Construction resumes

KATERINA CHRYSSAFIS Reporter @katchryssafis and JULIE LUDERS Reporter @jluders_roundup

Atentative start-date for the North-ofMall construction, was announced at the Pierce College Council meeting on Feb. 26.

A construction trailer and workers arrived on campus the next day to establish a base-of-operations and begin clearing debris.

“North-of-Mall is underway, and construction activities should begin July 31,” said College Project Manager Ed Cadena.

According to Cadena, the Shepard Stadium construction has

College hires more custodians

“North-of-Mall is underway, and construction activities should begin July 31.”

-Ed Cadena

moved along at a steady pace, with some piping already installed. Meanwhile, trenching and installation of new fiber-optic communication systems in the Village is also in the works, and is set to start in the next two months, according to the technology committee.

The sights of construction have become ever-present on campus, specifically in the buildings to the North-of-Mall, where fences have blocked pathways and corridors.

There has been concern among students about issues that have stemmed from construction while classes have been in session.

“I am taking very difficult classes this semester,” said Kate Williams, Pierce student. “I need all the focus I can get, and if construction is taking place while I’m trying to focus during a lecture, it could really affect me.”

According to the LACCD building program, the trenching and installation of underground utilities throughout the campus will upgrade water, sewer and gas lines, as well as electrical infrastructure and fiber-optic communication systems.

Fiber-optic communication consists of transmitting information from one place to another by sending light through optical fiber, and will greatly increase network speeds in comparison to copper cables that the college has used to this point.

The technology committee will oversee the fiber-optic communication system.

The committee said its construction will begin in March.

However, Wendy Bass, technology committee co-chair, said she was “not in the know regarding the construction.”

Paul Nieman, director of college facilities, said information about the fiber-optic installation will be updated as the project moves forward.

“To my understanding there will be a weekly communication sent out,” Nieman said.

Activities included this year are petting zoos, pony rides, face painting, carnival games and cow milking.

The event takes place on April 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance to the event can be accessed on Victory and Mason. Children 12 years of age and under get in free while adults pay a $5 donation. Parking is free.

#PierceFarmWalk

“LA Woman” art show

The four-week exhibition “LA

Woman: On her own terms” will open at Pierce College on March 5.

It will feature art from Los Angeles artists such as Claudia Bucher, Mary Anna Pomonis and Patricia Mitchell, and a video program of feminist shorts entitled “Haunted.”

The exhibition will run from Thursday, March 5, through Wednesday, April 1 in ART 3301, with an opening reception and discussion panel on March 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. #Pierceart

Town Hall

Pierce College will host an interdisciplinary “Town Hall” based on the nationally recognized California State University, Chico model.

The Town Hall will feature discussions on homelessness, climate change, immigration, gender equality, mental health, and disparities in the criminal justice system.

The Town Hall event will take place Friday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

#PierceTownHall

Construction trailer

Several Pierce College roads were closed in the “early morning hours” of Friday, Feb. 27, to make way for a “large construction trailer” that arrived on-campus that morning.

Mason Avenue, Brahma Drive and Avenue of Champions were closed as it passed through campus, but re-opened when it settled at its eventual location in the North-ofMall construction area, across from the pool, before 7 a.m. #Pierceconstruction

Academic renewal

Pierce College might raise the maximum number of Academic Renewal units from 18 to 30 if Board Rule 6700 is passed by the Los Angeles Community College District Curriculum Committee and LACCD Academic Senate.

Academic Renewal allows students to remove D and F grades from their GPA, but does not remove the grade from the transcript.

#Pierceacademics gets new coach