New Interim Athletic Director

BY FELIPE GAMINO

After an unsuccessful search last semester, a new era began in the Athletics department last month when Kinesiology Chair Susan Armenta was appointed interim director of athletics. The decision came in December when Pierce College President Alexis Montevirgen met with several faculty members of the Kinesiology department.

Armenta started her tenure in January and said she is grateful for the opportunity.

“It is very humbling for me to be here. They have been very welcoming when I started on my first day and what I want to accomplish is establishing a connection with everyone in the department,” Armenta said.

She had a great conversation with the president prior to her getting appointed on Friday, Dec. 20.

Montevirgen has been impressed with the job Armenta has done.

“She has already brought a sense of organization,” Montevirgen said.

“Since I came here, there has been a sense of transition and it is good to have some sustainability. As we engage in the search, I have told Susan that I hope this interests her and she looks to apply for the job permanently.”

Armenta said she doesn't have a certain style of running things.

"I'm pretty straight forward. I like to get things done. One of the things I do is establish a goal or a deadline when I want to get something done," Armenta said.

One of the things Armenta wants to address is the attendance for sporting events. She has sent emails to the faculty, posted flyers across campus and wants to reach out to the community.

She will not be teaching any health classes this semester as she solely wants to focus on her new role.

"This job is a full-time position so I don't want to overload myself. I want to focus on making an impact in the months I am here," Armenta said.

Armenta also wants to make sure the needs of all student athletes are on track for graduation.

Armenta was an athlete herself. She participated in several sports one of them being cross country.

In addition to being involved with athletics, she also played the role of a racewalker on the hit show Malcolm in the Middle.

Armenta said the show reached out cause they were doing an episode of racewalking.

Voting yes to Proposition 13 would allow California to sell $15 billion in general obligation bonds to pay for school renovations and repairs. $2 billion would go towards community colleges, $4 billion towards UC and CSU campuses and $9 billion towards preschool and K-12 education, according to the Official Voter Information Guide.

It would cost taxpayers an additional $11 billion dollars in interest that doesn’t go towards schools, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, costing $740 million/year for 35 years.

The ballot measure would also affect the process for schools to get state bond money.

Instead of receiving funds on a first-come, first-serve basis, the state would select schools with the most need regarding safety repairs and students with financial hardships.

It would also allow school districts to issue more local general obligation bonds. For K-12 school districts, the limit would be raised from 1.25% to 2% of assessed property value. For unified school districts and community college districts, it would be raised from 2.5% to 4%, according to the Official Voter Information Guide.

Finally, the measure would

Pierce will be opening a Voting Center on campus in the Faculty and Staff Building 600 by the library from Saturday to Tuesday. These centers are in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters. Voting Centers are Los Angeles County’s answer to the inconvenience of polling centers, according to Voting Solutions for All People.

Instead of having only one place they can go to vote, voters can go to any Voting Center and cast their ballots. Parking will be free during this time.

All nine community colleges in the Los Angeles district will be hosting Voting Centers. People can also register to vote at the centers.

The final deadline to register to vote before Tuesday’s election passed on Feb. 18, but voters can still register and vote because of the Conditional Voter Registration law.

Pierce College Voting Center

Dates and Times

Sat 2/29

7:00 am – 6:00 pm

Sun 3/1

7:00 am – 6:00 pm

Mon 3/2

7:00 am – 6:00 pm

Tue 3/3

6:00 am – 9:00 pm

Location

Faculty & Staff Center limit school districts wanting to assess developer fees on apartment complexes located within half a mile of a major transit stop. Schools that agree to use project labor agreements would have priority funding for school construction projects. Schools that use project labor agreements would have to pay private contractors the highest labor costs in the area according to the Official Voter Information Guide.

More information about the measure can be found on the Official Voter Information Guide.

Supporters of Prop 13 include the California Teachers Association, California Democratic Party and Charter School Association. They argue that California’s school buildings are in bad shape and the modernization and reparations financed by Prop 13 are vital.

“Well, I agree with it,” McKeeverThe break for those taxes should have never happened and it's not going to affect people for private homeowners it's only going to affect businesses.”

They say the accountability measures in the proposition will ensure that funds are fairly distributed to schools that need it most.

Opponents argue that the measure will put California in $26 billion of unnecessary debt. Opponents such as Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Orange County Register point out that California should spend it’s $21 billion surplus on upgrading

Building 600

(Near the Library and Parking Lot 7)

Parking is free