Discount TAP cards

Metro explores possibility of free or discounted transportation for community college students

said she used to ride the Metro, but now drives to campus. Plotkin said she is willing to take the metro to school instead of driving her car.

Burke cited the foundation’s “relationship” with the now defunct Farm Center as a large factor in its financial crisis.

“That business was actually flowing money through the foundation,” she said. “So the foundation was essentially functioning as a bank.”

Burke addressed the issue of construction and network upgrade projects at Pierce, some of which have been ongoing since 2010, and how she would avoid those problems at ECC. Unlike Pierce, ECC “recentralized” their program management office “years ago” according to Burke.

“I’ve never been in the President’s Office at Pierce, the official President’s Office,” she said. “Because it’s been being remodeled since before I got there. I’m just starting my sixth year.”

According to Burke the contractor at Pierce was debarred before the projects were completed. Of 11 buildings, seven were in what she called “various states of completion” after the contractor was removed. When the contractor left, so did all of the other workers who had been brought in.

“We’re not going to have those issues here at El Camino,” she said. “You have to make sure you have quality contractors and architects in the first place so you don’t run into some of the problems that we’ve run into.”

After last week’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon by a former ECC student, Burke said she “anticipated” the question of campus safety would come up. According to Burke, the most important preventative measure against campus violence is training.

“It’s really all about training, and the training that we provide,” Burke said. “You listen to the reports from the community college in Oregon, you may have heard some of the students who were in a neighboring classroom say they locked the doors.”

Burke said she has “twice given the order to lockdown and evacuate the campus.” However, while there was a legitimate threat in those instances there has never been an active shooter at Pierce College.

In addition to locking doors and evacuating students, Burke also endorsed the need for better mental health treatment.

The ECC board of trustees is expected to decide the next president in the next week, and a special meeting of the board will convene Wednesday to discuss the candidates.

If chosen, Burke will start her term on or around Feb. 1. It is unknown who would be selected to replace her as Pierce College president, but it took more than a year to hire Burke after her predecessor quit with two weeks notice.

10/2—Student Injury

On Oct. 2 a student reported an injury he or she sustained at about 1:30 p.m. on September 11. The victim was injured in the LLC when two other students rushed through a door, which swung open and hit the victim in the knee.

9/30—Trash Can Fire

A cigarette was the likely cause of a trash can fire near the Center for Sciences at about 2 p.m. Wednesday.

9/30—Ill Student

A student reported feeling ill and was transported to the Health Center.

News briefs

Mystery

At about 12:30 p.m. Monday, a student reported hearing a rattlesnake near the South Gym. A Sheriff’s department cadet responded with a snake stick and searched for the source of the noise. No snake was found, and another student informed the cadet he often hears a nearby malfunctioning sprinkler making the same sound.

The Metro executive board has approved an exploratory measure which would gauge the feasibility of offering free or discounted TAP cards for students in the Los Angeles Community College District..

The Metro Orange Line, which travels between Canoga Park and North Hollywood, has two stops on Victory Blvd. directly adjacent to Pierce College, one at Winnetka Ave. and one at De Soto Ave. A TAP card loaded with valid fare is required to board the Orange Line bus, with each trip costing $1.75. In the past, discounted passes were offered to students but those programs are now defunct.

Veronica Kogut of the Business Office said she doesn’t know anything about TAP cards being free or cheaper for students, and that students will have to fill out a form online to see if they qualify for a free TAP card.

“We haven’t sold any TAP cards here for years, the students would have to check the Metro website,” Kogut said.

Sarah Rosenberg, a Pierce student, was eligible to receive a free TAP card but said the transportation costs for students are unfair.

“It’s not fair students have to pay for transportation,” Rosenberg said.

“Students should be able to have access to transportation like the Metro.”

Pierce College student Ella Plotkin

“If [Metro is] going to provide the service for community college students, I’m definitely willing to take the metro instead of driving my car,” Plotkin said. “That would save me time and money.” Fares are enforced by random checks, and enforcement officers ensure passengers have paid for their ticket or pass, and failing to pay the fare can result in a fine.

Omar Gonzalez is a third-year Pierce College student and takes the Metro because it’s close to his home and he can get to school quickly and easily. Gonzalez said he’d like to see fares discounted for college students.

“Some of us have to worry about how we have to pay for our books and tuition. Using the bus just adds more money issues. College is not cheap, everyone knows that,” Gonzalez said. “We can save the money and use it on more important things like books and school supplies.”

To qualify for the $43 college/ vocational TAP card monthly pass, students must provide proof of enrollment in 12 or more units and fill out an online application.

Kristen Van Hala is the executive assistant to the LACCD interim vice chancellor of educational programs and institutional effectiveness. Van Hala said there is no decision yet regarding the discounted or free TAP cards for community college students, and there won’t be any decisions or progress within the coming months.