ROUND OUNDUP www.theroundupnews.com
Woodland Hills, California
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION May 23, 2012
Volume 116 - Issue 11
One copy free, each additional copy 50¢
CO-OP Edʼs future may be bleak
Cooperative education will not be offered in the fall
Kevin Reynolds
kreynolds.roundupnews@gmail.com Due to massive cuts to the community college community in California, Pierce College has been forced to cancel many of its programs. But when the Cooperative Education website was taken down, some faculty members took it personal. The website that was used by many students was created and copyrighted by Instructor of Business Administration Richard Skidmore. He, along with the Director of Cooperative Education Ronald Smetzer, believe that the website was taken down with malicious intent. Earlier in the semester, the Pierce College Job Center was closed after 20 years of operation. The job center was run by Skidmore, and was a service provided to help students develop skills to find work. Skidmore also created and operated the website for the job center. Before the center was closed, campus administration requested use of this copyrighted site for the Career and Transfer Center, according to Skidmore. “When the Job Center closed, [college president] Kathleen BurkeKelly requested that Skidmore hand over the (job center) website,” Smetzer said. “Skidmore told them they could lease it.” Shortly after this conversation, the Cooperative Education (Co Op Ed) website was taken down. “They are angry because I copyright everything I do,” Skidmore said. “They are willing to burn students and faculty because of it.” The Co Op Ed website was created by Skidmore to streamline the process
Jose Romero Tied Up: Roundup photographers have found themselves fighting to defend their first amendment rights. For more see the editorial on page 2.
Autotech: staying gender neutral Carrlyn Bathe
Special to the Roundup
Nestled in the corner of campus, under the shade of a dozen pine trees, sounds of air compression drills and the clanking of wrenches sent echoes into the air. Building 3600 is what many students of Pierce College’s Automotive Technology program consider their second home. The long garage doubling as a hands-on lab area is the only classroom on campus you can drive a car into. Occupying the last outdoor station on the left stood a six-foot-tall, slender, female. Her bangs pinned
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able to purchase one at the age of 20, she made a decision that she would be the only one allowed to service the vehicle. “I didn’t want anyone else touching it,” she laughed. “I came in here hoping to learn how to fix it and ended up falling in love with the program more than I thought I would.” Her fondness for the vehicle came clear in her expression. She smiled coolly while mentioning what her plans were for her far from complete “baby.” “[I’m going to paint it] midnight blue. My uncle’s 1971 Mustang Boss 302 was midnight blue,” she said. “I’ve always been a muscle car girl.
Kevin Reynolds
kreynolds.roundupnews@gmail.com
Months after the district’s contracts with FTR International construction company was terminated for convenience earlier in the semester, the future of Shepard Stadium at My uncle’s the reason I started loving Pierce College is still uncertain. [Mustangs].” The youngest of four didn’t always dream of being elbow deep in car engines and electrical wires. Alvarez once had aspirations of becoming a fashion designer. Before settling down at Pierce, she was eyeing California State Long Beach to jump start her fashion journey. “I couldn’t risk a $40,000 dollar degree and not be guaranteed work,” Alvarez stated. “[Car repairs] are in demand no matter what, but I know that being a woman, it’s going to be hard.” Emad Abbasi
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[See Mustang on page 5]
[See Co Op Ed on page 4]
Construction is still unfinished
Female auto student finds her calling at Pierce College neatly to the side and sporting a single lip piercing, 26-year-old Isabel Alvarez of Van Nuys busily applied the finishing touches to her 1969 Ford Mustang’s front end suspension. Almost complete with her first year as an Automotive Technology major, Alvarez tends to stand out in this male dominated program. She is one of only a handful of girls at Pierce College pursuing her dream of becoming an auto technician. Her chipped manicured hands gripped a wrench tightly as she reminisced about how her love for cars began. She fell in love with the 1969 Mustang model when she was just 9-years-old, Alvarez recalls. Finally
of helping students and faculty in the program to communicate. Students would fill out information on the site, including student I.D. numbers, job location and their personal assessment of the job site in which they are working. When the site was shut down by Pierce administration, students were unable to complete their assignments. The site was taken down to be updated, Burke-Kelly said. “The site has been up since the late 80s,” Burke-Kelly said. “After we had taken it down, we realized that the site was collecting information that violated the Right to Privacy Act.” The Family Educational Right to Privacy Act refers to the “Conditions for availability of funds to educational agencies or institutions.” “All the information that the instructor needed was given to him,” Burke-Kelly said. But Smetzer maintains that the site is well within legal parameters. “Richard had the website evaluated though a program created by Microsoft, and it came back 92 percent compliant, whereas our own Pierce College website was in the low 80 percent,” Smetzer said. The website was taken down right before spring break. Smetzer met with vice president of student services Joy McCaslin during the break. During this meeting, Smetzer said he informed McCaslin of the rating the website received. McCaslin responded that there were different ways to measure ratings, Smetzer said.
The stadium construction was part of the Project J bond program, one that included Build-LACCD, a project to revamp certain buildings in the different campuses in the district. FTR was heading a $6 billion, 14year program that included the North of Mall construction and Shepard Stadium. FTR’s contracts were terminated back in late February, “There is an interim construction company that has been hired,” associate vice president Larry Kraus said. “But I don’t see anything in the books about Shepard Stadium.” The only unfinished sections are the walkway between the home and visitors sides, the visitor’s side restroom and the field house. The football team has been practicing on the field but the question of whether or not they be able to play next semester remains unanswered.
Construction: The unfinished Shepard Stadium at Pierce College on May 13, 2012
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Did you know?
All wait lists for classes The women’s volleyball team will be have been canceled. For the honored for their perfect season at complete article see page 3. Dodger Stadium on July 18.