ROUND OUNDUP www.theroundupnews.com
Woodland Hills, California
Volume 132 - Issue 5
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
How to combat quarantine boredom Online entertainment resources BY GISELLE ORMENO
T
he daily routines of many people in Los Angeles have come to a stop because of COVID-19, but that doesn't mean people still can’t have fun. While people are home following the rules of quarantine, they can stay connected online. Social media apps, including Houseparty, have become the new ways for family members and friends to reunite and hang out. Houseparty
Kevin Lendio / Roundup (Right to left) Arthur Yin, senior secratary, and Susan Rhi-Kleinert, dean of Academic Affairs, wait to distribute laptops provided by the Los Angeles Community College District for staff and professors of Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 3, 2020. For more information about laptop distribution for faculty, see page 3.
Former PACE Director dies Found success through education and encouraged others to do the same BY ALEJANDRA AGUILERA
A
rthur Gillis, former director of the Program for Accelerated College Education (PACE) at Pierce and an advocate for adult learners pursuing higher education, died from a long-term illness on March 21. He was 73. Linda Gillis, his wife of 53 years, said in a phone interview that Arthur Gillis came from a poor family. He viewed education as a ticket out of that economic state and later became the first person in his family to attend college. “He touched many students personally because he did come from a background that was very similar to a lot of students that he taught,” Linda Gillis said. “He realized that he could get out from under with education and he really encouraged people to get their degree because it’s something that couldn’t be taken away from them.” Arthur Gillis, who also went by Art, grew up in the same Chicagoan neighborhood as his wife Linda Gillis. The pair began to date when they were both teenagers. By the time they got married, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois in 1970. He then became a certified public accountant through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1972 and later worked at the Bansley and Kiener firm as Senior Accountant. The husband and wife eventually moved to California along with their two sons, Joshua and Brian, in 1977. After a series of business administration and accounting jobs, Art Gillis experienced life as an adult learner first-hand while continuing his higher education. He earned a master’s in taxation in 1999 at Golden Gate University, followed by a doctorate in education at Nova Southeastern University in 2002. He then began teaching business courses at DeVry University and at California Lutheran University, even while working at Pierce. “There was nothing he cared for more than his family, and next were the students,” Linda Gillis said. “He really took them under his wing.” According to an article published by the Roundup in October of 2004, Art Gillis was named the new PACE Program Director at Pierce that same year.
Photo courtesy of Lupita Narkevicius. Arthur Gillis poses with his award of recognition from the Los Angeles Unified School District Personnel Commission, on April 16, 2008.
"There was nothing he cared for more than his family, and next were the students." - Linda Gillis Lupita Narkevicius, Senior Office Assistant of the program, said in a phone interview that she’s known Art Gillis since they became colleagues in 2006. “He was always the driving force behind the PACE program,” Narkevicius said. “He had a real passion for making sure that our
population of working adults got a chance to get the same education as any other students.” When Narkevicius first got hired, she had associate’s degrees in computer technology, business communication and liberal arts. But after bonding over being Type A people and sharing a dry sense of humor, Art encouraged Narkevicius to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree. “He was just one of those people that really, really believed in higher education,” Narkevicius said. “I'd always wanted to do it, but with work and everything, it's really hard to balance a work life, personal life and pursuing an advanced education.”
Art accommodated Narkevicius’ work hours while she juggled being a full-time employee at the PACE program and a full-time college student beginning in 2009. After a couple years of dedication, Narkevicius earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Pepperdine University and later a master’s degree in business administration from the same college in 2013. Dean of Academic Affairs Mary Anne Gavarra-Oh said in a phone interview that she met Art Gillis in 2012, and later oversaw the PACE program. She said Art Gillis helped expand the program by creating different branches in Norwalk and in downtown Los Angeles. “He believed in the working suit, our adult students,” GavarraOh said. “He was always working through the departments and looking for the best instructors that would benefit his program.” PACE Director Joleen VossRodriguez said in a statement via email, that Gillis was a caring colleague and campus leader. Even after retiring in 2017, she said he made himself available to answer questions regarding the program. “His dedication to the growth of the PACE program and support of the PACE students remained strong,” Voss-Rodriguez said. “We adored Art and are deeply saddened by his loss.” Once retired, Art Gillis became an adjunct professor and continued teaching business courses at Pierce and at DeVry University. Linda Gillis recollects how in April of last year, Art Gillis had to cancel a class since he was being hospitalized. While in the hospital room, two students in that particular class walked in to visit their professor and hugged both Linda and Art Gillis. Then the pupils gave him an orchid plant and a card as “Get well soon” momentos. “In the card they wrote something that [Art] was so influential in continuing their education,” Linda Gillis said. “It was quite touching.” Arthur Gillis is survived by his wife Linda, their three sons Joshua, Brian and Daniel and their grandchildren. aaguilera.roundupnews@gmail.com
In Houseparty’s latest update, CEO and co-founder Sima Sistani stated that Houseparty had become the normal routine for everyone in the past few weeks. “We’re humbled to bring people together during this unprecedented time for everyone around the world,” said Sima Sistani said in a statementin a blog post. “As we physically distance ourselves for the common good, online human connections are more important than ever before. It’s a challenging time, but we are committed to ensuring the best possible experience for our customers, fans, and supporters.” Netflix Party Netflix is partnering with Google Chrome so that groups of people can stream and chat about series or movies together, at the same time, without having to be in the same room. The Netflix and Google Chrome extension synchronizes video playback and adds group chats for friendly commentary. National Historical Museums Visit the National Historical Museums of LA County Virtually Even though the National Historical Museums (NHM) of LA County are closed, the museum is uploading videos onto their website for the public to explore exhibits. They are inviting people to learn about natural and cultural wonders safely from the comfort of their homes. This month the NHM is putting the spotlight on Earth. The latest entry is about the discovery of the smallest dinosaur to date named Oculudentavis, or eye-tooth-bird, for its strange features of having large eyes and many teeth. The dinosaur's body is preserved in 99-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. Babbel Learn a new language for free through Babbel. Babbel, a subscription-based language learning app and online learning platform, has announced
that they will let students K-12 and college students use their services free for three months. Babbel stated in their company blog that while nothing can replace the environment of being in a live language classroom, they have created courses made by native language speakers and language teachers. The purpose of these courses is to improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. "As a learning company, we figured the best way we could help our community right now is to open up our entire stash of online language learning content to students who are looking for some continuity (or just a way to stay busy) while they're stuck at home," Babbel said on their blog. Raisa Esmeral's experience Here’s how one Pierce College Student is dealing with her boredom Raisa Esmeral, a Kinesiology major, said through email correspondence that going through the COVID-19 pandemic has made her focus on personal art. "Being the type of person I am when bored, I feel I have to do something creative with my time and energy,” Esmeral said. “It helps a lot, and I personally think it heals us mentally as well." Esmeral is currently using art programs on her computer such as Clip Art Studio and Photoshop to pass the time. On Adobe's website, there is a list of helpful sources they provide to help people stay creative and productive during the crisis. Adobe has also recently announced that students K-12 and higher education institutions will provide Creative Cloud access to students through on-campus labs. Esmeral occupying her time with digital art and also learning how to crochet. Crochet is the process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread or strands of other materials. Esmeral already has a Harry Potter crochet kit ready to go, that was a gift from her sister. Like any other person stuck at home, she is also streaming shows and movies online through streaming platforms such as Netflix and Crunchyroll to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been streaming the latest popular documentary "Tiger King," on Netflix, and the anime "My Hero Academia" on Crunchyroll. "Art in media like shows and animations helps me out too, it can be fun to find a new show or movie," Esmeral said. gormeno.roundupnews@gmail.com
Katya Castillo / Roundup Deputy Carlos Gonzalez checks in visitors at the Winnetka entrance at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 3, 2020.