Collegian Los Angeles
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The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929
Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Volume 186 Number 5
CAMPUS
Lakers Face Showdown with Phoenix Suns
COMMUNITY
CAMPUS LIFE
Students Struggle as ‘Disconnection Rate’ Soars during Pandemic
Vaccination Day Takes Over at Student Union
Hundreds of people showed up at an event at L.A. City College to get vaccinated free of charge and without an appointment.
The number of students who are out of school and without a job is on the rise, thanks to the pandemic. The effects can last a lifetime.
BY JUAN MENDOZA
BY JONATHAN MONTES Some students in Los Angeles drop out of school and are unemployed as they experience personal, financial and even medical challenges, which prevent them from attending college or finding a job. Many students are enrolled in school and are employed, but the number of those who are not has increased during the pandemic. The disconnected rate refers to the share of young adults who are not engaged in work or in school in the U.S. In 2018, only 13.7% of young adults were neither working nor enrolled in school, down from 16.6% in 1989, according to Pew Research. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the number spiked from 12% to 28% by June 2020. The spike is causing concern in higher education. Yuci Chen is a researcher at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Chen says that as of April 2021, the disconnection rate still remained above 16%. She also says young people from disadvantaged family backgrounds experience greater difficulty. Chen says a lot more will be clear by the fall semester. “It depends on whether it will be safe to resume in-person classes in the fall semester,” Chen said. “The current high disconnection rate is largely driven by the fact that fewer young people are enrolling in school in the spring semester.” Chen discussed behavior that is specific to community college students and research that compares community college attendance patterns to students at the university level. “One of my colleague’s papers studies the enrollment rate here in Kalamazoo during the pandemic and finds that the enrollment in the community college fell a lot more than in the four-year college,” Chen said. The disconnection rate is an important indicator. Young adults who are disconnected tend to have worse outcomes in terms of income and acquiring a home in life compared to those who remained engaged during their youth. L.A. City College student Nicholas Cardona is an English major. He is not currently enrolled because of the pandemic and is waiting until college opens for in-person classes. He also works at Universal Studios. Cardona became unemployed SEE “DISCONNECTION” PAGE 4
INDEX Opinion & Editorial
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Features 3-4 Resources 5 Sports 6
PHOTO BY JULIO AQUINO Homeless individuals raise their voices with signs that express their opinions on the pandemic through urban street design on May 22. Tents, signs, and people pile-up under the 101 Freeway bridge at the intersections of Yucca and North Gower Streets in Hollywood.
Governor Unveils $12 billion Plan to Clean Up State Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a five-year plan to combat and prevent homelessness and clean up California streets. BY GERARDO DE LOS SANTOS
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ov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposal to invest $12 billion of the available $100 billion California Comeback Plan package to focus on the prevention of homelessness and other measures on May 11. Gov. Newsom says that this historic Comeback Plan is one of the largest investments in the state’s history and will help Californians get back on their feet after the pandemic.
Newsom plans to use $8.75 billion of the subsidized funds to provide 65,000 people with housing placements and more than 300,000 others with housing stability. The package will also create 28,000 new beds for behavioral health needs as well as for seniors who are at high risk of being homeless. The package provides $447 million to address student homelessness in UCs, CSUs, and CCCs by creating housing for students on the verge of becoming homeless. To read the full report, go to https://collegian.lacc.life.
Hundreds of people lined up in front of the Student Union Building to get a free vaccination on Sunday, May 23. L.A. City College and Kedren Vaccines, a division of Kedren Health, partnered to produce the event. LACC President Mary Gallagher, her staff and volunteers welcomed students, community members and their families to the vaccination site. Dr. Gallagher says discussions about hosting a vaccination site on campus began about six weeks ago. The goal was to target students, their families and the community. “Vaccines are so important to end this pandemic,” Gallagher said. “And so, we got this all arranged. We want everybody to come out because we want a very safe community.” Dr. Jerry Abraham who is the director of Kedren Vaccines said he was “super excited” to be vaccinating LACC students and the community. Volunteers helped to register participants, as well as observed people who had just received the vaccine to make sure they did not experience adverse side effects. Various vendor booths were set up in the plaza, including the LACC Office of Student Outreach. Volunteers at another booth provided public health information, including how to test for HIV and how to prevent STDs. “This is an opportunity to talk to young people,” Dr. Abraham said. “About their body, their health, their rights and their choice, and that’s what we’re doing here today.” Dr. Abraham says the Max Vax concept is to engage, educate and vaccinate the community. “And once we do that, then we will achieve the herd immunity: the 70% plus. This is how that will end this pandemic,” Dr. Abraham says. According to the County of Los Angeles Public Health, in East Hollywood, 12,416 residents have been vaccinated. That means 51.1% of the population who are 16 years and older in East Hollywood at least have one dose. Vaccination sites are popping up throughout L.A. and the vaccination rate is growing fast. SEE “STUDENTS” PAGE 4
Graduates from Nine Colleges Convene for Virtual Black Graduation Celebration BY RONNISHA GUNN
The Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) of the Los Angeles Community College District recognized their 2021 Honorary Scholarship Recipients on May 25 during the live streamed Black Graduation Celebration. Various student recipients thanked BFSA for their support, as well as EOP&S, the Music Academy at L.A. City College and the Umoja Program.
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he Los Angeles Community College District had a ceremony that celebrated the accomplishments of Black graduates from the nine colleges in the district on May 25. More than 600 people attended the 11th Annual Black Graduation that was live streamed on Facebook Live and YouTube. The ceremony was put together by The African American Outreach Initiative (AAOI) a district-wide collaboration of faculty, staff and administrators who are dedicated to improving success rates of African American students in the LACCD. The graduation ceremony lasted a little more than two hours as attendees watched musical performances, and a number of speakers, administrators and faculty members deliver remarks. The speakers included LACCD Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez. He spoke directly to the graduates and their
families and congratulated them. He encouraged the students to continue to excel. “First, give yourself the permission to excel. Our human nature is to excel, don’t curb it, don’t squash it,” Rodriquez said. “Let your Black brilliance shine and be comfortable with your ambition.” Dr. Jewel Jackson, director of African Soul International, offered a prayer to honor the ancestors. “We honor families that made
a heroic, brave, risky or scary move so that you could have the opportunities you enjoy today. Asè.” Asè (pronounced ashay) is a West African Yoruba word that is generally defined as “the power to make things happen” or “so let it be.” Dr. Jackson continued to pour libation. “We pour for the unborn,” she said. “Those who are yet to come from the spirit realm, those who
will inherit the leg of the race that each of us runs. May we bear them in mind as the days get long, as the difficulties are many, may we know that everything that we conquer in this generation makes one less thing for them to have to overcome in theirs.” Dr. Jackson said. One of the most inspiring moments came when Nate Howard, a professional speaker, poet, educator and graduate of the University of Southern California,
read a poem. “I don’t believe in this hierarchy,” Howard said. “Authority only made me obedient to a structure that never leveled me equal.” In closing the ceremony, many graduates shared words of gratitude upon acceptance of academic awards that were also presented. If interested, the ceremony is available to watch on YouTube. Search “LACCD Black Graduation Celebration 2021.”