News
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE CAMPUS NEWS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
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LGBTQIA+ community is now protected by new bill of rights “We have been kicked out of our homes and disowned by family and Staff Writer friends. “We will not stop fighting for The Los Angeles Community equity and equality until society College District Board of Trustees stops making laws that prohibit us recently approved the district’s first to receive equal treatment. So this LGBTQIA+ bill of rights resolution LGBTQIA+ bill of rights gives people at the community college for students, faculty and staff. The bill in place will now system protection and a voice,”said protect students who identify under Vela. Ve l a a s a LGBTQIA+, in person of color the district. and a person LACCD attracted to Board of Trustee the opposite David Vela is the “It is important to sex, knew how board member point out humanity’s important it is who pushed for to protect all of the passing of this progression and those involved bill. Vela is the founder of Honor accomplishments, but in LACCD. C o r e n a PAC, a political we must acknowledge “Lynn” Wood, action committee t h a t s u p p o r t s our mishaps and lack coordinator for One Zone at East LGBTQIA+ of empathy.” Los Angeles p o l i t i c a l College, said candidates. that it is pivotal Ve l a s e r v e s that this bill the board as passed. an openly gay “I look trustee, making DAVID VELA forward to this bill of huge LACC Board of Trustee presenting importance to additional him. programming “It is important for our LGBTQ to point out students, such humanity’s progression and accomplishments, as a roll-out-of Safe Zone to our but we must also acknowledge our students, a LGBTQ pride month mishaps and lack of empathy,” celebration, a small lending library of LGBTQ specific books and the said Vela. For years LGBTQIA+ people Lavender Graduation,” said Wood. “I have been an active Service and LGBTQIA+ people of color have been discounted as not a ‘real’ Planning Area 7 community member and governance participant group that suffers discrimination. “ L G B T Q I A + p e o p l e a n d for 10 years. Mentored and provided LGBTQIA+ people of color training to student ambassadors have been discriminated against, in our outreach department for 13 legislated against and killed for years,” Wood said. “I have personally provided being their authentic selves,” Vela training in LGBTQ+ for Safe said.
BY CASSIDY REYNA
CN/STEVEN ADAMO
Zone to our Associated Student Union, our New Faculty Institute and various specialized Student Services units. I am one of the founding members of Safe Zone at East Los Angeles College and proud to say we have provided training for
over 150 staff, faculty and student workers. I am excited to share all that student services are working on,” said Wood. Wood also talked about how that kind of mentality is dangerous to the LGBTQIA+ community. It allows
other citizens to belittle those who identify under LGBTQIA+. Rin Kahla Ph.D is a professor of sociology and women and gender studies at ELAC. Kahla said that she is grateful and thanks the board for putting
together the bill of rights. As an out lesbian, Kahla has been fighting for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and believes that the community needs recognition. “One of the important things for me is for young people to recognize that there’s always people that have been in the fight,” Kahla said. “This did not grow out of the kindness of somebody this has been a long hard fight for recognition as just human beings. “It’s cliched because I don’t ask for anything that somebody else wouldn’t ask for,” said Kahla. kahla said “I want a safe place to live, I want to be able to go to places and feel like I’m not discriminated against. “I don’t want to be denied my right to be a human being, by someone classifying me as less than human,” said Kahla. Kahla always tries her best to make sure that her classes are a safe place for students and a place of respect. Kahla is very proud of the college and people who put together the bill of rights, as well as the courage they had to do so. Not only, that but Kahla is amazed that the LGBTQIA+ is now recognized and a part of the conversation when it comes to the district and protecting those in the community. Kahla encourages students to partake in her Sociology 22, sociology of women class that will be offered in the spring. It is a very broad spectrum that this bill covers and any LACCD college can be a safe space for its students, faculty and staff. Even if laws change in the United States, those under LACCD will be protected.
ELAC math professor dies BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer
After teaching math at East Los Angeles College for three decades, professor Zhiming Zhou died from pneumonia in August at the age of 83. Though retired, Zhou continued to teach at ELAC part-time until the end of the Spring 2020 semester, when he became ill. According to a letter from the office of the President, students found Zhou to be “funny and patient, always willing to go out of his way to help them understand.” Zhou’s Math Department colleague, Professor Guo Jax Liao, said many of the department offered their condolences to Zhou’s family. Zia Hashemi from the Math Department said Zhou was “a good man with a kind heart.” Ong Hai of the Math Department said that the passing of Zhou is a great loss to the department and for the students. “He is truly a scholar and a very
respected math faculty. Needless to say about his accomplishments and his lecturing at so many universities in America and in China,” said Hai.
“Needless to say about his accomplishments and his lecturing at so many universities in America and in China.” ONG HAI
Math Department faculty member
Zhou studied mathematics at Sun Yat-sen University, California State University at Los Angeles and University of California at Irvine. He began his teaching career in China, teaching mathematics at Sun Yat-sen University in 1959. Zhou received many awards for
the text book he authored titled “General Differential Equations,” which later became the designated text book for Chinese colleges and universities. He also received multiple awards for research done in China, including being listed in the 8th edition of “Marquis Who’s Who in the World.” He was also a pioneer in the field of Bio-Mathematics. Along with Professor Joel Cohen, Zhou conducted research work at Rockefeller University and published several papers together at Proceedings of the Royal Society. Zhou was a visiting scholar at UCLA from 1979-1980 and was a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati until moving to the United States in 1989. Since then, he has taught at many colleges and universities including ELAC, Cal State University LA, Glendale Community College, Pasadena City College. Zhou was laid to rest last month at the Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier, CA.
COURTESY OF JANET MORENO
POSING WITH WINNIE—Paul Moreno posing after graduation in 2019 with a winnie the pooh doll given to him by his siter as an inside joke.
BY JUAN CAVILLO Staff Writer
Former East Los Angeles College alumni and programming assistant Paul Moreno died on Aug 26 due to COVID-19 at age 29. Moreno leaves behind two older sisters and his parents. His mother, Sara Crespo, and father, Pablo Moreno Garcia, had four children. His two older sisters Maria and Janet Moreno. The family also had a younger sibling Simon who died from bone cancer in 2018. Moreno found fulfilling work in payroll at a construction company before his passing. He graduated from ELAC as a Business Major and while in school, he worked as a programming assistant in Continuing Education and Workforce Development. Business Department professor Laura Ramirez remembered the business student. “My memories [of] Paul are that he was a wonderful and happy person,
always with a beautiful smile,” said Ramirez. Moreno originally started his education in communications because he loved music and wanted to be a part of the music industry as a producer or on the promotions teams.
“ My memories [of] Paul are that ge was a wondeful and happy person, Always with a beautiful smile.” LAURA RAMIREZ
Businees Department professor
However, exposure to other disciplines and a job on campus changed things for him. “He ended up switching to business because he started liking that side of it (school). “He got a job at ELAC in the
office…and he started liking that side of business. “Something about that job made him really want to branch out,” said his older sister Janet Morneo. Peter Ruvalcaba, program coordinator at CEWD, said that Moreno was a cheerful and lifeloving person. He said that when he wasn’t working, Moreno would be out cultivating other entrepreneurs in the community or following his original passions. “Some of his active business ventures lead him to help develop music talent individuals, a personal fitness start-up company, and different Youtube video blogs including his own,” said Ruvalcaba. Janet Moreno said that she wanted people to remember Moreno as a kind, caring person who took care of his family. She said that although he hid his generosity, Moreno was always providing help for others without ever wanting anything in return. She wanted people to know what type of person he was.
COURTESY OF TOBIN ZHOU
ELAC alumni and staff member dies
Zhiming Zhou www.ELACCampusNews.com