Putting the unity in community Umoja club educates students

Deputy Ramos said that it is illegal to vape in nondesignated areas on campus. However, some students continue to smoke or vape in non-designated areas.

Sheriff Nick Saldivar occasionally comes across

AARON ESTRADA Reporter @TheRoundupNews

Currently in its third year at Pierce, Umoja strives to live up to its name and to provide a sense of unity, family and belonging among the Pierce student body.

nity that is extremely accepting and one that understands me more than any community I’ve ever been in,” Randall said.

Randall said that one Umoja program called Porch Talks had been a beneficial experience for her.

“We discussed the differences between going to predominantly white colleges and historically black colleges,” Randall said. “I ally opened my eyes to it.”

Chesney discussed some of the issues that Umoja deals with.

“One of the issues we’re supposed to tackle is the drop in African-American student enrollment in community colleges and colleges around the country,” Chesney said. “I hope to use Umoja as a powerbase to help affect other African-Americans students who are smoking in non-designated areas.

Saldivar said that they are usually respectful when he asks them to smoke in the designated smoking areas.

“Nine times out of ten, students have no problem going to smoke in the designated areas when asked to,” Saldivar said. “No student has yet to give me a problem.” mblais.roundupnews@gmail.com

Saldivar also said that they prefer to give students warnings instead of citations, because a citation’s financial burden could affect some students’ abilities to attend school.

Umoja Coordinator Melody Smith said that Umoja is smaller than the other support programs at Pierce, but their goal is to grow and help more students each semester.

“Umoja is Swahili for unity. It’s open to all students,” Smith said. “The professors have gone through special training, and we do cultural and educational events throughout the semester. ”

Business student Brianna Randall said that her mother was a member of Umoja last year, and that she is glad to have joined.

“I feel a part of a commu - feel like after that, my thinking about college changed. When you go to HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] you are more supported.”

History major Alexander Chesney said that before joining Umoja, his understanding of HBCU’s was limited.

“My only exposure to HBCUs was to Grambling and Southern [Universities] annual battle of the bands,” Chesney said. “Other than that I really had no understanding of what an HBCU was like or what it could offer, and Umoja re - because it has done a lot for me.”

Chesney said that Umoja is like an extension of his family.

“I come from a small family, part of The Great Migration,” Chesney said. “Being able to stay and be a part of Umoja in a sense makes me feel like I’m at home. Like all my uncles and cousins are back with me.”

In the near future, Umoja is planning a conference in Oakland, Calif. to meet with the other chapters from across the state.

MARC BLAIS Reporter @TheRoundupNews

Pierce’s library ie in the process of moving to a new online platform called Primo.

Library Department Chair Lauren Saslow, who is in charge of overseeing the implementation of the new platform for the entire Los Angeles Community College District, said that the new platform has been in development for the past two and a half years.

“I think everyone would say it’s very stressful right now,” Saslow said. “We have to develop a whole new process. Things that we did a certain way for the last 40 years, we can’t do it that way anymore.”

In the past Sirsi was used for book catalogs and Ebsco’s One Search for other online resources.

Saslow explained that students will have an easier time being able to sign in and access the online sources using Primo.

“The login is a little confusing right now, but for the new platform it will use a single sign-in,” Saslow said. “Once you sign into Canvas, you will be automatically signed into the library, the databases and everything else.”

Theater student Peraza Engelbert explained that the old system is confusing.

“People don’t use the current one that much because it’s pretty hard to find things,” Engelbert said. “Hopefully people use the new system more than this one.”

According to Saslow, Primo will present new resources and opportunities for students due to the uniformity of the platform across other community colleges.

“We already share all of our books across the district,” Saslow said. “Ultimately, we are going to be looking at sharing across the California Community College

System, and now that we are on the same system as our local CSUs and UCs, there are possibilities to do sharing that way too.”

Pierce College Technology Librarian Clayton Gediman has high hopes for the new system.

“Right away it’s going to work really well, and it will be more user-friendly than our current system,” Gediman said. “I think students are pretty flexible, they just want to be able to get what they need, and I think that they will be able to do that.”

According to Saslow, Primo will be up in December. for students and faculty to use.

Reported by: Jackson Hayano

These incidents were reported between 9/239/30 9/23 8:52 p.m.

A student was injured playing volleyball in the North Gym

9/25 11:27 a.m.

•Student Illness

A student was ill at village 8102

9/25 6:52 p.m.

•Student Incident Staff and student verbal argument on football field

9/26 12:38 p.m.

•Employee Incident Male student caused a disturbance in Finacial Aid Office.

9/26 1:55 p.m.

•Student Illness

A student was ill in the Perfomring Arts Building. They were escorted to the Health Center.

9/26 2:00 p.m.

•Employee Incident Male student caused a disturbance in Finacial Aid