SPECIAL East Los Angeles hosted its 4th annual Dia de los Muertos festival.
ARTS
SPORTS
First Friday Jazz performance payed tribute to Mexican actor.
Mens basketball dominates pre-season with a 3 game streak.
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Volume 73, Issue 9
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Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
www.elaccampusnews.com
EARLY START New bill promotes college culture BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer California Governor Jerry Brown approved a bill aimed at improving student transfer rates by encouraging high school students to enroll in community college courses. Assembly Bill 288 would allow the governing board of a community college district to establish a College and Career Access Pathways partnership with the governing board of a school district. The purpose of such a partnership would be to develop pathways from high school to community college for technical education or preparation for transfer, to improve high school graduation rates and help high school students achieve college and career readiness. East Los Angeles College is currently a part of a partnership with Garfield High School and California State University, Los Angeles. The Go East LA: A Pathway for College and Career Success initiative was created in 2014. It guarantees admission to CSULA to any Garfield or ELAC student that meets the minimum transfer requirements. Garfield students that meet the minimum enrollment requirements are guaranteed admission at ELAC. The program makes use of ELAC’s resources to prepare students to transfer. Garfield currently offers nine college level classes on its campus. Garfield College Advisor Matilde Lopez said
students are taking advantage of the the classes. Each class consists of about 30 students. ELAC and CSULA representatives reach out to other high schools and Garfield representatives reach out to middle schools. All three institutions work with business, community and school partners to increase college awareness. They also work towards ensuring a guaranteed pathway to college completion. “The goal is to change the culture,” ELAC Public Information Officer Alejandro Guzman said. He explained that a large number of students and their parents assume they cannot afford college. A primary objective of programs like Go East LA is to get students thinking about college at an early age. “We introduce the idea of college starting at the elementary school level,” Lopez said. Existing laws allow high achieving students to attend community college summer sessions with their principal’s recommendation and their parents permission. They could earn up to 11 credits. The bill would allow specified students to enroll in up to 15 units per term. The bill identifies students that are struggling and are in danger of dropping out as potential benefactors. Dual enrollment is usually reserved for academically successful students. However, research conducted by the state legislature finds that it can benefit a broad range of students.
Section one of the bill states that “California should rethink its policies governing dual enrollment, and establish a policy framework under which school districts and community college districts could create dual enrollment partnerships as one strategy to provide critical support for underachieving students.” Students must be passing their daytime classes before applying for dual enrollment. “Eventually students will be able to enroll in classes that help them in their high school classes,” Lopez said. The bill is meant to benefit groups underrepresented in higher education institutions, those seeking advanced studies while in high school and those seeking a technical career, or certificate. “We encourage students to take the classes we offer here,” Bell High School’s College and Career Counselor Frank Marquez said. Bell offers Administration of Justice and Child Development courses to its students every semester. Marquez pointed out that transportation is a factor that affects the number of high school students that enroll in classes at a community college. Lawmakers have proposed similar bills in the past to no avail. Dual enrollment advocates argue that the current laws are too restrictive and could hamper students ability to access laboratory and other rigorous courses, which often count for a higher number of units than other courses.
Bill Goals
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Improve high school graduation rates
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Assist students with college and career readiness
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Guide high school students toward path to community college for career technical education (CTE) or prepare for university transfer
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Designed for high school students to earn units counting toward diploma and an associate degree, cert or CTE
Opportunities to study abroad available for Elans ESA offers chance to experience French culture BY JACQUELYN GONZALEZ Staff Writer East Los Angeles College and the European Studies Association (ESA) is continuing to offer students the opportunity to study abroad in Paris, despite of the tragedy that recently struck the famed city. Participating students will study the French language while residing in the 6th Arrondissement in Paris, located at the heart of the city just seven minutes away from Central Paris. This is one of the areas affected in the recent terrorist attacks. However, according to French P r o f e s s o r D r. Ly n n Vo g e l Zuiderweg of the students can rest assured that their place of residence will be safe and secure. “The neighborhood that we live in for the program is very safe. In
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addition, there is, and will continue to be, increased security throughout the city,” Vogel-Zuiderweg said. According to Professor Rebecca Ebin the one month duration of the program will allow students to see the city as Parisians and not just as tourists. The cost of the trip will depend on which program students participate in. Students who choose the Survival French Program (SFP) will pay a total of $3,400, plus airfare. Participating students will be instructed in their dorms by American professors working under the ESA. The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP) is a more intensive program with instruction given at a private university near the dorms. For this reason, the program is offered at a higher price charging
$4,250, plus airfare. During this program, students will attend French classes throughout the mornings and will have the opportunity to meet students from around the world. In addition, there are several scholarships available. One of them is the Gilman Scholarship. Other scholarship information can be found in the Financial Aid Office. Space is limited, and Valley College will also be participating. For this reason, Elans are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. For further details, the French Department will be hosting meetings on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 12:20 p.m. in C2-106 and Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 5:45 p.m. in F7-211. Refer to elaccampusnews.com for the full story.
Birth control The Student Health Center and Alta Med Health Services will host a workshop on birthcontrol on Nov. 24 at F7-113 from 11 a.m. to noon and at F7-215 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Social Science opens opportunity to visit Cuba BY ELIZABETH TOY Staff Writer The Social Sciences Department is coordinating the Interdisciplinary Cultural Immersion Program in Cuba for spring break from March 31 to April 8, 2016. Dr. Rin Kahla, Professor of Sociology, Dr. Anthony Samad, Professor of African American Studies and Dr. Natalina Monteiro, Professor of Political Science invite both ELAC students and community members to join the program and experience the culture. “We’ve been talking about it for years, especially in light of the fact that Obama was looking into the sanctions,” Samad said, referring to Obama’s announcement in January to increase the categories of authorized travel, now including participating in
Turkey Trot
educational activities. “It’s very exciting. There’s a vibrancy about Cuba that exists and this is a really cool trip because it’s not tied to a class. It’s open to the community too,” Kahla said. “I think a lot of people have never been exposed to the richness of Cuban culture,” Monteiro said. The professors hope to expose students and community members to the successes and advancements of Cuba as a society, especially because “they do not have the advantages of the latest technology and are still able to produce firstclass education and health care systems in the western hemisphere,” Samad said. Wi t h o n e o f t h e h i g h e s t populations of Latinos in ELAC, Monteiro feels the program would be beneficial for students, as it would allow them to study from a
The second annual Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Food Drive, organized by the East Los Angeles College Kinesiology Department, will be held at the Weingart Stadium on Thursday Nov. 24.
different perspective. “They have one of the highest literacy rates and also the third highest number of women in legislature in the world,” Monteiro said. The Cultural Immersion Program will take participants on a tour of Havana, encompassing the various aspects of culture, including art, history, business, sports, cuisine and agriculture. Program details can be viewed at efcst.com. For more information, contact Professors Kahla, Monteiro or Samad of the Social Sciences Department via email found on the ELAC faculty website. For more information, visit efcst. com or call EF Tours at (877) 4854184. Refer to elacampusnews.com for the full story.
No Campus News next week
We will not be publishing an issue next week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Our next issue will be the Pup Edition. It will be published by J-101 students on Dec. 3.