Volume 132 Spring 2020 Roundup Issue 8

VP of Academic Affairs leaves Pierce

Sheri Berger takes job at Compton College beginning

June 15

BY ANGELICA LOPEZ

Fall semester plans detailed

Updates discussed in student forum

BY MAYA GARIBAY

Fall semester classes will be offered online and the cost will remain $46 per unit, said Vice President of Academic Affairs Sheri Berger in a Zoom meeting on Friday, May 8.

Around 130 Pierce College students and faculty joined the We Are Here For You: A Student Forum to have their questions answered regarding summer and fall classes, online communication and virtual graduation.

V

ice President of Academic Affairs Sheri Berger announced through an email that she has accepted a similar role at Compton College and will leave Pierce in June.

Berger worked for the Los Angeles Community College District for 21 years.

She took her current position at Pierce on Sept. 2, 2014. Prior to that, she was the dean of Academic Affairs at Los Angeles Valley College.

She also served as acting president for a brief period, after former Pierce College President Kathleen Burke took a position as the chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District.

In her open email announcement, Berger wrote that while it was a difficult decision to make, she was excited to accept the offer. She said she will remember her time at Pierce.

“As I move on to this next phase of my career, I will look back at my time here with fond memories, and appreciating all I have learned and the relationships I have made,” Berger wrote.

Berger said June 9 will be her last official day at Pierce. This story is ongoing and will be updated.

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Athletes uncertain about game plan Players forced to find new ways to stay active with cancelled season

BY PABLO ORIHUELA

For many high school senior and collegiette-level student athletes, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a state of uncertainty for their playing futures.

That same reality can be felt by baseball player Dirk Ryan.

“When the season got canceled, coaches couldn't even talk to us anymore,” Ryan said in a phone interview. “There wasn’t really any plan of where to go after this season.”

In the wake of the pandemic, local state and national health officials introduced multiple regulations in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Such regulations that have impacted Pierce student athletes include the cancellation of the spring season, and an indefinite ban on faceto-face recruiting among schools within the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA).

According to the CCCAA website, the recruitment ban is extending until the Safer at Home order is lifted.

Given the decision, it didn’t take long for players like Ryan to realize what that would mean for their own academic and athletic careers.

“The biggest thing is nobody can talk right now,” Ryan said. “Nobody can reach out to anybody and we’re

locked down. There’s no way of getting out there right now. ”

Bailey Swain, goalkeeper for the soccer team, said the current circumstances have placed her in an uncomfortable situation since she has already decided to transfer to UCLA in the fall.

“It changed my plans,” Swain said in a phone interview. “I probably won’t move out since the first quarter will be online”

Swain and Ryan also play sports during alternating seasons, meaning they’re training year-round.

Women’s collegiate soccer is a fall sport, so Swain’s season wasn’t impacted, but her spring training was.

“What we do now is, we have assigned running and conditioning that we need to do,” Swain said. “We do training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coach Perez watches us do some drills as well.”

For Swain, the struggle doesn’t come from losing a playing season, but rather from adjusting to her new virtual academic reality.

“I didn't understand how hard it was to work from home,” Swain said. “I’m still making the same grades, but it is so hard to keep the same grades and stay disciplined while I’m at home.”

For players like Ryan, the pandemic left a harsher impact.

As a result, Ryan has been forced to find other methods to stay in condition while in quarantine.

“My dad has a gym set at home. We got it all cleaned and fixed up,” Ryan said. “That’s pretty much the only thing that has been keeping my sane.”

Ryan and his brother also go to their neighborhood batting cages, two or three times a week to practice.

Despite the end of his season, Ryan said his sacrifices are for the better.

“I know I'm fine with what I’ve been doing, given that I’ve followed regulations,” Ryan said. “I’m following orders making sure to protect my family since they’re more at risk.”

Pierce College Interim Athletic Director, Susan Armenta, said in an interview via Zoom she has done what she can to help out during the pandemic.

“We've helped give athletes referrals to people like Joseph Roberson, the Pierce College Athletics Counselor,” Armenta said.

“We've been helping give information that has been out there to the coaches and students, and giving them direct links, as opposed to trying to figure out and navigate the website.”

At the start of the pandemic, Armenta and other athletic directors throughout the Los Angeles

"BlacKkKlansman" screenwriter talks about film

David Rabinowitz said a secret to his success is accepting failure

BY PETER VILLAFANE

The red carpet at Cannes Film Festival is packed with photographers on either side. Celebrities are lined up getting their photos taken.

Spike Lee, Adam Driver and the rest of the cast from “BlacKkKlansman” are lined up, posing for the photographers.

Behind them, trying to get in the photos, are screenwriters David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel. Their heads peak through behind the cast.

Rabinowitz may not be as recognizable as the famed director and A-list actor, but his star as a top writer

is on the rise.

That's because he and a team of screenwriters won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019.

He discussed his life and career in a Zoom event organized by the Media Arts Department and the Pierce College Film Club on May 18.

Rabinowitz said his advice for screenwriters is to not give up and concentrate on the process of making something rather than hoping for a specific result.

“If it's focused on a result, then you're just going to be in a constant state of failure until you reach that milestone,” Rabinowitz said. “If you

do happen to reach that milestone, you're going to move the goalposts and you're going to create something else and then you’re a failure once again.”

The Cannes audience tends to either praise a film or boo at it, according to journalism instructor Sean CollinsSmith, who arranged the event.

“BlacKkKlansman” received a standing ovation.

Communications professor Barbara Anderson wrote in an email that she enjoyed how Rabinowitz described what it was like at Cannes.

“I felt like we could all identify with how surreal that must have felt for him, and by extension, how our students could have a similar surreal, dream come true,” Anderson wrote.

After “BlacKkKlansman” won the Oscar, Rabinowitz said he was overwhelmed with shock.

“I kind of blacked out between that moment and getting up on stage and I was very thankful that I didn't have to say anything,” Rabinowitz said.

He said it was good that he had no expectation of winning an Oscar while writing the script.

“I'm glad I had no idea that was going to come because it would have paralyzed the process,” Rabinowitz said.

“BlacKkKlansman” is not the first script he wrote, but it is the first one that he sold.

Community College District, have been keeping in contact with one another.

Topics the group have discussed include updating one another to see how other programs have been coping with the quarantine, and staying informed about any new regulation changes that stem from the pandemic.

“The big thing right now for us is May 29, the day when the CCCAA Executive Board will be meeting to decide what will be happening in the fall,” Armenta said. “A lot of us are trying to unite and really push to have a playing season, as well as figuring out what it would take to even have that.”

As for what the upcoming fall season may hold, Armenta remains hopeful.

“We want the season, and if there are restrictions, we want to have a scenario that is still fair and safe for everyone involved,” Armenta said. “We were told that any option can be considered, whether that may be a shortened schedule or postponing the start of the season.”

For now, Ryan, Swain and many other student-athletes will have to continue with a sense of uncertainty with their playing careers and where their next academic homes will be.

Berger said some classes will have live instructions and others will not, and students can know the class type by searching the notes under the class listing. Most classes have been assigned a time, even if there is no live instruction to avoid conflict with synchronous learning.

If the system says there is a scheduling conflict but there is no live instruction, students can contact the Admissions and Records office through Cranium Café or by email to resolve the issue.

There will be no life science courses offered over the summer. Chemistry labs will be offered and will use virtual lab programs Labster and Beyond Labs.

Dean of Student Engagement Juan Carlos Astorga began the first “We Are Here For You” forum answering student-submitted questions. He said he hoped to give students an idea of how the college will be moving forward and give an update on how it has transitioned.

Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters addressed how difficult the transition to online may be to some and how the pandemic may have affected students.

He encouraged students to continue communication with academic counselors, faculty and the Student Health Center. All resources provided by Pierce College are still available online.

Dixon-Peters said anyone who missed the May 10 deadline to receive an excused withdrawal (EW) must submit an email to the Admissions and Records office to petition to receive an EW.

Associate Vice President Bruce Rosky said that students who receive an EW on their transcripts will also receive a refund for the course.

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He said he and Wachtel took some creative liberties when writing the script.

“Real life isn't structured in three acts and can't be properly summarized in two hours,” Rabinowitz said. “You have to make some choices right off the bat and you have to make it honestly. There's nuance to this, but I feel like your responsibility as a filmmaker is to the film, not necessarily to the true events.”

Rabinowitz started creative writing during second grade and eventually started writing scripts when he was around 17. He then worked in the video department of the Wall Street Journal before moving to Los Angeles with Wachtel in 2012.

“I decided to load up my 1997 Toyota Corolla with everything I owned, and drive across the country,” Rabinowitz said. Wachtel was the one who found Ron Stallworth’s memoir “BlacKkKlansman.” He and Rabinowitz made a “handshake deal” with Stallworth to get permission to turn the biography into a script, Rabinowitz said.

“We basically put our trust in him, and he put his trust in us,” Rabinowitz said.

18, 2020.

Photo by Katya Castillo / Roundup

Bailey Swain, goalkeeper for the Pierce College soccer team, stands in front of her apartment in Woodland Hills, Calif., on May 20, 2020.

Screenshot taken by Alejandra Aguilera / Roundup Screenwriter David Rabinowitz spoke about his work in the Oscar-winning film "BlacKkKlansman" during the Film Club's movie screening and Q&A event through Zoom on May

Screenshot taken by Peter Villiafane / Roundup Carl Jacobs holds a sign reading “#HOPE #LOVE #MUSIC” in a video about the Encore classes.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

Request for deadline extensions

Assignment due dates should be moved to the end of the semester

COLUMN:

Dreaming of a graduation

BY ANDREA PEÑA

I feel that my accomplishments were taken away from me, and all the hard work my parents put in to watch their daughter graduate has been stripped away because of this pandemic.

Although I will still be moving forward, the absence of graduation has left me feeling a sense of frustration.

In 2018, I had the privilege to graduate from high school, and it was my first graduation in the United States.

Every single detail and moment was magical. The emotion of walking towards my parents with a cap and gown, my diploma in my hand and to proudly hug them, was the best feeling ever.

I still consider it to be one of the best days of my life. For my parents, it’s also the best day of their lives. They still talk about it with family and friends.

Graduations are rare in my family because not everybody has the opportunity to choose a career. I am the only one in my family that has graduated from high school, and now I’m also the first to graduate from community college.

The shift to online classes in response to the pandemic was unexpected and a drastic change for those attending a college or university.

For those unaware of the parameters of online classes, the thought of taking classes from the comfort of their home seems convenient.

But not all students would agree. While some would consider it a blessing others would consider it a nuisance.

That feeling could stem from not being able to work a computer to feeling

the responsibility to frequently check Canvas.

The change to online could impact a student’s grade for reasons that aren’t related to academics.

Professors should consider extending weekly deadlines to the end of the semester in consideration of the students who are not dealing with the transition as well as others.

If that isn’t possible, the option to do so should be made known to the students of a class. This option, whether class wide or made for one student, could relieve the

Pro: Close nonessential sections

BY JOEY FARRIOLA

At the risk of spreading COVID-19 further, essential businesses should consider closing their non-essential sections to limit the amount of people spending time in those aisles.

While businesses are slowly starting to reopen, some states are banning their customers from buying non-essential items from stores such as Walmart, Target and grocery stores, according to KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento.

Vermont’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development said in a press release that “big box” retailers will be ending in-person sales of non-essential items.

“This volume of shopping traffic significantly increases the risk of further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters and the viability of Vermont’s health care system,” said Secretary Lindsay Kurrel.

The non-essential sections closing is a good thing for business because some parents let their children play with the toys in stores, which could increase the spread of COVID-19 if non-essential aisles are left open.

The businesses letting people get nonessentials items online or through curbside pickup is a better solution because people don’t always social distance in those sections in stores.

During this pandemic, non-essential items

include toys, clothing and technology. Before this virus, customers would take their time searching through and touching items. Now it is important to avoid these actions and practice social distancing.

The sections should be closed until the COVID-19 spread has slowed down because some people can spend an extended amount of time looking around at the products to see if they want it and also ask employees multiple questions about them.

Clothing departments should also be closed because of the potential spread of COVID-19 from people trying on clothes and putting them back on the racks.

Closure of non-essential departments would allow for time to get employees trained to get ready when stores start to open up different sections.

Some employees could be afraid to work when there’s lots of shoppers going through those sections.

The sections being closed for the public until the curve is flattened is important because the employees won’t be able to know who is and who isn’t sick.

It would decrease the risk of spreading the virus throughout the whole store.

stress of an earlier deadline. Students would have more time to adjust to the online environment without having to worry about learning a new feature by a certain date. The extension would also allow those who don’t learn at the same pace as others to take their time and not feel pressured to “do what they can” with the assignment.

For students whose homes aren’t the best learning environment, they’ll be given the chance to find a better space to do their work.

The radical change to online has not been easy. The change could put a student’s grade at risk.

The idea that something out of their hands is what cost them a good grade can be maddening.

Returning students the feeling of ownership of an assignment could make them feel more at ease in an uncomfortable situation.

Con: Keep the aisles open

BY VICTOR BRETADO jfarriola.roundupnews@gmail.com

Duringquarantine people tend to get bored rather fast because there is only so much one can do.

Stores such as Target, Walmart and grocery stores have sections with essential and nonessential items. Closing down the non-essential items would be a bad idea for the stores as well as for the people who go to shop there. These stores can’t simply close down their business or close down certain sections because there would be less room for social distancing, causing the potential for a faster spread of the virus if someone were to contract it.

During times like these, it is important to be cautious when entering a store and practicing social distancing. Many stores have enforced strict policies since the virus outbreak has certain customers worried about non-essential business, as well as non-essential products sold in their stores.

The economy is facing a problem and many businesses and stores are losing money instead of gaining money. If stores were to close certain areas of their place, then that would result in more loss of funds.

Businessinsider.com reported that when the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, stores such as Costco, Walmart and Target were

closing down non-essential aisles in Michigan.

As far as California, we have yet to see the stores close down items that are not considered non- essential.

People around the U.S. need ways to keep themselves occupied aside from eating and sleeping all day.

The stores are open to sell all their merchandise and a lot of people go in looking for new ways to keep themselves occupied during quarantine, so it would only make sense to keep all the aisles open to sell every item possible.

The virus can possibly be beaten in one way and that is by staying inside as much as possible.

However, while people are going to stores to shop for essential items, closing down aisles that simply sell items that are non-essential will do little to no difference because customers are still roaming the store. The outbreak occurred mid-March and just recently Los Angeles county has extended the Stay at Home orders for three additional months.

As more stores are looking for ways to add some more protection, the closing down of sections in stores that are considered nonessential is not ideal.

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When I started going to Pierce College, I didn’t think I would be able to finish or even graduate within two years. But the professors and counselors were so helpful and motivated me to work hard and keep going until graduation day.

I’m the class of 2020, but without a graduation ceremony. I worked so hard to be able to graduate from Pierce in two years, but in the end I’m not able to enjoy as I dreamed.

As students, we can see our achievements throughout the years: the long sleepless nights, overcoming anxiety from class presentations and the many sacrifices we made to meet deadlines.

We see graduation day as an honor, but for the class of 2020, we’re not going to have one.

A virtual graduation is not the same. There isn’t a feeling of adrenaline to be on campus with your family, classmates, professors and the people who supported you.

Instead, we’ll be at home waiting to be connected to a Zoom conference or Facebook Live ceremony.

Although the class of 2020 is invited to a rescheduled, in-person graduation ceremony, it isn’t the same because many students are transferring to other universities or starting a new job that may be out of state.

More than anything, it hurts that all the effort and sacrifices my parents endured to see me graduate, has been taken away due to this pandemic.

If anything, this situation has motivated me more to keep going.

I know that with the help of God and my parents, I will make all my dreams come true.

Illustration by Peter Villafane

New building proposal stirs controversy

Some faculty believe building should be made into two facilities

BY SHEHREEN KARIM

Pierce will be undergoing major changes to its campus in the next decade, one being the new multipurpose academic workforce education building (MPAWE), which will serve a third of the campus population.

Faculty members have expressed concern about how congested a single building will be if it houses math, psychology, computer science, art and media arts departments.

Jennifer Moses, an associate professor of psychology and statistics, said in a phone interview that as a faculty member she doesn’t think it’s wise to hold thousands of students into one space.

Instead, she supports the alternate proposal to have two separate buildings.

“I won’t move into a single building,” Moses said. “I already put my name for an office outside of the psychology department for this reason because I don’t think it’s safe to house a third of the campus in a single building.”

Moses said the COVID-19 pandemic shows how dangerous it is to have so many people in one building. She added that the alternate building option is safer and would have a more reasonable number of students funneling out of a single space opposed to a single building.

Math Department Chair Eddie Tchertchian said in a phone interview that the building is proposed to be built by the Great Hall. The alternative proposal would have one building by the Great Hall and another near Parking Lot 7.

Tchertchian said keeping people in one building would also make it more difficult to evacuate during a school shooter scenario.

He said Pierce originally had plans to remodel buildings 1200, 1300, 1400 and 1500, but they were changed without the consent of faculty and students.

“All of us are for getting a new building, without a doubt, because we want our students to experience beautiful classrooms,” Tchertichan said. “But we also want to keep the Pierce way [of getting faculty and staff input].”

Tchertchian said the MPAWE project will cost about $100 million to $150 million. The building is expected to be completed within six to eight years, once construction begins.

Other faculty members see benefits to a single MPAWE building such as Christopher Lay, a philosophy and sociology instructor.

In an email, he wrote that the MPAWE building would provide students majoring in philosophy and sociology a sense of “pride” because of how the department would be in the center of campus.

“In finding a home within the proposed building, the Department of Philosophy and Sociology will primarily benefit from being centrally located, giving our department a dedicated space, helping to maintain our department’s spirit of collegiality and allowing students easier access to our department’s faculty members and resources,” Lay wrote.

As of now, Lay wrote he is in support of one building, but is still on the fence about solidifying his decision.

Cara Gillis, Chair of the Philosophy and Sociology department, wrote in an email that she supports whichever building is cost effective and the least disruption to student life.

She wrote about how many departments on campus are in need of more space. She also hopes the new building is able to provide upgrades to facilities such as charging stations and comfortable seats.

“Our department only benefits when students benefit,” Gillis wrote. “Having spaces that are ideally suited to students’ needs… help students feel more comfortable

learning the mind-bending and lifechanging concepts our disciplines tackle.”

Gillis added that a benefit of the MPAWE building is how students can come into contact with other students with different majors than theirs.

“I hope the buildings can be used as space for interdisciplinary idea exchange, where a student walking past an open door could hear a snippet of a lecture and think ‘WTF! That sounds intriguing!!’” Gillis wrote. “Right now all the disciplines are a bit too isolated. Philosophy and sociology address issues that are covered in many different disciplines and having those spaces close to each other can encourage curiosity and investigation.”

Angela Belden, associate psychology professor, said in a phone interview that one of the concerns she has with the new MPAWE building is how congested it will be for psychology students.

Brahma Pantry continues to provide services to students

Assistance given not limited to food insecurity

BY GISELLE ORMENO

She said the psychology department alone houses 30% of Pierce’s population, which poses a problem when multiple class sections will be in session in one building.

With the new MPAWE building, Belden said there wouldn’t be faculty offices. Without them, professors won’t be able to meet with students in a confidential environment, which is in violation of instructor contracts.

Belden said faculty and students were not consulted and above all, she hopes Pierce President Alexis Montevirgen takes into consideration having two buildings instead of one.

“The process is more important than anything else,” Belden said. “Any building is better than none, but we need broader campus input and it affects all of us. Taking student and staff voices into consideration is very important and I hope that process is fair and collegial.”

BRIEF:

Bob Martinez, former chair of mathematics and current math adjunct representative, wrote in an email that the lack of faculty input has placed a limitation on the square footage of the MPAWE building. He said this limits educational programming for students in terms of the number of classrooms and offices.

Martinez also said that department chairs should have been allowed to give input on this project.

“When chairs are not consulted, there will be false limitations on classrooms that must be used by a department for scheduling classes,” Martinez wrote. “Chairs are the experts on this.”

Moses said that in 2017 a survey was sent out to the entire campus to vote on five different proposals for the MPAWE building. She said she thought the questions themselves were flawed.

“The questions themselves didn’t make any sense,” Moses said. “The survey had five different building proposals without any background on the five proposals. They essentially gave a survey that said choose between these five choices with no context to the entire campus.”

She said because of all these flaws in the survey, it didn’t yield any useful data and gave the appearance of getting input from faculty and students.

Moses added how the survey also failed to reach out to the faculty and students who would have been directly affected with the change of the MPAWE building.

“Even though all voices matter, the people who are going to be the most impacted by the decision should have greater weight to their voices and there was none of that,” Moses said.

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Atheltics page update

BY PABLO ORIHUELA

T

he Brahma Pantry’s plans to help students during the school closure extends to more than just providing food. The pantry is still providing services despite campus being closed.

Brahma Pantry and Basic

Needs Lead D’arcy Corwin wrote in an email that the pantry has had to adjust its services.

“We are currently available via email, Zoom and phone to provide case management support services to connect students to programs that meet their basic needs such as food, housing, clothing and health services,” Corwin wrote.

Corwin said that students could enroll in their program using their website, where students complete their Welcome Form.

“Once there, students can complete our Welcome Form to indicate their specific needs, and they can complete our Appointment Request Form to request ongoing appointments as needed,” Corwin wrote.

She said that students could also connect with the pantry via Canvas using their self-enroll link and through Cranium Cafe, where Corwin is available to chat with students Monday through Thursdays from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. Corwin mentioned that the pantry has partnered with Campus Navigator Program, which helps students who are housing insecure.

Brigette Zarazua, the point of contact for Campus Navigator Program, wrote in an email that Campus Navigator Program’s purpose is to connect community college students who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness with resources that can end their housing crisis.

“One in five community college students experience housing instability each year,” Zarazua wrote. “In recognition of this reality, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors authorized funding via Measure H to support the implantation of a Peer Navigator Program in which is a fairly new program that just started in 2019.”

Zarazua said that the program’s objectives include connecting students to community resources, improving linkages between colleges and homeless services providers across Los Angeles County, streamlining the referral process and increasing communication and partnerships.

“While Pierce College is closed right now, The Village Family Services is still assisting via phone with housing programs,” Zarazua wrote. “We also help with other resources, such as finding food pantries, job opportunities, and utility assistance.”

Center for Academic Success Director Crystal Kiekel said in a Zoom interview that it is essential her tutors have information about the Braham Pantry and other student services to know where to refer the student.

“We’re concerned right now about how people are getting access to critical services,” Kiekel said. “We understand that people are getting a ton of emails right now, and they’re probably in everybody’s on information overload. Sometimes, an email is not sufficient. So, we talked a lot about what services are available and the best way to get those services to students.”

Kiekel said that what she appreciates about Corwin is that she understands that it’s not just about the shortage of food that has students feeling insecure. It’s about addressing the holistic needs students have.

“If you go to that bought from a pantry website, you see on the welcome form to help students connect with all kinds of sources like housing, showering and mental health care,” Kiekel said. “Connecting to job services and so on, which is a beautiful thing, and we’re just so lucky to have her.”

Kiekel said that helping students succeed academically starts by making sure that students’ holistic needs, such as making sure they have enough food or a place to live, come first.

“I’m really pleased with the fact that we have a Brahma pantry and that we have D’arcy, who has that understanding that a student is a person first and a student second, and that to thrive as a student, we need to be thriving, as people,” Kiekel said.

ThePierce College Athletics website will be getting an online makeover. The department will be launching a new website to offer a polished look that will satisfy student-athletes, prospective transfers and the community.

“The Pierce website, in general, is very static,” Interim Athletic Director Susan Armenta said in a Zoom interview. “Information is there and it’s there for a very long time. So all the information

on the athletics website will be updated, along with us adding new coach bios for everybody and we’ll have schedules of games that we hope to have in the fall.”

Armenta said the department will add specific links for student recruits to be able to access the services and resources needed to apply. This has been a challenge in the past.

She also said that she is looking forward to some of the new website features.

“We’ll be highlighting studentathletes of the week, highlighting their awards, teams’ postseason

championships,” Armenta said. The soft launch of the new athletics website will be published soon, according to Armenta. “I’m shooting for the end of this month,” Armenta said. “That way we’ll be able to highlight some of our transfers, some studentathlete awards as well as all of the accolades won by the studentathletes who not only endured last season, but this season in particular.”

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Screenshot from Pierce College website

A summary of all the proposed sites for the multi-purpose academic workforce education (MPAWE) building, including Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimates. The table also includes the two-building alternative.

Students isolated for Ramadan

Islamic holiday celebrated away from friends and family

BY SHEHREEN KARIM

While COVID-19 limits social interactions, Pierce Muslim students who are fasting during Ramadan are espically at a loss because it’s a holiday that’s usually celebrated with family and friends.

During the 30 days of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and break their fast with friends and family, but students said this month is unusually lonely.

Pierce Muslim students find themselves reminiscing the years before COVID-19 and how they would get together with loved ones for weekly Iftar parties to break their fast.

For Tashnima Hossain, getting together with her loved ones is a crucial part of her Ramadan. Instead, she finds herself in isolation to selfreflect.

“I use Ramadan as a healing month and turn myself to God and it feels like I have someone to talk to when I’m in quarantine,” Hossian said.

With all the time spent at home social distancing, Hossain said she’s social by nature and the isolation of not being able to carry out social traditions has caused her deep pain.

Quarantining from loved ones has caused people to rely on virtual interactions by using apps such as Facetime or Zoom. However, Ali Raza said the essence of Ramadan is physically being with your loved ones.

“Ramadan is the one time everyone visits you and family gets together so it’s tradition.

I know we have apps to help since we can’t have face to face interaction but it’s not the same,” Raza said.

One major tradition Muslim students are missing is going to mosque to pray with the Muslim community.

“Going to the Mosque every Ramadan you feel like everyone is on the same page

and all praying for forgiveness and it helps you get into the Ramadan spirit” said Hossain.

The loss of attending mosques has put an added strain on Muslim households because mosques provide food and services during Ramadan so that everyone who comes can break their fast together as a community. Ayesha Abbas said this Ramadan doesn’t feel as lively.

“It just feels like another day you’re having dinner and doesn’t feel like Iftar and it’s more quiet,” Abbas said. “ But now I have more time to focus on my praying so there are pros and cons to it.”

At the end of the 30 days of fasting, Muslims culminate Ramadan with Eid-al Fitar which is a three-day celebration marking the end of fasting.

Mailka Vano said she looks forward to attending mosque and praying during Eid-al Fitar.

“Going for Eid prayer is one of the best things and it’s sad we can’t this year,”Vano said. “ It’s one of the only days Muslims go out for celebration”

In this pandemic, Hossain said recently her loved ones in London contracted COVID-19, but she regains hope through her prayers.

“Everyone was scared if they’ll recover or not and that was a moment where I felt vulnerable and definitely sat down and had to take a minute to pray,“ Hossain said.

She said praying has revived her spirit and allowed her to feel empathy for those in similar or worse situations.

Abbas said this Ramadan has caused her to look at the world in a more hopeful lens.

“In Islam theres this idea that you should have hope and not lose hope,” Abbas said. “If you asked me three months ago, I would say theres no such thing as hope but believing in Islam as helped me to have hope.”

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At the time, Wachtel was an assistant to producer Shaun Redick, an executive producer on “Get Out.” Because of networking, Rabinowitz and Wachtel got to pitch the script to Redick, who shared it with “Get Out” director Jordan Peele. Peele, who thought “BlacKkKlansman” had a similar theme to “Get Out,” then became one of the producers for the film.

“A really super lucky confluence of events helped us out there,” Rabinowitz said.

Collins-Smith conducted a brief interview with Rabinowitz before Rabinowitz answered student questions. Collins-Smith asked about how much the film’s themes surrounding racism and social justice played into the writing of it.

“This is a film that is not only inherently high stakes and high concept, it's also inherently sociopolitical,” Collins-Smith said. “It's going to be almost like the equivalent of eating your vegetables because you almost can't escape it. There's going to be an inherent message in this thing.”

In response, Rabinowitz said the focus was mainly on the genre when he was writing.

“We wanted to make an undercover thriller with absurdist elements,” Rabinowitz said. “That was our main goal. We were thinking our script would have those political elements, but we kind of leave them unsaid or let them be matter-of-fact.”

Rabinowitz answered questions from film students and aspiring screenwriters and discussed the process of writing a script and selling it.

My Pham, computer science student at University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a phone interview that despite not being a film student, she attended the event because she liked the movie.

“I thought it was very insightful,” Pham said. “Learning about the time and process it takes to get a script out and into production was new and interesting to me.”

Anderson said that overall, she loved the event and the way Rabinowitz discussed his life.

“He seemed to be so honest and transparent in sharing his story,” Anderson wrote. “It was storytelling at its best.”

Rabinowitz said he wrote several bad scripts before writing “BlacKkKlansman.” He said creative people should keep working because quantity leads to quality.

“Allowing yourself to be bad is great, and not judging yourself, because when you start judging the work too much, that prevents you from doing the work,” Rabinowitz said.

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Encore senior classes continue on Zoom

Difficulty learning to use Zoom causes drop in enrollment

BY MAYA GARIBAY

Of all courses in the Pierce ENCORE program for older adults, perhaps none is more timely and impactful than Maureen Feldman’s Staying Connected in the 21st Century. The class is designed to help the elderly use newer technologies and adapt to a more technological world.

Run by Ida Blaine, the program is funded by the California State Department of Health and has about 2,200 active students.

When Feldman’s class began, she said half of the students didn’t know how to use Zoom. There are now about 50 students since many were unable to transition online.

Feldman uses screen sharing and video tutorials to show his students how to use food delivery and ride sharing apps. There are even lessons on how to use Venmo, how to order prescriptions and how to book appointments online.

While other courses aren’t directly meant for coping with social distancing, Encore can play an integral role in allowing older people a chance to share learning and camaraderie—even if it’s done remotely.

Garineh Avakian has been the choir professor at Encore for more than four years. She said in a Zoom interview that the program is like a family and that seniors enjoy the program so much that they will hold unofficial Zoom meetings over the summer to stay in touch.

“They are a collective voice and a tight knit community,” Avakian said.

Avakian has altered the program to fit the new online format. The students are now compiling a video and picture slide along with their voice tracks to the song “Hey Jude.”

There are around 113 students in the choir. While only around 60-70 students attend the Thursday Zoom meetings because of issues accessing the program and internet, three students have been added since the transition to online.

Janice Banarer has been a member of the choir for eight years. She said in a Zoom interview that the Encore program gives older people “a chance at a second life.” She said these students get to express themselves and said the program is an incredible experience.

“[The Encore students] are creative people who never got a chance to do these things when they were busy in their working life,” Banarer said.

Ken Windrum, an instructor who teaches cinema, has taught at Encore for more than 10 years. Windrum said in a Zoom interview that teaching the class is rewarding.

“Teaching Encore is the fun at the end of the week, where you get people who are so excited to be learning,” Windrum said. “They are really grateful and enthusiastic.”

Windrum said he has lost around a third of the class and attributes the loss to difficulties in transitioning online.

The class, which typically would watch films together, now uses Swank to watch free films and meet once a week for lectures and discussions.

Richard Follet, a professor who teaches Greek mythology, retired from full-time teaching at Pierce but continues to teach in the Encore program.

Follet said in a Zoom interview that he continues to learn as he is teaching the class and enjoys the perspective that he receives from the older students.

“They have a wealth of knowledge and experience, so they will offer insights that I couldn’t have come up with otherwise,” Follet said.

In the fall semester, two new classes will be offered to Encore students.

Neal Brostoff has developed these classes and will teach Music Humor and Music of the American-Jewish Experience. He has been developing the classes to fit the new online format and thinks that the seniors will help each other with the transition to remote learning.

Brostoff said he thinks the seniors might fear that online teaching will take away from the intimacy of in-person classes, but he that Zoom allows the classroom setting to remain sufficiently interactive.

Brostoff said that Zoom offers more order than an in-person classroom with features such as mute, chat, screen-sharing and a computer-generated raise/lower hand.

And for ENCORE students still uncertain about the technology, they can receive help in fall wheng Feldman again will teach Staying Connected in the 21st Century.

To learn more about the Encore program visit community. piercecollege.edu/encore/index. asp.

Photo courtesy of Tashnima Hossain Tashnima Hossain reads the Quran to finish it by the end of Ramadan as an honor.

[JUMP from BlacKkKlansman]