Brahmas win big at home

Pierce fires on all cylinders to beat West L.A.

ZAC GROFF Reporter @ZGroffNews

The Pierce College football team made big plays to shut down West Los Angeles College for the first of a two game homestand.

The Brahmas beat the Wildcats 55-20 to make the team’s record 3-1.

Pierce opened its first drive at the West L.A. 11-yard line, but sophomore quarterback Sean Smith threw an interception in the end zone.

“It was close in the first half the past couple games,” Smith said. “But we definitely stepped it up in the second half. We came out firing on all cylinders.”

The Brahmas’ defense, which ranked first in the district before Sat-

Our district, in partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Community College Bureau, will remain vigilant on campus safety and emergency preparedness with the goal of keeping our campuses safe and vibrant learning communities.”

Sincerely, Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D. Chancellor

New Student Programs (NSP)

urday’s game by California Community College Athletic Association, held the Wildcats’ to only seven points in the first half.

An interception by sophomore defensive back Esdras Simervil at the West L.A. three-yard line gave Pierce the ball back.

“It feels good, I had a tough week at practice,” Simervil said. “I needed some turnovers.”

On the Wildcats’ second possession, quarterback Jorge Reyna, threw his second interception of the night to Brahma freshman defensive back Justin Jhorbisson who returned it to West L.A.’s three-yard line. Sophomore running back Yusupha Foster ran in for the touchdown to give Pierce a 7-0 lead.

[See FOOTBALL, pg. 8]

The “First Year Experience” Counseling Center is open for business. The mission of the New Student Programs (NSP) office is to serve the educational planning, matriculation, and adjustment needs of all new and first year Pierce College students.

Students can make an appointment in-person at the First Year Experience Counseling Center in LLC 5110 (under the library) or by calling (818) 610-6508

To see a full schedule of counseling services available visit http://www. piercecollege.edu/offices/ nsp/index.asp.

How do you feel about food options on campus?

“With my past and personal history aside, I think it’s a real good deal especially with what’s been going on with other campuses.”

-Felipe Velez, Business major

“[They] make us feel more secure. [It’s] a lot easier to breathe. You feel less threatened with them around.”

-Timothy Tran

Undecided major

“Thank you for your service. We are so appreciative of what they do for us. They keep us safe and protect us.”

-Sara Sanchez Theater major

“[I feel] pretty safe to be honest. My first year here there were two lockdowns. I felt safe.”

-Krista Rivera, Undecided major

“With those two lockdowns atleastweknewtheyhadour backs during those potential shooting situations.”

-Alexander Alvarez, Biology major

Volume 123, Issue 2

Page 1: Barbara Anderson was refered to as a Dean, she is a professor.

Volume 123, Issue 2

Page 1: #PierceNews stated Student Trustee results will be released on Oct 4. They will be released Oct 9.

Volume 123, Issue 2

Page 2: The Street Beat quoted Victor Ramirez as saying “inhealthy“ the correct quote is “unhealthy“

I t seems like it will never happen, until it does. Last Saturday a female student was sexually assaulted Near California state university, Northridge. She was walking home from the annual concert “Big Show” and was grabbed in a dark alley.

Leaving class after sundown reveals just how dark the campus can be. The Botanical Garden, Performing Arts center, and numerous parking lots have spotty lighting. Large stretches of campus are

Stober

In an era where applicable knowledge is power, and experience is key it only makes sense that students be encouraged to learn their trade from those with the know-how.

-Editorial-

Yet when these individuals are indisposed, students must turn to information-heavy textbooks that are far from user friendly. For the most part, we can all attest that a great many of the required books are the literary equivalent of a brick wall.

More often than not we don’t learn what we need from these publications, or we‘re left confused and befuddled. For this reason colleges should encourage professors to sell their books and collected works on campus. Whereas textbooks are compiled essays and studies written by a menagerie of authors and published under a single title, individual works written by professors are more direct in their structure.

The simplicity that comes coated in ominous paths with nothing but moonlight. Night students deserve the same sense of safety the sun provides.

There’s been 45 school shootings this year alone. Communities are identifying dangers early and increasing awareness. It’s bigger than “see something, say something,” it’s time to do something.More than 20 years ago, CSUN implemented a volunteer program, Matador Patrol, that allows students to take proactive roles in serving the campus community. Volunteers are given training, uniforms, and tasks such as escort services, safety patrols, security watches, and assisting in event staffing.

Currently, If anyone on campus feels unsafe they have the option to call the Sheriff’s Office and request an escort. Professors need to include this information on all syllabi as well as verbal announcements at every class meeting. it may seem like a chore, but the burden of safety falls on everyone.

Pierce College should sponsor and organize a volunteer-led organization mimicking CSUN to combat the uncertainty and unease that some students suffer from. Involvement should earn students class credit, or another acceptable incentive.

Scattered across campus, there are 17 working emergency poles whose blue light acts as a beacon to those in immediate danger. Simply press the red button and it will patch through a direct call to the Sheriff’s Station while simultaneously give the operator the exact location of the signal.

According to Sheriff Deputy Al Guerrero, these poles are tested monthly by cadets and technicians. The issue isn’t that the emergency poles don’t function properly, Pierce needs more poles in more practical locations. It’s not just night students who need support. After multiple lockdowns last year with confusing, and in some cases contradictory instruction, the protocols for a campus-wide emergency need to be common knowledge. Communication is the key when it comes to coordinating life-saving efforts. Staff and students need to combine forces to eradicate any fear from camus, because peace of mind is irreplaceable. topics in the book, and call it a “new edition.” from reading a book written by a single author cannot be ignored or understated in its importance. There is a certain power of learning from one “voice.”

Pro GARETT CECIL gcecil.roundupnews@gmail.com @garettsfeed Con

Instead of having to adjust to a multitude of writing styles presented by numerous authors students can hone in on one speakerone direct flow of knowledge-and can do so without readying for a change in teaching methods.

In addition to the easiness of having a single speaker comes the comfort of actually knowing said speaker. It is my personal prerogative to take classes with professors who know the language of their field. Everything from the way an instructor interacts with the class to their individual personality is key to the learning experience. It has to be comfortable. This feeling can be found in the books professors write.

Students who are accustomed to a professor’s teaching patterns can digest the information in the instructor’s book with greater ease than when they are asked to read from a textbook. This isn’t just because of the familiarity though.

Professors spend the better half of their careers learning how to connect with students. They are influenced by us just as much as we are by them. As such they know how to speak in a way that we can understand even when the subject matter is tricky such as aerospace engineering or mathematics. Rather than bombarding us with varying key terms and random “critical thinking” exercises professors will tailor their books to fit a single subject. This way a student can learn with minimal confusion.

Professors should not be permitted to sell textbooks they write themselves. Instructors that sell their own textbooks can cause discrepancies among students who take the same class, but are learning from different people.

A textbook that is written by the professor can hurt the ability to study with other students and study groups.

If there are eight total English 101 classes, and seven of them have the same textbook, the one class that doesn’t is going to be outcasted. A teacher has the ability to change the order of chapters in their own textbooks which can cause students to learn in an order that’s not the most efficient.

Textbooks are expensive, but students have the option of purchasing used books from online sources at a discount. This option is rarely available if a teacher is requiring students to purchase their books. This is because they receive some profit when they sell their own books.

If a book is purchased used online, the instructor does not make money. A way teachers can make students buy a new book every semester is to change a few published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and ROUNDUP: October 7, 2015 Photographers: Carly Albert Ezzat Bekheet Raul De Los Santos Josh Duarte Dylan Khol Doris Lopez Christopher Mulrooney Ahmadreza Rastegarruzi Gustavo Sanchez Gerryleo Sarimiento Abdoudmajid Yazdekhasti Vanessa Reynafarje Efrem Fields

A textbook that is written by a professional publishing company goes through many drafts, and many edits before it is released to the public. This is not guaranteed when a teacher is the author of their own book. This can lead to grammatical errors, and important facts being left of out the textbook. History and math courses are supposed to be taught using facts. What if an instructor has a different opinion on a historical event? Or the way a math problem should be solved? When a teacher is allowed the freedom to express opinions, it can hinder the students learning outcome.

In addition, professors are susceptible to leaving out important facts. Sure, the student learned about the outcome of the civil war, but did they learn about the important people of the civil war?

Many teachers that write their own textbooks can be lacking in credentials to do so. Yes, they know much about the topic that is being taught, but do they know the proper way to write it out? Do they know the most efficient way to explain it on paper? Textbooks that aren’t written by professionals can often times be confusing and hard to follow for these reasons. If all students learned each course from the same book, it would be much more efficient. Students could learn and study together, even if they have different teachers.

Financial review ends Foundation responds to accountant’s findings

GARETT CECIL Reporter @garettsfeed

At the order of the Pierce College Council’s budget committee, an independent accountant conducted a $17,000 review of the Pierce College Foundation, the results of which have now been released.

“It’s an interpretive review based of the financial information obtained from the other audits and tax returns,” said Denise Robb, board chair of the foundation.

Robb said that the results of the report were expected.

“It (the report) stated what we knew already, that the previous foundation was losing money by running the farm,” she said. “Also it says we need to raise more money to cover our expenses. Which we already knew. I am hoping the new board can do that.”

Floriya Borzenkova, senior program director of the foundation said she could have told the administration what the report had found.

“The information they gave to them, I can give them too,” Borzenkova said. “We already knew the results, they told us nothing we didn’t already know.”

Kathy Zanghi was the bookkeeper for the foundation when the report was being conducted, and agreed that the review offered no new information.

“The farm had lost money, we could have told [the administration] that,” Zanghi said. “No surprises from the results.”

“This review of the financial records of all the previous foundations, it looks like they lost money. That we, the foundation lost money, and the college lost money too,” Robb said. “The college was funding the salary of the employees of the foundation. So it looks like everyone lost money.”

Robb joined the foundation after its previous staff quit en masse.

“We have been rebuilding the board from scratch,” Robb said. “[It] is up to 11 members now, who are all pretty active and engaged.”

Before Robb joined the board of directors, the foundation was responsible for running the Farm Center.

“The previous foundation should never have been asked to run the [Farm Center],” Robbs said. “It’s not what we do.”

Robb said she thought the money spent on this report could have been used elsewhere.

“If they would have given me that money, I would have given out 17 $1,000 scholarships to the students,” she said. “I could have doubled the number of scholarships we are giving out in the fall.”

Robb said that the future of the foundation depends on how many donations they receive for funding.

“We have enough money to get through the year. It’s slow going, but I am hoping to raise enough money for next year,” Robb said. “If we can get professors to give 20 or 30 dollars a month out of their paycheck, or even staff and administrators, that can be operating expenses so that we can continue to function without worrying if we will have enough money for next year.”

Now that the review has been completed, the foundation has begun planning for the future.

“Our biggest priority that we are currently working on is to add veterans’ classes,” Robb said. “We’re hoping to get a big grant to offer free computer programming classes to veterans on campus. Were going to work with the college and the veterans club to try and get money for that. It’s very important, we have a lot of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and a lot of them go here.”

Robb said that the foundation is happy to accept support, and hopes to increase the number of scholarships it offers.

“If anyone wants to work with us, volunteer with us, if they want to donate for any of our projects or just for the general fund,” said Robb. “We would be happy to have you get involved.”