Volume 133 Fall 2020 Roundup Issue 1

THE NEW NORMAL

Enrollment numbers down from 2019

See page 4

Classes to continue online through Spring 2021

See page 4 Fires throughout the West Coast cause smokey skies

See page 7

Message from Snoop Dogg:

ʻRead the syllabusʼ

See page 8

Pierce college student, Robert Terry, 21 year old slot receiver kneels in show of support for the BLM movement in Los Angeles, Calif., On Sept. 10, 2020. Photo Aubrie Andrade

Katya

Samantha

Lindsey Whittaker

Benjamin Hanson

Cecilia Parada

Angelica Lopez

Shehreen Karim

Victor Bretado

Arielle Zolezzi

Joey Farriola

Pablo Orihuela

Paola Castillo

Felipe Gamino

Josh Price

Alejandra Aguilera

Giselle Ormeno

Peter Villafane

Sherry Irani

Taleen Keuroghlian

Letters to the Editor

Policy: Letters and guest columns for or against any position are invited. Letters should be kept as brief as possible (300 words or less) and are subject to editing. Letters must be signed and include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms or initials will not be used, but names may be withheld upon request and approval of the Editorial Board. The Roundup publishes “Letters to the Editor” that are not obscene or libelous and do not contain racial denigration. Writers are given the opportunity to revise unacceptable letters. The Pierce College Roundup will not publish, as letters, literary endeavors, publicity releases, poetry or other such materials as the Editorial Board deems not to be a letter. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date.

Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials. Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup. The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Most years, the September Pierce College campus would be buzzing with lively conversation and students running from class to class.

But this is 2020.

And the campus is abandoned.

Since March, the campus has been closed to the public. But, Pierce students could benefit from using the outdoor spaces around campus.

The International Journal of Environmental Health Research published one of several studies that show spending a small part of the day outside can provide a significant uptick in happiness.

Some doctors are even writing “Park Prescriptions” for people struggling with chronic stress.

In a time where Pierce students spend a lot of their lives hunched over a screen, providing limited and safe access to campus could greatly improve a student’s mental health. But, students aren’t the only ones affected by the campus closure.

Before the pandemic, the Pierce campus was usually open and accessible to the public. Many residents from the surrounding area spent time with friends and family strolling through the Botanical Garden.

It’s worth remembering the community in community college.

The California State University Northridge (CSUN) campus remains open to the public and many people use the lush grounds as a park.

But how can Pierce administrators coordinate safe and efficient use of the grounds during a pandemic?

They could look to other publicly funded spaces, such as the Los Angeles Zoo, which has created an online reservation system to control the flow of visitors and keep attendance at a limited capacity.

They could tighten the perimeter fences to keep the buildings on campus protected but allow students to use the mall for walking and hiking.

The cross country track could be used by runners for exercise or by athletes for training.

Grassy areas could be used for socially-distanced picnics.

Visitors can watch the sunset from the art hill.

The threat of Coronavirus is still high so it makes sense that Pierce administrators want to err on the side of caution regarding campus closures and public safety. But as long as visitors follow the guidelines published by the CDC, outdoor campus access should be granted.

File photo

Students walk on the path by Winnetka and Victory at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Dec. 12, 2019.

Smile, youʼre on camera

Should students be required to turn on their cameras for class?

Cameras ON PRO

When classes were in person, professors were able to monitor whether or not their students were paying attention.

Now, the only way to be sure a students are there is if their video is on during Zoom class meetings.

It’s easy for students who regularly turn their webcams off to get distracted by their environment and lose focus. That is why requiring students to keep their video on is vital to their success during this period of distance learning.

Students are more likely to succeed in class when they feel immersed in the subject matter and like they are a part of a group.

When dialing in with no video, students lose out on a majority of key components that make a classroom special.

Teacher-student engagement is a vital part of in-person classes, and there is no reason Zoom classes should be any different.

Much like they would in a classroom, students are required to provide their undivided attention to a lecture when their cameras are on because their professor and classmates can see them.

BY TALEEN KEUROGHLIAN

Judging from my own experience, as well as my classmates, staying motivated and focused during class happens most often when the webcam is turned on.

When a student’s camera is turned off they are more likely to be on their phone, engaging with family members, and doing just about anything but paying attention.

The purpose of online education is to simulate in-person classes, so it’s right that students actually “attend” class as they typically would and interact with others.

Physically showing up for online courses requires students to look more put together, leading to their overall attentiveness and productivity.

As social distancing continues to be a priority, engaging in online classes allows students to get in some human interaction while also staying safe.

The quarantine can be extremely lonely for most students, especially those accustomed to being social and attending school functions. By actively participating in online classes and engaging with peers, students can alleviate some of that loneliness.

Cameras OFF CON

BY AURORA RIVAS

Some professors argue that cameras on during Zoom classes helps engagement, but it does not take into account the struggles of many college students.

The move from in-person to online classes particularly affects lowerincome students who struggle with having the resources to continue their education online.

And there is a lack of privacy when it comes to having cameras turned on during class.

When in-person classes were being held, students were allowed to disclose their personal lives at their own free will.

Some students may feel uncomfortable sharing their living situation with their classmates such as sharing a room with multiple siblings who also have online classes to not having a home at all.

A survey done in collaboration by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab and the Association of Community College Trustees found that one in five California community college students experienced homelessness in the last year.

Requiring students to turn on their camera neglects the harsh reality that many students don’t have a presentable space to learn.

College campuses provide students with many resources such as quiet places to study and a reliable internet connection.

But not all students have access to those resources at home.

Students with spotty internet connections often have to turn their camera off for a more stable connection.

Instead of being required to turn their cameras on, students can actively participate by using their microphone, reaction buttons or the chat features that Zoom provides.

Online classes should be designed for students to feel comfortable in their learning environment.

Requiring cameras does not allow for that right.

Photo illustration by Angelica Lopez

BRIEF

Online through spring

BY FELIPE GAMINO

Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez announced that the winter session and spring semester will be primarily online.

Rodriguez wrote that the district remains in a declared public health emergency at the local, state and national level.

“Given the current health orders, safety protocols, and health restrictions, our best health experts agree that we are still far from a full recovery without a vaccine or responsive therapeutics,” Rodriguez wrote.

Rodriguez said they will continue to work with the LA County Department of Public Health to provide limited access, on-campus instruction for classes that support the Essential Infrastructure Workforce.

He said classes that can continue to be taught online will remain under that format for both terms.

In a follow-up announcement, Rodriguez wrote that the safety of students, faculty and staff must be their top priority.

“We know this is disappointing news for many, but, as conditions improve, we are also hopeful that we will see a return to some additional on-campus activities in the Spring 2021 term,” Rodriguez wrote.

fgamino.roundupnews@gmail.com

ACADEMIC SENATE BRIEF

Enrollment down Pierce and LACCD see significant decreases

BY SHAE HAMMOND

Academic Senate members discussed a proposal against systemic racism. Resolutions listed in the proposal are intended to create a safe and inclusive learning environment at Pierce College.

“Pierce has been a hostile campus towards African Americans for a long period of time, I have received hostility as a faculty,” said Professor of Sociology, James Mckeever.

While the proposal states, “That faculty in all disciplines develop inclusive and anti-racist curriculum,” members from the Administration of Justice department felt singled out in the process of reform because of the request that, “an emphasis be placed on first-responders disciplines, such as Administration of Justice.”

Denise Robb, a Political Science Professor speaking on behalf of the Administration of Justice Department said, “They feel very singled out, they believe there should be more than their department highlighted. They feel sort of that they are being punished, they would fully support it if it was inclusive of other departments.”

Members of the Academic Senate were asked to further review the proposal for the next meeting on Sept. 28, when the proposal is up for approval.

“AJ faculty in no way endorses the actions of some of these officers who have been at the forefront of the issues we’re facing,” said Kim Rich professor of Administration of Justice, “We acknowledge that changes must be made and are willing to do so.”

BY SHEHREEN KARIM

Pierce College’s current 10% deficit in enrollment compared to last year would normally raise the loudest alarms across the district.

But the numbers are looking good compared to more than half of the LACCD schools, in particular LA Southwest College, with currently reports 72% enrollment this fall.

The exact reason for this drop is unclear.

But some professors and administrators think the main problems lie in the challenges brought by working from home and the inability for departments that rely heavily on hands-on learning to simulate those experiences in the virtual classroom.

The enrollment decline is particularly bad in arts classes.

Michael Gend, the chair of the Performing Arts department, said two dance classes were cancelled because they only had two or three students enroll, which falls below the minimum requirement.

Gend added that inadequate space to rehearse plays for theater and play instruments for music has stopped students from enrolling.

“To act, you have to be very loud and physical with your body for these classroom assignments,” Gend said. “I imagine those students looking

around in their homes and thinking that they can’t make noise in the way that other students can in their homes.”

This trend in reduced enrollment is also seen in the Math Department according Eddie Tchertchian ,the chair of the Math department.

Tchertchian says that the Math department has seen a 5% decrease in enrollment and explains that one factor could be students dealing with math anxiety. When students take math classes online, students may feel lost without interacting with the instructor directly.

As a solution for the Math department’s decline in enrollment, Tchertchain explains how the district Math department decided to hold all math sections synchronous except those who were already online pre COVID-19.

Tchertchian said that the synchronous math sections help students communicate directly to their instructor which may boost enrollment numbers.

To increase enrollment for departments that rely on hands-on learning, Gend proposed that Pierce College provides a space on campus for students who do not have the appropriate space at home to complete their courses.

By dedicating a workspace on Pierce for students, Gend says this will boost enrollment because this will allow students to not worry about distractions at home

“We need to find a way to reach out to students to make sure their needs are met. We have to give students that individual attention to help them achieve their educational goals.”

while using Zoom for class.

One of the factors that reduced enrollment could have been the delay in distrubition of Pierce Lenovo and Surface Go laptops according to Gend.

With the start of the Fall semester, Gend explains many students find themselves lost in completing their online courses without the proper equipment and advised Pierce College to find a better way to distribute these laptops or this will continue to take a toll on enrollment.

“The district has in place to

get computers to students and doesn’t take into account their classes,” Gend said. “If you just start promoting the first day of the semester on how to get your free computer which may not come for a couple weeks, then students go for many weeks without the technology to even complete their classes”.

Determined to keep enrollment numbers up, Gend took matters into his own hands to individually reach out to students struggling in the Performance Arts department.

This led him to loan his personal Apple laptop to Sonny Lira who was attending zoom and submitting assignments all through his phone.

From receiving Gend’s personal laptop, Lira is now able to multitask and this eased his anxiety of turning in assignments.

“With this laptop it feels like all barriers are broken,” Lira said. “I can now upload assignments with ease so I’m eager to continue to the class because now I have the equipment necessary to thrive”.

Lira explains how this personal outreach he received from professors Gend helped him stay “loyal” to the class and to continue to be enrolled in the class.

This individual attention that Lira received is what Angela Belden, Professor of Psychology, calls “attention equals retention” which is one of the solutions she

proposes that could increase student enrollment at Pierce.

“We need to find a way to reach out to students to make sure their needs are met,” Belden said. “We have to give students that individual attention to help them achieve their educational goals.”

Belden advised that Pierce looks into majors and sees which students need extra guidance in completing their educational plan and by doing this she explains this can lead to higher enrollment numbers.

Amari Williams, Dean of Office of Institutional Effectiveness, explained that Pierce College should expect to see an increase in enrollment in October because of late start classes.

He adds how 70 late start classes will be available in October for 8 weeks and this will allow students to re-enroll for the Fall 2020 semester.

These late start classes are seen in other LACCD colleges as well such as LA Valley College, LA Mission College, and LA Harbor College. With these late start classes, enrollment is expected to increase but by how much is unknown at the moment.

“The Academic Affairs Office will look into which classes have more demand and offer those as late start classes,” Williams said.

Infographic by Sherazade Irani skarim.roundupnews@gmail.com

Angela Belden Psychology Professor

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Temporary return to in-person education

Some spring courses finished hands-on learning objectives on campus

BY KAMRYN BOUYETT

PiercetransitionedonlineinMarch.

But a few courses returned to campus to finish lab requirements that can’t be done through Zoom.

Classes were approved by the LACCD Emergency Operations Center Safety Advisory and began on Aug. 3, and ended Aug. 30.

The LACCD Operations Center Safety Advisory approved on-campus instruction on July 27, 2020, to allow classes from the spring 2020 semester to finish before the fall semester.

Classes conducted on campus included Auto, C&C, Wielding, Animal Science and Nursing.

Team A and Team C of the COVID-19 response teams came up with regulations for students coming to campus to complete their classes.

Department Chair of Performing Arts Micheal Gend helped with academic continuity within Team C.

Gend said in a Zoom interview how Team A coordinated changes on campus to keep faculty and students safe.

“They came up with a plan where each room only has one entrance and one exit,” Gend said. “So, there’d never be cross traffic between students.”

On campus, masks and gloves were provided to students who didn’t bring their own. When entering campus, the sheriff had a checklist of who would be entering Pierce.

In classrooms, desks are further apart to maintain social distancing.

Gend said, based on reports from campus, that things went smoothly.

In an interview on campus, Alexandra Krotora, an engineering major said Pierce was completely deserted due to the small number of classes.

“It’s pretty surreal honestly because it feels like it’s a prop

for a movie with zombies or something,” Krotora said.

Ronald Smetzer, a professor at Pierce, conducted his labs in person before the fall semester. His class ended on Mar. 12 and expressed concerns with finishing his lab work from the spring semester.

“This class is supposed to be a one-hour lecture and a five-hour lab… When we shut down, it was just devastating,” said Smetzer.

“It’s pretty surreal honestly because it feels like it’s a prop for a movie with zombies or something.”

Alexandra Krotora Engineering Major

Faculty and students could enter campus under specific regulations provided by the LACCD Safety Advisory.

Regulations under the Los Angeles County Public Health Department required students and employees to fill out a self-symptom check before entering campus. While on campus, students, faculty and teachers had to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing with others.

With the new regulations, Smtzer didn’t come across any complaints.

“Wearing the mask sometimes your safety glasses get fogged up, but they seem to be doing okay,” Smetzer said.

Virtual Visits Zooming in the dark

Health Center provides remote services

BY TRISHA

A new portal has launched for students to access services provided by the Student Health Center (SHC), such as virtual consultations for mental health assistance.

Some of the other services that are offered through the SHC include nutrition counseling, STI testing, birth control refills, and community referrals.

Beth Benne, the Director of the SHC, said in an interview on Zoom that COVID-19 has put some limitations to in-person services but the health center is doing the best it can virtually.

“We can’t do hands-on physicals, but we are now doing STD testing, we’re doing family planning, we’re doing labs,” Benne said. “We can do it as far as we can without handson treatment. At some point, yes, we have to refer out.”

Students can make appointments by calling the center and by accessing the Student Health Portal. To access the portal, students will need to use their Los Angeles Community College District login information.

The portal–which was implemented during the summer session this year–allows students to view the consent forms needed for consultations and their medical information online. It features accessibility to lab results, immunization records, appointment history and a chat log with SHC’s medical providers.

Prior to the first appointment, students will need to complete health and consent forms online. Students will also

need to pay either a $16 or $19 student health fee to gain access to the center’s services. “You have access to free mental health counseling,” Benne said. “You could join a free group, you get access to free medical consultations.”

Benne said that the center has created an interface with Quest Diagnostics, a company that performs the labs at discounted rates to work around virtual consultations.

Students can order the required labs through the college’s bookstore website. Shortly after, they’ll be sent an email with the receipts and the locations of nearby Quest locations where they can receive the labs.

Benne also said that though the labs aren’t free, the cost of the labs is incredibly low and the consultations are free.

Students not required to turn on cameras

BY ZOE ANNE RAMIREZ

The center is also offering nutrition counseling, STI testing, birth control refills, community referrals and mental help assistance on Zoom through oneon-one or group therapy sessions.

According to Loralyn Frederick, a SHC assistant, the counseling clinic has been busier since the start of the stay-at-home safety measures.

“We want them [the students] to know that if they have any type of concerns, physically, mentally, that we are available,” Frederick said in an interview on Zoom. “We are here.”

Bonnie Zahavi, another SHC assistant, said in an interview on Zoom that the staff is still trying to figure out how to navigate the new system, following their online training of it during the summer.

With the campus closed, staff must work remotely from their homes.

Although it’s a learning experience, the portal allows both staff and students to adapt to previous COVID-19 restrictions.

“It’s something new for all of us here at the Health Center and for the students, but the program is very intuitive and I think it came in at a great time because we are working remotely,” Frederick said.

The SHC is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The center’s phone number is (818)710-4270. More information about the center can be found on the SHC’s website.

Toprotect student privacy rights, professors that conduct online meetings cannot require a camera to be turned on, which has varied opinions among many Pierce professors and students.

“It’s a violation of student privacy, which I disagree with,” said political science professor Anthony Gabrielli. “I think we as faculty -- if there’s a reason why a student can’t have a camera on -- we can make that decision one on one.”

Gabrielli is a political science professor at Pierce who teaches American government, political theory, and research methods.

As a professor who uses Zoom to communicate with his class, he states that having a camera on allows him to engage with his students better and identify who’s participating and who isn’t.

In his opinion, professors should be able to require a camera on and excuse the rule for a select number of people due to a certain situation.

“Leave it up to the faculty. We’re professionals,” Gabrielli said. “I think a general statement would be due to certain circumstances. I’ve made a few exceptions for a few people. They’ve explained to me why they can’t have a camera on, and I’ve used my judgment to do that.”

However, this idea doesn’t seem to appease the Office of Academic Affairs.

A statement released by Ryan Cornner, the Vice Chancellor, and Angela Echeverri, President of the District Academic Senate, declared that professors couldn’t demand a student’s webcam to be on due to a student’s privacy.

One point the statement makes is that some students are not comfortable sharing their personal

“I could get why a teacher would say that, just to check if you’re actually paying attention

... But at the same time, you don’t know a student’s situation.”

Farah Yousuf Psychology major

spaces with faculty, staff, or other students. The OAA believes verbal responses should be enough to gauge student participation.

The statement explains that displaying a webcam may expose other individuals in a student’s household who may be sharing their learning space, which can cause sensitivity for many people.

On the contrary, Gabrielli says that turning on a webcam enhances the distant-learning experience. It allows him to collaborate better with his students and see the reactions students have to the things he says.

“You know, I deal with political science. I deal with a lot of controversial issues,” Gabrielli said. “It’s hard for us to know, A, if they are understanding, B, if we are offending students, and C, if students are engaged and listening just like they would be in the classroom.”

Farah Yousuf, a sophomore

majoring in psychology at Pierce, seems to agree with the Office of Academic Affairs statements. Yousuf usually doesn’t turn on her camera during a Zoom meeting and says that the choice of turning on a camera or not should lay in the hands of the students.

“Personally, I just get too self-conscious,” Yousuf stated.

“What if a student isn’t home and they still need to attend class? They don’t necessarily want to show where they are.”

As students are working from home, Yousuf believes that students could potentially be put in certain conditions where turning on a camera may seem too personal or uncomfortable.

“I could get why a teacher would say that, just to check if you’re actually paying attention,” Yousuf stated. “But at the same time, you don’t know a student’s situation.”

Erin Hayes, another professor who teaches at Pierce, states that she agrees with the rules placed by the Office of Academic Affairs.

Hayes teaches Anthropology, and having used Zoom in the past, she entirely agrees with the rules concerning a student’s right to leave their camera off.

“You should not require a camera,” Hayes said. “I attend a lot of the Zoom meetings, and a lot of times, I don’t turn on my camera.”

Hayes discusses that in the past, she’s had students who were unable to find a proper learning space to work and that if she were to require a camera on, many students may find that unsettling or too private to share with others.

“If it were a whole class and I required them to be on camera, there’s individuals who can’t find

ANAS

Photo by Benjamin Hanson

Alexandra Krotova operates a lathe in the Industrial Technology building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Aug. 29, 2020.

“We want [the students] to know that if they have any type of concerns, physically, mentally, that we are available. We are here.”

Loralyn Frederick SHC Assistant

Making a stand by taking a knee

Pierce athletes and coaches join nationwide movement

BY RYAN FLEISHER

In response to months of protests supporting Black Lives Matter (BLM), athletes have used their platform to bring awareness to social inequality by participating in sit-ins, moments of silence and displaying messages of support on their uniforms.

Now, athletic departments at Pierce are taking action.

Interim Director of Athletics Susan Armenta wrote in an email that it is important for professional athletes to send a message.

“In light of recent events as a result of yet another police shooting of an African American male, Jacob Blake, I am proud of the fact that the NBA, WNBA and other sports organizations are taking a stand,” Armenta wrote. “Many people just don’t understand the relevance of the Black Lives Matter movement, so I hope the absence of sports creates a greater awareness.”

For interim head football coach Anthony Harris, the Black Lives Matter protests are not a movement but rather a way of life.

“As an African American, being Black is something that I live on a daily basis,” Harris

said in a phone interview.

Harris said he feels it is important that his players learn and express how they feel about the ongoing problems occurring in the country. That is why he begins each Zoom meeting with the football team as an open forum where players can speak about anything on their minds.

“It shows them that there is something more important than sports,” Harris said.

Pierce coaches and players have a predicament when it comes to possibly sitting out games when the season begins similar to what is going on in the NBA and MLB.

Some Pierce student athletes have a goal to play at a four-year college. With the current shortened season, not playing and showcasing their abilities could affect their opportunities to play at the next collegiate level.

Robert Terry, wide receiver and team captain of the football team, is among those players that hope to be recognized and offered athletic scholarships in 2021.

One way Terry and his teammates will show their support of Black Lives Matter if they have a season is by displaying the words “Black Lives Matter” on the back of their shoulder pads.

“It makes me proud to be African American watching athletes showing unity and taking a stand, and we are going to make a difference because we want change,” Terry said in a phone interview.

Terry was inspired by the way LeBron James has used his platform to promote change.

“It makes me feel proud to be African American watching James speak because when he speaks, everyone listens like a lion in the jungle,” Terry said.

Head men’s basketball coach Charles White said in a phone interview that he hosted a Black Lives Matter discussion led by professional counselors for his team. This discussion allows the players to ask questions and learn about what has been going on in the country.

With White having a predominately Black coaching staff and roster, it is important to him that they are treated equally.

“I tell my players you are students first and athletes second, and when you put student and athlete together there are no color lines,” White said.

Photo by Aubrie Andrade Pierce College students and football players (from left) Angel Martinez, Robert Terry and Marcell Joyner kneel in show of support for the BLM movement in Los Angeles, Calif., On Sept. 10, 2020.

“It makes me proud to be African American watching athletes showing unity and taking a stand, and we are going to make a difference because we want change,”

Robert Terry Pierce football team captain

UNDER SMOKEY SKIES

Surrounding fires have filled the skies with smoke and caused unhealthy air conditions for large parts of Los Angeles County, including Woodland Hills.

The Bobcat wildfire has burned since Sept. 6 and has consumed more than 44,000 acres of

land and has caused mass evacuations and evacuation warnings in the San Gabriel Valley.

The fire containment as of Sept. 17 is 9% and the estimated containment date has been pushed back to Oct. 30, according to Incident Information System.

The smoke from the fires has travelled throughout Los Angeles County and residents have been advised to limit time outdoors as much as possible.

The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation.

A herd of cows gather under a tree on the Pierce College Farm in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. Photo by Katya Castillo.

Smoke covers the rising sun in Winnetka Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. Photo by Cathy Pia. Joel Luna (L) and Emily Richardson (R) enjoy the views of Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept 13, 2020. Photo by Bala Subramaniyan.

A cyclist looks toward the San Fernando Valley from Reseda Point in Chatsworth, Calif., on Aug. 20, 2020. Photo by Katya Castillo.

A Metro bus travels west on Sherman Way at Oakdale Avenue in Winnetka, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2020.

Photo by Cathy Pia.

Copy by Cecilia Parada

Message from Snoop Dogg: Read the syllabus Chemistry Professor goes viral for introductory video

BY KATYA CASTILLO

Usually a syllabus goes unread … until Snoop Dogg tells you to read it. That’s what chemistry professor Benny Ng did.

As a result, hundreds of people have looked over his syllabus and shared his video. It even showed up on the gossip news website TMZ.

“I think after a day or two the video went viral,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “And then all of a sudden… TMZ picked it up maybe because of Snoop. I didn’t even know about it until the Dean told me… and I was like, ‘Wow! Really?’ I didn’t even know that they would pick up news from a college professor making a welcome video.”

Ng said some of his old colleagues reached out to him asking if they could borrow parts of his 17-page syllabus, specifically a section encouraging students to talk to him about accommodations they might need to be successful in his class.

“It’s my job to meet them where they are, prep them and get them ready for the next stage of their journey,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “And it all starts with the syllabus.”

Ng began his own journey with Chemistry while studying in UCLA.

After getting his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate degree at UCLA, he worked as a teaching assistant at UCLA, then a chemistry lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, a lecturer at The University of Hong Kong, and now teaches general chemistry at Pierce College.

“I think chemistry is fun because anything that you see or touch you can relate it to chemistry,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “I always tell my students that if you know how to spell chemistry, you can do chemistry because “chem-is-try”.

While pursuing his master’s degree and working as an assistant, Benny said he began considering teaching after watching students understand concepts.

“When you see them get it… I think as an instructor, that just

No longer out of place

Student finds new home as Club Council president

BY KARLA AVALOS

Despite Sofia Zaragoza’s academic achievements, she second-guessed her abilities throughout her educational journey.

“I often really felt out of place, and I didn’t think that I was good enough to be in a lot of these higher educational institutions,” she said.

But, shortly after enrolling at Pierce College as an English major, Zaragoza joined the Associated Student Organization (ASO), and there she found a supportive community.

Her newfound confidence culminated with her election as the new ASO Council Club President.

“Before I used to rely a lot on how other people perceive me,” Zaragoza said. “ASO has taught me that I have great strength and great confidence in myself, and I’m able to showcase that through the skills I’ve learned with them.”

As someone who admits having led a privileged life, this first-generation college student and daughter of immigrants from Mexico discovered her passion for helping students in need.

Through various events, such

as a campus-wide food drive for the holiday season last year, she was able to impact those affected positively.

This, along with her leadership skills, made her the right person for the position as ASO Club Council President, according to the ASO adviser Lara Conrady Wong.

“She was chair for the welfare cowmmittee, which is a perfect fit for her because the program is about contributing back to the community which she’s very passionate about,” said Wong.

Zaragoza was elected as the ASO Club Council President in Summer 2020, replacing Nicole Alfaro, whom Sofia calls an incredible mentor.

“She introduced me to this awesome world and how she got to know all the different clubs and be able to facilitate different events for them,” said Zaragoza. “I really got to see how all of the various clubs helped make a very diverse and inclusive community within the Pierce college campus.”

A new challenge presented itself as the pandemic consequently forced the Pierce campus to close and shift all classes and clubs online.

Aside from confronting head on

the tough challenges coronavirus brought, Zaragoza came up with creative ideas to keep students and the clubs engaged virtually. They found that through the various social media platforms, particularly Instagram, but also through Zoom meetings is the best way to keep students involved in the clubs.

“ASO is doing a really good job brainstorming together and seeing what different ways we can provide incentives to students to attend virtual events and how we can make those fun and informational,” said Wong.

Zaragoza rose to the occasion and made use of her leadership skills by planning the ASO Club Rush next week, and many of her concepts are woven into the event.

According to ASO President Jamie Crespin, this year’s ASO Club Rush was mainly designed by Zaragoza. Zaragoza is credited with organizing a large-scale zoom call with different breakout rooms for each club.

Each club would have a breakout room, or a few clubs would share a breakout room. Then the directory or lobby will give the students the different clubs. The students can choose which clubs they want to interact with and get to know

makes you want to keep going and going,” Ng said in a Zoom interview.

In the past few months, Ng has been training faculty across LACCD how to effectively use Canvas to engage with their students while teaching remotely.

“Oftentimes, I think both the instructor and the student feel like they’re just working alone in the dark,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “We want to minimize the technological frustration experienced by the student.”

Ng compares faculty to stage performers, saying the lecture hall is their stage and live demonstrations are the acting. He says that after years of perfecting their craft - how to deliver the content - teaching remotely challenges that. “All of a sudden you don’t have that live audience and you feel like you’re just giving out the energy without getting it back,” Ng said in a Zoom interview.

“We cannot disappoint our students,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “I think honestly our goal is to really engage with our students.”

Throughout his years of teaching, Ng has come up with creative ways to do that. When teaching in Hong Kong, Ng worked on a forensic science mobile game app “Dr. Benny’s Forensic Science” so students could study while commuting to class.

Ng has also filmed dozens of chemistry videos for Youtube and Instagram, including

“Chemagic” videos that show the science behind magic tricks.

Jasmine Magsino, one of Ng’s previous students, says the most notable way Ng engaged with students was through his personalized emails.

“I haven’t come across another professor who really does that, who gives each student individual time and individual encouragement,” Magsino said in a Zoom interview. “Students will email him to scramble right before an exam at 1 a.m. in the morning, and he’ll still respond.”

Sommi Uzoka, another of Ng’s past students, describes her best and worst memory of his class: the first exam.

After receiving a bad score, Ng told her to meet in his office after class.

“He asked me, ‘What happened? I had so much faith in you,’ and I broke down,” Uzoka said in a Zoom interview. “I started crying in his office… and he said, ‘It’s okay, we’re here, we can fix this.’”

After asking about her hobbies, Ng used her interests to explain the chemistry concepts in a way that made sense to her.

“He told me, ‘See? You know this. You don’t have to worry about it,’” Uzoka said in a Zoom interview. “That was really motivating.”

According to Ng and his past students, the class itself is difficult, so they suggest taking advantage of his office hours and asking questions.

Gino Hassani, a former student, explains that he learned more than just chemistry in Ng’s class.

“What I learned from Benny was how to approach teachers, and how to rise to the occasion; to rise to the challenge,” Hassani said in a Zoom interview. “The biggest lesson I learned from Benny is how to be fearless. Because Benny was fearless.”

“I think it’s a journey that we can do together for one semester,” Ng said in a Zoom interview. “And then after that, I don’t want to see you again unless you’re taking a higher level class… because my goal is you take a course with me

more about.

Geremy Mason, a Student Services assistant, said that the role of club council president requires a lot of attention to detail and Zaragoza is very meticulous about everything.

“If she needs clarification on something, she’s not afraid to ask,” Mason said. “She makes sure that everything is in order in terms

of applications, responding to emails, making sure that all bases are covered kind of approach, which is important for the role.”

For Zaragoza, it took some effort to dig deep to find her authentic self and defeat her imposter syndrome mentality.

Through her work at ASO and by supporting struggling students to find resources at Pierce College,

she’s been able to work through it.

“Through my education and various programs that I’ve participated in, I’ve been able to accept that, yes, I have gotten this far by myself, and I deserve the spot that I have right now,” Zaragoza said.

Photo by Katya Castillo

Benny Ng stands on the street in West Hills, Calif. on Sept. 14, 2020.

Screenshot by Katya Castillo

Photo by Bala Subramaniyan ASO Club Council President Sofía C. Zaragoza stands at the Pierce College entrance in Woodland Hills, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2020.