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A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Volume 121 - Issue 1
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Pierce to participate in pilot program Senate announces update for Student Information System Seth Perlstein News Editor
Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup
Two sheriff squad cars block the Winnetka entrance to Pierce College after a suspicious person was seen, according to Deputy Al Guerrero on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Campus takes Precautions
Sheriffs and Administration put college on lockdown due to potential threat Vanessa Arredondo Roundup Reporter
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onflicting emergency notifications caused confusion for the Pierce College community because of a potential threat the morning of September 17. The campus community received an email at approximately 11:45 a.m. stating that the LAPD was searching for a suspect believed to be armed and dangerous who may have driven into campus. Within minutes another notification in the form of a text was
sent out informing the community of an immediate evacuation taking place. Minutes later an email, stating that the college was to be on lockdown until further notice due to “current police activity”, spurred confusion among those currently at Pierce. “It was an adequate response. I asked for only certain units to come. It was appropriate for the information I had. If you put back on information and you judge wrong, it’d be a bad day,” Deputy Guerrero said. As a result of the conflicting messages, students evacuated the campus or did not attend class at all. Some students and faculty received
“I think we handled it the way we intended to handle it. Thankfully it went well in terms of no threat was present on campus and no one was injured”
-Rolf Schleicher
Vice President of Administration a message at around 12:23 p.m. notifying them that the lockdown was lifted and the campus was safe. Other students, who received the previous warning messages, did not receive that message. Administration received phone calls throughout the evening from uninformed, concerned persons
New student support program
Matriculation Orientation gets updated Seth Perlstein News Editor Pierce College’s Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) is one step closer to full implementation after its unanimous approval by the Academic Senate on Monday, Sept. 8, at their first meeting of the semester in the Great Hall. The SSSP is an updated version of the process formerly known as Matriculation. Orientation, assessment, counseling, and other follow-up services are at the heart of the program. “It’s all about students getting off to a good start,” Pierce’s new Dean of Student Services Kalynda Webber-McLean said. “We provide them with adequate support while they’re here so they can meet their educational objectives.” Parts of the plan are already in motion at Pierce, according to Webber-McLean. Academic Counseling has changed significantly since new policies and
procedures were introduced in the spring. “Now we have guidelines we go by,” Counseling Department Chair Rudy Dompe said. “Before, we had more time to do counseling, per se. Now we’ve got to move into action right away – educational goals, career goals – we’ve got to do the comprehensive educational plan.” The plan Dompe referred to is a complete outline of everything a student needs to complete his or her academic goals. Abbreviated plans that cover one to two semesters are also available. “The state has said that community colleges need to be a little bit more structured,” WebberMcLean said. “Now the state says that if you do a long-term road map for a student, it has to have every stop along the way.” Webber-McLean also said that Pierce is in the process of hiring more academic counselors, which is also part of the SSSP. Year-round assessment, on the other hand, is an SSSP feature
that is already underway at Pierce. Before the SSSP, Pierce only offered assessment during certain times of the year, according to Webber-McLean. She said the probation program should “hopefully” roll out later this fall, with a full implementation in the spring. The First Year Experience Center in the Library Learning Crossroads Building has its classrooms open, but a lead counselor/coordinator is still needed before the center is opened, she said. The SSSP is based off California Senate Bill 1456, also known as the Student Success Act. It was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2012. 2013 was a planning year while 2014 is an implementation year, according to Webber-McLean. “We’re right on time with the timeline that’s been established by the state’s Chancellor’s Office,” she said. The SSSP will be submitted to Pierce’s board in October for final approval.
asking if it was safe to go on campus. “There are multiple sources on the campus but we try to make sure ours are consistent through Blackboard Connect,” Vice President of Administration Rolf Schleicher said when asked about the discrepancy between
notifications. “We don’t understand where that came from,” Schleicher said referring to the email about the suspect driving into campus. The senior staff sends out messages once they have assessed the situation by talking to the Sheriff’s Department and LAPD, according to Schleicher. Despite efforts, some messages released by Blackboard on Wednesday were vague and unspecific. Text messages referring to Pierce simply as “the college” were particularly confusing for students enrolled and attending multiple colleges. [See LOCKDOWN, pg. 3]
Club Rush // Online Slideshow
Sept. 24-25 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Nicolas Heredia / Roundup
French Club President Jacob Billings represents the French Club during Club Rush on the mall of Pierce College Sept. 23.
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Pierce College was selected to be part of the Online Education Initiative’s (OEI) pilot launch phase, according to Distance Coordinator Wendy Bass at the Academic Senate Meeting on Monday, Sept. 22 in The Great Hall. Pierce was one of 24 California community colleges chosen to participate in the program, and was placed in the Tutoring Staging Group. Pierce will submit five online courses to the OEI for consideration to participate in the program, of which three will be chosen. “For us it’s a big deal because we’ll get free tutoring for those three classes,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll see a higher success rate in those online classes. That’s a goal.” An updated Student Information System (SIS) was also announced at the meeting. Articulation Officer Elizabeth Atondo said the revamped system will “look different and hopefully will be a lot better.” Pierce’s current SIS is “homegrown,” she said. The new system “will be an Oracle product.” She said the all-new SIS will roll out in October, 2015 for incoming fall 2016 students, while continuing students will see the new system in spring 2016. The next Academic Senate meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6 at 2:15 PM in The Great Hall. [For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
Football loses to Southwestern
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