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Duo plays classical pieces together on single piano
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | Volume 122 - Issue 10 | Woodland Hills, California | One copy free, each additional copy $1
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Teachers to take roll for entire semester
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Use #piercewire to connect with us on social media. -Compiled by Seth Perlstein and Megan Moureaux
Campus closed Monday for Memorial Day
The Pierce College campus will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 26. #PierceDayOff
District-mandated attendance tracking to start in summer
Student awards to pay out $750 each
VICTOR RODRIGUEZ Roundup Reporter @vrodriguez2100 Instructors will be required to record attendance and submit reports for the entire length of the term beginning in the upcoming summer session, according to an administrative regulation by the Los Angeles Community College District. The policy was proposed in March and has its roots in financial aid fraud, wherein students could enroll in classes and be present until the census date, as that is when the majority of instructors stop taking attendance. Once the federallyloaned funds are received, the student can stop attending class, leaving the college liable for reimbursement. “We have a serious problem with having to return federal loans the college was socked with over $100,000 because students reneged on their loans and because of this, the college is responsible for returning the money,” said Lyn Clark, vice president of the Academic Senate. The regulation was enacted to protect the college from any liability. However, this will affect instructors, as they will have to monitor the hours students attend class and submit those numbers at the end of the semester along with final grades. Having the responsibility of taking roll every class meeting will change the current classroom dynamic, according to psychology and statistics professor Angela Belden. “I think it’s important to acknowledge that our students are adults, that they have other activities that they’re doing. They have a life outside of school and sometimes that life gets in the way,” Belden said. “Now we’re going to have to take attendance every single day… and it’s a burden on class time. It’s a burden on the students, and it’s really not sharing the load.” Earlier in the meeting, Pamela Brown, an instructor of political science, announced the Online Education Initiative (OEI) has plans to create a statewide interactive exchange of online courses. “If a course at Pierce is full, you can go online and take that course at any college in the state. So the good news is they get the classes they need if classes are full,” Brown said. The OEI course exchange is said to have a relationship with Canvas, a Moodle-like service, according to a handout Brown presented to the Academic Senate. Additionally, the commencement speaker for the 2015 spring graduation was announced to be Rick Najera, author of the awardwinning book “Almost White.” Najera is also an accomplished TV writer and a California native. The next Academic Senate meeting will take place on June 1 at 2:45 p.m. in the Great Hall.
Mohammad Djauhari / Roundup
Sophomore Pablo Gonzalez began his baseball career as a first baseman and outfielder, but switched to pitcher because of his father, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico. Gonzalez is the closer for the Pierce College Bulls. Monday, May 18. Woodland Hills, Calif.
From start to finish Closer fulfills fatherʼs childhood dream to play baseball
LYNN ROSADO Sports Editor @RosadoLynn
A
good closer in baseball takes over where the starter left off, hoping to complete a successful performance. Pablo Gonzalez has been doing that since he was a child, trying to complete his dad’s dream of becoming a professional player. Gonzalez, 21, a criminal justice major and a sophomore righty for the Pierce College
baseball team made various adjustments before realizing his potential as a hurler. “I started playing baseball when I was three,” Gonzalez said. “When I started I was a first baseman and an outfielder. As I got older, they turned me into a pitcher, and my dad happened to be one. He’s the one that got me into it. At first I didn’t want to pitch, but he showed me and I started liking it.” Gonzalez’s father, Ramiro Gonzalez, saw his son’s interest in baseball from the start and used his knowledge and experience to teach him the basics. “My dad played baseball all of his life,”
Gonzalez said. “He came over here from Mexico so he never really got the opportunity to play in high school or any of that because he had to work.” Gonzalez’s memory of when he developed his love for the game comes with childhood memories he shared with his father. “There’s one pretty funny moment I remember from when I was a kid,” Gonzalez said. “Me and my dad were practicing and I told my dad not to hit me, so he tossed it and he ended up hitting me. I ended up chasing him all over the field with a baseball bat trying to hit him.” [See GONZALEZ, pg. 8]
Grad requirement increase delayed
Board of Trustees postpones vote to raise GE units
LGBTQ safety program offers CEU credits
Trainers will be taught to develop and maintain a safe environment for LGBTQ students, faculty and staff by the California Community College Student Health Program. The eight-hour event is free without Continuing Education Units, but costs $25 with CEUs. Its “Train-the-Trainer” event is Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the ASO on the first floor of the Library / Learning Center. RSVP for the event with the QR code below. #PierceGSA
ASO to host study hall before finals week
A three-day event with tutors and food will begin the week before finals, courtesy of the Associated Students Organization. There will be pizza, muffins and coffee, according to ASO Head Committee Chair of Student Outreach Noura Hervani. The “Open Study Hall” will be open from Tuesday, May 26, through Thursday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Life Center on the first floor of the Library / Learning Center. #PierceASO
SAL FARIAZ Assistant Sports Editor @S̲Fariaz The vote for whether or not to approve the addition of three general education units to the requirement for an associate degree was tabled by the Los Angeles Community College District. The LACCD Board of Trustees was scheduled to vote on the matter during a meeting at L.A. Mission College on Wednesday, May 13. “The foundation of an associate degree is general education,” said Elizabeth Atondo, articulation officer at Pierce College. Most of the colleges represented at the meeting were in favor of the amendment. The LACCD is on the lower end when it comes to its 18 required general education units for an associate degree.
This semester’s President’s Award and Outstanding Student Award will net its winners $750 each. The President’s Award is open to students with a 3.0 GPA who are currently enrolled in at least nine units and are graduating or transferring at the end of this semester. The Outstanding Student Awards requires a 3.5 GPA and a declared major and earns the winner a trophy as well as the cash prize. Faculty and staff can nominate students for the President’s Award, while only faculty can nominate for the Outstanding Student Award. The deadline for nominations for both awards is Friday, May 22. Who will you nominate? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter with #PierceAwards.
Philosophy Dept. to host open mic, cabaret event Calvin Alagot / Roundup
Kathleen Burke, Pierce College president, announced at the May 13 LACCD Board of Trustees meeting that 70 Pierce students were admitted to the University of California, Berkeley. Sylmar, Calif. “We looked at Pasadena, College of the Canyons and Moorpark, and everyone is more than 21 [units],” Atondo said. “So 21 is minimal. It’s a third of an associate degree. It’s so reasonable and students should
want it.” This change would only affect new students, and continuing students would only be required to take 18 general education units. The district is trying to keep up with this movement as well as
meet the needs of the colleges in the best way for them. This issue brought many staff and faculty members from LA Trade-Tech College to speak on behalf of the school and its students. [See BOARD, pg. 4]
Philosophy of Art and Icebox Journal will hold “The Philosophers Cabaret” event in the Great Hall at Pierce College on May 28, at 5 p.m. The event will have live bands, refreshments, student performances and an after-party DJ. If you are interested in performing, contact Melanie McQuitty at mcquittym@gmail. com. #PierceCabaret
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Criminal justice majors, brothers share baseball dream