ROUND OUNDUP www.theroundupnews.com
Woodland Hills, California
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Volume 116 - Issue 4
March 21, 2012
One copy free, each additional copy 50¢
CSUN: Students walk across the campus at Cal State Northridge on March 20, 2012 outside the school Delmar T. Ouiatt library. Jose Romero
Spring admission closed for CSUs Kevin Reynolds
kreynolds.roundupnews@gmail.com California State Universities will be closing their admissions for the spring 2013 semester for most of their 23 campuses. This initiative will affect about
16,000 students that attend California State Universities. For the 2013-2014 school year CSU’s are considering putting prospective students on a wait list until the outcome of the November tax initiative. Seven Hundred fifty million dollars were cut in funding for the
CSU’s last year. An additional $200 million will be cut if Gov. Jerry Browns tax proposal fails to pass in November. This postponement will affect many Pierce College students who were hoping to transfer to a Cal State University in the spring. “There isn’t anything we can do,”
Joanna Zimring Towne, director of career center said. “We have been telling students all year they(CSU’S) might not be open for the spring. Most UC’s are not open for mid year transfers. Cal State Universities were usually the exception. “There aren’t really a whole lot of options,” said Zimring Towne
Most but not all of the CSU’S will be closing their admissions. “The campuses change their minds constantly,” Zimring Towne said. “Students should keep checking back in case things change.” Students may be falling on hard times if the tax initiative does not go though.
There are usually anywhere between 90,000 to 700,000 fall applicants according to an article in the LA Times. The CSU’S are attempting to reduce enrollment by 3 percent. Which would lower the number of enrolling students by 20,000 to 25,000.
In Santa Monica classes go to highest bidder
Two-tier pricing will be offered to students who need classes to transfer Aurora Ramirez/ Roundup
aramirez.roundupnews@gmail.com Santa Monica College (SMC) will be offering two-tier pricing for high demand classes beginning this summer. Governing board approved a plan to offer certain high-demand classes for a higher price when the regular classes have filled up. This decisions has come due to budget cuts and the cut in courses offered to the 34,000 students that attend SMC, allowing students who highly need courses such as English and math a place in a class, but at a much higher cost.
On June 27, the legislature passed a budget that the state senate leader called, “Most austere budget we have seen in a generation.” California Governor Jerry Brown signed the budget into a law on June 30, 2011, the day before the start of the fiscal year. “This may help SMC students have a better chance in adding courses this coming semester, since we do not have a chance like other colleges to crash classes the first week of school,” said Santa Monica College student Bernardo Ruiz. “Community-college fees will increase $10 per unit.” Fees will be raised from $36 to $46 by the summer session.
The cost for high demand classes will be $200 a unit. The high- demand classes will be available for SMC students as soon as the regular priced courses have filled up. Students who qualify for FAFSA or have received Cal Grants may use these resources to cover the fees. “Although this does not sound very fair to students,” Girade Jackson a Santa Monica College student. “If it will help those of us who are close to graduating or transferring to a University I am for it.” SMC received a $250,000 donation by businessman Daniel Greenberg and his wife, attorney and civic activist Susan Steinhauser.
The donation from the couple is going to go through a process for students who qualify to the criteria. “SMC is a single college district, therefore this kind of change in pricing is easier and/ or faster for them to get approved,” Bruce Rosky, Associate Vice President at Pierce College said. This action is unlikely to happen here at Pierce College according to Rosky. “Pierce College is part of a 9 college district, we are open access to students, which limits us with the classes we can teach depending on the money were funded, This subject hasn’t been brought up in our school and I doubt it may!” Rosky said.
2012
$46 2011
$36 2009
$25
2006
$20
Amount student fees have increased since 2006
Bookstore manager case dismissed
Kim Saunders walks away from court yesterday due to a lack of evidence Lior Haykeen
Ava Weintraub
Kim Saunders: Bookstore manager Kim Saunders outside the Van Nuys court hours.
Charges against Pierce Bookstore manager Kim Saunders, who was arrested Aug. 25 for alleged embezzlement, were dismissed Tuesday at the Van Nuys Courthouse. “It is the people’s feeling that we cannot continue this case based on the evidence that we have,” Deputy District Attorney Katherine Summer said during the hearing. Saunders does not feel that the
final word regarding her case has been said yet. “Because of the nature of everything, this case has layers and layers,” Saunders told the Roundup after the hearing. “It would be unfair to share at this time. I want to wait until the final outcome.” Now, the future of the case remains unclear. “My guess is that [the DA] will next call the detective in charge of the case to see if there is any new evidence,” Pierce Sheriff’s Deputy
Ron Nohles said Nohles attended the hearing to discuss the case’s report with the DA. He was the deputy that found the money in Saunder’s desk, which led to her arrest. “I want to be respectful to everyone,” Saunders said. “I want to be respectful to the institution.” Saunders, who had been on administrative leave since being accused of the theft, had refused to comment to the Roundup since her arrest in August until the case was
Weekly Weather Wed. March, 21 Fri. March, 23 Sun. March, 24 77 65 62 53 49 47 Thu. March, 22
Courtesy of Sean Clemmons
74 51
Sat. March, 24
64 48
Mon. March, 25
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dismissed Tuesday. There is no one currently replacing Saunders at the Student Store, and it is unclear whether she will be returning to work at Pierce. While working at Pierce, Saunders managed all workers of the Bookstore as well as the Freudian Sip. “I hope she never comes back,” textbook buyer Holly Hagan, who worked with Saunders at the Student store, said. Saunders was arrested for alleged embezzlement of approximately
$2,000 after the Pierce Sheriff’s station received a call reporting inconsistencies with the cashier’s money bags at the Student Store, and released on $20,000 bail. At first, Saunders was to have her preliminary hearing on Oct. 6, but postponed her hearing date six times every month since then. “She could have postponed it for different reasons,” Nohles said. “But she should have known that it wouldn’t just go away.”
Whats inside For info about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence see Page 5