POLICY: No more than two guest columns from the same person will be considered for publication or online use in the same semester, and 60 days must elapse before a second column is published. Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste. Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board.

Athens Parducho | Special to The Union

Tiaira Hall

Emily Barrera

Amanda Niebergall

Angel Pasillas

Volk

Alvarez

Arnazzi

By Joshua Flores

Public restrooms, a cesspool of germs and bacteria of the people who previously used them, are notorious for their reputation of being unsanitary, El Camino’s are no exception.

When I use the bathroom, I want to get out of there as soon as possible. It’s not that I’m in a rush to relieve myself, I just don’t want to be in the bathroom longer than I need to be.

I would not describe myself as a germaphobe, I would just prefer that the place I am relieving myself in is at least relatively clean. If given the choice between a clean or dirty bathroom which would you choose, the answer is obvious, is it not?

Despite the fact that most people would prefer a clean

Battle for better bathrooms

El Camino can improve in cleaning and maintaining order in lavatories

bathroom, that is not the reality for most of El Camino’s. With a student population in the tens of thousands, that can be expected, but that does not mean it has to remain this way.

Many of the issues I have with the restrooms at El Camino are in relation to the actions of individuals who use them and don’t respect that it’s for others to use, too.

It’s a public restroom, the least someone can do is have a little decency.

There shouldn’t be litter on the floor when there are trash cans in the restroom, people shouldn’t scribble graffiti on the

walls, towel dispensers and toilets should be flushed so the next person using the stall doesn’t get a surprise.

The current state of the bathrooms demonstrates what happens when people lack shame or respect for others and themselves. No matter what restroom you use, you should always make an effort to respect the space and others who use it.

This includes washing hands, I have witnessed people not doing on more than once.

According to a Puronics survey, Americans’ handwashing habits showed that only 49% always use soap and

Not ready for primetime

High school athletes are unprepared for the next level

By Jaylen Morgan

High school athletes dream of playing on the college athletic level, but they are not prepared as they think they are.

As a coach at the high school level, I know that athletes are not ready. It’s not all athletic; it’s education as well.

A college athlete has 12 to 15 units per semester. At the high school level, studentathletes need a 2.0 grade point average to play sports.

Most high school athletes can’t maintain a 2.0 GPA but expect to take on a lot of credits in college.

According to Scholarship Stats, only 7% of athletes go on to play at the college level, and only 2% go on to play at the Division I level.

Another thing is that social

media influences high school athletes’ mindsets because they see their peers doing things they want to do.

Many top high school players ranked on the ESPN website have large social media platforms and other high school athletes are influenced by them.

This is a huge issue because the players on that website are usually ready for the pro levels and they are on a different level mentally and skill-wise.

Coaching high school basketball is tough. The athletes think they know everything, but the reality is they don’t. You have to be very patient with them and try to teach them the correct way to play and understand.

High school athletes must

realize and understand that they must know how to be a student first and an athlete second. They don’t realize how much their grades mean and how it can hurt them in the long run.

This year, I witnessed this within our basketball program: grades were horrible and students were not managing their time and the friend groups they were around.

I also blame the personal trainers who work out athletes these days because they don’t teach the players the right way to play. Many trainers don’t care about the athletes’ future; they do it for the money.

This is frustrating because college coaches expect high school athletes to know the basics of the sport they play. According to a study at Brown

I could not imagine using a public restroom and not washing my hands. It’s gross not only for the person but also for everyone else and everything they are going to touch.

As adults attending college, people need to do a lot better when it comes to their bathroom and hygiene habits.

The bathroom doesn’t belong to one person and isn’t someone’s bathroom that people can make a mess of and expect other people to clean. Acting as it does is a disservice to others and oneself.

There are also issues with the restrooms and their outdated design. El Camino has already added automatic soap dispensers to some restrooms, which is a step in the right direction but there’s still more that the college can do. Automatic towel dispensers should also be added to restrooms so people do not have to touch as many surfaces, making the bathrooms more efficient and hygienic.

People need to be better about respecting their spaces and sharing with others. One way to do that is to know how to act when using restrooms. A little respect goes a long way, but people have lost sight of that.

To read additional opinions, go to eccunion.com

University, 30% of college athletes who do play at the college level quit by their senior year.

It hurts to see them give up and not fulfill their dreams.

As coaches, parents and trainers, we have to be better at preparing them for the next chapter in their lives.

As a high school basketball coach, I wonder how I can be

a better coach and a role model for these players. How can I share my experiences and journey with them?

Overall, we need to do a better job to prepare these players for the next level.

The question is: will athletes put their pride aside and be willing to learn from coaches who have been in their shoes?

38% wash their hands for 15 seconds or less.

Nikki Yunker | Special to The Union

Nikki Yunker | Special to The Union

ECC students will have to pay $20 parking permits

El Camino students have not had to pay for parking since spring 2022, as part of the college’s effort to increase enrollment after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In spring 2022, according to the Institutional Research and Planning Data enrollment trends dashboard, 7,187 students were enrolled in inperson classes at El Camino.

Carlos Lopez, vice president of Academic Affairs, said offering free parking during the pandemic helped increase enrollment at El Camino.

Now, however, the college faces financial struggles with the current budget deficit.

“As a result of the budget crisis we didn’t just commit to cutting costs, we also looked at places to generate revenue,” Lopez said.

Also according to the enrollment trends dashboard, 11,885 students were enrolled in in-person classes at El Camino during the fall 2023 semester.

If every one of those students parked on campus and paid for the $20 parking permit, an estimated $237,700 could be generated in revenue.

Stephenson said the revenue from parking fees will be used for the maintenance of parking

Police Beat

By Rhiannon Ellis

The Union publishes police beats online with each newspaper release. Visit eccunion.com to read more.

Friday, May 10, 6:54 p.m.

An individual caused a disturbance and committed battery at Murdock Stadium. The case is closed.

Monday, May 13, 7:11 p.m.

An individual was arrested for indecent exposure at the Math Business Allied Health Building.

Tuesday, May 14, 7:02 a.m.

A mechanical room was vandalized in parking Lot H. The case is closed.

Tuesday, May 14, 2:44 p.m.

A vehicular hit and run occurred in parking Lot C. The case is closed.

Thursday May 16, 1:09 a.m.

An individual was accused of reckless driving in parking Lot L. The case is closed.

Friday, May 17, 1:16 p.m.

An individual was issued a trespass warning and committed petty theft of a bike tire at the Bookstore. The individual was released.

Saturday, May 18, 5:24 p.m.

An individual committed motor vehicle theft of an electric bike at the Natural Sciences Building. The case is closed.

lot structures, including lighting and painting stripes for the parking spaces, in accordance with Title 5 California Code of Regulations.

“We utilize those fees in order to help maintain the parking lots, keep them safe, patch holes, things like that,” he said.

Lopez said he wants students to be aware of the reduced price of parking permits, as they used to cost students $35 every semester.

“It is a mitigating factor for us, to make sure that we’re not impacting students in any extraordinary way,” he said.

Student Trustee Connor Lai said although parking permits are a significant source of revenue for the district, he understands the financial impact on students.

“If you demonstrate financial need, [parking] fees will get

“As a result of the budget crisis we didn’t just commit to cutting costs, we also looked at places to generate revenue.”

- Carlos Lopez, vice president of Academic Affairs

El

covered or waived so students will not have to face that financial burden,” he said.

Lai also said El Camino’s new parking fees are significantly lower compared to other colleges.

Santa Monica College parking permits cost $93.50 per semester for fall and spring. For winter and summer, the cost is $49.50.

West Los Angeles College permits are $27 for preferred parking and $20 for regular parking in the fall and spring semesters. In the winter and summer semesters, preferred parking is $10 and regular

parking is $7. Cerritos College permits cost $40 per semester for fall and spring and $30 with the California College Promise Grant. The cost during winter and summer semesters is $25.

Lopez said El Camino’s new permit prices are competitive with other colleges in the area and should not affect future enrollment.

“If we were much more expensive than everybody around us then I could definitely see [permit pricing] impacting [enrollment] because it may be a decision factor for some students,” Lopez said.

Community college parking permit prices

$20

El Camino College for the fall and spring semesters

$93.50

Santa Monica College for the fall and spring semesters

$20

West LA College for the fall and spring semesters

$40

Cerritos College for the fall and spring semesters

El Camino drops commencement ceremony speeches

→ SPEECH FROM PAGE 1

Merino was interviewed about the cancellation one day after the ASO’s Instagram statement, and was under the impression he and Student Trustee Connor Lai would not be able to speak at the event.

That was reversed when El Camino released its public statement on May 15, a full week after the ASO’s post, stating that due to 15 students requesting to speak, it will print all speeches out rather than having students speak.

The statement also said in part that both Merino and Lai would give celebratory remarks at the commencement.

El Camino President Brenda Thames will also give a speech at the commencement, bringing the total number of speakers to three.

Lai, who was interviewed after El Camino’s statement, viewed it positively.

“[It’s] representative for the student body to have their elected officials go and speak and provide remarks on behalf of students to congratulate them on their graduation,” Lai said.

Instead of giving a speech at

the commencement, students who applied to speak would have their speech printed online and in the program for the commencement and would be acknowledged in the event.

The decision to print out student speeches and cut the keynote speaker altogether comes as colleges across the nation grapple with their own graduation problems.

At the University of Southern California, officials dropped a keynote speaker before canceling their graduation ceremony altogether amid growing pro-Palestine protests on campus.

It also comes one year after El Camino’s last commencement ceremony, when outgoing ASO President Jana Abulaban gave a speech supporting Palestine.

The commencement, which was livestreamed by El Camino, was picked up and criticized by right-wing news outlets and thrusted the college into the international spotlight and was subject to debates on antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

El Camino claims the current changes to the commencement ceremony have nothing to do with the speech and are cost-cutting and time-saving

measures amid the college’s budget crisis.

“The budget situation has affected the institution a little bit farther than we expected,” Student Development Office Director Ricky Gonzalez said. “And in reality too, it’s also to streamline the ceremony to make it quicker.”

The statement from El Camino, which is signed by both Gonzalez and Thames, claims that one of the reasons the speeches were cut down was because they “noted that large numbers of students departed early due to the length of the ceremony.”

Other changes to the

ceremony include installing an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant flooring, no live bands playing and a smaller overall footprint for the event.

With the recent Board of Trustees meeting on May 20, the college will have spent $120,000 for the commencement ceremony.

“I know that there’s a lot of stuff happening in the community, but at the end of the day, we’re here to celebrate our students and their accomplishments and we hope to see everyone there,” Gonzalez said.

An

Camino College student walks past a parking permit machine located outside of parking Lot C on Wednesday, May 22. The Board of Trustees approved the reinstatement of parking permits for El Camino students and employees for the 2024 fall semester during its meeting on May 20. Photo by Clarence Davis

El Camino College Class of 2019 attends the 72nd Commencement Ceremony at the Murdock Stadium on June 7, 2019. This year’s ceremony will not have student speeches. Photo by Elena Perez

ECC spends over $120,000 for graduation ceremony

Board of Trustees Vice President and Acting President Trisha Murakawa said there are thousands of people who attend the commencement ceremony.

“So that’s probably why we have to hire additional security or pay some of our officers over time,” Murakawa said.

The most expensive individual contract for the ceremony was approved during the Monday, April 15 board meeting.

Top 3 biggest contracts

1. $35,719

-equipment, technicians

-Brite Ideas

2. $28,161

-crowd, traffic control -Contemporary Services Corporation

3. $24,173 -chairs, carpet, etc.

-Signature Party Rentals

The cost is $35,719 for equipment including microphones, backstage monitors, speakers, audio cables and technicians needed to provide a concert sound system.

One of the items approved during the May 20 board meeting was a $15,194 contract with Sunbelt Rentals which provides flooring to cover the field at Murdock Stadium.

The contract is effective from June 3 to 8 and includes flooring installation, removal services, equipment, a project manager and labor travel fees.

The total cost for commencement is $121,590 according to the purchase orders listed on BoardDocs.

In 2020, Murakawa questioned the board why the college had to pay a large amount of money for the commencement ceremony. She was a member of the Board of Trustees then.

She told The Union she was informed by her colleagues it is a tradition that the Board of

Trustees approve every year.

“The cost is what the cost is,” Murakawa said. “I think it’s important that we send off our students in the proper way and in the way that they deserve to celebrate it and their accomplishment be acknowledged.”

Trustee Brett Roberts said he wants graduates to have an amazing time at the graduation [ceremony].“I hope for

New AI service that uses ChatGPT is now available for students, faculty

By Angela Osorio

Afreegenerative AI service is now available for students, faculty and staff to use through their Microsoft email accounts.

Microsoft Copilot is a free “AI companion” available for Microsoft users to summarize documents and generate text and images, Vice President of Academic Technology Stephanie Burnham announced at the Academic Senate meeting on May 21.

Students, faculty and staff can access the free version of Copilot through their own El Camino College email accounts. There are two other advanced versions of the AI software that charge $20 to $30 per month.

Copilot is a data-protected service, which means chat history is not saved and commercial data is not sent to

external sources.

Copilot uses ChatGPT-4 for text creation and DALL-E 3 for image creation, two generative AI services created by OpenAI.

Burnham said the requirements for using Copilot vary per professor, as each instructor may have different AI policies.

“Students should really be aware that AI policies can differ from department to department and professor to professor…whether it’s used at all or in what ways it’s used,” Burnham said.

The Academic Technology Committee, which Burnham leads, is assessing other AI programs to potentially bring to El Camino.

“We are definitely keeping our eye out for what could be beneficial to both faculty and students and also trying to be cognizant about the conversations going around AI,” she said.

Reports show athletic program success

The Warrior Athletic Program reported El Camino College studentathletes show higher academic success compared to the non-student-athletes.

While 81% of non-athletes completed a course in fall 2023, student-athletes’ completion rate was 86%, which is 5% higher, according to the Student Services Dashboard on the ECC website.

There were nine student-athletes introduced in an individual standouts section.

The program has a total of 34 state

championships, 160 individual state champions, 97 conference champions and two national champions, Athletics Director, Jeffrey Miera said.

Miera also reported to the board the team accomplishments for fall 2023 and spring 2024, including men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, and other sports.

“We had a really tremendous year for our athletic program,” Dean of Health Sciences and Athletics Russell Serr said.

— Kae Takazawa

[students] to cherish their time here at El Camino and for [students] and their family to reflect upon what they’re achieving,” Roberts said.

Student Trustee Connor Lai also said some of his hopes for the students attending the commencement ceremony.

“I think…the most important aspect of commencement is that it’s a celebratory aspect, honoring the students, honoring

how far they’ve come and their future journeys, whether that be a transfer or through a career,” Lai said. “All that hard work, I think, really pays off and it’s really amazing just to spend it with friends, spend it with family.”

Bachelor’s degree program to return this fall, faculty discusses requirements

By Angela Osorio

Students can get a bachelor’s degree in respiratory care at El Camino College if they meet an updated list of requirements under discussion by faculty representatives.

Out of the 40 required units in the respiratory care program, students may have to take any 12 of those units on campus in order to qualify for a bachelor’s degree.

The Academic Senate discussed the proposed requirement during its meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

The respiratory care program was initiated in August 2023, offering a bachelor’s degree to students for the first time in El Camino’s history.

In the accelerated 18-month program, students learn about respiratory care, personnel management, policy design, case management of patients and more.

Students who complete the program receive a bachelor of science in respiratory care.

The program costs around $10,000, which is significantly less than other universities, Vice President of Academic Affairs Carlos Lopez said during the meeting.

According to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s

Office, community college bachelor’s degrees are “less than half the tuition at even the most affordable public universities.”

Faculty members debated the requirement of having students take 12 units on campus, with some saying the college would not benefit from it.

Other faculty said the 12 units could benefit students who are transferring from another institution, encouraging them to complete the respiratory care program at El Camino with minimal units required on campus.

“We don’t want to put roadblocks in student success. If they can figure out a way to get the program done with only 12 units in residence, then so be it,” Darcie McClelland, Academic Senate vice president of educational policies, said during the meeting.

Although this is the policy for any bachelor’s degree offered at El Camino in the future, individual programs can choose to require more than 12 units if they choose, McClelland said.

“The board policy that we propose here mirrors the schools that have board policies on baccalaureate degrees,” Dean of Health Sciences and Athletics Russell Serr said during the meeting. The requirement for 12 units on campus will be voted on during the next Academic Senate meeting on June 4.

El Camino’s bachelor’s degree requirements

Complete 120 units, with at least a “C” in every course

Complete 24 units of lower-division-major courses

Complete 40 units of upper-division-major courses

Complete nine units of upper-division general education courses

Complete 39 units of “CSU-GE transferable units or IGETC with lower division electives”

Proposed: Complete a minimum of 12 units in residence

Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA

Divine Drawing ECC student Emiliano Kaauamo Franco begins to recreate a painting called

“The Reclining Girl” by artist Francois Boucher during the Open Studio. Photo by Miliana Cienfuegos

Liberal studies and real estate certificates see increase at ECC

Interests differ among other community colleges in the area, data shows

By Amanda Niebergall

Liberal studies and real estate certificates are among the most popular options for students at El Camino College, with steady numbers throughout the past six years.

The certificate that increased in popularity the most was real estate with 36 students earning it in 2022 to 2023, a 227% increase from 2018 to 2019 which had 11 recipients, according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office DataMart.

El Camino student William James Wilson III is one of the 5% of students who earned the certificate.

He credits the certificate for helping him pass his real estate test and obtain his license.

“I wanted to be in real estate, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Now I have a clear goal and a clear vision. You know, so, without taking the real estate classes, I didn’t know,” he said.

The flexibility of the classes made this program a good fit for working adults like Wilson and helped him reach his goals.

“I mean it’s so unique and so great and I feel like it’s undervalued because people don’t really know about it. I feel like El Camino College is doing something great that everyone should take advantage of,” he said.

Many community colleges in the area are seeing an increase in the programs they offer. The Union compared four colleges to find out both the most popular and most increasingly popular certificates.

Despite a 65% decrease, the liberal studies certificate was the most popular option for students in 2022 to 2023 with 268 earning it, according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office DataMart.

The liberal studies certificate at El Camino has always been a popular program, and peaked in popularity in the 2018 to 2019 year with 775 recipients.

El Camino was the leading community college in the area with this amount of certificates awarded, as the other colleges did not have a liberal studies certificate except Santa Monica which only had two awarded.

Other community colleges in the area had varied interest in what the most popular

certificate was.

Associate professor of childhood education Cynthia Cervantes believes that part of the popularity of liberal studies is because of a long time teacher shortage.

“Our students are interested in educating the community, our current population, our future population. So students are interested in giving back to the community. And education is one of the best ways to do so,” she said.

There are many different factors that allocate for the high number of liberal studies certificates including support groups, on campus programs and overall student support, said Cervantes.

“We have a very active child development club that provides weekly workshops and attendance certificates to our students who attend,” Cervantes added.

At Cerritos College, the most popular certificate was business management.

In the 2022 to 2023 year 430 students earned this certificate, a 9.97% increase from 2018 to 2019 when it was 391 according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office DataMart.

“I think it’s just a testament of our amazing faculty overall at El Camino College and our amazing college,”

— Cynthia Cervantes, El Camino childhood education professor

A Cerritos associate professor of business administration and retail management program manager Wendy Wright said that business is a practical degree, which helps increase student enrollment.

“Even just with the certificate, they’re much more likely to get promoted into a management role, they’re much more likely to see their wage increase,” Wright said.

The business department shares Cerritos’ most increasingly popular certificate called retail store operations and management with a 55%

increase from 2018 to 2023.

At Long Beach City College the most popular certificate in the 2022 to 2023 school year was fire technology with 48 awarded compared to eight in 2018 to 2019, a 500% increase according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Data mart.

Professor of fire science at Long Beach City College Brad Wilson said that the fire technology certificate helps students get jobs in the firefighter industry.

“It’s one more thing in your list of qualifications or certificates you have to sell you as far as preparing you to become a firefighter,” he said.

The certificate is a great way to build experience, and Wilson said that many people are currently trying to get into all the different fire departments.

At Santa Monica College, both the most popular certificate and the most increasingly popular certificate are cosmetology and barbering.

The certificate had 199 awarded in 2022-2023, according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Data mart.

This is a 2,111% increase from the 2018 to 2019 school year as nine were awarded during this period.

Santa Monica College Cosmetology Department Chair Deborah Perret says that there are several reasons why this sudden increase in cosmetology students is, including the

current market.

“Skin care is huge in the market right now, especially in social media. And you know, less people [are] doing surgical procedures are more people [are] doing topical treatments to the skin and makeup and waxing as well,” she said.

The other colleges’ certificates with the most increased popularity differ from the same department as their most popular certificate.

At El Camino College, the most increasingly popular certificate in the 2022 to 2023 year was real estate.

Real Estate professor and Department Chair John Yeressian believes that this rise is due in part to the financial benefits of having a real estate license and certification.

“People have been starting to see real estate as part of their financial portfolio and a tool to create wealth,” he said. “It’s the quickest pathway to creating

wealth more than anything else in this country.”

El Camino College’s real estate certificate of achievement allows students to get both their certification and real estate license at the same time. It lines up with the state requirement for the state exam and only takes three classes.

At Long Beach City College, the most increasingly popular certificate is the computer networking certificate.

The certificate was 300% more popular in the 2022 to 2023 school year than it was from 2018 to 2023.

Students thinking about obtaining certificates should be encouraged to, real estate student William Wilson said.

“Don’t hesitate. Don’t hesitate because thinking about something and doing something, you need to be a doer,” he said.

Real estate student William James Wilson outside the Math Business Allied Health building on Tuesday, April 16. Wilson said that professor Yeressian pushed him to always challenge himself by taking more classes to be successful. Photo by Amanda Niebergall

Associate professor of Childhood Education Cynthia Cervantes inside the new Teacher’s Resource Room located in the Behavioral and Social Sciences building. The room is a place where students can work and study and have access to resources. Photo by Amanda Niebergall

UNLICENSED and UNBOTHERED in the South Bay

Federal and local changes to affect South Bay cannabis industry

By Delfino Camacho

In 2023, the Torrance Green Room, a marijuana dispensary, opened right across from the El Camino College Police Department.

The problem? Cannabis shops are illegal in Torrance.

El Camino student Luis Tellez visited the shop several times before it was shut down in late 2023. When asked why risk using an illegal shop when licensed ones were available elsewhere, Tellez scoffed.

“That s–t is too expensive. I don’t know who those legal shops are for but they’re not for us,” he said.

In 2016, Proposition 64 legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older and aimed to create a regulated, tax-generating cannabis industry. However, individual cities and counties have final say on whether to permit cannabis businesses.

Tips on how to stay safe when sparking up. Learn about licensed and unlicensed products/shops.

On May 16, a federal formal proposal was made to reschedule marijuana from schedule 1 to schedule 3, marking a major policy shift. Locally, the city of Hawthorne allowed licenses in 2022 with the first shop set to open by end of the year.

City officials confirmed that besides delivery, all cannabis businesses within Torrance are illegal. The city employs a Cannabis Task Force that deals with discovered and reported unlicensed shops.

After the Torrance Green Room was shut down, Tellez found another shop near El Camino. Like many unlicensed locations, the shop discreetly advertises itself with a green cross.

Working there is Princess, a 23-year-old budtender from South Central who has been in the unlicensed industry since she was 16. She said getting her job required a fake ID, being a girl and “being pretty.”

The Cannabis Equity Act was supposed to help those most impacted by the war on drugs. Is it?

Her shop, offering unregulated products at reduced market prices, makes $5,000 to $8,000 daily in cash sales. Despite frequent raids, she said the low overhead allows quick reopenings. Princess has experienced four raids, once being kicked in the face by police.

Budtenders earn a minimum of $200 daily, plus tips. Princess believes the underground market will survive despite the recent federal and local shifts.

“These changes, I feel like they are trying to make it harder for us trap shops but the thing about us people is we are always gonna find a way,” she said.

Elliot Lewis is the CEO of Catalyst, a licensed marijuana company with 27 current dispensaries and more pending. One new location will be in Hawthorne, expected to open by year-end with approved retail and distributor licenses. This will be Hawthorne’s first licensed shop and will also allow on-site consumption. SEE UNLICENSED PAGE B2→

An interview with Steven Bradford, state senator and author of the Cannabis Equity Act.

An illustrated map of the South Bay cities with information about legalization and equity.

El Camino College and Compton College student Luis Tellez takes a hit of his marijuana wax concentrate vape pen on Saturday May 25. Tellez, who frequents unlicensed weed shops says he is open to visiting an upcoming licensed shop set to open in Hawthorne by the end of the year, but only if the price is right. Photo Illustration by Delfino Camacho

First licensed weed shops coming to Hawthorne

Lewis previously attempted to introduce licensed shops in Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, but the initiatives failed. He described these efforts as costly mistakes, noting the gap between statewide support for marijuana and local acceptance.

“The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze, it’s easier just to sit back, wait until the city passes it,” he said.

Lewis doesn’t view unlicensed shops as competition, aiming to build a new customer base. He attributes challenges in the legal market to high taxes and regulations, although he does acknowledge safety issues in unlicensed shops.

“I don’t hate on the black market; it’s people trying to make bread. It’s the result of poor policy,” he said.

Fynnwin Prager, director and associate professor at CSU Dominguez Hills and codirector of the South Bay Economics Institute, is part of a team that received a nearly $2 million grant in 2020 to study the cannabis business in the South Bay.

Prager says taxing and regulating cannabis aims to make legalization more acceptable, but high taxes can reduce productivity and incentivize illegal activity.

Lewis doesn’t see unlicensed shops as competition. Prager’s

research suggests he might be right. While more study is needed, initial findings indicate licensed dispensary customers have “a less elastic price range” and remain loyal despite price increases.

“We don’t know for sure whether there is a clear movement to the illicit market from the licensed market in terms of customers,” Prager said.

stick with licensed shops is product safety standards.

at Jade Room, a legal dispensary

she understands why licensed business owners’ would be frustrated with unlicensed shops like the one she works at.

“They tend to hate the trap shops because they worked really hard, they go through all the steps of being able to do what they do and a lot of times they’re investing a lot of their money or even losing money,”

changes and with Catalyst opening in Hawthorne, Princess believes unlicensed shops are safe, insisting they serve unique markets.

in Harbor Gateway, LA. Before legalization, she grew marijuana and sold it to “trap shops.”

stories of finding bugs and mold in their flower although Tellez reports satisfaction with his unlicensed experience.

getting from the traps...it’s not tested, it can have pesticides, it could have mold,” she said.

Besides their product and increased taxes, licensed shops also pay for product testing. Budtender Princess says that

Smoke safe Six safety tips

By Monroe Morrow

to follow

edical marijuana first became legal in California under the Compassionate Use Act in 1996.

Twenty years later, on Nov. 8, 2016, recreational use became legal under the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Legal dispensaries opened up and became fully operational with the proper licensing and by following the rules and regulations set by the Department of Cannabis Control. Nearly eight years after legalization, unlicensed dispensaries are still common and often do not follow the regulations set by the DCC.

So for those that want to dabble in the Mary Jane, here are six safety precautions that can help you stay safe

A licensed dispensary must have their licenses posted for the public eye to see.

Princess said her company is organized, with many shops and a structured system. They use WhatsApp to communicate with owners and investors who

There are dangers involved in the underground. While working

Hawthorne Police Chief Gary Tomatani said now that the city has authorized cannabis businesses, his role is to ensure their safety while addressing the community concerns. He mentioned protocols in place to shut down unlicensed shops and to maintain that licensed shops stay safe, including police access to video feeds.

Tomatani sees the local shift as aligning with the state’s marijuana stance and believes the industry will become less controversial over time.

12- to 16-hour shifts, Princess has been threatened, harassed and spit on by customers and coworkers. Some shops are in dangerous areas, taxed by local gangs. As for why people work in the industry, Princess says as a convicted felon with no diploma and two kids, her options are limited.

“The thing about working at the trap shop is it pays and I don’t have to worry about my character, how I carry myself in the environment,” she said. Even with potential national

“I think people made an educated decision based on where they’re at when they voted on that issue,” he said. “I think that the city of Hawthorne is doing everything it can to ensure that we emphasize the positives of this opportunity as opposed to the potential negatives.”

CEO Lewis is cynical about the government’s handling of the cannabis industry, saying high taxes and regulations crippled a legitimate industry for those without degrees.

“You can’t do both, you can’t tax the s–t out of it and then claim you ended the war on drugs, you just can’t do both,” he said.

To read more of the story, visit the website at eccunion.com

from

Consumers should pay attention to expiration dates on all products. According to the DCC, expired products are prohibited for sale.

Morrow

on

Every licensed dispensary (or cannabis business for that matter) must ask for ID verification. Shops could lose their license if they fail to ask for identification.

Princess, who works at an unlicensed dispensary, blocks her face with a stress toy used as a first-time customer giveaway.

Photo by Delfino Camacho

By Kim McGill

Nearly 50 years ago, James Marks was sitting on the family couch in the Carmelitos Housing Projects located on the north side of Long Beach watching Saturday morning cartoons.

In an explosion of noise and confusion, five people burst through the front door.

One of them shouted, “Where that b—ch at?” Without waiting for an answer, they tore through the apartment, making their way upstairs to where Marks’ aunt was sleeping.

Marks jumped up – a kid in pajamas and bare feet – and ran to the bottom of the stairs in an effort to intervene.

A man with a handgun said, “Nah, sit back down, little man.”

He returned to the couch, and hugged tightly on his sister and baby cousin.

“When I get older no one will ever be able to do us like this,” he said to them.

The next day, Marks said he left his childhood behind and looked for power and opportunity on the streets.

He was first locked up at the age of 12. Overall, he spent 11 years of his life incarcerated.

History

The underground drug economy wasn’t built by local neighborhoods, although Black and Brown communities were blamed and punished.

After decades of marijuana criminalization, California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, with a wide margin, 57% in favor, 43% opposed.

Two years later, the “California Cannabis Equity Act” was passed to give those who have been negatively impacted by the War on Drugs

support and priority to participate in the multibillion cannabis industry.

But, Marks and others say that legislative promises have been broken.

“We were targeted. We are owed opportunity, access, equity. We’re owed some of these dispensaries.” Marks said.

Now 56, Marks has spent years organizing for equity in the implementation of cannabis legalization. He said that out of 38 cannabis licenses in Long Beach, only one is Blackowned.

“You’re selling drugs in our community and we can’t sell drugs? I got people that are still incarcerated behind this,”

Marks said.

“Their families are devastated and impacted forever.”

In-Equity

As of January 2024, California had 866 licensed dispensaries and 374 licensed marijuana delivery businesses.

In 2018, the “California Cannabis Equity Act” authorized the state Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to provide funding and technical assistance to equity programs. Applicants have to navigate both local and DCC (state) licensing processes.

Equity grants are provided to local jurisdictions through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).

Local jurisdictions are left to establish their own equity programs and to recruit, select and support equity businesses.

Miriel Bereal was born and raised in Long Beach.

She first went through the dispensary application process in Los Angeles, where she lost her business to investors who were only using her as the “face” needed to gain an equity license.

Some cannabis companies look for people impacted by drug criminalization to front their operation.

“I would call them puppets,” Bereal said.

In the city of LA, only 11 out of 105 social equity licenses issued by the Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation are operating businesses. Only four are women-owned.

Nationally, 85% of cannabis ownership is white.

“Equity isn’t receiving its 40 acres and a mule,” Bereal said. “The wealthy white person is. The Russian and Chinese investors are.”

A city councilmember told Marks that the plan for cannabis equity in Long Beach was to hire 51% of the community and expungements [of residents’ criminal records].

“That’s not equity,” Marks said to the official. “That’s slavery. Equity is ownership.”

Dangerous Results

Legalization was also promoted as a way to improve industry safety and opportunities.

But workers in both licensed and unlicensed shops report that conditions remain exploitative and dangerous.

During the pandemic, 21-year-old El Camino student

Juan Hernandez found a budtender job at VIP Collective, an unlicensed dispensary sandwiched between two other unlicensed shops on Western Avenue in South LA.

On Feb. 26, VIP’s owner Weijia Peng, 34, and the dispensary’s manager Ethan Astaphan, 30, were found guilty of killing Hernandez.

In the days leading up to Hernandez’s murder, Astaphan messaged Peng in WhatsApp, “LA is horrible. This business is toxic, but an eye-opener. I see

Q&A with state senator, cannabis social equity act author

By Ma. Gisela Ordenes

The Union talked to state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, author of California Cannabis Equity Act. Bradford is the first to admit that the law did not fully achieve what it set out to do.The law was passed two years after Proposition 64 to help “persons most harmed by cannabis criminalization and poverty be offered assistance to enter the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry as entrepreneurs or as employees with high quality, wellpaying jobs.”

The Union: You’re the principal author of the bill about cannabis and social equity. Please talk about that.

how it turns you into a paranoid, hateful person.”

Three years ago, Marcie Ramos, 34, started working for a large cannabis company that owns 30 licensed dispensaries, grow operations, manufacturing and distribution.

“I didn’t get an interview,” Ramos said. “There was no orientation.”

She started at $17 an hour as an administrative assistant. Now she works in billing, tracking income owed, and handling disbursements.

Despite responsibilities she said her manager, who earns $90,000 a year, can’t do, she now earns $20 an hour, the same as an entry-level fast food worker.

The owner is Asian and has a Russian partner. In the entire company, she knows of only one Black and one Latino manager. All other managers are white or Asian. The lowest paid workers — the cutters in the indoor grow warehouses — are nearly all Latina women.

Ramos also said there is no staff or management training on sexual harassment, despite a culture of abuse.

She said she used to wish she could move up in the business.

“That’s something that I really thought about. But I can’t pour myself into something that doesn’t value me.”

Marks worked for one of the largest cannabis companies in Southern California. He said conditions are “horrific” inside dispensaries.

“You have people working from sun-up to pass out, 16, 18, 19 hours. No benefits. Getting minimum wage. People’s lives are on the line, verbal threats, people coming in to rob it,” Marks said. Both licensed and unlicensed shops are “straight trap houses.”

To read more, visit eccunion.com

Bradford: I introduced a bill in 2018, SB 1294, which was a social equity cannabis bill, the first in the nation to hopefully diversify the industry since we’ve legalized it in 2016 through Prop 64. That’s the purpose of the bill because a year into the implementation, and we realized it was lacking diversity in that space of minorities as well as women.

The Union: What’s your assessment of the law, six years after it passed?

Bradford: It’s still lacking. Here we are eight years after we passed Prop 64 and the market industry as a whole is still 85% white maledominated. So we all should be concerned if cannabis is going to be successful in California, it should reflect the diversity of the state, and it doesn’t right now.

The Union: Can you enumerate what those inadequacies are?

Bradford: It’s the lack of diversity. I mean, it’s still, again, a lack of diversity here, and the barriers of entry, that exorbitant taxes that it requires to run a facility, dispensary. So just many of the financial barriers that exist, and even though there are people of color who have the financial means, again, securing a license is a cumbersome task. So streamlining that process as well should be something that we looked at as well.

The Union: There are concerns that the law is being abused by those who are not really qualified to apply for the license.

Bradford: We see a lot of folks who are not social equity applicants who are applying for it, individuals who move into neighborhoods simply because of the zip code, and they apply for it. That’s not what the bill was about; it was about those people in those communities that were directly impacted by the 40 years war on drugs, and then out of business opportunities, down for folks to parachute into a community and say, ‘Oh, I’m a social [equity] applicant simply because I’m in one of those designated areas.’

The Union: So you’re aware that there are those who were able to get this license but are not really qualified to get them?

Bradford: Without a doubt. I mean, we’ve challenged that for quite some time. I mean, on the local and state level we’ve brought that to their attention.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department raids an unlicensed dispensary on Imperial Highway in South Central Los Angeles. Customers and workers say the underground economy will continue due to barriers that prevent participation in the licensed industry. Photo by Kim McGill

Hawthorne and the City of Los Angeles are the only areas in the South Bay implementing drug legalization as passed by 57% of California voters in 2016. All but two of South Bay cities severely prohibit access to cannabis. Hawthorne has just begun its permitting process. Products there are not yet available.

The dark gray areas of the map — Inglewood, Gardena, Lawndale, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Harbor City, Lomita, Rolling Hills Estates and the unincorporated areas of LA County — prohibit all commercial cannabis activity as well as home growing for personal use.

Communities in the City of Los Angeles (Harbor Gateway, Wilmington and San Pedro) and Hawthorne allow medical MJ dispensaries and deliveries. Carson allows manufacturing. Rolling Hills allows medical shops and deliveries. Palos Verdes Estates allows deliveries only.

The City of Los Angeles, Carson and Hawthorne allow delivery of products for recreational use.

The cities of LA and Hawthorne allow shops selling cannabis products for recreational use Hawthorne is just starting its process, so stores aren’t open yet.

The City of LA and Carson allow manufacturing of MJ products for recreational use.

got weed?

ACCESS TO CANNABIS IN THE SOUTH BAY

UNINCORPORATED LA COUNTY: LENNOX

Unincorporated areas of LA County also include areas too small to see on this map: Alondra Park between Gardena and Lawndale, Del Aire west of Hawthorne, and Westmont and West Athens north of Gardena. In all those areas, growing for personal use as well as all cannabis businesses are prohibited.

UNINCORPORATED LA COUNTY: WEST CARSON

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES

PORT OF LA : TERMINAL ISLAND

1. State law allows the growing of up to six plants for personal use. But, only the City of LA, Hawthorne, Carson, Rolling Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes (with a city permit) allow it. 2. Cultivation of cannabis for commericial sales is allowed in the City of LA and Carson. Most occurs indoors in large industrial spaces repurposed for growing. 3. California’s licensed cannabis industry generates under $5 billion a year. If the state’s marijuana economy was performing as well as Montana’s or Michigan’s, California’s annual market would be $13 billion. 4. California has 83,000 jobs in the licensed cannabis industry, far short of the 133,000 jobs that are currently possible. 1 2 3 4

by

ROLLING HILLS

Data sources: Local licensing — California State Department of Cannabis Control. Annual revenues — MJ Moment. Jobs — Vangst. Infographic by Kim McGill

Campus locations impact colleges’ crime rates

Campus police departments have been working to keep these numbers from increasing; however, community colleges, including El Camino, that find themselves geographically closer to central Los Angeles have found it to be difficult.

El Camino Police Chief Michael Trevis said he mainly attributes the rise in the college’s crimes to the increasing transient population.

In 2023, the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count reported a 9% increase of transients in the Los Angeles county area.

With a population of 75,518 transients in the Los Angeles area and the neighboring cities, many of them wind up on campus property.

“The crime issues that we have been having are crimes at night. I’m sorry to say that it involves [unhoused] people, people that do not come to school here,” Trevis said.

Trevis also added not all transients on campus are there to commit crimes, but the few that are have been known to carry knives and drugs, which are strictly prohibited on campus property.

“There are a few that come over to see what crimes they can commit, whether it’s trespassing or vandalism or anything else,” Trevis said.

A great contributor to the

footage, is accused of attacking Hanafusa with a sledgehammer on campus near the El Camino Gymnasium on Dec. 24, 2023.

Davis was arrested the same day at Alondra Park and Hanafusa died the next day from her injuries.

Similar to El Camino, Compton College lies close to the Los Angeles area, leading Compton to have a large transient population.

As of the 2023 transient count conducted by the Los Angeles County, the city of Compton had a total of 155 transients, a significantly large amount compared to cities including Cerritos who only counted 10.

Crimes at Compton College have also seen significant increases, with the 2016 annual security report stating a total of 23 crimes occurred on campus. In 2022, that number doubled to account for 40 crimes.

Cerritos College Police Chief Don Mueller emphasized that campus location plays a big part in the number of crimes that occur on and near campuses.

Cerritos, which is located farther from the central Los Angeles area, experiences a vastly smaller number of crimes than El Camino and Compton.

In 2022, only five crimes were reported on the 2023 Clery Act report for Cerritos while El Camino reported 36 for the same year.

While Cerritos experiences less transient traffic, Mueller

linked to monetary compensation.

In 2017, Cerritos College reported two vehicular thefts and by 2022, that number rose to six.

Similar to Cerritos, according to the Cypress College annual security report, the college saw a 158% increase in campus crimes, with 24% of them being vehicular thefts.

Due to campus parking lots holding a large number of cars, people whom El Camino Police Sergeant Francisco Esqueda refers to as “opportunists,” go inside the parking lots to see what they can find.

“Many tend to steal car parts, which are very valuable, so they can sell them through the black market,” Esqueda said.

El Camino’s parking Lot C, due to its high car population, is one of the most active crime spots on campus according to the daily crime log.

Adjacent to Lemoli Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Trevis said it provides easier access for outsiders to wander in and “appear as students.”

walking to my car because I’m pretty vigilant, but I do feel there could be more police presence,” Ramos said.

Ramos has also heard of several hit-and-run incidents that go unresolved in the campus parking lots.

amount of transients passing through El Camino is the proximity of Alondra Park.

Less than five minutes from the campus many transients who normally stay at the park enter the campus to seek shelter from the cold, while others may get in trouble.

Most recently, 40-year-old transient Jeffery Davis is facing charges of murder for the death of 65-year-old Junko Hanafusa. Davis, who was identified through security camera

said “economic status and the pandemic has raised homelessness,” leading to more criminal activity on campus.

In addition to the transient population, a variety of outsiders enter campuses for monetary purposes.

“Money comes from some type of crime. People from the outside often try to come in to take advantage of the campus,” Mueller said.

Of all the crimes, vehicularrelated ones have been the most

Both Trevis and Esqueda caution students to doublecheck that they lock their doors and to be vigilant inside the parking lots.

Nineteen-year-old El Camino student Leila Ramos often feels wary walking to the parking lot, saying she feels as if someone is going to jump out at her.

Often staying on campus past 9 p.m. and arriving at the pitchblack fourth floor of Lot C, she feels her safety is at risk.

“Sometimes I feel safe

Students experiencing similar feelings should know there are resources across campus to keep students safe.

Campus blue poles are available across all California community colleges that directly call campus police, who are available 24/7. Shuttle escorts can be summoned through the blue poles as well.

“We have shuttles that take students to class. If you don’t feel safe walking alone, a cadet will pick you up and make sure you make it to your car safely,

especially for our night students,” Trevis said.

Students are also encouraged to sign up for NIXLE, a system that notifies you via text message of any emergency.

Trevis and Mueller urge students to be vigilant at all times on campus.

Both police chiefs also emphasized that there is safety in numbers, encouraging students to walk in groups to classes or anywhere on and off college campuses.

Additionally, when waking, they advise that students be vigilant and not glued to their cell phones.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Trevis said. “Look around and ask yourself, how can I be safe?”

An El Camino College police vehicle patrols outside the Bookstore on Thursday May 16. According to the El Camino Police Department crime log, theft of miscellaneous items and vandalism of vending machines are the most common crime in this area. Photo by Emily Barrera

Leila Ramos, 19, is a second-year student at El Camino College studying architecture. She commonly parks in parking Lot C, the most active crime spots among parking lots on campus, according to the El Camino Police Department crime log. Photo by Emily Barrera

El Camino’s retention rates dip below state average

Students

By Angel Pasillas

After juggling working as a teacher’s assistant and being a student, an El Camino College English major had to drop his English and sociology classes this semester to accommodate his schedule.

Alexis Calderon, 19, said maintaining a work-life-school balance was “overwhelming.” He is not alone.

In the fall semester of 2023, there were 5,837 course withdrawals at El Camino. Some students withdrew from more than one course.

The main reasons for the course withdrawals were mental health, falling behind, family obligations and employment hours, El Camino Student Services research analyst Marci Mojica said.

These causes accounted for 63% of course withdrawals, according to data Mojica collected from surveys sent out to students asking why they dropped a class.

Viviana Unda, director for El Camino’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning, said an El Camino student survey conducted a last fall revealed similar reasons for students dropping out.

The top three reasons students withdrew were prioritizing work, not being able to keep up with the class and mental health.

El Camino’s course retention rate was nearly 5% less than the statewide average for fall 2023, which is about 88%. A course retention rate is the percentage of students who finish courses with a letter grade.

Other California community colleges, including Cerritos College, Rio Hondo College and Riverside College, also fell below the statewide average.

With a rate of 91%, Santa Monica College had a higher fall 2023 course retention rate than the statewide average. Course retention trend

Across all California community colleges, there’s been a 1% increase in course retention rates since 2018.

The retention rates for basic skills courses have had the

greatest variation among community colleges, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Data Mart.

Basic skills courses are prerequisites students can take to get placed into the collegelevel classes.

Santa Monica and Riverside had the largest increase in basic skills course retention since 2018 compared to Cerritos, El Camino and Rio Hondo. Santa Monica had a 12% increase and Riverside had a 6% increase in retention rates for these courses.

Cerritos had a 7% decrease in basic skill course retention since 2018.

Frank Mixson, Cerritos College’s vice president of Academic Affairs, said the decrease in retention is due to AB-705 and AB-1705. These legislations eliminated most English and math placement exams in 2018 and 2022.

High school GPA and high school-level courses became the determining factor in placing students into the college courses.

After the legislation was passed, there were fewer basic skills courses and fewer students enrolled, making the variation in retention rate more noticeable. For Cerritos, there were 3,677 students in basic skills courses for fall 2018 and 84 students in fall 2023.

El Camino saw a 9% decrease in basic skills retention rate since spring 2018, which was the largest decrease compared to the other four colleges.

Jeff Stephenson, El Camino’s vice president of Student Services, said El Camino’s decrease in basic skills retention was also due to the legislation reducing the amount of basic skills classes and students enrolled.

In spring 2020 the statewide course retention rate was 94%, a 7% increase from fall 2019.

Although many students dropped courses during the spring 2020 semester, most of their withdrawals were excused due to a statewide policy set in place two years before the pandemic.

“There was a massive surge in

excused withdrawals during that semester,” Vikash Reddy, vice president of research at the Campaign for College Opportunity, said. Campaign for College Opportunity is a nonprofit organization that works to support student success.

The statewide rate hasn’t risen to 90% since spring 2020. College enrollment retention rates

The number of students enrolled in all California community colleges from 2019 to 2020 was 2.2 million. In 2022-2023, that number dropped to 1.9 million.

Reddy said the enrollment declines in the California community college system have had downstream effects.

“A couple hundred thousand drop in enrollment at community colleges is a big effect,” Reddy said.

All California community colleges saw a dip in fall-tospring retention rates with the statewide average going from 67% in 2020-2021 to 64% in 2021-2022.

Cerritos’ fall-to-spring retention rate in 2021-2022 was 72%. It has consistently had a retention rate higher than the statewide average since 2014.

Mixson credits the college’s success to faculty embracing equity-minded practices, which contributes to students having a sense of belonging.

El Camino’s fall-to-spring retention rate in 2020-2021 was 70% but fell to 63% in 20212022, which is below the

statewide average.

Carolyn Pineda, an analyst for El Camino’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning said the decrease was due to the pandemic.

“In terms of our retention rates, it didn’t really fluctuate but until COVID happened that’s when we kind of saw that dramatic dip,” Pineda said.

Pineda said that El Camino is beginning to see a recovery in the retention rates.

Unda said it is taking longer to reach pre-COVID levels and that the pandemic affected colleges in a myriad of ways.

“Many people are still economically unstable, so they need to prioritize work rather than coming to school. It’s such a complex phenomenon,” Unda said.

Stephenson said it’s important for the college to educate students about the services available at El Camino before they drop out.

There are many services available to students to prevent them from dropping out of college, including the Basic Needs Center.

El Camino’s Basic Needs Center provides free food and clothing to enrolled students.

About $43.5 million in state funding has been allocated for community colleges to support basic needs centers, Colleen Ganley, Basic Needs specialist for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, said.

“If a student doesn’t have enough to eat or a student is having an economic crisis, that’s going to put some pressure on them academically,” Ganley said.

To read more of the story, visit the website at eccunion.com

Workers at the Warrior Pantry help students pick up free food and hygiene products on Thursday, May 16.

“The goal of the basic needs center is to...complement…the types of academic services students can get on campus,” Colleen Ganley, Chancellor’s Office Basic Needs specialist, said. Photo by Angel Pasillas

Vice President of Student Services Jeff Stephenson reads applications at his office on Monday, May 6. Photo by Angel Pasillas

El Camino study abroad draws in students with cost-effective prices

Enrollment in the program has increased in the past 8 years

By Katie Volk

For a number of years, El Camino College has provided students with an enriching experience of studying abroad, exposing students to a new way of life that changes their perspective on the world.

This summer, a group of El Camino students are going to embark on an international journey to Madrid, Spain to study and undergo a transformative experience.

Xocoyotzin Herrera, ethnic studies professor and a director of the study abroad program, said that studying abroad adds to one’s knowledge of the world.

“Studying abroad allows people to understand the world beyond their comfort zone,” Herrera said.

Studying abroad is heavily encouraged at El Camino. However, there is a limited amount of space available for the summer trip to Madrid.

Argelia Andrade, a Spanish professor and a director of the study abroad program, said approximately 40 students signed up to take part in the trip, but only 20 to 30 students are accepted to attend.

Andrade and Herrera have been study abroad directors since 2018 and the program continued in the summer of 2019. The program was initiated for its third year in 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic. 2024 marks its fourth year.

“This first year we had 21 [students], the second year we had 19 [students],” Andrade said. “Last year we had a big class, I wanna say it was 35 or 36 [students]. And then this year, we do not know yet.”

Herrera said the number of enrollment increased in 2018 because more people became aware that there was a foreign study opportunity being offered.

“The first year, no one really knew about it, but we got enough students. The second year, there was a bit more. And then we went into pandemic mode, but even during the pandemic people were still asking about it,” Herrera said.

In addition to the study abroad program’s enrollment increase, there has been a slight surge in student enrollment at El Camino.

There was a 10.6% increase from 2021 to 2023 according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Data Mart, an online database containing California community college statistics.

At El Camino, there is a wide variety of people who take part in the study abroad opportunity. Since the program takes place over the summer, many students from other universities enroll at El Camino due to the lower cost and fees of the program.

“We’ve had students from Cal State Long Beach come and from UCLA because it is a cheaper program,” Andrade said.

The initial cost for the program is listed at $3,310 for the summer of 2024. This cost does not include roundtrip airfare, El Camino tuition and fees, meals, personal expenses, books, passports and visas. Ultimately, the total amount a student will be spending will be above the cost of the program.

“I think students need to budget for around $5,000,” Andrade said.

Program prices have fluctuated throughout the years. In 2018, the price was $3,090. In 2019, it was listed at $3,225. In 2023, it was $3,500. For this summer, the price is $3,310.

Similarly to El Camino, o ther southern California community colleges offer study abroad trips. Santa Monica College, Long Beach City College, Orange Coast College and Cerritos College all offer an international study program; however, the costs and number of enrollment vary between the colleges.

Santa Monica enrolled 39,589 students in their 2023 to 2024 academic year. Taneka Washington, an art

history professor and member of the study abroad committee at Santa Monica, noticed that typically 24 students attend their study abroad trips. For their trip to Florence, Italy this past spring, this means 0.06% of their student population is joining.

“24 has been standard I believe,” Washington said, “It’s the general number.”

SMC’s trip to Florence, Italy in the spring of 2024 was priced at $1,009 for seven days. This is a $2,301 difference between El Camino’s study abroad program, but there is also a notable difference between the duration of the two trips.

“Studying abroad allows people to understand the world beyond their comfort zone.”

— Xocoyotzin Herrera, study abroad program director

Each location also varies in cost.

Lisette Rodriguez, a study abroad coordinator at Long Beach City College, said that 20 students are attending the study abroad trip to Ireland this summer, which is in the same range of students who participate in El Camino’s and Santa Monica’s foreign study.

Long Beach City has enrolled 34,736 students for their 2023 to 2024 academic year, meaning that around 0.06% of their student population is attending a study abroad trip. The LBCC Study Abroad Program is curated for psychology majors, but it is not limited to students studying psychology.

“For this program, there are quite a few psychology majors since they are getting psychology credit for it,” Rodriguez said. “These

programs tend to pull from a lot of different majors.”

The current cost of LBCC’s trip to Ireland for 18 days during the summer is $3,895, which does not include airfare or tuition and fees.

Orange Coast, located in Costa Mesa, enrolled 17,646 students for their 2023 fall semester. Gladys Calderon, who was a Global Engagement Program Facilitator at OCC, said that three to four international study programs were offered per year in which all of them would be completely full.

“Every year, there were about 100 students,” Calderon said. “Between 80 and 100 students would participate.”

Cerritos offers two study abroad experiences this summer. 44 students have signed up, which is 0.2% of their 22,948 student population for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. In past years, Cerritos offered one foreign study experience each academic year, which took 20 to 25 students.

“This summer, we’ve increased [the enrollment] because we are offering two programs,” said Calderon, who now works at Cerritos as assistant director of International Student Services and Cultural Engagement.

According to Ana López, a senior study abroad advisor at the California State Schools,

the distribution through the classes ranges.

Most participants of the CSU study abroad trips are third years and many students of the junior class are firstyear transfer students from a community college and other universities.

“About 47% of our students are juniors or third years, 34% are sophomores and about 19% are seniors,” López said.

The California State Schools sends around 553 students per year, which includes the academic year and calendar year.

The number of CSU students who participate in an international study is proportional to their student population, resulting in the significant difference between enrollment of community college’s study abroad and CSU study abroad.

El Camino’s study abroad program continues to draw in and entice students.

20-year-old undecided major, Lea Pepemehmetoglu, said that she has considered attending a study abroad because of the experience of living in a different culture.

“While there’s a lot we can learn from classrooms, movies and books, we can’t really understand a different culture and language until we’ve lived it,” Pepemehmetoglu said.

An airliner takes off from the Los Angeles International Airport. El Camino students will study in Madrid, Spain over the summer this year. “Once students understand the little elements [of Spanish culture] that are differenent, they start to appreciate Spanish culture,” Herrera said. Photo by Raphael Richardson

Andrade is one of the Study Abroad Program directors. “2018 was the first class that we brought to Spain which means then we started recruitment in the fall of 2017,”Andrade said. Photo by Katie Volk

2024 GRADUATES

The Union spotlights 5 graduates reflecting on their time at El Camino

“My first year was rocky,” Coleman said. “I started having fun taking athletics classes my second year; it made coming to school more enjoyable, there was more opportunity.”

“I attended El Camino College in 2013 and dropped out in 2014 to join the Navy and then I came back to study psychology at El Camino College in 2021.”

Gutierrez is a returning student who came back to El Camino after the pandemic.

“Friends, work, family...they [were] just pushing me to finish what I started.”

“I enjoyed my time at El Camino because [of] the friends I met and I learned time management. One piece of advice that stuck with me is don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

“My counselor told me about how El Camino has a deaf studies program...I took sign language my second semester here and that’s when I soon began to learn the language and fell in love with it.”

Tiaira Hall, Jaylen Morgan, Joseph Ramirez and Osvin Suazo contributed to this story. Rhiannon Ellis created this story’s illustration.

From studying law to operating X-rays

Incoming radiology director, El Camino alum shares her story

By Kae Takazawa

Acareer in radiology is not what this former law student expected.

Michele Perez, incoming radiologic technology director and El Camino College alum, wanted to be a lawyer since she was a child.

“I was very argumentative… I would be able to help people and solve crimes and whatever I thought as a kid,” Perez said.

Born in New Jersey, Perez grew up in Torrance and graduated from Nathaniel Narbonne High School in 1991.

She went to El Camino to study law and make her dream come true, but said it took her a few years to figure out what she wanted to do.

“When I first started, it was law and I did like marine biology and I got photography and then I changed my major to [radiologic technology],” Perez said.

Finding it interesting, Perez joined the radiologic technology program in 1997.

As part of the program requirements, she trained at Centinela Hospital Medical Center, where she has been working for 25 years now since

graduating El Camino in 1999.

In addition to working at the hospital, Perez is a full-time radiology professor who will take the position of radiologic technology program director starting this fall.

Perez will be the third director in the program that started over 30 years ago. She is replacing the current director, Dawn Charman, who will be retiring this semester.

“I love the students, I love teaching them, I love seeing them just grow,” Perez said.

At the hospital, Perez has worked with diagnostic X-rays and mammography, which provides screening to detect breast cancer.

Wanting to try something new, she got a license for CT scan and has been doing it for 22 years. CT scans generate 3D images of the inside of a person’s body.

Perez said she loves her job and has a passion for it.

“It is very fast paced, you see a lot of patients,” Perez said.

Inspired by her mother who works as a nurse, Perez has always followed her advice to “take advantages of opportunities that are given.”

“She [Perez] is always willing

to try,” Charman said.

After getting a little burnt out from working at the hospital, Perez heard her coworker was teaching at El Camino.

“I applied because I always wanted to do it,” Perez said.

Perez became a part-time instructor for the radiologic technology program in 2017.

“I really liked that interaction with the students and seeing how excited they are,’’ she said.

While working at Centinela and El Camino, Perez got her

bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in 2018.

She then earned a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and public health.

Working full-time since 2022, Perez has taught introductory classes for non-program students, orientation classes and radiographic positioning classes for students.

Sophomore students in the radiologic technology program

described Perez as “really helpful” and “hands-on.”

Radiologic technology major Nick Iijima, 24, said Perez tells students what they need to be aware of in terms of proper patient care.

“She’s someone who is very approachable, very straightforward and always willing to help,” Iijima said.

Timothy Coleman Transferring to UCLA Major: Business Admin.

Ben Cady Transferring to CSULB Major: Psychology

Francisco Gutierrez Transferring to CSUDH Major: Child Development

Farah Noorzaye Transferring to CSUDH Major: Sociology

Oliva Lopez Transferring to CSUN Major: Deaf Studies

Michele Perez, full-time professor for the radiologic technology program, will take the reins of program director once current director Dawn Charman retires at the end of the semester. Perez will be the third director in the program since it started over 30 years ago. Photo by Clarence Davis

A passion for justice

Police chief to retire after 16 years at El Camino

By Angela Osorio

Every morning, El Camino College’s police chief makes a very important stop on his way to work.

The donut shop. Without fail, Police Chief Michael Trevis pulls up to Granny’s Donuts, located in Long Beach, around 7 a.m.

“They know me at the donut shop…When I get out of my car and he sees me getting out of the car, it’s already ready for me,” Trevis said.

After picking up his morning grub and hot coffee, Trevis heads over to El Camino, where he has led its police department for 16 years.

After 50 years working in law enforcement and a great legacy to leave behind, Trevis prepares to bid farewell to El Camino as he retires at the end of June.

Police uniforms have stripes called hash marks, each representing five years of experience. Now that Trevis has 10 hash marks, he is ready to retire, he said.

“I’m going to miss El Camino...all the students, staff and faculty but it’s time to move on,” he said.

Trevis’ journey began in Boyle Heights, in the heart of East Los Angeles.

“We had an extremely diverse community there,” he said. “There were Russian people living there, Jewish people living there, there were Italian people living there, Black people…all kinds of people.”

Although his neighborhood was relatively safe, Trevis was told not to go to certain parts of the city filled with gangs.

“No vayas alla,” his grandmother would say. “Don’t go there.”

Trevis’ career in law enforcement

1975: Wilson High School

1976: Garfield High School

1977-2000: East Los Angeles College

1977-1980: Maywood Police Department

1980-2002 : Bell Police Department

2002-2005 : Pasadena

School Police

2005 : Maywood Police Department

2006-2008: Huntington Park Police Department

2008-2024: El Camino Police Department

Trevis, 69, was inspired to become a police officer after growing up watching a ‘50s cartoon called “Highway Patrol,” and a TV series from the ‘60s called “Adam-12.”

“It showed me...how a policeman officer should act,” he said. “The officers in those programs were very polite.”

Trevis’ career began in 1969, at the age of 15.

He joined the Los Angeles Police Department Explorer Program, which provides training for youth interested in pursuing law enforcement.

After completing his training at L.A. County Sheriff’s Academy, Trevis was hired as a security agent for Los Angeles Unified School District.

His first assignment was at Woodrow Wilson High School in East L.A.

From there, he would move on to work at several other schools and eventually city police departments.

At the City of Bell Police Department, Trevis moved up the ranks and became the chief

of police in 1993, overseeing the department’s program and managing its budget.

In 2002, Trevis went back to school districts as chief of police for the Pasadena Unified School District.

“Our job was not to arrest students,” he said. “Our job was to keep them safe and encourage them to continue their education.”

“Chief Trevis is leaving an indelible impression and legacy here on campus.”

-Kerri Webb, director of public information and government relations

One time he said there was a fight between two high school students of different races over “something stupid.”

The students were suspended and rumors began circulating

leadership,” she said.

Webb chose the following words to describe Trevis: tall, empathetic and loyal.

“Chief Trevis is leaving an indelible impression and legacy here on campus,” she said.

Communication between the police department and the community has always been central to Trevis.

“We are all about keeping the campus safe,” Trevis said. “So that students can learn, teachers can teach [and]classified employees can do their jobs without fear.”

“I’m going to miss El Camino College. I’m going to miss all the students, staff and faculty.”

-Michael Trevis, El Camino police chief

His favorite part about working at El Camino has been the camaraderie and interacting with students, faculty and staff.

“There’s some wonderful people here, absolutely wonderful,” he said.

Sergeant Ruben Lopez has worked at El Camino for 18 years. 16 of those years have been with Chief Trevis.

the fight was racially-motivated, which sparked more fights on campus between the groups.

When trying to resolve the issue, Trevis thought of who the students respected.

The answer? Grandparents.

Trevis reached out to several grandparents and invited them to come to the school.

“Suddenly the entire environment changed,” he said.

“All of the sudden they’re very respectful, they’re not getting into fights anymore.”

Trevis said it was an accomplishment published in the Pasadena Star-News.

In 2008 Trevis made his way to El Camino, replacing the previous chief Michael D’Amico, who died in 2007.

Kerri Webb, director of public information and government relations, said her first impressions of the chief were that he carried himself with authority.

“He’s very important, [a] major player on campus but he’s also a friend, he’s a colleague. I’m going to miss his

Lopez said Trevis is very positive and “brings a lot of experience to the table.”

He said the chief has always encouraged officers to continue their education and training.

“The chief has been great for everyone’s personal growth. If there’s been one thing the chief has always encouraged our officers…[it’s] don’t stop learning,” Lopez said.

Once he retires, Trevis plans to work part-time as interim chief at another school. He might even finish his doctorate degree, he said.

“I’m kind of a workaholic,” he said. “I want to keep myself busy, I don’t want to do nothing,” he said.

While he will miss El Camino, Trevis said it is time for the police department “to have some change.”

“The new chief that comes in here, they’re going to have new ideas,” he said. “So as much as I really wouldn’t want to [leave], I know it. It’s time.”

Rhiannon Ellis created this story’s illustrations.

To read more of the story, visit the website at eccunion.com.

After 16 years at El Camino College, Police Chief Michael Trevis will say his fnal goodbye to El Camino in June. “I’m going to miss El Camino...but it’s time to move on,” he said. Photo by Clarence Davis

Sprinting to Victory ECC athlete Anthony Taylor shoots out of the starting blocks to start his race during the California Community College Athletic Association’s track and field state championship on Saturday, May 18 at Saddleback College. Taylor clinched a state title and a personal best of 14.12 seconds in the men’s 110-meter hurdles out of lane five. “Once I got off the last couple of hurdles, I knew I was going to separate from the pack,” Taylor said. “At the end, it was really just closing and finishing.” Photo by Greg Fontanilla

Spring Sports Playoffs Update

Softball

The Warriors lost their secondround series 2-1 to Mt. SAC to end their playoff run. May 10 - Game 1 : 1-5 loss May 11- Game 2: 4-3 win Game 3: 0-7 loss

Track and Field

Warriors’ Anthony Taylor and Sequoia Gonzales claimed state titles in the 3C2A State Championships on May 18 to 19. Gonzales set a school record for her 36:22.19 time in the 10,000-meter race. Taylor set a new personal best to win the state title with a 14.12 second time in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. The women’s track and field team placed 11th in a 37team field while the men finished 12th in a 33-team field.

The history of Hazell: A continuing legacy

Former MVP returns home to coach volleyball for the Warriors

By Tommy Kallman

Theyear is 2001. El Camino College volleyball player Liz Hazell has just won fourth place in state championships and was named conference MVP.

Little did she know that just four years later, she would be back at school–this time not as a student, but as coach of the El Camino women’s volleyball team.

Hazell wasn’t always in love with volleyball. She started out playing soccer and baseball; then at 14 years old, she decided to try volleyball.

It only took Hazell two years of playing volleyball to discover it was her main sport and her passion to play at a higher level.

“In high school, I thought that volleyball was really the thing that I liked a lot, so I was going to continue that,” Hazell said. “With my father being a teacher here, I knew I wanted to go to

Warrior

El Camino and stay local.”

Hazell’s father, Tom Hazell, is a long-time athletics professor at El Camino and former wrestling coach.

During her second season at El Camino in 2001, Hazell led the Warriors squad to the state championships, taking fourth place. She was also named conference MVP, earned allstate honors and was named Athlete of the Year at El Camino College.

After two outstanding seasons, Hazell transferred to Cal State East Bay, where she played two years of volleyball. Her performance continued to impress, as Hazell earned AllWestern Region honors for her two years of play at CSEB.

Hazell dabbled in coaching club volleyball during her time at CSEB, which opened the opportunity to coach at Bishop Montgomery High School for one season. From there, her coaching career continued at El Camino.

In 2005, the coach of the Warriors women’s volleyball team, LeValley Pattison, asked Hazell to assist her in coaching the team.

“I had known Liz and her family for a long time, and saw her go on to play at CSU East Bay,” Pattison said. “I had an opening and I thought she’d be great and it worked out very well.”

Hazell served as an assistant coach for women’s volleyball for 12 seasons until Pattison retired in 2016. Following Pattison’s retirement, Hazell took over as coach of the women’s indoor volleyball team and has kept it since.

After Pattison stepped down from coaching women’s indoor volleyball, she started a beach volleyball team the same year, which Hazell still assists with.

Hazell praised freshman middle blocker Aireon Scott for her improvement. Playing under Hazell has helped Scott learn the ins and outs of volleyball, ultimately earning a spot on the All-SCC First Team.

“[Hazell] is really good at teaching me different things that I didn’t know before I came here, which really helped boost

“[Pattison] plans the practices because she’s head coach of beach volleyball right now, but we talk a lot together about what the players need to work on,” Hazell said. “It’s pretty easy because we’ve been coaching together for 18 years.”

my confidence,” Scott said. “I look forward to playing here because she makes it fun and it’s not always so strict.”

“It’s great to have a job that you enjoy going to,” Hazell said. “It’s tough to send my players off after two years because it seems like you’re sending them off once you get them all on the same page, but it’s great to see the growth.”

To read more of the story, visit the website at eccunion.com

Recap: Women’s badminton finishes season on a strong note

Compton College 1-0 in a forfeit.

The El Camino Women’s Badminton team finished its season with a 5-5 (.500) overall record.

Despite facing ups and downs throughout the season, the Warriors managed to finish on a positive note, winning their last game against Compton College and carrying a streak into the next season.

The Warriors won four out of their last six games, beating Compton College 19-2, East Los Angeles College 16-5, San Diego City College 12-9 and

The Warriors also lost to Pasadena City College 19-2 and San Diego Mesa College 15-6. Their performance as the home team was commendable, boasting a 3-2 record. While they faced some challenges on the road with a 2-3 away record, the Warriors maintained their even overall record of 5-5.

Throughout the season, the team exhibited growth and improvement, highlighted by their competitive spirit and ability to bounce back from setbacks the Warriors faced to open their season.

Despite facing tough opponents like the San Diego Mesa College Olympians, the team showed significant progress.

With four of the six players being freshmen, the Warriors are primed to improve as a team and compete in the next season.

Season Overview

Feb. 23: 17-4 win against the East Los Angeles Huskies

Feb. 28: 19-2 loss against the Pasadena City Lancers

March 8: 21-0 loss against the San Diego Mesa Olympians

March 12: 21-0 loss against the San Diego City Knights

March 15: 19-2 win against

the Compton Tartars

March 20: 16-5 win against the East Los Angeles

March 27: 19-2

April 5: 12-9 win against the

having enough players

Huskies

loss against the Pasadena City Lancers

San Diego City Knights

April 17: 15-6 loss against the San Diego Mesa Olympians April 19: 1-0 win against the Compton Tartars due to a forfeit for not

By Renzo Arnazzi and Johan Van Wier

El Camino volleyball coach Liz Hazell, former state MVP, poses in front of her home court net. Hazell led the team to state championships as a player and now inspires from the sidelines. Photo by Eric Alvarez

The El Camino Women’s Badminton team smiles for a photo before the Warriors’ match against San Diego Mesa College on Wednesday, April 17 at the Manhattan Beach Volleyball Club. Photo by Renzo Arnazzi