Forty and all its glory

Vice President Larry Kraus will retire at the end of the 2017 fall semester

SAMANTHA BRAVO

Editor-in-Chief

@sammybravo93

During four decades at Pierce College change has been dramatic.

Associate Vice President Larry

Kraus has seen much of it unfold from the decline of grand farm events to the rise of new buildings and eye-catching gardens. But any future transformations will be missed by Kraus who will retire at the end of fall semester.

“I don’t want to say bye, it’s been marvelous time, it’s been an amazing experience, most people today move from job to job but, I’m almost like a potted plant,” Kraus said. “I kind of just plotted here, and I enjoyed it immensely. Doing the best I can to help the students and faculty and staff.”

Kraus said that at 18, he worked as a district manager for the Los Angeles bookstore,

Waldenbooks. He then returned to Pierce to work at the college as an assistant manager at the student bookstore, between 1981 and 1982 then became the store manager.

“I’ve been here since 1971, but I was here as a student. I was employed as a cadet in the Sheriff's Department,” Kraus said. “After high school, I came to Pierce, and got a job as a cadet. I ran around as a cadet for a couple of years, then went in the Air Force reserve from 1974 to 1975.”

Other than working full time, Kraus was also taking classes at Pierce. Kraus received his associate’s, bachelor's and master's in business administrative.

Pierce College President Kathleen Burke said in an email that Kraus was their go-to person for special projects because he knows the college’s history.

“Mr. Kraus has provided dedicated and loyal service to Los Angeles Pierce College for over four decades,” Burke said. “He is woven into the fabric of what Pierce College is and what it will be for the foreseeable future. While we will miss Larry’s expertise and tireless work ethic, we wish both he and his family the best as Larry transitions to this new phase of his life.”

Vice President of Administrative Services Rolf Schleicher has known Kraus since he started in 2012 and said it was a pleasure working with Kraus for the past few years.

“He really loves the college.

I think it’s in his DNA now,” Schleicher said. “He’s been here a long time; he grew up with the college.”

Schleicher said he’s fascinated with Kraus’s knowledge and historical perspective.

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

However, Pierce dealt with consequences and media attention regarding the freedom of speech case.

Pierce has gained national attention due to the lawsuit. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions mentioned the college by name during his speech about the First Amendment at Georgetown University.

In late October, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest supporting Shaw. Sessions states that the DOJ strives to protect Freedom of Speech on college campuses.

The suit has also caused the Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation to revoke the funding it provided to Pierce and LACCD students in the French programs.

Dennis Beaver, a Bakersfieldbased attorney, said the foundation has been sending students to study abroad for more than 20 years, and for the last ten years, has sent Los Angeles Valley College and CSUN students to France.

He was hoping to extend the study abroad program in Paris to include a Pierce student, but after learning about the lawsuit, the foundation has decided to pause its funding to all of LACCD.

“What the administration of Pierce and the college district is doing is clearly unconstitutional,” Beaver said. “It does anything, but encourage free speech. It is arbitrary. It allows faculty to decide who can talk and what they can say. This is galling. He was handing out copies of the Constitution for God’s sake.”

[See free speech on pg. 3]