School suffers student budget woes

Academic Senate discusses deficit

ALEJANDRA AGUILERA

said she’s instructed her front office to let in students without an appointment who need grief counseling.

The center also can refer students to off-campus counseling resources.

“I think I would have the students call and say, ‘I’m really struggling with the loss of my friend who died this weekend,’ and just identify,” Benne said. “They don’t have to go through any detail.”

Benne said counseling helps to process grief because it allows people to address their concerns.

“We just let them talk,” Benne said. “It's very raw and very new and most of the time [talking is] all somebody needs.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for funeral funds.

According to the page, Cesar Perez provided the majority of living expenses for his mother and six siblings.

As of Monday night, the page has raised more than $10,000.

A fundraising car wash is also scheduled for Nov. 24 at Canoga Park High School at 9 a.m. to raise donations for Perez’s family and to cover funeral expenses.

Students who need additional help can call the Student Health aaguilera.roundupnews@gmail.com pvillafane.roundupnews@gmail.

11/11 5:30 a.m.

Petty Theft (Electrical)

Unknown suspect stole copper wire from El Rancho Drive.

Everyone learns in different ways, and the Writing Center at Pierce was created last semester to help accommodate those looking for assistance in their writing.

Center for Academic Success

(CAS) Director Crystal Kiekel said the Writing Center now provides computer access to tutors and students beyond their 30-minute sessions.

“When your 30-minute appointment is up, it's no longer ‘Okay, bye-bye, leave,’ right?” Kiekel said. “It's like, ‘Okay, your 30-minute appointment is up. I'm going to go and help somebody else for 30 minutes, but you can sit here and continue to work on your paper and somebody will circulate and answer questions.”

Kennedy Uche, a tutor, said he doesn’t just help students with their English essays, he also helps students with essays for other classes, such as political science, psychology, sociology and anthropology.

“There'll be times where students go up to the front desk and tell them egarcia.roundupnews@gmail.com

English Professor Christopher Corning explained that going to professors’ office hours and visiting the Center for Academic Success help students make the best out of their education.

“The people who do these things are going to get a whole lot more out of their classes and out of their overall education experience than anybody else,” Corning said.

Corning said that since the Writing Center opened, he has seen an increase in performance from his students who are seeking resources from course-embedded tutors.

“I can always tell the difference between a student who is not seeking resources because they're not really showing up to class as much as students who are showing up to class asking me questions,” Corning said.

The Writing Center is currently open three times per week. Kiekel explained that it will open four times per week in the spring semester Monday through Thursday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with Wednesdays lasting until 7:00 p.m.

11/11 12:20 p.m.

Petty Theft (Backpack)

Unknown suspect stole student's backpack from South Gym.

11/13 8:01 p.m.

Student Injury

Student hurt left leg during the football game.

Pierce is projected to have a $3.5 million dollar deficit for this academic year.

As a result, the Emergency Budget Task Force (EBTF) was created this fall semester to make recommendations on cutting down the deficit by June 2020.

Instructor of Psychology and EBTF member Angela Belden explained the process of budgeting.

“Basically when it comes to budgeting, there are two things: you either cut or you make more money,” Belden said. “Cutting is very hard because that means a reduction in services to students, it could mean a reduction in staff or faculty, it could mean a lot of things and those things feel terrible.”

President Alex Montevirgen says he anticipates closing the deficit gap as the year progresses despite being “well above” budgetary funds for the year.

“We were instructed that we are not going to be doing any massive hiring this year, which is a complete turn from how we’ve done in the past,” Montevirgen said. “I believe, within the figures from the past five years, we have brought on several hundred new faculty districtwide.”

Belden said the EMBT recommended allowing enterprises to build solar panels on parking lot seven, similarly to those in parking lot one. This would generate a $1.3 million revenue with zero cost to Pierce.

Since soliciting interested

11/13 9:45 p.m.

Criminal Threats companies takes time and effort for reviewing district approved contracts, movement on the solar panel proposition can be seen next year if worked on “now,” according to Belden.

One student made threats to another in room 1301.

-Angela Belden

Academic Faculty Senate Secretary Jennifer Moses said the budgetary crisis is “multifaceted” with additional impact from “outside entities.”

“Our budget deficit is not of Pierce’s making and it is unfortunate that Pierce seems to be required to balance the budget by doing hiring freezes when we cannot solve the budgetary problems on our own because we didn’t create the problem on our own,” Moses said. “It’s unfortunate that at this point it’s all on us to figure it out.” aaguilera.roundupnews@gmail.com sneff.roundupnews@gmail.com

11/15 9:01 p.m.

Student Injury

Student hurt her left knee during a performance on stage in the Theater Arts.