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CLARION citrus college
Charged up: BY ABIODUN COLLINS
STAFF REPORTER
ACOLLINS@CCCLARION.COM
The non-resident tuition fee for Citrus College students is set to increase in the coming 2023-2024 academic year. The Citrus College Board of Trustees on Feb. 21 2023 voted to set the non-resident tuition fee for the 2023-24 school year at $360 per unit. An additional fee of $7 per unit will also be charged as a capital outlay. This new fee increase will take effect for all course terms beginning or ending on or after July 1. The non-resident tuition has steadily increased over the past five years. This is opposed to instate tuition fees, which are free for California residents. The change in the fee for nonresidents was based on the use of district expenditures for credit classes and the two-year inflation factor of 1.097% The non-resident fee will jump from $332 in the 2022-2023 session to $360 in the upcoming 2023-2024 session. This new fee shows an 8% increase in tuition prices. The agenda of the meeting of the board of trustees said the law regarding non-resident tuition allows the district to charge up to its calculated per-unit capital outlay rate plus one of the following perunit rates: n The statewide average rate of $414
International community college students to bear the brunt of increased college expense in the upcoming academic school year
n The district computed rate of $360 n Up to the level charged by the neighboring college district n The highest statewide average rate for the succeeding year, current year, or prior four years-$414 n Up to the preceding fiscal year average rate of 12 comparable states based on the cost of living Even though the price of nonresident tuition is going up at Citrus College, it is still lower than the non-resident fees charged by half of the neighboring public community colleges. International students are classified as non-residents and are thus required to pay non-resident tuition fees. Lorenzo Desiderio-Giampiccolo, a theater and film major, is an international student from Italy who is in his first year at Citrus. Desiderio-Giampiccolo said he thinks that the non-resident fee “is way too expensive” given the fact that international students are required to enroll in at least 12 units. Desiderio-Giampiccolo said he can’t get any financial aid and that it is a lot to bear the burden of a tuition increase. He understands the effect that inflation has on the tuition increase but it still doesn’t change the price he has to pay. He also said that he is not eligible for a residency reclassification which allows him to pay in-state tuition because only students with work visas can become residents.
Online at
ccclarion.com Volume LXXVI • Issue 8 Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Owls fall short of state championship CLARION STAFF
CONTACT@CCCLARION.COM
The Citrus College men’s basketball season ended in the California Community College Athletic Association championship semifinal at the Golden Eagle Arena in Lemoore on Saturday. After a 67-65 win over the College of the Sequoias Giants in the quarterfinal, the Owls suffered a 9084 overtime loss in the semifinal to defending champion City College of San Francisco Rams. The Owls ended their season with a 28-4 record. During the game, Citrus College’s Chris Chiles and Jayden Johnston led the team scoring 14 points each. Jamal Briscoe and Uriah Foster came off the bench to score 12 points each while Aibigho Ujadughele came up with 12 rebounds and four steals. The Owls led the game 38-35 at halftime but the Rams scored two clutch 3-pointers with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second half, tying the game and moving it into overtime. San Francisco scored the first nine points of overtime and outscored Citrus 16-10 in the extra period. Five of the Citrus men’s basketball team won all of the Western State Conference-South postseason honors.
DATA COURTESY OF CITRUS COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES; CHARTS BY HEILY GARCIA, CLARION
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ccclarion.com
Report shows aging water supply system
To ease minds, Clarion reporters tested drinking fountains around campus and found reassuring results BY ABIODUN COLLINS
STAFF REPORTER
ACOLLINS@CCCLARION.COM
A 2020 report published by Citrus College says the campus’s water supply system needs improvement because it is old. The findings reported in the 20202030 Educational and Facilities Master Plan says the “campus’s potable water supply system is aged and requires upgrading.” This has great implications because an old water supply system may reduce the protective barriers to potential contaminants. Utilities can carry a high risk of contamination and harmful elements if not properly maintained. With that in mind, Citrus Clarion reporters tested the drinking waters at Citrus at 10 different locations to determine how clean it is. The tests were conducted with the use of water testing strips and confirmed the presence of varying safe levels of mineral substances that are below contamination limits. In an email interview, the director of facilities and construction, Fred Diamond, said that the “water supply system drinking water safety is unaffected” by an aged supply system. For water to be considered safe, it must have a low concentration
ROBERT DAVIS- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Clarion reporter Abiodun Collins uses a water testing strip to test a drinking fountain at the PC Building on Jan 30.
of harmful contaminants such as bacteria, acidity and other substances. An article by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that “drinking water that is
not properly treated or that travels through an improperly maintained distribution system (pipes) may also create conditions that increase risk of contamination.” The tested water fountains,
which were in nine different buildings on campus (Owl Cafe, Hayden Library, LB, PS, VA and TC building, Math/Science, Life Science, and the outside of performing arts building) revealed the following results at the time of the testing: n A high level of water hardness: Hard water is caused by hot weather, lack of rain and the presence of minerals. Drinking hard water is not dangerous, but it can still be an inconvenience as it leaves stains on hard surfaces if left for too long. It also benefits a person’s health as it contains minerals like calcium and magnesium. n A high pH level: The pH level of water is used to measure how acidic or basic water is. A high pH level indicates acidity. The testing result revealed that a high number of water fountains at Citrus have a high pH level ranging from 7.8 to 8.4. The human body has a pH level of 7.4 and needs to take in water that has the same amount of pH level as the body. However, an article by UCLA Health said that “there had been no evidence of harm found in drinking water with a pH level between 7 and 8.5.” n A high alkaline level: The testing showed that six of the ten water fountains had high alkaline levels, which to some
degree is beneficial to the body as it helps neutralize the acid in the bloodstream. n A low level of free and total chlorine: Chlorine is a disinfectant that kills bacteria. The testing revealed that most of the water from the drinking fountains had low chlorine levels. However, as an outlier, the water fountain on the second floor of the Math/Science Building revealed a high level of chlorine at the time of testing that was ideal for a swimming pool. However, this might be due to the recent addition of chlorine before the testing was conducted. Diamond said the question of how often the water is tested for contaminants is one for the water purveyor, Azusa Light and Water, which is a utility company responsible for the supply of water to the city of Azusa and portions of Glendora, which includes Citrus College. Azusa Light and Water in its 2021 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report said that “drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of contaminants” because as “water travels, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and in some cases radioactive materials.”
Read Report, Page 3