Collegian Los Angeles
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 Volume 182 Number 4
NEWS BRIEFS
The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
YAMAHA CONCERT SERIES AT LACC PRESENTS DAVID KAPLAN SEE PAGE 7
EAST HOLLYWOOD
Finals Week to Include Free Meals for Hungry Students
COMPILED BY WILL PENNINGTON
Suspect in Custody for Red Line Rape A suspect has been taken into custody in the case of a rape which occurred last month at the Sunset and Vermont Metro Station, according to LAPD officials. On March 14, at approximately 6 p.m., the victim, a 60-year-old woman, asked a transient man for directions after exiting the Red Line Train. The suspect led the victim to an emergency exit stairwell where he raped, choked and beat her, according to reports The case was originally being handled by the Rampart Division of LAPD; it has since been transferred to the Northeast Division.
Celebrate Earth Day College President Mary Gallagher will open the new community park in the Northeast Quad on Monday, April 22, at 12:30 p.m.
Denim Days Highlight Sexual Assault
BY CHISLEY HAYNES
Potholes Banished from Vermont Avenue after Rains PHOTO BY KAITLYN KIMBLE
BICYCLES, SCOOTERS, SKATEBOARDS GET SMOOTH RIDE BY ROBERTO ROMERO
ASG is hosting a movie night on April 26, at 5:30 p.m. The film will screen in Holmes Hall, Room 6.
City Tales Gives Outlet to LACC Community The City College community can gather on April 30, at 4:30 p.m. to hear original stories from LACC students, faculty and alumni as part of the communication department’s “City Tales.” “City Tales” will be presented in the Herb and Lani Alpert Recital Hall (HAMC 210).
S
afety for bicyclists decreased as they swerved and navigated more potholes on streets in the greater Los Angeles City College area following a season of heavy rain. Skateboards, scooters and bicycles are the transportation method of choice for many students. Bicycles move in and out of traffic and around potholes in both directions in the 800 block of Vermont Avenue. The craters can pose a danger. “If a bicyclist rides over a large or somewhat deep pothole with enough force, they could pop a tire, and potentially warp their framework,” said Chris Duncan of Hoopty Bikes. Sometimes a commuter has no choice and must ride over a rough patch of the street.
The Los Angeles Bureau of Street Repairs recorded the most requests for repairs in February in the city’s history, according to Curbed LA: a record 7,981 calls. Repairs could not come soon enough for Alex Vasquez. “I’m more annoyed that these large potholes have caused cars to swerve more,” he said. I prefer the sidewalk, but sometimes people get in the way and you have to ride in the street with the cars. I’ve already almost been hit once … because a guy was going too fast and noticed a pothole late. Luckily, I saw it all happening and stopped knowing he wasn’t paying attention. I kind of just laughed about it after.” There are more than 6,000 miles of paved streets in Los Angeles. Many student commuters at LACC had expressed annoyance with how long the larger potholes were persisting around the school after heavy rains and colder temperatures during the winter months.
SEE “POTHOLES” PAGE 6
BY REBECCA GRAZIER
The English Department is hosting its annual bake sale from Monday, April 15, to Thursday, April 18 in Jefferson Hall, Room 317. In addition to sweets and other snacks, both new and used books are available for purchase. The bake sale is running daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Leftover food in elevators, the smell of urine and a burning candle. There are “signs of life” in stairwells, in elevators and on the walkway between the Chemistry and Life Sciences Building where people are apparently spending the night. At least one student says she has tried four ways to complain about the issues on campus. From making a complaint in the suggestion box on the L.A. City College website, to visiting a dean’s office in the Administration Building, to speaking with the Sheriff ’s office, one student is frustrated with what she says is a lack of action from officials at LACC. She says she went to the sheriff ’s office several times to complain about people “living” in the elevators and the smell of urine permeating the area nearby. After parking in the structure beneath the soccer field, the student reported an even stronger smell of urine as she climbed the stairs to go to her parked car. She says she heard a noise, and when she turned the corner, she saw a man in a plaid shirt and baseball hat smoking in the corner of the stairwell. There was a chair, a crumpled blanket that reeked of urine, as well as a lit candle. “I’m just disturbed and
‘Oleanna’ to Premiere at Camino Theater Today at 12:45 p.m., the Theatre Department and the president’s office will host the third act of the play “Oleanna,” at the Camino Theater, which details sexual harassment and discrimination between a teacher and a student.
Professor Participates in Book Festival Panel “Calamity and Chaos,” was the subject of a panel moderated by professor Doug Dutton, from the L.A. City College music department at the L.A. Times Festival of Books April 14. The festival is in its 23rd year and drew an estimated 150,000 attendees to USC.
INDEX 2,7 3
Opinion & Editorial
4-5
News
6
Sports
8
SEE “HUNGRY STUDENTS” PAGE 6
CAMPUS BECOMES HAVEN FOR HOMELESS
English Department Makes Bread at Bake Sale
Arts & Entertainment Campus Life
Busy students will find help during finals week when the LACC Foundation provides breakfast and lunch on the main floor of the Student Union. The foundation’s goal is to make students’ lives a bit easier by providing meals to them while they prepare for exams. The foundation launched the program during midterms. Now, they will continue to help students with their food needs and they plan to extend the program to every semester. “I think the program is a good idea, just because that time during midterm and finals is really stressful,” said Cindy Rodriguez, an undeclared major. “It’s nice to know that the college you are going to, really cares about their students.” From hundreds of almond butter and jelly sandwiches, to boiled eggs and yogurt parfaits, students from LACC dietetics lab program prepared nutritious meals for hungry students during midterms and they will repeat the exercise three times per week during finals. “My suggestion is that the program extend their hours to benefit more students, because some of them are not available during these hours,” said engineering major Edwin Galicia Students may dine from 8 -10 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays next month during finals week. “We put a lot food out each day, because we want to make sure that people that come in, get food,” said Daren Lynne, the director of the program.
PHOTOS BY BEATRICE ALCALA
Top: A cigarette butt and the smell of dried urine greets students on Wednesday Morning, April 11, 2019, when they arrive at the second floor entrance to the Chemistry Building. Left: A small pile of loose papers and food scraps are tell-tale signs on the morning of April 11, 2019, that someone has spent the night inside the elevator located between the Life Sciences and Chemistry Buildings.
concerned because he could have decided to attack, it could have been another student, or even a soccer kid from up top of the field coming down,” said Jennifer Anderson, an art major. “I’m just sick of telling sheriffs and administration about the situation at school. The situation at school seems to be getting scarier and filthier all the time.” Another student on campus says he has seen a few homeless people in the bathrooms on campus brushing their teeth and washing their hands. “Part of me understands that they are homeless, but the other part of me feels like the environment kind of affects how you study, because if you’re not comfortable where you’re studying, then it just makes it harder to study,” Ramirez said. Another student, who has been attending LACC for two years says he hasn’t had any bad experiences on campus. “They also sometimes want to have a place where they can try to stay clean as much as they can, I personally don’t have an issue with it, it’s just as long as the janitors do their job, and sanitize everything afterward,” said Richard Tizo who is majoring in Japanese. Tizo is sympathetic. He says he has tried to picture himself in the place of a homeless person.
SEE “CAMPUS BECOMES” PAGE 6