FEATURES
ARTS
SPORTS
East Los Angeles celebrates Viva la Muxer festival
LACMA curator lectures on ancient Chinese ceramics
Softball ends losing streak against Orange Coast College
See page 4
Volume 73, Issue 15
See page 5
See page 6
Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Wednesday, march 15, 2017
www.elaccampusnews.com
Academic senate votes to promote community policing BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer
CN/STEVEN ADAMO
Former counselor remembered BY CHRISTIAN HORTA Staff Writer Tears were shed on Thursday as faculty and students remembered former counselor Lydia Rudametkin who passed away of cancer over a year ago. In honor of Rudametkin, a bench with a plaque of her name was unveiled in her honor in front of the E3 building. President Marvin Martinez, along with executive assistant Olga Barnes, opened up the ceremony outside the F5 building with words of remembrance. According to Rudametkin’s sister Olga, Rudametkin intended to start a scholarship program. Although she is no longer alive, her sister Olga, along with the Sexual Assault Awareness Violence Education committee, plan to make it happen. Kinesiology professor Marilyn Ladd said the scholarship will be
available to women who have been abused. Ladd added that funding will come from the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, but will be available for students who want to attend East Los Angeles College. “(The scholarships) are for women who have gone through sex trafficking, sexual assault and domestic violence,” Ladd said. The details as to how many units are required, the minimum grade point average and more remain pending, according to Ladd. Several attendees went up to the podium to share memories of Rudametkin. Retired counselor Bonnie Sherman told the audience that “sometimes as a counselor, we need a counselor, and Lydia was my counselor.” Student Keilyn Carapia shared a memory about a time when Rudametkin made her write “I love education” on a piece of paper and
sign it. “You don’t have counselors like that,” Carapia said. Another moment she will never forget is when Rudametkin brought her dog Moose to the office and fed him peanut butter. Olga talked about the license plate on her sister’s car, which read “La Rusa” (The female Russian). The family plans on giving one of the license plates to ELAC. Someone else told memories about a time when they went to see Russian performances at the Hollywood Bowl. An attendee credited Rudametkin for helping her stay in school. “If it weren’t for Lydia, I probably would have dropped out of school.” Various speakers mentioned how she always had chocolate on her office desk. She always offered chocolate to everyone and always insisted they take some. At the luncheon following
the ceremony, each table had chocolates lying around. A colleague of Rudametkin said that during her last months, she had lost interest in things she was passionate about. She always wanted to know about ELAC, however. A worker at the Disabled Student Program and Services broke down in tears during a speech. She said that all of her accomplishments in life are because of Rudametkin: “Lydia offered me that safe zone to come and talk to her and open up.” She added that Rudametkin helped her with personal issues that were off campus grounds. Rudametkin retired in June 2015 and rested at home until her death. The Sexual Assault Awareness Violence Education team sponsored the event. Ladd helped put everything together and proposed the idea of Rudametkin’s bench plaque.
The academic senate voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that the administration—in conjunction with the academic senate—work with the sheriff's department to promote community policing. The resolution is an important first step toward a one-on-one approach to campus policing. Vice president of the academic senate Jeff Hernandez relayed concerns from students and visitors over being intimidated by the SUVs on campus. Some students complained that the SUVs are frequently parked outside of classroom buildings. Officer Ben Fournier compared community policing to being a liaison. “Students will address concerns and comments to us and we do our best to address them,” Fournier said. A few members of the academic senate suggested smaller police vehicles or scooters on campus instead of SUVs. Fournier explained that smaller patrol cars have been discontinued and most agencies are switching over to Ford Explorers, especially in California. The campus sheriff’s department is contracted out by the Los Angeles Community College District, which makes oversight of the department difficult. The goal of this motion is to create a better relationship between administration, campus police and students. Curtis Walker of the Administration of Justice Department at East Los Angeles College raised his opposition to the idea of community policing. Walker said he was “not optimistic” about this approach. He added “It’s common sense that cars should be parked somewhere where officers can then go on foot.” A couple of senate members discussed the frequency in which officers on campus are rotated out, often before any relationships can
be made. For the second meeting in April, the academic senate agreed to hear a report on specific concerns regarding the relationship between the sheriff’s department and students. The sheriff’s department also stated that they will not enforce the free speech zone unless administration tells them to do so. “The concern is that if an outside group wanted to challenge the adequacy of the free speech zone, then (the sheriff’s) don’t want to be the ones that get targeted in the lawsuit. They rather the administration get targeted in the lawsuit” Hernandez said. Walker said that police officers don’t want to create conflict with the community. “We don’t want the police going and telling people who can talk, who can’t, and you’re not in the right place to talk… most of the sheriff’s don’t want to do that,” Walker said. The placement of the free speech zone was up for vote after the Administrative Services office suggested that it be moved to the Husky statue by the stadium parking lot. The current location of the zone is just north of the P3 parking structure. “There’s a lack of leadership on the issue,” Hernandez said. Faculty also requested that they be alerted of specific protocol for violations of the free speech zone. Concerns were raised by senate members about non-campus organizations that set up on campus, but not at the free speech zone. One example given was when a religious group passed out bibles by the science department. No permit is required to use the free speech zone, and it’s open to non-students as well. The motion to keep the free speech zone at its current location passed unanimously by the academic senate. The next senate meeting will take place March 28 at noon.
Democrats propose budget legislation to help students pay for college BY IVAN CAZARES Staff Writer The California Assembly Democrats proposed higher education legislation on Tuesday titled Degrees Not Debt to help California college students with their financial burdens. The proposition comes at a time when the cost of higher education is rising. The College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges reported that
News Briefs
the average tuition and fees for public four-year colleges in the United States has gone up from $5,110 in 2001-02 to $9,650 in 2016-17. The same survey reported that the average cost of attending community college went from $2,180 in 2001-02 to $3,170 in 2016-17. The proposition rejects Governor Jerry Brown’s proposal to eliminate the Middle Class Scholarship offered to students with family
Give the Gift of Blood
incomes and assets up to $156,000. If approved, it will expand the Success Grants program for California community college students and will make the first year tuition free for in-state students. The proposition would also establish the Degrees Not Debt Scholarship to address nontuition related costs associated with attending the University of California and California State University school systems. “I’m not financially stable. I
ASU and the ELAC Health Center are hosting a blood drive today and tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the S2 Quad Area. For appointments, go to: donatebloodcedars.org. For questions, call (310) 945-6137.
don’t have a job right now and I have to rely on my parents. I would definitely profit from (scholarship) money (when I transfer),” East Los Angeles College student Bryan Santiago said. However, Santiago also said he is concerned about potential hidden costs for taxes. California residents with an annual income of more than $60,000 would be expected to contribute, and students would be expected to have a part-time job
Financial Aid Q & A
year-round. “(My biggest school related expenses) are the books. We (students) also have other expenses. We spend most of our time in school and we need to eat,” ELAC student Melissa Munoz said. Munoz also said first year community college students would benefit academically from having tuition-free schools, because the first year of college can be overwhelming. In a press release sent out
Students can get their financial aid questions answered tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. in E3 at the Financial Aid Town Hall Meeting. Light refreshments will be served.
Monday, California Assembly member Kevin Mccarty said that, while the California Community College system is the largest provider of higher education and regarded as one of the most affordable, the cost of living in California is higher than average. The Degrees Not Debt proposal aims to help students focus on their studies without worrying about the expenses related to attending college.
DEGREES Continued on page 3
Spring Workshops
The Career and Jobs Services is hosting a networking workshop today from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in E3-202. Tomorrow, “Breaking Bad Habits” will be held in E7-313 at the same times.