September, 24 2015

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THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961

California State University, East Bay

News, Art, & Culture for the East Bay

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

www.thepioneeronline.com

Campus parking lots re-open

Fall 2015 Issue 1

CSU Chancellor supports conversion By Brianna Leahy

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CONTRIBUTOR

TIPS TO SURVIVE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

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FIND HIDDEN GEMS ON CAMPUS

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WHO ARE THE BAY AREA DERBY GIRLS?

Construction continues on Hayward campus parking lots on Monday Sept. 21.

By Louis LaVenture NEWS AND SPORTS EDITOR

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VOLLEYBALL RALLIES FOR COMEBACK VICTORY STAY CONNECTED! #NEWSPIONEER

/thepioneernewspaper @thepioneeronline @newspioneer

Campus construction will continue into the fall for Cal State East Bay. New parking lots, which are being constructed where the old Warren Hall building and parking lots stood before its demolition in 2013, will be open for use today but not fully completed for a few months, according to Parking and Transportation Services Manager Derrick Lobo. “The parking lots will be fully functional. Signs, landscaping and electronic car counter signs will be completed later,” said Lobo. During the summer break there were several road closures and detours on West and East Loop Roads but it is unclear at publication if these would also occur once fall classes begin today. Lobo suggested that students get to

school early in order to allow time to find a parking spot, especially in the early stages of the quarter. Parking permits will not be required until Oct. 1 in general parking lots, according to CSUEB officials. The two new parking lots will contain 830 total parking spaces for staff, faculty, students and visitors, whereas the old parking lots that were in use contained 505 total spots. The new lots will have a net gain of 325 spaces according to Lobo, who also said lot A will be for students and lot B will be for faculty and staff. There will be a road that connects the two lots and electronic signs at the entrances of both that tell drivers how many spots are available in each parking lot. Lobo said that the parking lot project had an original budget of $3.7 million and the project cost would “be right around that number.”

PHOTOS BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER

On the Facilities Development and Operations website there is no mention of the parking lot project and it is unclear exactly how long it will take to complete, however Lobo said that it shouldn’t take more than a few months. Construction crews still dozens of spots near the new Academic Services Building that replaced Warren Hall. The building was originally set to open in June 2015. In a previous article, Keat Saw, director of Planning, Design and Construction at CSUEB, explained that the June date was an early estimate and the completion date was contractually set for late August. Now September, the new building is still not open and there has been no announcement made by school officials of its opening date. “All of my classes are in the PE Building,” Kinesiology major Jack Fuller said. “It would have been cool to park right across the street. I guess I’ll have to wait.”

Hayward citizens fight over chicken rights By Ian-James Vitaga CONTRIBUTOR Last month, Hayward City Council members met to discuss a proposed ordinance that would make it easier for residents to keep and maintain chickens and other livestock on their property. Raising backyard chickens is not entirely prohibited. It is something you can apply for if you can meet certain requirements and pay the $500 permit. Livestock need to be kept in a shelter 40 feet away from neighboring houses and 20 feet from your own property line. The city notifies all neighbors within 300 feet and the Code Enforcement Division currently enforces laws concerning chicken restrictions in Hayward. The standards to keep livestock on private property are very broad and have been refined numerous times, according to Hayward City Assistant Planner Michael Christensen. “This has been an ongoing battle for 10 years. The law does not differentiate between keeping huge animals like horses versus keeping chickens,” Christensen said. The Aug. 18 city council meeting was a small push in what Christensen calls “an urban agricultural movement” that

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MARKUS RITZMANN

The Chancellor’s Office of the California State University system is set to offer potential financial support to Cal State East Bay for converting from a quarter system to a semester system. While the amount of assistance CSUEB will receive from the Chancellor’s Office is unknown, it is anticipated that 75 percent of the costs associated with the conversion will be covered, according to Glen Perry, assistant vice president of Special Projects at CSUEB. A Fit/Gap Analysis is being compiled to determine the cost of the conversion and how much assistance will be provided from the Chancellor’s Office. The analysis will be an examination of curriculum opportunities anticipated and what would need to change for the campus to operate in a similar or better manner, Perry said. The costs will be reviewed and the Chancellor’s Office will discuss what it is willing to invest in. If CSUEB wants to make changes that are not associated with the conversion to enhance the campus, the cost of those changes will not be included in the monetary assistance provided, Perry explained. While the campus will be receiving assistance to proceed with this threeyear conversion process, there is “no built-in monetary incentive to make the change [from quarters to semester sessions],” Perry said. Only the direct cost associated in making the transition will be provided. CSUEB will have completely converted from the academic schedule 10-week quarter sessions to 15-week semester sessions by fall 2018. The process is part of a system-wide initiative to convert the entire CSU system to one common calendar, says Elizabeth Chapin, public affairs web communication specialist for the CSU Office of the Chancellor. “[The conversion] will help eliminate difficulties with partnerships and programs between quarter and semester campuses,” Chapin explained. Transfer students at CSUEB make up close to 70 percent of the student population, which is nearly 10 percent higher than the average for the entire system, Perry explained. SB 1440, signed into legislation on Sept. 29, 2010, requires CSUs to admit students from California Community Colleges who completed an Associate’s Degree as a transfer student of junior year status. The Associate Degree for Transfer program exists at both quarter and semester schools. Having CSUEB on the semester system, LeBaron Woodyard, dean in the Academic Affairs Division for the CCC, explained, “doesn’t make a difference, as far as transfers are concerned.” Woodyard was also unaware CSUEB was being converted from quarters to semesters. Nearby Chabot Community College and Las Positas Community College have recently switched from quarters to semesters. Previous to that conversion, “being on quarters made

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