LACC WEATHER FORECAST WEDNESDAY
84/58
THURSDAY
87/59
FRIDAY
83/60
SATURDAY
82/61
SUNDAY
78/58
Collegian Los Angeles
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 Volume 173 Number 4
Students Get Second Chance at Affordable Health Care
The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
BY KELLY CHAPMAN Round two of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare is fast approaching. Nov. 15 marks the first day of the enrollment period, which grants health care subsidies to enrollees based on their income. Anyone who wants to change their existing plan has one month to do so before the deadline on Dec. 15. People who want to buy a plan for the first time have until Feb. 3, 2015 to make a decision. Individuals who purchase health coverage during this period will be guaranteed coverage through 2015. “I think having medical insurance is better than not having anything,” said Karen Duh, a nurse practitioner at the Los Angeles City College Health & Wellness Center. “It increases the chance for people to be more proactive about their health. When [students] have medical insurance they are more likely to seek help when they have a medical issue, instead of waiting until they are very sick.” Findings from a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll describe a lack of public awareness about the upcoming enrollment period. It estimates that nearly nine out of 10 of the nation’s uninsured do not know the next enrollment cycle begins in November. “If they missed it, then they have another opportunity,” said Darren Kavapalu, a business administration major at Los Angeles City College. Under Obamacare, health coverage is mandatory. With few exceptions, anyone who is not enrolled in a health care plan will incur tax penalties. Penalties will increase next year. Students are not exempt. “It’s their right to do what they want with their money,” said nursing major Matt Shaffer. “Making [health care] available is a good thing, but making it mandatory is not.” Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John G. Roberts said this clause could be reasonably characterized as a tax. Though controversial, the Supreme Court upheld the decision in 2012. In 2015, the penalty will either be two percent of an individual’s income or $325 per person for the year – whichever is greater. Anyone can find out if they qualify for a subsidy, how much that subsidy could be, compare different plans, and purchase the plan best suited to their needs online. To enroll, individuals can use one of several health care marketplaces like healthcare.gov and Covered California (coveredca.com). Locally, Healthy Way L.A. (healthywayla.org) links users to services within the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Some say that the enrollment process is time consuming, which may pose a challenge for students with full schedules. In addition, some students say information needs to be convenient and easier to understand. “If they’re going to try to make this an effective campaign they should probably go back to hiring Shepard Fairey,” Kavapalu said, referring to the street artist famous for his “Hope” posters featuring President Barack Obama. “Give it some infographic marketing or information so that it’s informative right off the bat instead of making them go do their homework.” Glitches on the federal and state marketplace sites presented challenges for would-be enrollees during the first enrollment period, which began October of last year. Both healthcare.gov and Covered California have since announced improvements to their sites.
INDEX
Opinion Campus Life Arts & Entertainment News Sports Photo Focus
2-3 4 5 6 7 8
Star Sightings Dazzle See Page 4
Civil Rights, Education Intersect at College Symposium BY JAKE CAMARENA
submit a claim that is postmarked by Jan 23, 2015. United States District Court Judge Vanessa L. Bryant will preside over a Settlement Fairness Hearing on Nov. 24 to determine whether the $15 million settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate. The hearing will take place at the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut. Following the hearing, the court
A jazz trio’s music accompanies the patrons of the dimly lit Camino Theatre to their seats, moments before the panel and some of the audience members create a tearful scene. Students, faculty, guests and the general public gathered at the Camino Theatre to see Suzan Johnson Cook, former Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom speak on civil rights. Rosalind Goddard, a Los Angeles City College professor of library science for the Martin Luther King Jr. Library facilitated the event as one of the honored hosts. Before introducing her peers, she addressed the audience. “We’re just waiting for the guest of honor to arrive,” Goddard said. Since the historical Jobs and Freedom March on Washington in June of 1963, sociology professor Anthony Clark says society still has work to do when it comes to civil rights. Clark, the first speaker, made the reason for everyone’s attendance clear. “Certain societal events such as the events that we see in Ferguson, Missouri right now make it clear that we still have a lot of work to do,” Clark said. “Consequently, the theme of this program is the ‘civil rights movement is not over.’” He spoke from a small podium to his peers on stage and to the audience waiting for the former ambassador to speak. Seated next to the podium, President Renée Martinez, Goddard and former California State Senator Dr. Diane Watson joined the keynote speaker. Martinez introduced Cook to the audience. “She has been the first in many things,” Martinez said. “Sue J., as she is kindly called, is considered one of the top 40 most powerful women. The civil rights activist has served under President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton as a religious advisor, globally. She has written 10 books, three are best sellers. She is considered a leader of leaders.” Cook has served as the principal adviser on religious freedom to the Secretary of State and to President Obama. She has also headed the Office of International Religious Freedom in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. She has served as a dean at Harvard University and her portfolio includes relations with religious leaders from 199 countries. Her story begins in the South. Cook is the only daughter of two black sharecroppers. She has one brother. “I was born a civil rights baby,” Cook said. “[My parents] picked cotton and tobacco in the fields
SEE HIGHER ONE PAGE 6
SEE AMBASSADOR PAGE 6
PHOTO BY RICHARD MARTINEZ/Collegian
More than 60 people showed up at City Hall on Oct. 26, 2014 to protest the violence against transgender people nationwide. They held signs that read “Trans lives matter,” “Stand in solidarity,” and “No hate.”
PROTESTERS DEMAND JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRANSGENDER VIOLENCE By Richard Martinez
Dozens of angry protesters gathered at City Hall on Oct. 26 to condemn violence against transgender people nationwide. Protesters held signs that read, “We are here,” “Stop killing us!” and “Trans lives matter, justice now.” Their voices, magnified through a megaphone, carried over to City Hall as they chanted phrases like “Put the ‘t’ in justice,” and “Stop killing us,” to denounce the recent slayings of a transgender woman named Aniya Parker near Los Angeles City College on Oct. 2 and Filipina Jennifer Laude in a hotel in Olongapo
City in the Philippines on Oct. 12 at the hands of a U.S. Marine stationed in the country. Kerri Cecil, a transgender film student at Los Angeles City College organized protest three weeks after Parker was shot in the head and died blocks away from campus. Cecil expressed outrage with law enforcement and the media for calling Parker’s shooting a “robbery gone wrong.” Cecil says it was hatred and prejudice that led Parker’s killers to pull the trigger. “We have to realize that this woman was shot in the back of her head,” Cecil said. “I saw the uncut footage
and I saw the conversation that she was having with them … many of us can relate to that situation where it starts off as ‘Hey baby, what you doing? Can I get your number?’ and then quickly, once we’re clocked, once they figure out that we’re trans it turns that fast to hatred and that’s what I saw in that videotape.” Parker was killed near the intersection of Melrose and North Kenmore avenues in East Hollywood. Surveillance video captured the three unidentified men who shot and killed her. However, a month later no arrests have been made. “That man came up and hit her in her face and she ran for her life
and they shot her in the back of her head,” Cecil said. “My plea is just for them to just look at the bigger picture, look at the numbers and instead of having to prove how much of a hate crime this was, start off with that.” City officials are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction. Authorities are looking for a person of interest seen on the tape walking with Parker before the shooting. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Rampart Homicide detectives at (213) 484-3623. SEE TRANSGENDER PAGE 8
Students May Collect Part of Higher One $15 Million Settlement Less than three months remain for students to
BY CLINTON CAMERON
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BEATRICE ALCALA
College and university students who received financial aid disbursements through Higher One Inc. between July 1, 2006 and Aug. 22, 2012 may share in a $15 million class action settlement fund. Students must have incurred overdraft fees and other charges at some point during the six-year period to qualify for a portion of the settlement. Students who wish to take part in the class action must
‘Too Blessed to Be Stressed’ Packs Power, Inspiration BY MARY CLARE PACE Former United States Ambassador at Large Suzan Johnson Cook visited Los Angeles City College on a warm Wednesday afternoon. She traded smiles with attendees as she signed copies of her autobiography, “Too Blessed to Be Stressed.” In this simple, yet powerful book, Cook celebrates her testament of faith through meditations and pathways that led to a brighter future. She shares her journey as living proof that challenges and life’s problems did not have to stress her
out. Cook penned her journey, and made history as one of the first African-American female pastors. She is a wife, mother, preacher, theologian, writer, and friend. She served as an adviser to former President Bill Clinton, and worked as Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom for the U.S. until October of 2013 under President Barack Obama, all in a lifetime. “Our parents [have] wanted us to live in a world where we will not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character,”
Cook said as she stood at a podium during her visit to Los Angeles City College. Cook grew up in a one-bedroom tenement in New York City. She envisioned the many changes she would experience in life – both good and bad. In the midst of it all, one thing remains constant for the ambassador: the inevitable presence and love of God. She offers stories, songs of praise, hymns, and words of inspiration to demonstrate that stress is SEE ‘TOO BLESSED’ PAGE 6
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY CLARE PACE
Former U.S. Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook signed copies of her book entitled “Too Blessed to be Stressed,” at L.A. City College on Oct. 20, 2014. Cub reporter Mary Clare Pace posed for a photo and read and reviewed the book
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Los Angeles Collegian — Wednesday, November 5, 2014
PROTESTERS PUSH BACK
PHOTO FOCUS
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