District seeks successor after announcement

Michaia Hernandez/Roundup mhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com

Carolyn Arredondo/ Roundup

Attendees at the Day of Politics in the Great Hall on Tuesday, Feb.26, 2013.

Day of Politics

Candidates running for varying positions in the March 5 local elections spoke during the Day of Politics in the Great Hall, Tuesday.

Jeff Bornstein, who is running for city controller, spoke about the different aspects of the job, as well as his qualifications.

“I want to change the way the government and city officials act,” he said. “I’d be out there every single day saving people money.”

Other speakers during the politics-focused event included Pierce student Michael Iascone, who spoke about the different marijuana initiatives on the ballot for the elections and Tom Oliver and Nancy Pearlman, who are running for the same seat in the district’s board of trustees.

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The Los Angeles Community College District chancellor announced February 19 ,that he will be resigning from his position, effective June 30.

“The Chancellor who leads this… district must take the long view and make a long-term commitment, something I’m unable to do,” Chancellor Daniel LaVista said in an email circulated by his office.

LaVista adds in the email that he wants to “pursue other opportunities that combine my professional and family interests.”

Because the district’s Board of Trustees only received affirmation of LaVista’s decision today, it is still premature for any concrete plans to already be in place with regards to finding a replacement, said Perrin Reid, executive assistant to the chancellor.

LaVista became chancellor for the LACCD Aug. 1, 2010.

The Career and Transfer Center (CTC) at Pierce College has created a blog to provide students with instant access to tools that can make the transfer process to a fouryear-university easier.

Irene Shvarts, graduate intern with the center, created the blog as another web resource where students can find more information on what the CTC has to offer, according to Sunday Salter, director of the CTC.

“Essentially the blog talks about upcoming events including workshops, when different college representatives come in, and different tips on how to select a college that is right for you,” said Shvarts.

The blog, which is updated weekly, is a quick, easy and accessible way for students to get the information they need on how to transfer, according to Shvarts.

Nonetheless, the CTC has had a hard time to get the news out there for students.

“My main goal right now is to get it out there, because of the budget cuts in paper and the problems with the emails, we haven’t gotten the information out,” said Shvarts.

Another issue that the CTC has on campus is the lack of participation from students.

“Part of our problem on this campus is that students come here to take classes and go home, they don’t come to be a part of the community or even attend workshops,” said Salter. “We have a hard time getting students to come in to attend workshops because its extra time they have to dedicate.”

Mohammad Cazi, a Computer Science major who has attended Pierce for nearly a year and a half, has never gone to the CTC, and did not know the blog existed.

This is the case for many of the students at Pierce, given that from its thousands of enrolled students the blog has only been seen by 400 people.

Pedro Salcedo, an Electrical Engineering major who has attended Pierce since the summer of 2011, was a little more familiar with the center.

“I have heard about the Career and Transfer Center from my personal development class I took my first semester at Pierce, but I have never been to the center myself,” said Salcedo.

The center offers events regularly, they range from workshops to visits from college representatives that help out students with the transfer process and any concerns they might have.

“The Transfer Center helps to be the middle man between the university and the student. It is there to help the student through out the application and transfer process,” said Shvarts.