Clarion 10/14/20

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CLARION

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ccclarion.com VOL LXXIV • Issue 2

October 14, 2020

Meet the new gunslingers

PHOTO COURTESY: CITRUS COLLEGE, ANTHONY CONTRERAS, LAURA BOLLINGER, ERIC KALJUMAGI, JOE SALAS, MARY ANN LUTZ - GRAPHIC BY ETHAN LANDA

Big changes coming to Citrus College Board of Trustees read all about the new sherriffs in town on page 2

VP of student affairs to retire

BY RYAN URIBE

STAFF REPORTER

RURIBE@CCCLARION.COM

The vice president of academic affairs, who also took on the position of vice president of student services this semester, stands on the heels of retirement come December.

Dr. Arvid Spor began his career at Citrus College eight years ago as vice president of student services. In 2015 Spor transitioned to the position of vice president of academic affairs. He will retire from the same position in addition to the temporary role of vice president of student services after Martha McDonald resigned from the position Aug. 24.

“Although the positions are

“Whether in his current role as Vice President of Academic Affairs or in his former role as Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Spor’s steady leadership has benefited the college immensely.”

Geraldine Perri Superintendent/President

SPOR

similar and there are parts of both jobs that do not require me to do double the work, there is a lot more student interaction as the VP of Student Services,” Spor said.

“As VP of Student Services I work with the Associated Students of Citrus College and also handle discipline, so I see the good and the bad,” Spor said.

Academic affairs also oversees the administration of transfer and vocational instruction programs, the curriculum approval process, online education and the development of course schedules.

“With academic affairs we are primarily looking at the future— six months to a year out, what

and when we need to offer with classes, and to make sure we have the faculty with the right skills to foster those courses appropriately, especially today being fully remote,” Spor said.

Prior to Citrus College, Spor was the Dean of Enrollment Services at El Camino College in Torrance for seven years. Spor has been in administration for 26 years doing part-time teaching and counseling.

Like many of his students, Spor began his college journey at a community college with the assistance of Pell grants and financial aid.

“Just like a lot of our students, I had to pay all out of my pocket; my parents didn’t have the money for it,” he said.

His responsibilities in a senior level position create stress, long nights, weekends and work on vacations to maintain a successful

community college. The added responsibility of working remotely to get the job done has created extra work.

He wants to leave reassured that Citrus College will stay in high esteem upon his departure.

“There are those who enjoy their job so much that they really don’t want to even retire that are in their 70s or older that still really enjoy their classes, and people enjoy them; and then there are others who look forward to the day they can stop the day-to-day work world,” Spor explains. “I am one of those in that second category.”

After over 20 years of combined experience with California community colleges, he decided that once the accreditation report was through he would hang up his hat and retire.

“I felt like once that was done I could go ahead and retire without leaving the college in an awkward place,” Spor said.

Spor was extremely grateful to be able to work with Superintendent/ President Geraldine Perri and the teams surrounding the college.

“Whether in his current role as Vice President of Academic Affairs or in his former role as Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Spor’s steady leadership has benefitted the college immensely,”

Perri said in an email. “(It) seems like almost everyday I’m doing work stuff, even if it’s a holiday or weekend, and it will be nice not to have emails (or) texts about work,” Spor said.

Perri said she is grateful and appreciative of the many years of service that Spor dedicated to Citrus.

“His calm approach and empathetic nature have made him a great colleague, while his ability to foster an atmosphere of collaboration has been invaluable,” Perri said.

“His many contributions to Citrus College will long be remembered, and I am certain that his future will hold many additional opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Spor plans to take up traveling upon retirement, but not just in the form of vacationing.

Spor envisions himself becoming one of the locals in a foreign or exotic country, fully submerging himself into whatever cultural surroundings he is in.

“The country of Croatia would be where I want to go first— I saw a travel show about Croatia that highlighted the seafood,” Spor said.

“For those that know me, know that I love fish and seafood so that’s where I’d like to go first.”

2 confirmed COVID-19 cases

BY ALANA DALY O’BRIEN

MANAGING EDITOR

ADALYOBRIEN@CCCLARION.COM

In an email sent to all staff September 27, Director of Human

Resources Robert Sammis confirmed another positive COVID-19 case in “at least one employee” on campus.

This marks the second positive case on campus between Aug. 18 and 27.

The employee worked in the Maintenance area on August 20th.

“Those who may have been in the area or had contact with the individual have been notified, and

cleaning and disinfecting of the exposed location are in progress,” Sammis stated in the email.

If you were in or around this area at this time and have not been

contacted by the school already, please contact Director Sammis at rsammis@citruscollege.edu.

The campus is currently closed

Read COVID-19, Page 4

2 Wednesday, October 14, 2020

News

CLARION

Three candidates, one seat

Board of Trustees Area 2 Forum Highlights Candidate Divide

BY ALANA DALY O’BRIEN

MANAGING EDITOR

ADALYOBRIEN@CCCLARION.COM

The three candidates running for the Board of Trustees Area 2 seat debated their various platforms in a candidate forum hosted by the Citrus College Faculty Association Sept. 14.

The candidates Joe Salas, Laura Bollinger and Eric Kaljumagi, all residents of Claremont, are vying for the seat representing the district that comprises Claremont and portions of Pomona and La Verne.

The forum was hosted by CCFA Treasurer and Professor of Political Science Gerhard Peters and CCFA Senate Liaison and Professor of Communications John Fincher. The questions were submitted by the Citrus community.

Salas and Bollinger frequently mentioned their time as students at Citrus while Kaljumagi highlighted his experience assisting administration as a professor for Mt. San Antonio College.

The questions included what programs they would seek to cut if the school loses funding due to the pandemic, how they would meet with union leaders still under active negotiations with the district and if they plan to change the Administration of Justice programs in response to the nationwide calls

to reduce, or even eliminate, law enforcement agencies.

All candidates were hesitant to agree to cutting any programs as a result of possible budget cuts in the future. Bollinger asserted the need for reassessing administrative costs while Kaljumagi emphasized going into reserves, or a rainy day fund, and advocating for a reallocation of funds directly in Sacramento.

Salas emphasized his experience bargaining for shared sacrifice during the economic downturn of 2008 and encouraged cuts across the board instead of layoffs.

In response to the possibility of meeting with collective bargaining units during active negotiations, Kaljumagi replied that he would still meet with union leaders while Salas asserted that he would rather meet with faculty members individually and informally to listen to their needs instead as it is someone else’s job, the chief negotiator, to meet with union leaders during a collective bargaining agreement negotiation.

Bollinger said that she would prefer to have a good working relationship with faculty prior to negotiations to best understand their needs ahead of time and leave the negotiating up to the district’s chief negotiator, Robert Sammis.

The last question before final statements was if the candidates plan to cut or eliminate Citrus’ security force and training of future police officers through the Administration of Justice program given the recent challenges to law enforcement agencies. Kaljumagi said the short

PHOTO COURTESY LAURA BOLLINGER

PHOTO COURTESY ERIC KALJUMAGI

PHOTO COURTESY JOE SALAS

Candidate Laura Bollinger

Candidate Eric Kaljumagi

Candidate Joe Salas

answer is no, further responding by quoting an op-ed he published in a local paper in June.

“We cannot reach our ideal of freedom if we fear our police,” he said. “We need to ensure that they are receiving ongoing training on how to de-escalate situations and evaluations to ensure that the officers are following the training.”

Salas highlighted his experience as a lifeguard and EMT for the city of L.A. “working hand-in-hand with the fire department and law enforcement.” He said he is in favor of defunding the police if it means increasing the support systems so that there are social workers responding with members of law enforcement to situations.

“How incredible would it be if our Academic Senate increased the amount of units towards this Administration of Justice … where they receive diversity training so they can figure out the history of police forces, how they were slave patrols, and how they have clashed with communities of color,” Salas said.

Bollinger wanted to differentiate Citrus from other school security forces as Citrus is a non-armed security force that brings in the Glendora Police Department or Azusa Police Department as needed.

“I would however question the training that they have for mental health situations, how to de-escalate that,” Bollinger said. “The DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

committee has already said they are going to look at curriculum across the board, which includes the Administration of Justice and Criminal Justice courses. This will go a long way in how the police force looks at our college campuses all over the state.”

The next candidate forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct 1, hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Mt. Baldy area. The forum will be held virtually with no audience and uploaded later to their YouTube channel, LWV Mt. Baldy Area President Barbara Nicoll said. The vote for the Area 2 seat will take place on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Board of Trustees appoints provisional area 1 trustee

BY LUCY ARGAEZ

NEWS EDITOR

LARGAEZ@CCCLARION.COM

The Citrus Community College District Board of Trustees swore in Anthony Contreras in a provisional appointment to serve as Area 1 Trustee.

The early resignation of Barbara Dickerson created a vacancy on the board to be filled within 60 days. The board accepted applications until Sept. 25 to appoint a new member instead of the usual path of the public electing members of the board.

The acting appointment of the Area 1 candidate was moved up from Nov. 17 to Oct. 6, immediately after the public hearing and vote on the candidates.

“We originally thought we had 60 days simply to make the provisional appointment and we thought we could seat the board member later, but we had to complete both within the 60 days,” Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said.

Contreras will serve as trustee from Oct. 6 to Nov. 1, 2022. His appointed area covers Azusa and portions of Duarte.

Applicants Contreras, Xilonin Cruz-Gonzales, Shawn M. Millner and Victor Eduardo Muñoz interviewed for 10 min each, and the board decided on the trustee after.

Contreras said his family has lived in the area since the 1930s, his parents attended Citrus High School, he later attended Citrus

Area 5 Trustee Mary Ann Lutz

PHOTO COURTESY MARY ANN LUTZ

Lutz declared winner

BY ALANA DALY O’BRIEN

MANAGING EDITOR

ADALYOBRIEN@CCCLARION.COM

Provisional Area 1 Trustee Anthony Contreras

College and was a first-generation graduate.

As a Citrus graduate, he said his ties to the college and the surrounding community played a big part in his life and decision to apply for the position.

“Citrus started my dream: my bachelor’s, a masters, my doctorate— it all started at Citrus College,” Contreras said.

Contreras was a planning commissioner for the city of Azusa, a member of the Downtown North Business Advisory Committee, a member of the Knights of Columbus and was a former commissioner for the Junior

PHOTO COURTSEY ANTHONY CONTRERAS

Basketball Association.

“Anywhere I can enrich someone’s life, that’s where I like to place my time and energy,” Contreras said.

He said he strongly believes in supporting students. Contreras worked in public education for over 30 years and said he loves to build personal connections with his students. “Helping students accomplish dreams, their goals, support their families— that’s invigorating,” he said. “That’s part of my why; we are not only bettering the individual, we are bettering the community and society.”

The L.A. County Registrar’s Office declared Mary Ann Lutz winner of the election for the position of Area 5 Trustee for the Citrus College Board of Trustees.

She announced her win in a video posted to Facebook on Sept. 15.

Area 5 comprises Monrovia, Bradbury and portions of Duarte.

The Area 5 Representative position will no longer be on the Nov. 3 ballot as no other candidates filed to run in that district. The current Area 5 Board Trustee, Joanne Montgomery, was first elected in 1999, and her term ends at the end of November.

Lutz has been a Monrovia resident since 1984 and served as the mayor of Monrovia from 2009 to 2015. When first elected as mayor, she was the only elected female mayor in L.A. County. Since then, she was president of the National

Women’s Political Caucus of the San Gabriel Valley to further uplift women in office.

“Citrus is unusual in that … there is a majority female board,” she said.

Lutz will take over one of the three open positions left by women on the board who are moving on this term.

“As we lose three board members, you lose institutional memory,” she said.

With the Area 5 position now filled, the Area 1 seat available after the resignation of Barbara Dickerson is still vacant and accepting applications through 5 p.m. Sept. 25. The Area 2 seat will be on the Nov. 3 ballot and has three candidates running for the position.

Lutz said Montgomery was her mentor. Montgomery’s advocacy for education convinced Lutz to pursue the trustee position. One of the issues Lutz plans to address in her community is promoting Citrus and its resources over the other community colleges in the area, such as Pasadena City College.

Features

Churches near Glendora offer outdoor services

BY RYAN URIBE

STAFF REPORTER

RURIBE@CCCLARION.COM

After Governor Newsom ordered a stop to indoor church services in early May due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, some local churches resorted to outdoor services with smaller gatherings while larger churches have gone online.

One All Church, previously Christ’s Church of the Valley in San Dimas, Lead Executive Pastor Dan Borgen explained, “the reason we are not meeting right now is because we want to be like Jesus.

“We do not want to be an epicenter for spreading the disease,” he said. “For a church our size it would be difficult to have limited services outside— some smaller churches are able to meet outside, and we are glad that they do, but because of the size of our church we believe that our best option is at home.”

Hacienda Heights resident

Rebecca Yee spoke out about the benefits of outdoor services and how she, her family and her faith are dealing with the process.

“It was a struggle praying alone and it really showed me how dependent my faith was upon the fellowship of the church,” Yee said.

Glendora Community Church and Cornerstone Church are regularly holding outdoor services and mass on Sundays.

Joy De Vries, a volunteer and attendee at the Glendora Community Church was able to provide some information about the structure and times of the services which are held at 6 p.m.

Sundays. The pastor for the church is Mike Platter.

“Outdoor services began in May with social distancing and masks being advised,” De Vries said.

“When services outdoors began the attendance was full, but now (that) the heat has increased, attendance has dwindled down a bit,” she said. “Tape markers have been put in place to designate

Wednesday, October 14, 2020 3

CLARION

RYAN URIBE - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Cornerstone Bible Church in Glendora is shown on Sept. 23 — one of the many churches that has resorted to holding outdoor services due to a statewide order limiting indoor gatherings in public spaces.

social distancing and people are also advised to bring extra chairs just in case.”

Cornerstone Church, located off Glendora Avenue and Whitcomb Street in Glendora, has been a staple in the community since 1913. Sheri Pine, church attendee

and San Dimas resident, was able to provide more information regarding the outdoor services.

Cornerstone Church started outdoor services in late August.

Cornerstone has added a large patio area in the parking lot with a huge industrial tarp creating

shade for church members. The Christian church is led by Pastor Bruce French.

“People were asked to bring their own chairs, masks and practice social distancing,” Pine said. ”Services are held at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.”

Professors bring their whiteboards online

BY GEORGI SLAVCHEV

STAFF REPORTER

GSLAVCHEV@CCCLARION.COM

During the Citrus College campus closure through the fall semester due to COVID-19, students are continuing their studies online through platforms like Zoom and Canvas.

In March, professors were told the campus would close immediately and to begin the transition to remote learning. This was very stressful for professors who have never taught online before, such as Ballet Professor Jennifer Allgaier.

“It’s a challenge and it’s not ideal,” Allgaier said in a phone interview. “It was a big challenge having that same energy we do in a physical class setting. You don’t have the same equipment you would usually have at a dance studio.”

For Instructors like Allgaier, the transition to online learning was not something they were ready for. However, there were a handful of professors who were quite the opposite, like History and Humanities Professor Senya Lubisich.

“I’ve been doing online classes since the 90s and since 2004 when I was first hired at Citrus,” Lubisich said on a Zoom call. “Everyone was in big crisis mode … (there was) a lot of reimagining and shifting courses.” “Everything was a blur: moving content online, training, and long webinars for faculty,” Lubisich described of her work in the position of Online Coordinator.

But she said she learned a lot from her colleagues.

Campus closures caused the faculty to brainstorm different ways of accommodating students, while the administration gave professors training in remote

learning software and techniques.

“I had training in the summer as well, some of which were free, but some I had to pay from my own pocket, and they really helped,” Allgaier said. “We realized we have to focus on what we can control: alignment, Barre work, obviously some things difficult to do at home, but we manage.”

Although Lubisich had years of experience with online courses, she felt there was a large gap that needed to be filled.

“I try to take everything I can from my physical classes and transfer them to online courses, engaging with students through discussion, even adding physical media such as PowerPoints or videos,” she explained.

Although circumstances make it difficult, professors somehow managed to make their online classroom resemble those back on campus.

“Although we’re not on campus at the dance studio, many of my students have created their own equipment— some students made bars from pipes, slabs used as a dance floor; I myself use chairs and countertops,” Allgaier said.

“We use whatever we can find.”

Getting students prepared for quizzes and exams is another concern among professors. New technology has surfaced to help professors by not just covering their lessons, but also as new resources for their students.

“For my Humanities course, which I usually teach in person, I’ve searched for other tools and technology,” Lubisich said. “One was Softchalk lessons, which really helped students understand the material better.” Soft chalk is an education software focusing on online lessons, usually interactive and curriculum-based.

PHOTO COURTESY PIXABAY

Well-being is also very important in the transition to online courses.

Questions were raised about whether professors are interacting with their students online as they would in the classroom.

“I interact with my students: I ask them how they’re doing with their courses and if they’re adjusting well,” Lubisich said.

“Supporting students is something very important at a time like this.”

Staying at home has taken a toll on college students. 42 percent of college students are having trouble focusing on their studies, ActiveMinds reports. Students have trouble accessing and acquiring information, including gathering supplies and equipment for their course, making professors the only close resource for students.

“I think that the college did a great job of getting us adjusted,”

Lubisich said. “It is a shifting landscape and everybody is caught anticipating and in active mode, how (students and faculty) can meet them in the middle. There is always more we can do.”

For Allgaier, her experience with Citrus during the pandemic left her astounded. On May 20, the Haugh Performing Arts Center released a YouTube video titled “Motion! 2020.” This virtual Spring Dance Concert usually takes place before the end of every spring semester. This year’s video starred dance students who showcase their talents while adding various locations, outfits, and music.

For Allgaier, this was more than just a showcase but also a memorable experience.“At Citrus everyone gathered as a family, a team, to put all this together,” she said. “I am very grateful for everyone at the Haugh who

helped.”

Lubisich suggested some changes that may better suit the faculty’s abilities to meet student needs.

“I feel fortunate enough to have my voice heard, but if there is one thing I’d recommend (it) is hearing out our students and their needs,” Lubisich said. “They need a huge amount of elbow grease to get things done (such as) more surveys on how they’re adjusting to the transition. There are many big questions which still need to be answered.”

While things change every day, there is something professors can gain from this experience.

“Dance, be flexible and be willing to adapt and be in the moment. Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing— something good could come out of it.”

4 Wednesday, October 14, 2020

News

CLARION

COVID-19 from Page 1 except for essential employees and essential workforce students.

On August 17, staff was notified that an employee working in the financial aid area of the Student Services building had tested positive for COVID-19. President of the Board of Trustees Patricia Rasmussen confirmed that contact tracing and the appropriate cleaning measures were taken in an interview on Monday, stating the college’s Covid-19 Work Group updated the board of its progress in a report on August 18th.

In response to the pandemic, the Citrus College COVID-19 Work Group was created February 28 with guidance from the California Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to ensure the compliance of guidelines from the Center for Disease Control, CDPH, LACDPH and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

Director Sammis is Chair of the Citrus College COVID-19 Work Group. The group meets weekly to discuss progress, strategic planning and a roadmap to recovery.

CLARION FILE

Early alert workshops 2020 NOVEMBER WORKSHOPS

OCTOBER WORKSHOPS MON

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5 Stress Management 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

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Techniques

1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

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Learning Styles

Goal Setting

Study Skills

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Learning Styles

Memory Techniques

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Noon - 1 p.m.

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9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

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17 Test Taking 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

CITRUS COLLEGE

CLARION Ethan Landa editor-in-chief Alana Daly O’Brien managing editor Lucy Argaez news editor Staff Reporters: Alex McCarson, Andrew Perez, Daisy Martinez, Devlin Lopez, Diocelyn Carlon Gabriel Raphael, Georgi Slavchev, Justin George, Ryan Uribe Patrick Schmiedt Clarion adviser Stacy K. Long Clarion adviser The Clarion is produced by journalism students and is distributed every other Wednesday during the semester.

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Editorials are the opinion of at least 75 percent of the Editorial Board. All other opinion is that of the writer. Views expressed do not represent those of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College and/or CCCBOT.

Time Management 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

18 Math Anxiety Noon - 1 p.m.

19 Study Skills 1:30 p.m - 2:30 p.m

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Goal Setting

Note Taking

HOLIDAY

9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

11 a.m. - Noon

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DECEMBER WORKSHOPS MON

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30 Stress Mngmnt 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

1 Study Skills 11a.m.-Noon

7 FINALS

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3 Test Taking 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

4 Stress Mngmnt 9:00a.m.10:00a.m.

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FINALS