Volume 122 Spring 2015 Roundup Issue 4

ROUNDUP

@roundupsports

College closed for Cesar Chavez Day

The college will be closed

Tuesday, March 31, in observance of Cesar Chavez Day. Chavez was a civil rights activist who cofounded the United Farm Workers Union, which was originally known as the National Farm Workers Association, with Dolores Huerta in 1962.

The Arizona native used nonviolent tactics in his fight for the rights of farm workers and animals.

Share your thoughts about Cesar Chavez on Facebook and Twitter with #piercenews

Battle for Board of Trustees Seat 1 is final

The race that was still tooclose-to-call two weeks after election day became official when Andra Hoffman officially defeated Francesca Vega for the Board of Trustees’ Seat 1 by a mere 1,740 votes.

Depression affects three in ten college students, according to the American College Health Association. But Pierce College students can

semester at the Student Health Center with the $11 health fee that is a part of the cost of registration.

six visits

psychologist

Mental illness takes its toll

Depression said to affect 30 percent of college students

Suicide is currently the third most common cause of death among persons aged 15-24, and the second most common among persons aged 25-34, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention.

“Most young adults have their psychotic breaks in their early twenties, so look at how many people are at risk,” said Health Center Director Beth Benne. “We know stress is the number one impediment to student success.”

Mental illness is prevalent in the US, and collegeaged students have an especially high rate of suicide, but Pierce College has several programs meant to help those who are at risk.

At Pierce, students pay an $11 health fee, which grants access to the Health Center’s support and resources for those with mental health disorders. Included in that is the option to meet with the school’s psychologist one-to-six times a semester for a 45-minute session.

Cafeteria empty; students hungry for food options

around, the number of students on campus is much smaller,” Varozian said.

In addition, the Freudian Sip maintains shorter hours of operation on Fridays. It is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but on Fridays those hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Minerva Castellon, owner of the Hot Coffee Catering food truck, said her truck remains on campus on Fridays despite the lack of students.

Pierce student Jordan Kane said he suffers from both depression and anxiety.

“You’re embarrassed to talk about it. You don’t want to seem weak or attentionseeking, or annoy anybody,” said Kane, a second-year student whose major is

Hoffman totalled 71,000 votes against Vega’s 69,260, according to the LA City Clerk.

The results were final as of March 20.

What do you think about Hoffman’s slim victory? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter with #piercenews

Free HIV testing through March 26

undecided. “Depression is like being in a black hole, but no one can see it. You don’t really feel anything.”

Kara Schachter, a post-doctoral intern and mental health therapist at Pierce, said the Health Center treats students with all kinds of mental illnesses and would like to see a change in the perception that a disorder makes a person weak.

“The most common issues we see in students are anxiety, depression, relationship problems and students not

The HIV/AIDS Awareness Week will continue its free, confidential HIV tests through Thursday, March 26. No appointment is needed to be tested. Testing will be available on Wednesday, March 25, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursday, March 26, 2 to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot 1.

Tell us what you think about the HIV/AIDS Awareness Week and its free, on-campus HIV testing on Facebook and Twitter with #pierceawareness

30-plus employers confirmed for job fair

The Career and Transfer Center will have a job fair with more than 30 employers on Thursday, April 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Mall. Permanent and temporary positions and internships will be available, according to the CTC. A list of registered employers is available with the QR code below.

After the closure last semester of Lovebird’s Café, on-campus food options at Pierce College are limited to three food trucks and the Freudian Sip.

The choice in fare is slimmest on Fridays, when the only choices are the Hot Coffee food truck and the Freudian Sip. According to Freudian Sip supervisor Shant Varozian, the inventory is largely sold out by the end of the week.

“We get our food early on in the week around Tuesday or Wednesday. By the time Friday rolls

“We don’t get much business. It’s mostly for the service,” Castellon said.

Like the Freudian Sip, the Hot Coffee Catering food truck has decreased menu options on slower days.

“We don’t have all the food we usually have on Fridays. We do not serve breakfast. We mostly sell fries and hamburgers,” Castellon said.

At a Pierce College Council meeting last month, Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher announced a plan to

possibly move the Freudian Sip into the unused cafeteria. The total vacancy of the cafeteria has prompted offers from other vendors looking to fill in the empty space.

Ofir Bass, owner of the

Falafelicious Catering food truck on campus, has wanted to move into the cafeteria for several months now. “I would love to move in there. I think it would be a great

opportunity for me and as well as for the students to have something else,” Bass said. “Right now, there are not many food options on campus.”

[See FOOD, pg. 3]

Let is know which employer you will apply for on Facebook and Twitter with #piercejobs

Photo illustration by Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup

get

with a

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CARA HUNTER Online Editor @CaraRoundup

KATERINA CHRYSSAFIS Roundup Reporter @katchryssafis

-Photo by Calvin Alagot

-Compiled by Seth Perlstein

Student elections in April

ASO goes hightech for its first online vote

HARRY BENNETT Roundup Reporter @hb3reports

The Associated Students Organization will have its election next month from April 21 to 23.

The ASO acts as Pierce’s student government and deals directly with issues such as the empty cafeteria, Pierce’s office hours, and resource accessibility.

Voter turnout has been low in the past, but ASO Committee

Chair Vanna Ngo encouraged all students to vote in the election, and said this year’s elections will utilize technology to try to reach and involve more students in the election process.

“This year we are going to be using electronic ballots for voting,” Ngo said. “Each student will receive a ballot in their student email. If they submit it anytime time from April 21 to 23, their vote will count.”

ASO is using the electronic ballot approach to create a better voter turnout compared to recent years. According to Ngo, only 400 students voted in last year’s elections.

“We are really striving to advertise the importance of voting through flyers and word of mouth,” Ngo said. “This is first time we are going to be doing everything online, but we hope it has more of an impact on the results.”

Current ASO President Alex Oloo said student government is critical to the interests of Pierce students.

“We, the students, are what makes this school so special,” Oloo said. “Strengthening the student body starts with ASO elections.”

According to John Brown, former ASO publicity chair, many students are unaware of the importance the ASO has for Pierce College.

Brown said it gives students a chance to voice their opinions, get involved with campus activity, and have a say in important matters that relate to student life.

“I definitely recommend people to get involved with ASO in some sort of way, because we really do have a big impact on what goes on at our school,” Brown said.

All ASO election voting will take place online, but the student trustee election, to vote in students into the Board of Trustees for all LACCD colleges, will be conducted with paper ballots. Voting tents will be set up in the Mall on the same dates as the online ASO elections.

ASO election bylaws require that the names of candidates remain a secret until next week. Details on the policies and platforms of each of the students will be reported after the candidates officially begin their campaigns.

More information about the election and student government can be found by calling the ASO office at (818) 719-6411.

Center offers help, referrals

March 15 - March 21 -Reporting by Scott Prewitt -Compiled by Scott Prewitt

3/17—Bike Theft

A second bicycle was stolen this week, this one from a bike rack near the library. The unknown thief cut the chain that secured the bike.

3/16—Burglary

not being able to focus,” said Schachter. “I’d like to see there be less stigma attached to mental illness, and for students to know that there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

The Health Center also offers crisis intervention and a suite of online training simulations meant to help students better identify, assist, and refer stressed peers to support services on campus.

Each week there are about 50 hours of psychological counseling available with either a post-doctoral intern or fully-licensed clinical psychologist. If additional therapy is recommended, appropriate referrals will be provided.

A psychologist can determine if you need a referral, and has the training to determine whether a patient’s issues should be taken care

of in a six-session program or if they need more in-depth mental health evaluations.

A 2011 study by the National Institute of Mental Health found that on average one person dies from suicide approximately every 15.8 minutes, and according to a nationwide survey of college

Senate addresses online-ed

JULIE LUDERS Roundup Reporter @jluders_roundup

At the Academic Senate’s meeting Monday, senators debated instructors’ freedom to choose which online education programs.

Concerns were raised that programs such as Moodle, Canvas, and MyMathLab, used by distant education courses, would not be authenticated in the future.

“The controversy was we were worried that somebody would interpret in the future that you just have to use Moodle,” said Mathematics Chair Bob Martinez.

“You have to be careful about language because you don’t know who will interpret it in the future.”

Martinez uses MyMathLab, and said “it’s the most solid platform for online delivery of math.”

Instructor of computer applications and office technologies Joseph Perret agreed that misinterpretations in the online realm can impede teaching processes.

“The misunderstanding of online environment leads to people writing very restrictive regulations that hampers teachers from doing their job,” Perret said.

Perret said Pierce is behind other

district schools in regard to online courses.

“I want more online classes. 2 percent of all our classes are taught online. The district-wide average is 6 percent, the statewide average is 15 percent,” Perret said. “What that says to me is Pierce is far under-serving their students because there is a demand that we are not meeting.”

The Senate attempted to pass new Distance Education Approval Guidelines, but senators decided to postpone a vote after the debate lasted too long.

Also discussed at Monday’s meeting were the HIV Awareness Week, Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez’s upcoming visit, April’s Farm Walk event.

Faculty Accreditation Coordinator Margarita Pillado also briefly addressed the senate about the current status of accreditation.

“The annual report is something we are mandated to submit at the end of March to the Accreditation Steering Committee, [and] among many items must include institutional performance in the institution-set standards,” Pillado said.

The Academic Senate will meet again on April 13 at 2:15 p.m. in the Great Hall.

students conducted by the American College Health Association, about 30 percent of respondents reported feeling “so depressed that it was difficult to function” at some time in the past year.

“We want students to say ‘let’s talk about this,’” Benne said.

A burglary in the men’s locker room in the SGYM resulted in the theft of a student’s phone. Suspect unknown at print time.

3/12—Bike Theft

An unknown suspect stole a bicycle from a bike rack near the CFS building. A chain used to lock the bike was cut by the perpetrator.

[From FOOD, pg. 1]

Bass expressed interest in the cafeteria after seeing the wide selection of food it could provide.

“I looked around the cafeteria and I noticed that there were many types of stations there. I saw spaces for pizza, Asian and Mexican food,” Bass said. “There was also a space where I could see myself selling food as well. Whatever the case is, I would love to get involved.”

Despite numerous attempts, Bass continues to wait for a response.

“The trouble is that it seems that they are not ready to make a decision,” Bass said. “I have pretty much sent the deed to everyone who is involved in making a decision and I’m still waiting.”

LACCD Chancellor Francisco

Rodriguez is aware of the lack of food throughout the district and assures that change is underway.

“What we are doing now is contacting each individual college and having them create focus groups with the students in order to better understand their needs. It is also a way for them to have their voices heard,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that the focus groups should begin between April and May, and also explained the diversity on each campus may require more than just one solution in terms of food options.

“History and culture are different at every college. The food that we bring into these schools should reflect the different needs of the students,” Rodriguez said.

Political Science major Arno Shivarjoo said he finds Friday options especially restricting.

“I don’t even count on eating food on campus. It’s highly inconvenient that I end up having to leave,” said Shivarjoo.

Shivarjoo said he believes the cafeteria could benefit students by providing them with healthier food options.

“I don’t think the Freudian Sip or the food trucks are really getting the job done in terms of health,” Shivarjoo said. “It would be nice to have a cafeteria where we can get decent food.”

Empty cafeteria leaves campus hungry Register

Chancellor Rodriguez will visit the campus on Thursday, where students may seek answers to questions about food options.

“I’d like to see there be less stigma attached to mental illness, and for students to know that there’s nothing to be ashamed of”

-Kara Schachter Mental health therapist

[From

MENTAL HEALTH, pg. 1]

-Additional reporting by Salvador Fariaz