Tuesday October 1, 2024 Vol. 69 Issue 1
MORE ON PAGE #4 The Rio Hondo roadrunners struggle against Cerritos Falcons.
STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON SAFETY MEASURES
By: Matthew Garcia
As Rio Hondo College welcomes students back to campus, concerns over safety remain top of mind for many. While some students feel secure during the day, the campus’s nighttime atmosphere raises different feelings. “I feel safe during the day because there are many students when I get to school and as I’m leaving,” said Alyssa Silva, a third-year student. “But I don’t think I’d feel safe at night because there aren’t as many people, and it’s dark.” Silva’s thoughts reflect a common sentiment among students, especially when it comes to the lack of noticeable security presence during later hours. Although she hasn’t personally had any safety-related incidents, Silva believes the campus could benefit from increased patrols and improved lighting. “I’ve never had to interact with security, but I think more patrols could make a difference,” Silva said. Leading the efforts to improve
safety on campus is Todd Rogers, the newly appointed chief of Rio Hondo’s police department and current mayor of Lakewood. Rogers has been in the position for only three
weeks but has ambitious plans to enhance security. He’s working to hire a new task force to strengthen the campus police department, which currently has just one officer on patrol. “Our goal is to deter crime by being visible,” Rogers said. In addition to preventative patrols, Rogers emphasized that his task force will focus on high-traffic areas to ensure that students feel safe, both
during the day and at night. The department is also planning a swearing-in ceremony for the new officers once the task force is fully operational. Despite a relatively low number
has worked at the college for 20 years, said the library has always been seen as a safe space on campus. “I can count on one hand the number of times students came to me with issues,” he said, noting that emergency evacuations have been the only significant safety concerns in his time here. Freshman Saco Griego, who plays baseball at Rio Hondo, shares a laid-back
Photo by Matthew Garcia of reported crimes in the past six years, Rogers noted that unreported incidents, such as vandalism and hitand-runs, are still a concern. The campus’s safety infrastructure, including security cameras, is another area undergoing maintenance. While most cameras are functional, some are in various stages of repair. Robert G., a librarian who
view of security on campus. “I feel pretty chill during the day. You just gotta know how to act right,” Griego said. “I’d probably avoid being here at
night, though. Just to be safe.” For Jamie, a bus driver at Rio Hondo, ensuring students feel comfortable is a priority. “I’ve never had any issues while working here,” Jamie said. “But more cameras and lighting would definitely help everyone feel safer.” While Rio Hondo is generally regarded as a safe campus, students like Silva and Griego believe that increased security measures, especially at night, could go a long way toward making the college feel more secure for all who attend. With the upcoming addition of a new task force under Chief Rogers, many hope that these changes will help address students’ concerns. The task force will aim to increase patrols, enhance camera systems, and improve overall visibility, especially during the darker evening hours. Students are optimistic that these efforts will live up to expectations and provide the extra layer of safety that many feel is currently lacking on campus.
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH MORE THAN PINK WALK PREVIEW
By: Esmeralda Rodarte
To introduce this walk by susan komen, The more then pink walk is actually The largest fundraising event that has gone on for cancer awareness month. People that are breast cancer survivors and every year they’ve hosted across us worldwide expansions of the Walk. They’ve had had some across the main states such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Texas, New York This expansion of the Walk has gone around for 40 years and has just been throughout one organization but throughout having a lot of the walks that are between the US, they have also expanded within outside the country from interviewing the organizer from los angeles Sylvia Constanca, she has stated as well that “paris, has a walk there and it’s pretty cool that that has been seen coming from there. As I stated earlier I interviewed Sylvia Constanca, the Los Angeles organizer for this Susan Komen
walk and Another question I wanted to Ask her is “How much does this walk mean to you?” ? and she stated “This walk means a lot to me just because my mom Passed away from breast cancer and has really impacted me to just say that I’m proud that I’m still organizing and still
keeping this field up to date and she also states that Latinos especially her being Hispanic that it means a lot to her because she knows she comes from that type of background and how her background means a lot to her and how people are just impacted
by every day and even men she says are very impacted by every day” I even responded by saying how “does that mean it hits close to home?” She responded “Yes it does hit very close to home, and that Latinos are also the most Highest ranking with being diagnosed with breast cancer”, The other person i got to talk about breast cancer and being diagnosed with it was a mother named diane soto, she is a breast cancer survivor and has stated “most of my struggles come from mental health and having me be the warrior that i can be.” This upcomings race is coming on October 5th! Located at the beautiful exposition park and will be accepting donations throughout the week at Komen.org there at 328,078 raised and 500,000 of their goal!!! Please consider donating and keep supporting a loved one, a friend or close acquaintance of breast cancer, support and appreciate everyone that is around you!
Photo by Esmeralda Rodarte Diane Soto and her dog named Baxter love to take walks together. A theraputic activity which helps Soto regulate her stress.