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A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Volume 125 - Issue 3
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Page 4: Faculty Art Exhibition
ROUND OUNDUP
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More money to push IT initiatives After a good fiscal year, Pierce now has the funds to hire more help on campus, including the IT Department SKYLAR LESTER Reporter @Slesterphoto
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roblems with Wi-Fi and non-functioning smart classrooms continue to frustrate faculty and students. Information technology issues on campus were a major topic of conversation at the Academic Senate on Sept. 26, 2016 in the Great Hall. According to Vice President of Administrative Services, Rolf Schleicher, Pierce is in fiscal shape and is hiring faculty at a high rate. Eight new IT positions have recently been filled and two more positions, including DCS technician and media specialist, are expected to be filled. “If we are unable to get the majority of the work done, it will be difficult for us to deliver the services that students and faculty are seeking as far as IT support,” Schleicher said. The plan centers around a five phase process, covering a number of initiatives. Pierce is purchasing new servers, working on its databases, and trying to update the entire infrastructure. The Academic Senate is consulting focus groups to discuss what Wi-Fi should be like at Pierce to get a better idea of how to tackle the problem. The IT issues originated in
the Center for Sciences and were discussed by the Academic Policy Committee during the summer before being brought up at the Academic Senate meeting. The broad campus community has experienced IT issues, according to senator Michelle Meyer. Pierce IT Manager Mark Henderson was not present at the meeting, but had expressed in the past that if the five phase plan were to move forward, it would affect the morale of the current IT personnel. That being said, he was still in favor of it passing. This discussion caused confusion among senate members the last time the issue was voted on, leading to a majority of abstentions. According to nursing instructor Connie Tu, the senators’ main concern should not be the morale of the IT staff. “I think we should not forget that this community college is for the students and if we’re thinking about the morale of the IT [staff] we should also think about the morale of the students, because it’s very frustrating if you’re right there and you’re trying to teach something and you don’t have the resources. I really think we should move forward with this one,” Tu said. According to professional development representative, Maria Perser, Henderson has been asking the administration through
Amy Au / Roundup
Anna Bruzzese, Academic Senate president, recounts the budget before the vote while Susan Armenta, senate secretary, types during the Academic Senate meeting on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. Annual Program Plans (APP’s) for additional resources for the last ten years. The move forward will be a gradual phased approach, and the changes will affect every area of campus. Other topics discussed by the panel included new hire concerns, the LA College Promise, as well as disaster recovery and safety
Blown away by hot deals
The Vintage Market lured in thousands on Sunday SAMANTHA BRAVO News Editor @sammybravo93
Rows of tents and tables were set up by vendors with vintage antiques, accessories, and collectibles for the Topanga Vintage Market on Sunday Sept. 25. More than 130 vendors and about 2,000 shoppers enjoyed the Vintage Market despite the heat and dust storm that started around noon. Tents were flying and glasses broke due to the wind and dust storm that caused the market to close earlier than usual. The Vintage Market was at Pierce College from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Parking Lot 7. The entry fee is $3; children 12 and under enter for free. Pierce College students and staff get $1 off admission. Patrice Curedale, one of the cofounders of the Topanga Vintage Market, has organized the market since they started in 2012. “We get here really early, and vendors come at around 5 a.m. to start setting up,” Curedale said.
Abdolreza Rastegarrazi / Roundup
Roberto Jimenez plays guitar at the Vintage Market on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. “We try to have everyone ready by 8 a.m.” According to Curedale, the market was originally located at the Westfield Promenade before they moved to Pierce College in 2014 because there was more space to accommodate them. The market also hosts contests on Instagram. Visitors could post a photo and use the hashtag #TopangaVintageMarket for a chance to win vintage bucks and
use the coupon on their next visit. “We call it insta vintage. If someone is on Instagram they could take a picture, post it from the market, and tag Topanga Vintage Market,” Curedale said. “We would pick our winner toward the end of the day. You can win $20 in vintage bucks.” This contest is how the market tries to engage its customers, reminding them when the next vintage market is going to be.
concerns on campus, specifically within the nursing program. Nursing students and staff who occupy the Center for Sciences have expressed serious security concerns. The Center for Sciences building has no Wi-Fi, no cell phone service, and all of the blue safety poles have been removed from the area. “We want to have more participation,” Curedale said. “(We want) to build a whole community with Instagram and Twitter. We really do want to create a connection with the seller and buyer.” There’s an artisan section where people can find local creative people, unknown to most, that create items that cater to specific tastes. Christina Humphrey, a vendor at the market, lives in Woodland Hills and sells handmade crystal jewelry. Humphrey heard about the Vintage Market from her friend who also sells at the market. “I’ve been doing this for about five months. I also sell on Etsy; [I have a shop] called Enchanted Gemporium,” Humphrey said. “This is actually my first time selling anywhere. I haven’t sold anything yet, but it’s really fun talking to people.” This month’s live entertainment was Roberto Jimenez. Jimenez performed at the restaurant Follow Your Heart in Canoga Park before Curedale asked him to come perform at the Vintage Market. “We saw him perform at Follow Your Heart and we were thinking, ‘Wow, I wonder if he would perform at the Vintage Market,’” Curedale said. “And I think they’re doing pretty well because all the musicians that perform always want to come back.” There was also a live acapella group, named “Unplugged,” composed of eighth grade students from Topanga, California, that performed original songs and covers at the market. Shane Liliedahl is the acapela group’s teacher and beatboxer. [For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]
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According to Associate Professor of Nursing, Bonnie Lemus, this is a huge safety issue for staff and students alike. “We have incidents where people come in from the outside and we’re not able to protect ourselves should something really significant happen,” Lemus said. In the case of an emergency, staff and students in the Center for
Sciences have no way to alert the sheriff’s deputies located on the opposite end of campus because of the lack of cell phone reception in the area. [For the full story visit theroundupnews.com] Slester.roundupnews@gmail.com
#PierceScene
Ezzat Wanas / Roundup Pierce's Leslie Ramirez and Chaffey's Justine Silva try and head the ball at a home game at Pierce College on Friday, Sept. 23, 2016 in Woodland Hills, Calif.
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