Collegian LOS ANGELES
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Volume 189 Number 5
The Student Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
!"#$%&$ '()$!)"*$ +),'-."/$ 011-.),$%2$ 3"456,
LARA BARNEY REPORTS
027)/)2%,$ 8655%1'$ 9)",61)$:0
!"#!$"%&'#(% )*&&"'"+,% (-$,*.-$,-'/$% 0/.12'#-+)3% "+4#5")%"$%)*/% )"%$#3%(-"',#3% &"3,*6*,*"37
!"#$%&''($')*+!,-'!.)*$/#&+-,#$ 0,.*1+$'"&*1#+$2),$!"#$0#!!#,3 BY ABEL HABTEGEORGIS
PHOTO BY JUAN MENDOZA
Police cars from the homicide team blocking the entrance of parking lot 3 located on the south side of LACC campus on Nov. 7. Detectives working at the crime scene late in the evening.
BY JUAN MENDOZA Traditional Mexican songs from live mariachis serenaded people as the sun went down in the Main Quad on Nov. 1, 2022 in honor of El Dia de los Muertos. The hot and delectable traditional tamales, champurrado, nachos and aguas frescas were offered to students and families from the community who came to the festivities of El Dia de los Muertos, also known as All Souls’ Day, at Los Angeles City College. Dia de los Muertos, which translates in English to The Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition where families and friends gather to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed. The flor de cempasuchil is an original Mexican flower representative to honor the deceased in Mexico and Central America. This flower beautifies the atmosphere with its natural golden, sunny, yellow color and unique aroma. The name comes from the Nahuatl “Cempohualxochitl” meaning 20 flowers. The impressive display of the altar was built in collaboration with faculty and students from different academic departments. The altar grabbed the attention and curiosity of people as they passed. The Mexican tradition was in full display and was embraced by a multicultural student audience on campus. The festivities began with the altar celebration accompanied with music, Aztec dancers, arts and crafts. The altar was located at the north side of the Quad surrounded with tables and chairs decorated with traditional papel picado. Black fabric tablecloths enhanced the beauty of the altar. “We’ve been doing it for some years,” said Carlos Reyes Guerrero, department chair of social science. “But this year I’m part of the Race Equity and Social Justice Center and I was invited to put all this together with a team [to] do this big event.” Sean Phommasaysy, professor of biological science and director of the City Garden, made a display of retablos at the garden in collaboration with Tetsuji Aono, professor of 3D design and ceramics for visual media arts.
:%AB*%C2$?AA61,$0&')1$D%4-A-*)
STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF ARE UNDER DISTRESS AFTER AN EMERGENCY “SHELTER IN PLACE” WAS ACTIVATED AT LACC. BY JUAN MENDOZA A person died in the afternoon of Nov. 7, at L.A. City College after a fight transpired at the south end of campus in Parking Lot 3 which led to an emergency lockdown. The victim who was stabbed is believed to be a former student who attended LACC in 2014. The suspect is on the run. The incident unraveled around 2 p.m. after the Sheriff ’s office received a call that informed them of a fight in Parking Lot 3. The Sheriffs responded immediately to the scene. The suspect was seen headed southbound of Heliotrope Drive toward Melrose Avenue away from the campus. The suspect was a dark-skinned male around 5-foot-7 and approximately 160 pounds. He was said to have worn a black shirt, white shorts, black jacket and blue shoes. “On Monday I was getting out of Franklin Hall and I was talking to my professor af-
ter class and all of a sudden someone out of breath told us there was a murder,” said Dalton Gamboa, a theater major. “And then we asked him again because we thought we misheard him.” Gamboa and the others on campus were locked up nearly two and half hours. While he was there, he could see through the window students outside who were just “chilling and treating the lockdown as a joke.” A campuswide lockdown was a directive by the Sheriff ’s Department in coordination with the Emergency Operations Center at Los Angeles City College. Notifications were sent out by email and on social media to get the word out to the students, staff and faculty of LACC around 3:26 p.m. “Active emergency on campus. DO NOT COME TO CAMPUS. If you are not here, stay away. Do not come for classes until further notice,” was stated in the message sent out via email from the admissions department of LACC. A team of several people from different departments, which included custodians, were deployed to lock doors, buildings and make sure everyone understood that the college was on a lockdown. The team was able to ver-
ify that all the buildings were secured even as some folks made way to campus while the incident was in progress. The campus remained in lockdown until 5:22 p.m., when they began to allow people to leave. The campus was closed and in-person classes were canceled for the rest of the day after the incident happened. Early in the evening, police were still at the scene finalizing their investigation. Local news station crews NBC, CBS and Telemundo waited for more information to come in regards to the incident. The night was cold and there was silence everywhere around the campus. A few custodial personnel were seen on site. A townhall meeting was hosted by the Safety and Security Team on Zoom for the LACC community on Nov. 8. James Lancaster, vice president of academic affairs and acting president at the time of the incident, led the meeting. Jose Dominguez, vice president of the administrative services, and Captain John Gannon, director of sheriff ’s department, were also in attendance at the virtual meeting. SEE “LOCKDOWN” PAGE 6
;<=>?@$8655%1',$8'6*)2'$86AA),, BY EDWARD LOCKE
Day of the Dead altar set at the main quad on Nov. 1, by faculty and students at L.A. City College in honor to the dead children and adults. People believe that the souls of their loved ones came back on these days during the festivities.
The TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO/SSS) at Los Angeles City College is a federally funded program designed to help academically and economically disadvantaged students to succeed in undergraduate studies. Students in the program need to set up goals to complete an AA degree or to transfer. Counselors will give advice to students and offer workshops to provide relevant training and other services. The main focus is to help students to transfer to four-year universities. However, some students
will just take an AA Track, trying to complete an AA degree and enter the workforce. “The main target of the program is to help students with no previously completed degree to obtain Associate of Arts (AA) degrees at Los Angeles City College, and to get them ready to transfer to four-year universities,” said Terry Wooten, SFP program specialist of the TRIO/SSS program. “The number of students in the program completing an AA degree and transferring to four-year universities are used to measure the success of the program.” The program helps students
SEE “DAY OF THE DEAD”
2-3
Arts & Entertainment
4
Features
5
News
6
Resources
7
Sports
8
SEE “MEASURE LA” PAGE 6
0*6/',$+-2*$ 8)A1)',$'%$861.-.) (/+5%!"#!$"%)#%+#,% 2",%,8"%2-*)/+."% ,#%3-'6*6"%,8"% 9#'$)%#+%,8"*'% #9+%/+)%3,'-22$"% +"")$"33$57 BY LUVLEIGHAN CLARK
INDEX Opinion & Editorial
Measure LA, the largest college facilities bond in Los Angeles history won the approval of Angelenos who agreed to help pay for major renovations across LACCD’s nine community college programs for the next 12 years. The approved measure is the fifth construction bond measure voters approved for the community college district since 2001. The previous four totaled more than $9.5 billion. The LACCD is the country’s largest community college district but has seen enrollment decline about 20% from pre-pandemic levels. Supporters of Measure LA say the funds would help create the environment needed for a more conducive in-person learning experience which experts say is a critical factor for enrollment. “We acknowledge the issue of declining enrollments,” said James McKeever, faculty guild president of AFT 1521. “But better learning environments ensure our current student body gets the best experiences possible and help(s) us grow in the future.” Not everyone is in favor. A $3.3 billion 2016 bond issued by LACCD was cited as poorly managed. The Los Angeles Times reported mismanagement, waste, and cronyism were front and center following an investigation of the construction of Los Angeles Valley College’s Academic and Cultural Center. Lawsuits around the project are currently being resolved. However, the district took another reputational hit around the management of finances. The average age of many LACCD campus buildings is 64 years. Revenues from previous bonds have yet to be fully collected. Proponents of the measure argue the time is now for desperately needed infrastructure overhauls.
The ofrenda or altar is customized according to the likes of your loved ones who have passed. But some key elements must be at the altar like portraits, candies, copal incense, cempasuchi flowers, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, favorites foods and a glass of fresh water for the spirits can quench their thirst after their long journey. PHOTOS BY JUAN MENDOZA
PHOTO BY EDWARD LOCKE
A number of TRIO information booklets are available on the second floor of Student Services building.
SEE “TRIO” PAGE 6
When people age out of foster care or come from low-income families, they often are not taught the resources to find food and housing which makes it hard for them to navigate into adulthood. Most people learn the hard way, which can take years, but now there are great resources that can help eliminate the footwork to find the basic necessities. A three-digSEE “ADULTS” PAGE 6