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Sneak peak: Library and Learning Crossroads Get an exclusive look at the new library before it opens April 10
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A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Volume 118- Issue 4
March 20, 2013
Up on the art hill
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Campus smoking policy updated
Group works to ban cigarettes Jeffrey Howard/Roundup jhoward.roundupnews@gmail.com
‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’
John Gutierrez / Roundup
Director Gene Putnam of “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” written by Neil Simon, talks with cast members on stage before the start of the dress rehearsal on March 18 in the Performing Arts complex at Pierce College. The play premiers March 22. [See Arts & Entertainment Page 3 for the full story and photos]
The Work Environment Committee (WEC) proposed a tightening up Pierce College’s NonSmoking policy by designating parking lots 1 and 7 theas the only smoking areas, according to the minutes from their February meeting. This tentative update would replace the “curb-to-curb” policy that made Pierce’s campus smokefree in Feb. 2010, according to a Pierce College News Alert release. The new Non-Smoking policy areas have now been cut down to two specific areas of the campus’ parking lots: the public parking area of lot 1 and the area nearest to Victory Blvd. in parking lot 7. Joseph Perret, professor of computer applications and office technologies, summarized the potential update’s effects. “It basically bans smoking anywhere within the core of the campus,” said Joseph Perret, a member of the Pierce College Council. “I’d like to even see it banned from parking lots, just to
make it clearer to students that they can’t smoke.” If the policy is updated, Pierce would also post signs that would identify areas that were once designated smoking places. “They put up little sawhorses with temporary signs, but there are nosigns all over to indicate that there’s no smoking on campus,” Perretsaid. “We need signage on campus.” The WEC stated to make this change in policy to help provide a campusenvironment that is healthy, clean and safe. Margarita Pillado, chair of the WEC, served a key role in helping thePierce campus update its policy from the previous “curb-to-curb” non-smoking rule. “This is a cultural change,” Pillado said. “Not just some policy for the school. We are taking steps to make our campus a cleaner, healthier environment.” Because the policy is in compliance with city law, the LA City Attorney’s Office has the right to issue an absolute ban on smoking on campus if it is violated. [See SMOKE, Page 3]
Districtwide emails created for students Accounts will be the primary mode of communication from Pierce officials Tim Toton/Roundup
ttoton.roundupnews@gmail.com Los Angeles Community College District will deploy Outlook and other Microsoft web applications at Pierce College to standardize student emails, enable greater collaboration and provide students with 35GB of combined storage by this summer. Joseph D. Perret, professor of Computer Applications and Office Technologies at Pierce, is happy with what Microsoft Outlook and SkyDrive will bring to students. “Some of the benefits are calendaring, contacts and a to-do list,” Perret said. The district will be sending emails to students’ personal email addresses on April 2 to inform them of the switch to the new student emails one last time. Albert Saryan, supervising system and programming analyst for LACCD, provided an official list of what students will have access to through the system: 10 GB of email space. 25 GB of SkyDrive - cloud network drive to store documents, pictures and photos. Online access to Microsoft products such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Cloud computing – system and they change them no software installation frequently too,” Perret said. necessary. The system currently The LACCD wants “a hosts roughly 20,000 users constant and reliable means daily across the nine LACCD -10 GB of email space. of communication between campuses with a provision of the campuses and the 500,000 accounts, Saryan -25 GB of SkyDrive - cloud network students,” Saryan said. said. drive to store documents, pictures Students are actively Deandre Allen, 22, was and photos. being issued email accounts, surprised by the new student but the target date of the email but has a wish list -Online access to Microsoft products of items he’d like to see it official launch is over the such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. spring break, according to provide. Saryan. “Grade percentage, Also, don’t look for syllabus, class notes… If -Cloud computing – no software they could make it into an an “app for that.” Saryan installation necessary. app then it would probably definitively said there will be perfect for everybody,” be no mobile app for LACCD Allen said. emails or web applications. Another student, Edith Dominguez, 20, does know He suggests students use whatever method they choose about the new email and echoes another benefit not to access live.com to check email on the go. known by many. Perret, who assisted with the new email system, “I heard about it because when I log in for your agrees with the district wanting more control of student information it says that you have a new email student’s emails. and I think it’s good because if you have a college email “Students are recalcitrant entering an email in the
Your email includes:
you get a discount,” Dominguez said. Indeed, free stuff and discounts abound with a student.laccd.edu address. Here is a handful of what students can get for using their school email: Professional Microsoft design, development, server and certification software AutoDesk design and development software Prezi presentation and virtual whiteboard software Unlimited, free, two-day shipping from Amazon for six months Save $25 for online orders at ATT and get discounts on mobile service There are also students, however, who use one of the big free email services like Yahoo or Gmail and worry about having to check multiple places for important emails. “I would really like if it would just forward to my normal email,” said 18-year-old student Oriel Sastiel. To forward emails to Yahoo or Gmail easily, login to your student email, click “Options” then “See All Options” then “Forward your e-mail” on the right. Perret recommends students leave a copy of the forwarded emails on their school server as a protection against accidental deletion. [See EMAILS, Page 3]
Accreditation team presents findings Pierce College on the right track, minor fixes suggested Michaia Hernandez/Roundup
mhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com Pierce College needs to improve on overall planning, student learning outcomes and internal cash control mechanisms according to findings from a team of educators who spent nearly a week on campus to make judgments on the institution’s performance and effectiveness. The 11-member team’s visited last week is the latest step in a two-year-long process of reaffirming the college’s accreditation for the next six years. The exit report was presented in the Great Hall March 14 to give closure to the visit and to give the accreditation team a platform to inform administration, faculty and staff of its members’ findings. The three areas in the school’s institutional efforts that were given recommendations for refinement were determined after the group made trips to at least 30 classes and offices to interview
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students, faculty and staff according to Accreditation Team Chair Peter Garcia. Coincidentally, Pierce President Kathleen Burke-Kelly said even before the team revealed their findings that the school’s overall planning could be one of the aspects singled out by the accreditation team. “I think that our integrated planning process is still relatively new,” she said in an interview on March 12. Still, Garcia seems confident in Pierce’s ability to take the recommendations in stride. “This is a committed college that is doing the right work and seems to be in the right direction,” he said during the exit report. “We found not an angry, bitter college. What we heard was a college John Gutierrez / Roundup willing to make itself better.” Peter Garcia, president of Diablo Valley College presents a small summary of For the most part, Garcia, who spoke on behalf of the group for the accreditation teamʼs report and fi ndings to be sent to the ACCJC during a the exit report, gave compliments to Pierce. public meeting open to the entire college community in the Great Hall. [See ACCREDITATION, Page 3]
P I E R C E The Pierce College Weather Station has provided meteorological data to national agencies since 1949. The information in this graph was provided by our weather correspondent, Sean Clemmons.
W E A T H E R
Wednesday March 20 High: 69° Low: 52°
Thursday March 21 High: 78° Low: 50°
Few Showers
Sunny
Friday March 22 High: 81° Low: 51° Sunny
Saturday March 23 High: 80° Low: 51°
Sunday March 24 High: 78° Low: 52°
Sunny
Sunny
R E P O R T Monday March 25 High: 77° Low: 51°
Tuesday March 26 High: 73° Low: 48° Mostly Sunny Mostly Sunny
Wednesday March 27 High: 71° Low: 42° Cloudy