Pierce should go paperless

Hand dryers would save the college money

As we all know, Pierce College and the rest of California’s education system is going through some serious, heavyloaded budget cuts.

In light of that, there have been many efforts to steer Pierce toward being a more environmentally-friendly campus to not only save us some green, but to also help reduce our carbon footprint.

In hopes of reducing waste, Pierce has gone paperless.

Teachers have stopped handing out syllabi and other previously printed documents.

Agendas and minutes for faculty meetings are being posted online.

Classes require material fees to be paid by students, ranging from $5 to $25, to help alleviate the supply shortage.

So it seems like the entire campus is virtually paperless now, right?

Wrong. Pierce has yet to get rid of paper towels in its restrooms and considering the financial state of public education in California, they should be removed.

Also, these nasty clumps of used and dirty paper towels are muddying our restrooms.

With the trash bins right next to the exits, walking into a restroom feels like walking into a cloud of cotton. Nasty, grimy, disgusting, discolored cotton.

There are 25 restroom locations throughout campus, with an average of two paper towel dispensers in each.

That’s a lot of used paper clouding up our bathrooms.

Replacing these 50 towel dispensers with 50 hand dryers would save a ton of money and waste.

The hand dryers would ultimately pay for themselves because it would be a one time investment that would save the college money every day.

Anything that the college can reuse rather than throw away would be greatly beneficial.

For example, a popular line of hand dryers, from Excel Dryer Inc., known as the XLERATOR would be a one time cost of $26,250 for 50 hand dryers according to their website.

This would elimate the need for paper towels in our restrooms entirely.

Pierce should really consider installing these eco-friendly hand dryers. It will not only help save some trees, but it’ll also keep are restrooms clean.

Keeping those high traffic restrooms clean should be a health code priority, especially since janitorial services on campus have slowly dwindled.

So let’s get it together Pierce. Put in some wind, and save some green.

Thumbs up & Thumbs down Water polo wins championship

A huge thumbs up to the water polo team for winning their first conference championship during their first year as a sport on campus. Cheers!

We want our snacks

A frustrating thumbs down for the vending machines managed by First Class Vending Inc. for eating our money and stealing our food.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that gas prices have finally dipped down to under four bucks since August. I don’t know about you, but that’s still way over my dream price. So why not bike it? It’s not only a great way to lessen gas emissions and save money, but also a fun way to get in shape. That’s a three-for-one deal, pretty swell to me. Still, I know what you’re thinking, “I can’t get everywhere on a bike”. But you can with the help of a bus. Riding the bus reduces traffic, hence automatically reducing emissions and it is much, much cheaper than paying for a tank of gas. Put a lid on it.

Instead of going to the vending machine every time you need to quench your thirst, bring your own water bottle or mug. Most drinks cost anywhere from $1 to $3. Say you buy two drinks a day, you’re paying about $30 a week to keep that tongue from drying out. A durable, long-lasting drink container shouldn’t be more than 10 bucks. If you have a water bottle or mug, you can refill as much as you want without all that pricey overhead. Plus, you’re helping out by reducing plastic buildup. At the end of the month, you could have $120 extra in the bank.

Pack a sack.

Going along with the theme of bringing your own containers, you should also consider bringing your own lunch. Eating out is now somewhat of a luxury. Food prices are skyrocketing, and restaurants have upped their prices to cover their expenses. Packing a sack lunch can also curb your sugar tooth and keep you eating healthy if you carry fruits and salads. Maybe with the those extra $120 you’re saving by carrying a water bottle, you can splurge on a couple fun, nights out treating yourself to a fancy meal.

Bag it up.

Girls, this trick is going to be a breeze, especially since most of us carry luggagesized purses with us anyway. But consider purchasing reusable bags and bringing them along when shopping for groceries, school supplies, and even a few, new wardrobe items. Pierce College’s Bookstore has already begun implementing this. Now you can shop for class items and carry it in cool, heavy-duty bags.

Going paperless with Apps.

Now that we’ve all crossed over to the digital age, most of us carry handy-dandy smartphones that do most of our thinking. Why not let them think for us while we’re in class? There’s a million and one apps available for free that record and let you take notes directly on your smartphones and tablets, thus eliminating the use of paper and saving some trees.

Even though prices are going up, there are still student friendly ways to save money and help out the planet. There’s no excuse for not helping out, every little effort counts.

Letter to the editor

Professor says “Prop. 30 doesn’t fix problems ahead”

Oh, boy. If you are one of those walking around smiling about Prop 30, you need to stop that. Our biggest problem lies ahead: $400 billion total in unfunded liabilities for retiring teachers and other employees.

Prop 30 is not a solution to our problems. Prop 30 does not end tax or fee hikes. It‘s just the beginning! Expect more fees!

Don’t believe me? Next Tuesday - just days after Prop 30‘s passage - the CSU trustees will meet to explore new fees for students who take too long to finish their classes. In an effort to invent new and more painful ways to generate revenues for the massive mountain of retiree costs, trustees will consider a brand new Graduation Incentive fee, a Course Repeat fee and a new Third-Tier Tuition fee (Sac Bee, 11/9/12).

By Austin Faber

Many will say Pam, you are just anti-taxes. False! There is one state tax I would endorse: A tax increase exclusively imposed on incomes of all public employees. That way, they would be REQUIRED to contribute the funds to pay for their own, woefully under-funded retirement plans rather than quietly and greedily passing these costs along to their students, their own children, and millions of citizens struggling hard to save money for their own postemployment years.

Ironically and sadly, the opposite will happen. AFT (Pierce teachers union) and other rapacious public unions are lobbying Sacramento’s supermajority - right now, as you read this - to exclude themselves from the very tax increase which would make sense, be economically fair, demonstrate personal responsibility. Still, the opposite should happen. We should pay more to fund our longer retirement years and relieve our students of these costs so they can plan their own futures confidently and without fear of the burdens with which they re about to get slammed.

Pam Brown, Economics Professor

Volume 117 - Issue 7

Front Page

Corrections

-Paul Nieman’s name was mispelled in the ‘Are we prepared?’ story.

including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.