From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

Acollege campus is a collective of students forming bonds and receiving an education. Such a place should be also be a safe haven.

In Pierce’s 2017-2018 General Catalog, one of the seven college values listed is the “freedom to think, dialogue and collaborate.”

But there is a fine line between freedom of speech and verbal harassment or hate speech.

Verbal harassment can be a type of danger present on Pierce College’s campus. This type of danger is not one of guns, but one of threatening words that offers the same fear of physical violence.

Recently, verbal harassment and threats have been communicated between clubs on campus. This leaves members nervous, and administration needs to be informed.

To counteract this violence, all clubs and members should sign a behavioral code of conduct, which lists pre-agreed behavioral do’s and dont’s.

According to a member of the Blatigenous Club, there is no code of conduct to their knowledge.

If club members do not have a written guideline for how to behave, lines can be blurred, and anything can be up for debate, including hate speech.

All students, involved in a campus club or not, should treat peers, professors and faculty with respect and kindness. Students should not slander harass, or make any derogatory comments toward others.

Students should also be aware of the consequences of their actions. Regardless of a student's point of view, hate speech can lead to unwanted results.

When students feel threatened, it makes them feel unsafe, which can lead to anxiety, depression, or wanting to fight back, which can lead to more danger.

When the term “verbal harassment” is entered into the Pierce homepage search bar, only one result comes up: the college’s General Catalog from 2007. The problem with this result is that it is outdated, and times have changed due to the introduction of social media.

Hate speech between Pierce students can extend outside the classroom and the campus and onto the internet. Every club’s code of conduct should state that online action is also representative of their club.

All students should feel that their safety is monitored and have peace of mind that no harm will come their way, knowing that they are in no direct danger.

If every club on campus has a

"Moana,becauseIrelateto her.She'sPolynesianandI'm Hawaiian,sowekindofrelate culturewise.She'sgorgeous andshe'sstrong."

-ToryFernandez18,Nursing behavioral code of conduct, students can focus on their studies and interact with others safely.

For news story go to page 3.

-ErickHidalgo23,Chemical Engineering

We all have a right to defend ourselves, and our ability to do so effectively is improved when we have access to adequate tools: weapons. However, even though carrying weapons on a school campus isn’t expressly forbidden, it still seems to be a bit of a taboo. Pierce should not deprive its students of such effective accouterments and allow the possession of weapons on campus.

Now, this isn’t to say that Pierce should become the Wild West and let students walk the campus toting guns and knives out in the open. No. The college could establish reasonable restrictions on what weapons are appropriate to carry on school grounds.

These restrictions can borrow from California’s laws on weapons, and should make limitations more stringent in some cases. The Pierce campus could forbid the carry— concealed or otherwise—of all firearms on campus and possession of non-folding knives. Leave the lethal force to the campus sheriffs.

For students, this would leave non-lethal weapons such as small cans of pepper spray and stun guns available for use in self-defense and personal protection. The fact that these weapons couldn’t be used to kill (without considerable effort) should keep the students who choose not to carry protection at ease—they wouldn’t have to look at their peers sideways, wondering if the privileges given by the college made for dozens of potential active shooters. afortinacaldera.roundupnews@gmail.com

Allowing these weapons would lend to the safety of students both on and off campus. Students who travel to school via public transportation, or by foot, through less-than-savory areas, would be able to carry protection during their commute to and from Pierce.

Though the campus isn’t known for being dangerous, no-one can ever be too certain in the evenings. Whodini said “the freaks come out at night.” Those who go to Pierce for night classes can feel more secure if given the liberty to carry something to defend themselves against said freaks.

These suggestions aren’t forwarded with the thought that the entire Pierce student body should become some sort of vigilante corps looking for trouble to heroically tase and pepper spray. Students who would choose to carry protection should do so responsibly and only with the intention of defending themselves against danger.

To ensure that giving students the liberty to carry protection doesn’t inadvertently (and ironically) create an unsafe environment, Pierce could introduce classes that teach effective methods of selfdefense and the proper use of tools such as tasers and pepper spray.

After all, knowledge is power. Weapons are just insurance.

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ANNA CLARK Features Editor @AnnaClarkReport

Gun violence has always posed a risk to America's safety, especially on school grounds. Therefore, weapons should not be allowed on college campuses.

Throughout our country’s past, mass killings by guns have killed adults and children at schools like Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and Columbine High School in Columbine, Columbus.

From these examples, we have seen that if guns are allowed on college campuses, they cause more harm than safety. If a student or faculty member wants to carry a weapon with them for protection, they may want to think of accidental discharge.

Many citizens who have control of a weapon do not go through basic safety training. When people do not have basic education of how a gun works, the risk of it going off is higher.

Evan Defilippis and Devin Hughes, commented on an article published by The Nation, titled “Tactical Experts Destroy the NRA’s Heroic Gunslinger Fantasy.”

“A recent article in The Nation warned that during an active shooting, an armed civilian without extensive training posed a greater security risk than a benefit,” Defilippis and Hughes said.

Cartoonist: Beck Shields Wyce Mirzad

According to Joshua Holland, author of The Nation article, guns can increase the risk of a person turning into a victim instead of being a bystander.

“A firearm makes a person almost twice as likely to become the victim of a homicide and three times more likely to commit suicide,” Holland said.

What happens to a student carrying a weapon has anger issues? College is a time of stress, and at certain times, frustration. If a student becomes mad at a peer or a teacher, and has a weapon on them, it could easily turn into a violent situation.

Along with anger, paranoia is a common feeling. Students who bring a weapon to campus for the act of self-protection may draw it out at a time when there is no immediate violence, causing harm to those around them.

Guns on campus can be threatening to students. Students who do not carry guns may feel unsafe around weapons that are not owned and protected by law enforcement.

At Pierce, there is a Sheriff's Department and 24-hour security on campus. Students should not have to fear for their own protection, and therefore shouldn’t need to carry their own weapons.

Weapons should not be allowed on college campuses as they pose more risks to students’ safety than they protect.

-OscarCallejas19,Art prior to the issue date.

Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup.

The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.