www.theroundupnews.com Woodland Hills, California
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Volume 120 - Issue 6
Campus foundation in financial hot water
later changed to “The Foundation for Pierce College will be closed on Fridays.” Schleicher is the vice president of Administrative Services for the Pierce College campus. Linda Solar, Schleicher’s assistant, said “they have no information on the Foundation at this time.” “It’s not closed. I don’t know why they’re closed today,” said Kathleen Burke, president of Pierce College. “The Foundation is not closed, the Foundation is running out of money and so they’re having trouble paying for their employees, but whether or not they have employees and whether or not the Foundation is being closed are two separate things.” The Foundation’s income has been rocky over the last few years since Dennis Washburn left in 2010. He was the last full-time director of the Board of Directors for the Foundation. The position “went away because the school would not fund it anymore,” said Kathy Zanghi, account manager of the Foundation for Pierce College. [See FOUNDATION, pg. 3]
The future of the nonprofit organization of Pierce College is uncertain due to a lack of funds, which will result in an emergency meeting on Wednesday April 16 to create a plan of action. The Foundation for Pierce College is a nonprofit organization that uses donations and grants to fund the college and to award scholarships to students. All nine of the schools in the Los Angeles Community College District have foundations. “The purpose of the Foundation is that it allows people to donate to the college,” said Mike Cornner, a previous board member for the Foundation. “You can deduct what you donate to the college from your income tax as a charitable donation.” The Foundation’s office had a sign on the door Monday morning stating, “Foundation is closed until further notice. If you have questions, please contact the office of Rolf Schleicher.” The note was
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
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Talking Tolkien
Professor brings Middle Earth to his English course
Not-for-profit group in danger of closing its doors Jessica Boyer A&E Editor
INSIDE
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Thursday Concert Review.........................PAGE 5
Jordan Utley-Thomson Roundup Reporter
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“The Foundation is running out of money and so they’re having trouble paying for their employees, ”
-Kathleen Burke
President of Pierce College
Giuliana Orlandoni / Roundup
PROFESSOR Lawrence Krikorian is holding a replica of the sword “Andruil, flame of the west” used by Aragorn from “The Lord of the Rings” on Tuesday, April 1.
-Photo by: Nelger Carrera
ne does not simply walk into this English professor’s office without noticing the mounted swords and ironclad armor and thinking “is this MiddleEarth?” Lawrence Krikorian is a 55-yearold full-time English professor who has taught at Pierce College for the past twenty-seven years. “There is so much Tolkien stuff in [my office],” Krikorian said. “My current favorite is The Lord of the Rings Pez set.” Krikorian is teaching English 28, 86, 102 and 270 this semester, with 270 being his “absolute” favorite. “He explains [material] very well and goes through everything, and makes English really fun,” said business major Anthony Morton, who is now taking English 102 with Krikorian. “I expected this class to be hard, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable.” English 270 is a science fiction and fantasy course that meets once a week on Wednesday nights. The curriculum consists of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Out of the Silent Planet, Solaris, and Snow Crash. “[Snow Crash is] about the future of the internet as predicted from 1992,” Krikorian said. “A lot of it has come to pass. It’s an extremely violent book, and it’s also pretty vulgar, but students think it’s the greatest book in the class.” A big fan of fantasy himself, Krikorian enjoys all things J. R. R. Tolkien, with his 42 year love affair with The Lord of the Rings as proof of his devotion. [See PROFESSOR, pg. 5
Center helps students find careers
Job Fair helps students discover work opportunities Carrlyn Bathe Roundup Reporter
Students and members of the Pierce College community brought their resumes and portfolios for the opportunity to land the right job. The Career and Transfer Center’s
spring 2014 Job Fair hosted nearly 500 people on Thursday, April 3. Thirty-five businesses peppered the sun-soaked Mall walkway in pop-up tents from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. looking to meet and hire Pierce students. With her last remaining resume in hand and dressed to be hired,
Erick Ceron / Roundup
CHRISTOPHER GRAY, 33, is helped by a recuiter on Thursday, April 3.
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20-year-old business major Leslie Bun chatted with a potential employer. “The job I have right now is seasonal. So by the time it ends, I want a new career to jump into,” Bun said. “I have to travel a lot which is something I don’t want to do. I just want a stable job, maybe something in an office.” Rick Leahy, district manager of staffing and recruiting for home security company Vivint, spoke highly of past experiences with Pierce. “We love Pierce. We feel like Pierce students definitely have some experience and a lot of them have pretty decent people skills,” Leahy said. “We’ve been coming to this job fair for a long time and we always get good applicants from it.” Twenty-four-year-old Cal. State University, Northridge graduate student and Career Center intern Nicole Goddard said the goal of the Job Fair was to not only bring employment opportunities to students, but to also spread awareness of the Career Center and its services. [See JOB FAIR, pg. 3]
NEWS: Relay for life
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COMMENCEMENT ceremony of the Spring 2013 semester.
File Photo / Roundup
Graduation date moved forward Tracy Wright Editor-in-Chief
The date for the spring 2014 graduation ceremony has changed from Wednesday, June 11 to Tuesday, June 10 due to scheduling conflicts with the Board of Trustees. Kathy Oborn, president of the Academic Senate, announced the date change during the Academic
Senate meeting on Monday, April 14. In an email between Oborn and Pierce President Kathleen Burke, Burke explained the date change would enable representation at the commencement ceremonies from the Board of Trustees and Chancellors Cabinet. “It’s just a day,” student Luis Sanchez said. “If it was a week, I could see that affecting people.” The spring semester graduation
is usually held on a Wednesday due to summer voting and elections that usually take place on a Tuesday. Last year, the Board of Trustees moved their meeting to accommodate the colleges’ schedules but advised they wouldn’t be moving their meeting again. “I don’t think it’s bad,” student Victor Torres said. “It could affect families traveling in, but it’s just a day.”
PHOTO ESSAY: Campus Safety
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