Volume 75, Issue 5
Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
www.elaccampusnews.com
Candlelight vigil unites community BY GISELLE PALOMERA Staff Writer Victims and supporters marched in protest against the cycle of domestic abuse down Cesar Chavez Avenue with East Los Angeles Women’s Center at the Mujeres de Paz vigil and walk on Thursday, featuring guest speaker Rose McGowan. The march was led by Rebeca Melendez from the ELAWC and was sponsored by East Los Angeles College, Sexual Assault Awareness Violence Education team and the ELAC Feminist Club. Posters read, “Nuestras voices no seran silenciadas” and “Hands are for hugging not hurting” as supporters and victims marched in protest against the silent cycle of domestic abuse down Cesar Chavez Avenue. Men, women and children marched in solidarity as they chanted, “Love shouldn’t hurt.” The march ended at the ELAC Performing Arts Center courtyard with a candlelight vigil, which featured a ritual Aztec dance, victims’ testimonies and guest speakers. At the vigil, supporters and victims alike stood in a moment of silence for those who lost their lives to domestic violence, and the victims of the Las Vegas massacre, which left 59 dead. The moment of silence was also to pay tribute to those affected by the hurricanes in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the earthquakes
CN/GISELLE PALOMERA
CN/GISELLE PALOMERA
UNITED THROUGH A CAUSE— Rebecca Melendez leads
TOGETHER WE STAND—Community comes together with
in Mexico. Victims of domestic violence spoke about their experiences as the crowd held candles in support. Actress, director, activist and victim of domestic violence Rose McGowan spoke about her experience being a survivor.
“It took a car accident, my dad dying, my dogs dying, to just kind of shake my brain awake, because you kind of go to sleep in a way and you just become a passenger in your own body. It’s very strange,” said McGowan. McGowan has worked for the
ELAWC in the past, helping raise money for survivors of rape, and has also endured problems relating to sexual abuse in Hollywood. She is currently outing her rapist in The New York Times. In 2015, McGowan was fired from the talent agency Innovative
Artists after speaking out about the way they encouraged the sexualization of women through their clothes. Her anger was her fuel for justice and said, “It’s not my shame or my scarlet letter to wear.” Other victims also spoke out
invited because she wanted to talk with stakeholders for the lab, but said the meeting was open to anyone. Vice President Ornelas said she came to the meeting to discuss the guided pathways initiative, which is what’s potentially replacing the modern language in the lab. Guided pathways is an initiative that helps students determine what they want to do in college. The guided pathways flyer says it can clarify paths toward students’ end goals, help them choose, enter and stay on a pathway and ensure that they are learning. The room became heated because the professors and faculty from E3 came to discuss the movement of the labs, which they were completely against. Ornelas said that a decision hasn’t been made. The reason she and the other VPs called the meeting was so they could discuss guided pathways. “We are not going to take away anyone’s space,” said Ornelas. The professors and department chairs wanted clarification and
assurance that their labs would not be taken away. Ruth Blandon, chair of the English department, and Khetam Dahi, vice chair of the English department, said they did not want to compromise any of the students’ resources. “We are here to defend the
whether administrator or faculty members, and speak out an idea, it’s not necessarily the decision. Sometimes when you speak, others take it as policy and it’s not quite policy,” said Arenas, VP of Instructional services. The faculty, however, believe it to be more than an idea. Eldy Dean, chair of modern languages, said she met with Ornelas and asked where the labs where going to be moved. Ornelas said they would be moved to the fifth floor. In the meeting, Ornelas said that Dean misunderstood her and that she was speaking about the potential of the lab being moved to the fifth floor. During a dean’s meeting held Sept. 26, Ornelas and others discussed the potential modern language lab being moved. Ornelas said that she would like to see it happen and would discuss it with modern language and ESL, according to Kerrin McMahan, dean of academic affairs. The ELAC speech team made an official statement about the movement of the communication
lab, saying, “Losing the lab space will be devastating for our continued success as ELAC’s Speech Team.” The chairs in the English, communications and modern language departments all said they saw Information Technology measuring and preparing the labs to be moved. However, IT says they did not go to any of the labs during the summer. Plant facilities also said they did not do any measuring during the summer. Ornelas says that guided pathways is barely in its infancy. The program is different in every school and has five years to be implemented at ELAC, with this year being the first year of implementation. She said the reason space is being looked at is because the roll out of guided pathways takes time. The department chairs suggested other places for the guided pathways center. The bungalows and the fourth floor of the Technology building were some of the places suggested. The VPs were hoping that
crowd of victims and supporters down Cesar Chavez Avenue protesting the end of silence to the cycles of abuse and domestic violence.
signs to end domestic violence in front of Our Lady Guadalupemural on Mednick and Cesar Chavez Avenue.
about their experiences. “Abuse is subtle. First they start by taking away your phone, checking for texts and pictures. Then they start controlling where you go,” said Develyn Brooks, a recent survivor of sexual abuse and domestic violence. “At first he was very sweet and loving, then about three months in, he started acting jealous and taking my phone to see what I had in my messages and pictures. Then he would tell his friends, ‘Hey, why are you looking at my girl?’” Brooks has been out of the abusive relationship for 34 days now, while sustaining multiple physical and emotional damages. Regardless of the efforts, organizations like ELAWC are made to end the cycles of abuse and domestic violence. One in four women are still affected. According to the pamphlets handed out during the march and vigil, ELAWC offered services to over 10,000 individuals last year. From those 25 percent were homeless, 85 percent were living in poverty and 60 percent were Spanish speaking immigrants. The services provided by the ELAWC are offered in Spanish and English due to the fact that the majority of victims receiving services are Spanish speaking victims. This is the twentieth year that the Mujeres de Paz walk has been organized. It continues to grow as more supporters and sponsors join the cause.
Potential lab movement brings tension to meeting BY GUSTAVO BUENROSTRO Staff Writer A lack of transparency and miscommunication about lab space was the focus of the meeting held on Wednesday in the G3 Administration building. Department chairs and faculty from the E3 building were upset because they wanted to understand why the modern language and communication lab space was going to be moved. The department chairs from the English, modern language and communications departments, as well as other faculty members from E3, came to the meeting to discuss the potential movement of the labs. The email sent said “the potential location for new career and workforce center,” with the sign-in sheet saying this as well. In the email, that was only sent to the modern language and English departments, Vice President of Career Development and Workforce Education Armida Ornelas said the modern language and English departments were
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“We are here to defend the students and their access to free resources.” KHETAM DAHI
Vice chair of English department
students and their access to free resources,” said Dahi. The VPs denied that they would take the modern language space. “It’s a communication problem. When we speak,
Consent is Sexy Consent is Sexy is a workshop about consent, safety, pleasure and sex- positivity. The workshop will be held today at F5-205 from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Talent show auditions Adelante FYE will hold auditions for this year’s talent show on Oct.17,18 and 19 from 3 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the G3-Foyer. Visit tinyurl.com/ elactalent2017 to set up an audition.
the meeting would create transparency moving forward with guided pathways. “The meeting was meant to be a discussion about guided pathways and how we would meet that mandate,” said Arenas. He did not guarantee that the space would not be used for guided pathways, but said that ideas are being discussed and a decision has not been made. The professors and department chairs said they were not included in these ideas, and that they should be because it affects them. Dean said that moving the modern language lab to a smaller area would not be viable since so many students use that lab. Arenas agreed with Dean, saying that Dean made a strong argument as to why they would not use that space. However, he still could not guarantee that the space would not be used. Ornelas said that student success is the center of the initiative and that change is hard. She said that moving forward, she hopes it can be a collaborative effort.
Human Trafficking Workshop A domestic violence and human trafficking workshop will be held tomorrow at F5-211 from 12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m.