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SEE NURSING PAGES 6
Dec. 8, 2022 NEWS
7 The trials and tribulations of the fourth semester nursing cohort
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cohort.
A nursing employee who asked to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns said although the faculty loves their jobs, currently, the department as a whole is not in a good place.
“It’s just a sucky situation right now…[instructors] could make a lot more money working as regular nurses within a hospital and we don’t do it,” the anonymous employee said. “We work at El Camino because we love our job, we love what we do and we want to make good nurses, however, it’s really hard to like what we do, it’s just not enjoyable right now.”
The anonymous employee said that a lot of the nursing employees in the department are undecided on whether or not they want to stay and endure the challenges that they have to face in their workplace environment.
Asked if there were any extenuating factors affecting the current state of the program, the anonymous employee said it’s directly due to Joy.
The anonymous employee said the program is constantly changing its guidelines and expectations upon students, creating barriers between the students and accessing their educational needs.
Students have reported that rules and guidlelines listed within the student handbook are constantly changing.
Unlike the previous academic year, the 2022 - 2023 nursing student handbook has not been made available to the public. Several students told The Union
that Joy frequently changes the rules and guidelines set for the program without reason. “[Joy] makes changes not because they’re necessary or because they’re proven to be needed by the Board [of Registered Nurses] or because we’re not meeting requirements,” Angiolini said. “It’s a constant of this is just how [Joy] wants it and she doesn’t want to hear anybody’s opposition to it.” The Union received the 2022 - 2023 handbook directly from the nursing students. After speaking with at least 32 students and employees about the dissatisfaction expressed with the state of the nursing program, The Union scheduled an interview with Joy on Dec. 1. Upon arrival at the interview, The President and Superintendent Brenda Thames speaks to attendees at a pinning ceremony for nursing program graduates in the Campus Theatre, on Dec. 5. Thames said the she acknowledges the perserverance of the fall 2022 fourth semester cohort as they faced several challenges during the semester. Raphael Richardson | The Union Union expected to meet with Joy and Director of Public Information and Government Relations Kerri Webb, however, The Union’s editors were also joined by Dean of Natural Sciences Amy Grant, Registrar of Admissions & Records Lillian Justice, in addition to Joy, Webb, and Lopez. The Union provided the administration members in “We understand that this attendance with documents experience was not the experience that you imagined and it was not regarding issues with the pinning ceremony issues, the nursing student syllabus and the experience [administration] the handbook. imagined for you." Whenever The Union provided student and Brenda Thames, president of El Camino College employee testimonies, the college’s administration referred to the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as to why they could not speak on individual cases. “Per FERPA, [Joy] is not allowed to discuss any specifics in regards to the [student] complaint,” Webb said. Enacted in 1974, FERPA is a law that provides protection for identifiable data kept within a student’s educational records.
FERPA not only grants students the ability to access their educational records but also protects a student’s record from disclosure to third party sources.
Student Press Law Center’s Senior Legal Counsel Mike Hiestand said he believes El Camino College’s administration is misguided in their approach.
“I think that [the administration] is probably misguided if [the information] hasn’t actually been put into a record. They are misguided in saying that FERPA is the reason they don’t have to provide that information,” Hiestand said. “They don’t have to provide that information simply because they don’t have to provide it.”
Hiestand said that the administration should not have referred to FERPA when discussing issues concerning college employees because the law specifically covers students.
Similarly to the concerns brought up by the nursing students and employees, The Union was unsuccessful in obtaining information as to why the program has undergone changes since Joy was hired.
The fourth semester cohort reached out to administration, filed grievances and publicly spoke out against Joy and the nursing program on various occasions. Angiolini said that when the nursing students' issues were ignored, they took it upon themselves to book the Campus Theatre in order to accommodate guests at the pinning ceremony.
Angiolini said the main reason she decided to speak out against the nursing program was to help the current and future students and employees of the program.
“Clearly nobody cares, nobody is doing anything. We’ve met with people and no one seems to see this as an issue,” Angiolini said. For us [students], it got to the point where we can’t live like this anymore and we don’t want other students to have to deal with this. We don’t want our professors to quit their jobs. That’s why we’re fighting.”
To read more, visit The Union website at eccunion.com
Waiting for the shoe to drop: sneaker culture
Students and employees show off their footwear that bring comfort and fashion at El Camino College
Khallid Muhsin @KM_elcamino23
Although not well known for its sneaker culture, students and employees at El Camino College wear sneakers for fashion and comfort.
Now being back on campus for a year after El Camino switched to online-only instruction, students have shown off a variety of sneakers, such as Jordans, New Balance 550s and Nike Dunks, among many others.
People who wear sneakers that match their outfits show how sneaker culture has grown by a variety of people showing off what they have on their feet.
Most students that The Union surveyed on campus wear High-top sneakers and hardly any students wear Mid- or Lowtop sneakers.
Most of the students surveyed who wear High-top sneakers have high fashion to put behind their sneakers and the rest of the students who wear Mid- or Low-top sneakers wear casual clothes with their sneakers.
Counselor Christopher Hurd was introduced to sneaker culture by a family member who was given free sneakers when he played basketball in college. Hurd started collecting sneakers toward the end of high school to match his clothes.
“I mainly wear Jordans, but I wear my sneakers for mostly comfort than fashion even though I like to look good,” Hurd said. “There can’t be too many sneakers at a certain point in time, but I have not gotten there yet.”
When Hurd got a job, he started to purchase rare and exotic sneakers. Since high school, Hurd has collected so many sneakers that they touch the ceiling.
Sports entertainment journalist Nick Hamilton was birthed into sneaker culture by his dad when he bought him his first pair of Jordans. Ever since then, he became passionate to start a collection of his own.
Hamilton mainly wears Jordans, but he often mixes up his style and wears other sneakers including Kobes and LeBrons. People have wondered why Hamilton buys a wide variety of sneakers. Hamilton said he likes the combination of being fashionable and comfortable at the same time.
“Ever since I got my first pair of Jordans, I’ve been in love,” Hamilton said. “I don’t follow trends, I set trends.”
Engineering major Kale Nilsen originally got into sneaker culture because he saw his favorite hip-hop rappers wearing intriguing sneakers, which inspired him to get similar sneakers to look fresh and presentable.
Nilsen wears Jordans, New Balance 550s and Yeezys to be fashionable.
“I’ve been into collecting sneakers for four to five years,” Nilsen said. “Since I’ve been into collecting sneakers, I have more embraced the culture I’m in and have seen how big sneaker culture has blown up in my face.”
Music major Allan Mazariegos has been into sneaker culture for a couple of years and has made a collection. Mazariegos is a former reseller and started buying sneakers for himself.
“I wear sneakers for fashion,” Mazariegos said. “But I also like the comfort because you can’t like something without it being comfortable.”
Sneaker culture is bigger than ever at El Camino, from students previously wearing regular shoes to students and employees accounting for their sneakers when choosing between fashion and comfortability.
Being a Sneakerhead does require a lot of effort, time and money, but it’s a serious passion that has developed since inperson classes have returned to campus.
Not everyone on campus is a sneakerhead, but a selection of students surveyed on campus-and even some employees--are sneaker collectors.
Music major Allan Mazariegos wears “Fire Red” Jordan 3s that were recently released. Jordan 3s are not only fashionable with white and red outfits, but they also are comfortable. Khallid Muhsin | The Union Sports and entertainment journalist Nick Hamilton poses with his blue sneaker that match his jacket. Hamilton was introduced to the sneaker culture when his father gave him his first pair of Jordans. “I don’t follow trends, I set trends,” Hamilton said. Khallid Muhsin | The Union Counselor Christopher Hurd wears orange, white and black sneakers at the Student Services building. He started collecting sneakers towards the end of high school. Khallid Muhsin | The Union
