New technology is delayed

Timeline for updates is extended to December 2020

ANGELICA LOPEZ & CHRIS TORRES Reporter @angietography @chris_t_torres

Tempers flared and voices were raised regarding technological advancement at the Nov. 29 Pierce College Council (PCC) meeting.

Faculty were told that within a year they will get new technology, but during PCC they were told the timeline was extended to December 2020.

Chair of Modern Language

Department Fernando Oleas is concerned how many times North of Mall Phase II has been delayed. This project brings updated technology to more classrooms on campus.

“We cannot leave the students under those conditions for the next two years,” Oleas said. “The timeline that was given is unacceptable.”

Many faculty joined the discussion explaining numerous buildings on campus do not have adequate technology.

Chairman of Psychology and Statistics Maria Perser said she has seen better technology on other campuses.

“In the 1300s, 1400s, and 1500s buildings, we are in the Dark Ages,” Perser said.

The technology in the buildings are outdated to the point of being unusable.

Perser said the only electronics those classrooms have are a television set and VCR.

Anna Bruzzese, a professor of sociology, told the council that she brings her own projector to her classes. She then asked if teachers will be compensated for the extra technology they buy because of the lack of resources available.

While discussing, the council was unable to see what was causing the delay in the timeline.

We should start the project now or during the winter session when there aren’t as many classes,” said Oleas. “I’m ready to start tomorrow.” workshops that are currently scheduled in the computer lab is one issue. Kiekel said the next question is who is going to pay for all of this.

Right now the center is looking to use basic skills initiative funds, which will help the pilot and running of the program.

“Ultimately, we’re hoping to use student equity and achievement funds to fund some tutors and some faculty members to be in there more often in Fall 2019,” Kiekel said. In the long run, we’re hoping that the college will pay for a position who can spend part of their faculty hours in there so that we can keep it open more often.”

However, Kiekel said she dreams to have the writing center open for more hours.

“I have a vision of that being open every day of the week in the next year or two,” Kiekel said. “We’ll slowly scale up so it’ll be open more and more often and the services will get better and better.”

Kiekel said because students will be placed directly into English 101 and will need help, she thinks the writing center should get the funding.

“In this way that’s why the justification for giving these additional services now comes to the top of something that’s a little bit more fundable,” Kiekel said.

“Now we can really make the argument that we need to tighten our belt in other areas, maybe stop doing other things, and maybe fund this instead because everybody needs English 101.”

The specifics of when the writing center would be launched aren’t confirmed yet. However, the idea is to have it open by the second week of the semester. Many of the details are still being discussed.

Kiekel said the funding proposal would be voted on by the Student Success Committee Dec. 12., and then the senate meeting would have to approve Dec. 17. Kiekel said she believes they should be getting the funding for the writing center.

“I mean technically, somebody can say ‘no we don’t want to fund this, we’re not going to do that’ but I haven’t really heard anybody express that they think this is a bad idea or this is an unfundable idea,” Kiekel said. “AB 705 has put a lot of pressure on the college to really think about how they’re supporting students. I don’t anticipate anybody saying no, but I do want to put that disclaimer in there that we still have to approve funding for spring.”

The planning for the writing center still has multiple meetings in plan. The past meeting was on Nov. 29 and it discussed the roles of a tutor in and out of the classroom. Future meetings are tutor training Dec. 13, faculty training Jan. 3, ESL support Jan. 15, and the actual design of the writing center is Jan. 29, which will be the last meeting.