Woodland Hills, California Volume 138 - Issue 6
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Graduating with prride
Faculty and staff take strides toward a more LGBTQ+ friendly graduation ceremony
Photo by Lindsey Whittaker
are going to help show the way,” Fields shared. “Because as we've seen from all of our data, we've seen a huge increase in the number of people who are not associated with any one specific gender.” Fields notes that Pierce has made progressive and inclusive changes on Canvas but the nonbinary community is always evolving just as gender expression is always evolving. “It used to just be she/her, he/ him, they/them which was a great step forward,” Fields explained. “But now we're actually looking at those that are maybe blending pronouns. So, he/they, she/they, and he/she.” In honor of Pierce College’s 75th Anniversary, students who sign up will receive a free graduation package, including a
cap and gown, a yard sign and a commemorative license plate frame. Cifra said students graduating this June are encouraged to sign up early. “It is also our incentive for them to apply earlier, because we want to know who they are ahead of time,” Cifra said. *
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Enrollment numbers increased Since late start classes started on Monday, headcount is 112% compared to the district at 110%. Vice President of Academic Affairs Mary Jo Apigo reported that enrollment is at 118%, far above the district wide average. Apigo was cautiously
optimistic about the growing rates and hinted that there is still a long way to go in terms of getting back to 2017 enrollment rates. “The sobering news is that when we compare the 2017 numbers, headcount is down 21% and enrollment is down 23%,” Apigo said. “So our numbers were great compared to last year and there's still some work to do as we try to recover back to the 2017 numbers.” The next Academic Senate meeting will be held at the Faculty and Staff Center Monday, April 24 at 2:15 p.m..
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Academic Senate members Cara Gillis, Alex Villalta, Barbara Anderson and woman talk at Academic Senate meeting in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 10, 2023.
BY LINDSEY WHITTAKER Reporter
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raduation marks a huge milestone in a student’s life, and Pierce College might have a way to make the LGBTQIA community feel more represented. During the Academic Senate meeting on Monday, Vice President of Student Services Jason Cifra announced that students graduating in June will receive a commemorative license plate frame with the word alumnus or alumni. Professor of astronomy Dale Fields mentioned that it might be a good idea to have the frames
say alum instead, to be more inclusive and reflective of the diverse student body. “We have students from all over and we need to actually be more responsive in recognizing everyone's individual identity,” Fields said. Cifra said that the order of license plate frames has not been officially submitted so there still may be time to make the edit in time for this year’s graduation. As the campus representative to the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee and LGBTQIA affairs, Fields said that changing the frame would make non-binary students who are not out to their family and friends feel a part of without risking their privacy.
“I think it's both a protection for our students that aren't out, but also a great benefit for those that do want to see something that doesn't force them to the current cultural straightjacket,” Fields said. Fields believes that there are many ways that gender can be removed in communications where it is not absolutely necessary. From helping students to display their authentic names and pronouns to appear in Canvas to providing more gender-neutral restrooms, Fields thinks Pierce can always do better. And Fields encourages students to use their voices and get involved “I really hope that our students
Photo by Lindsey Whittaker
Astronomy professor Dale Fields talks at the Academic Senate Meeting in Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 10, 2023.
SPORTS: Brahmas swing and miss against Ventura
With tough competition, there’s only room for improvement on the baseball field. Bill Picketts continues to develop a strong group of baseball players BY ALEC BENNET REPORTER
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nother tough loss for Pierce College Baseball, the team was defeated 14-4 on Tuesday at Joe Kelly Field against Ventura County. While the team has had a difficult season so far, both the players and coaches remain optimistic for improvement ahead. Despite not getting the results he was looking for, head coach Bill Picketts was still proud of the hardwork and dedication his team put out there on the field. “Obviously the outcome wasn’t what we wanted,” said Picketts. “But I saw some good things, I got some guys off the bench and saw some new at bats.” Picketts said that the main problem that allowed Ventura to win was that we were walking too many players, and made occasional poor defensive decisions. “Probably the biggest issue that we had was that we walked too many guys,” said Picketts.
“We had some opportunities to get out of innings early, but we didn’t execute our defense.” Picketts also said that his team simply wasn’t prepared for this game, and that hopefully with intensive practice and a refreshed mindset, they will see improvement in the next game against Ventura County. “We just need to show up. That was the speech I just had with them,” Picketts said. “I didn’t think they were ready to play today, and that showed in the scoreboard.” Starting pitcher Brent Chavez felt confident in his performance, and said that he was commanding some pitches well, but wants to improve. “The fastball and changeup was good,” said Chavez. “But I was struggling with the command on the slider.” Chavez also said he felt consistent with good pitch placement on the corners of the plate, but the umpire was missing some strike calls. “I feel like I painted the corners sometimes, but the blue wouldn’t give me those,” Chavez said. “It’s
alright, we just have to be better next time.” Utility player Danny Gonzalez said he was hoping for a better performance from the Brahama’s, but he was still proud of the effort given.
“Overall I definitely feel we could have done a little better on our end,” said Gonzalez. “But I think our defense did pretty good. Our pitching was a lot better this week too.” Gonzalez said that the main
improvement needed is more consistent hitting and better approach at the plate. “Well, I think on our end we just had to do better overall,” Gonzalez said. “There’s no other way to say it, just better
Photo byOwen Meza
Pitcher Brent Chavez throws a ball to home base in Joe Kelly Field at Pierce College at Woodland Hills, Calif., on April 11, 2023.
In this issue Daylight Savings Time.......................................2 Stop WOKE Act..................................................3 French Film Festival...........................................3
accountability at the plate.” Even with difficulty making contact at the plate on Tuesday, the Brahmas have been consistent throughout the entirety of the season. The team’s overall batting average is listed at .269, according to the Pierce College athletics website. Gonzalez also gave a message to Pierce students to encourage them to not give up on their home team. “Stay with the bulls, cause the bulls get hot,” Gonzalez said. Despite a difficult loss last Tuesday, the Brahmas have seen improvement with both offense and defense throughout the season. With only three home games left, the Brahmas still have room for change regarding the remainder of the spring 2023 season. The Brahmas face Moorpark College on Saturday, April 22 at Joe Kelly Field.
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