UC and CSU still accepting applications Deadlines extended

re-route the connection to a closer point. That project has not begun yet,” Henderson said in an email. “Then the software will be loaded onto the desktop of whichever functional group will be responsible for the sign.” bwilliams.roundupnews@gmail.comw

A request to have it fixed was previously submitted but other projects took priority over it, according to the Roundup’s story. Alexis Montevirgen, who took over as Pierce’s president in July 2019, said he was unaware the marquee didn’t work.

CalWORKS joins the season of giving Winter Celebration for college students

KATYA CASTILLO Photo Editor @PhotosByKatya

College can be difficult for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for students with children.

CalWORKS is a state-funded program that provides financial assistance and services to eligible students with children to help pay for housing, food, medical care and other necessary expenses.

Claudia Velasco, the director of CalWORKS, hopes to help parents with their academic careers.

“No one student's challenges are more important than others. But when you come to school and you are struggling with food and housing, it is harder for a parent, especially if you're a single parent, to be raising a child,” Velasco said.

On Dec. 4, CalWORKS is hosting Winter Celebration, an event that collects toys from community members to give to CalWORKS participants for their children.

“I’m overwhelmed with how

PETER VILLAFANE Reporter @pcavillafane

Application deadlines for six University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses have been extended past the Nov. 30 deadline, according to Transfer Center Director Sunday Salter.

Salter said these extensions help students who may not have been aware they missed the application deadlines for UCs and CSUs.

“Students are relieved to know that there's still some options for them,” Salter said. “They can still apply somewhere.”

Deadlines have been extended because these universities receive fewer applicants than other campuses and are less impacted, said Salter.

Career Guidance Counseling Assistant James Morris explained why schools have extended their deadlines.

“They're just looking for students to check out their amazing campus, so they wanted to keep it open,” Morris said. “They're definitely all great schools to check out.”

Despite most of these schools being hours away from Los Angeles, Calif., Morris said he recommends that students give them a chance.

“I'd love to see students getting out of their comfort zone and going to Central California, the Bay Area and Northern California,” Morris said. “I don't know if [the extensions] will necessarily ramp up the interest, but I would hope so.” the campus has responded because this is the first time we’ve tried this, and we currently are serving 136 participants,” Velasco said.

“I know Pierce is a giving community, but they surpassed our expectations.”

The Winter Celebration will be held in Building 600 and include a breakfast for the students and the distribution of toys for the families.

To be eligible for CalWORKS, parents must first get approval from Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN), a county program that provides employment-related services. Pierce CalWORKS counselors help with the application process.

Paola Beaver, an office assistant at CalWORKS and previous CalWORKS participant, now helps students get started with the program.

“When you're first starting and setting it up, it's a lot of work,” Beaver said. “Just like when you first sign up for college, it's so much work. So here I can share my experience with them and say, ‘that's how this is, don't worry about it.’ And then just calmly walk them through it and reassure them.”

CalWORKS offers many support services including academic counseling, work-study opportunities, informative workshops, skills development, advocacy for child care and individualized students education plans.

Leticia Conley, a student services assistant case manager, also was a CalWORKS participant in her college years. Her background and life experiences inspired her to work for the program.

“When I was younger, I was a foster kid and I had a lot of people who really helped me to progress in my life, so I decided I wanted to do the same thing,” Conley said. “That's the reason why I decided to work for LACCD to help other students progress in their lives.” kcastillo.roundupnews@gmail.com

According to Velasco, the program helps over 100 students each semester.

“Even though it's not a huge population, it's a population in need,” Velasco said.

The CSU application system crashed on the Nov. 30 deadline, prompting CSU to push the deadline to the next day, according to Salter.

“We have a lot of students who procrastinate across the state,” Salter said. “The system gets overloaded every year. We were grateful to find out they extended it for a day.”

Academic Senate President and Communication Studies Professor Barbara Anderson said she has seen students experience difficulty making time for their college applications since deadlines are around finals week.