Lovebirds Cafe lease to end soon e Libray / Learning Crossroads cafeteria’s only occupant uncertain if it will return next year

Nicollette Ashtiani Roundup Reporter

The only business in Pierce College’s

Library / Learning

Crossroads cafeteria might not be open next semester.

Lovebirds Cafe’s lease expires in December, which would leave the cafeteria without any vendors.

Lovebirds Cafe owner wants to keep the Pierce location open.

“We are interested in renewal and we have expressed it,” Lovebirds Cafe owner John Jomehri said. “I believe Pierce feels the same.”

Jomehri said a three to five-year lease would be ideal. He said such a deal would allow the cafe to offer more kinds of food than it does now.

“With a long-term contract we will expand our menu, “ he said. “Introduce hot meals, have more ‘grab and go’ options, have a better seating arrangement and better design.”

He said that a long-term deal would also let the cafe stock more healthy food options than they do now.

“We also noticed that many students at Pierce are more health conscious,” Jomehri said. ”So we will be expanding our organic, healthy and ‘socially correct’ products.”

If Lovebirds Cafe does not renew its lease, then the Library / Learning Crossroads cafeteria will not have any vendors.

There are no potential tenants on the horizon, according to Associate Vice President of Enterprise Larry Kraus.

“It’s rough,” he said. “Hopefully they will stay. If not, we will have to begin looking for new vendors.”

Setting up the cafeteria and looking for new vendors is time consuming and costly, according to Kraus.

He said tenants need a special contract and have to work around more bureaucracy than when operating off-campus.

“Finding vendors who are familiar with the school environment and schedule is difficult,” Kraus said. “Every semester changes in regards to holidays and breaks. It’s nice to have an operation that is familiar with the school schedule and system.”

The six other Lovebirds Cafe locations throughout Los Angeles are doing well, according to Kraus.

“We actually discovered them through West LA College,” he said. “They do well there.”

But Sonia Monterroso, manager at Pierce’s Lovebirds Cafe, said the location on campus is doing fine.

“The business seems to be doing pretty well,” she said.

“Students here are nicer than the ones at West LA College, and seem to enjoy themselves here.”

However, some Pierce students did not know the cafe existed.

“I had no idea that there even was a cafe,” Pierce Student Caitlyn Phillipe said. “I wish I had known, it would have been nice to have gone to someplace different on campus.”

However, Jomehri said they have yet to market the cafe.

“The main reason we have not started any marketing is because of lack of cold storage in the back area,” Jomehri said. “We don’t want to bring the customers in and not be able to give them fast, friendly and efficient service.”

Students who frequent Loverbirds Cafe want it to stay.

“Lovebirds Cafe is my favorite,” Pierce Student David Sekiguchr said. “I really wouldn’t want to see them go.”

Pre-Veterinary Club philanthropy helps students in need

Donations to Walking Shield give shoes, clothes and supplies to Native Americans - with a catch

Vanessa Arredondo Roundup Reporter

The Pierce College PreVeterinary Club “adopted” 300 children from the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota and Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux tribe of South Dakota as part of its annual involvement with the Walking Shield program.

Each year Walking Shield donates to two of the most impoverished Native American tribes, according to Pre-Veterinary Club officer Linnea Norton.

“Most of the time they’re living in little shacks,” she said. “We’re a first world country, but we have little pockets of third world countries on our Native American reservations.”

Since 1987, Pierce College has been adopting an average of around 250-300 children per year.

It’s donated a backpack full of supplies to each child, but with one caveat - the student must stay in school the entire year to get the donations.

“We try to provide incentive for them to get an education,” Department Chair of Agriculture and Natural Science Leland Shapiro said. “If they get an education they can come back and be the role models for future generations.”

Students and faculty can participate by adopting a child and filling a backpack for them with basic essentials like toiletries, toys, blankets, shoes, and clothing. Individual item and monetary donations are also accepted.

“That time of year coming up where it gets below zero degrees, so we have to get them really warm clothing,” Pre-Veterinary Club Vice President and Walking Shield Program Coordinator Ashley

Gomes said. “Basically, anything essential they could need, we give to these children every year.”

Walking Shield was founded in 1986 by Phil Stevens, who is of Sioux heritage. The program takes its name from Stevens’ Lakota name. Stevens used money he earned as an engineer to help impoverished Native Americans.

Shapiro said he contacted Stevens after he visited Pine Ridge Reservation and wtinessed the hardships people there faced. “I’m a teacher,” Shapiro said. “I want to encourage education.”

The Pre-Veterinary Club was created from the Dairy Club by Shapiro after he noticed that many of his students went on to veterinary school. Both clubs emphasized charity work and provided tools and guidance for agricultural majors.

“You cannot be a good veterinarian without three passions - you have to love animals, you have to love science, and the third one, most people don’t realize, you have to love people,” Shapiro said. “You have to be a compassionate human being for other human beings. A true animal lover is a true person lover.”

Donations of toiletries, toys, blankets, shoes, clothing, and similar items can be dropped off through Nov. 4 at the RVT Clinic, which is adjacent to the Center for Sciences building, and in the first floor of the library.

By Saturday, Nov. 8, the backpacks will be moved to Walking Shield headquarters in Orange County before delivery to the reservations.

“I think the best charity you can give somebody is education,” Shapiro said. “Make them smart enough that they can earn enough money, that they can give to somebody else.”

For more information contact the Pre-Veterinary Club at prevet.