Union
El Camino College
March 10, 2011
Torrance, Calif.
EC GOES GREEN TO SAVE MONEY Nicholette Raecke Staff Writer
Annastashia Goolsby /Union
Tons of dead sardines swamp King Harbor Millions of sardines, killed by natural causes, blanketed the bottom of King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach last Tuesday while tons more rested on the surface of the water. The smelly incident was cleaned up by a combination of volunteers and city workers. The sardines were believed to swim into the harbor and deplete all the oxygen in the water.
El Camino is on the fast track to becoming a green and energyefficient campus. The construction of the campus’s newest buildings are being completed in accordance to the Energy and Sustainability Policy. These guidelines are also saving the campus money while earning incentives. The next “green” building, due for completion in November, is the Math, Business, Health and Science Building, or MBHS. The Energy and Sustainability recommends that all new public buildings be equipped and constructed with energy saving measures. Factoring in materials
that can help decrease our carbon footprint and help lower our outgassing issues can help us meet higher standards. By contracting under the policy’s guidelines, the aim is to reduce campus energy by 15 percent. “The newest building, designed under the guidelines of Title 24, is exceeding those standards,” Bruce Hoerning, assistant director of facilities planning and services, said. “We’re also designing facilities that outperform the energy code by 15 percent.” There are also other updates on campus that may assist EC in energy conservation. Replacing 12 boilers and nine chillers with three boilers and three chillers have been a suc-
cessful endeavor, Hoerning said. The newer units can adjust to the needs of the campus, instead of running full charge all day, he said. While the Humanities Building opened in 2008 employs energy conservation, Barbara Jaffe, associate dean of humanities, said there are already problems with accommodating all the students at EC. The overflow of classes are held in additional buildings on campus. The Humanities Building houses departments once existing in four separate buildings. This includes the Writing Center and the foreign language labs. Student outreach has factored into construction due to students speaking out about their needs.
Continued, see ENERGY, Page 2
Women’s history month celebrations at EC Tayani Davis Staff Writer
Maria Brown, women’s studies professor, walked up to the podium dressed to the tee and kicked off her speech with one question. “What is women’s history?” Brown asked hypothetically. “Everyone is centered on men and their story, not women’s stories but ‘hisstory’ a white male nationalistic perspective.” Brown’s speech at the women’s history month luncheon last Friday marked the first time a faculty member got the distinction of being guest speaker at the event. For the month of March, EC aims to honor women’s history in a variety of ways, kicking it off with the luncheon that has been celebrated for 14 years. “History is our strength so why not choose someone of our own who is very knowledgeable about women’s history,” Donna Manno, Staff Development Coordinator, said. Brown said she believes that acknowledging the impact of women’s history is important because the world teaches about a “man’s journey.” “Women are excluded from this story along with African-American women and poor people and that even though without a woman a man wouldn’t be in existence, wom-
en were still not seen as important.” Brown said. She said that women made a difference just as much as men did. Not just Caucasian women but women of all diversities have made a change in our world. This is why she
“Everyone is centered on men and their story, not women’s stories but “his-story” a white male nationalistic perspective.” —Maria Brown women’s studies professor
is so passionate and excited to teach women’s history so students can view the whole story and not just men’s stories. “Being able to teach women’s history is an exciting thing to do because you get the other side of the story; women’s story. And you can’t tell one story without telling the other right?” Brown said. Brown said she enjoys teaching women’s history because students get to learn about a different perspective, the “women’s story.”
One student seemed to be enlightened by Brown’s speech on women. “I realize that women do have a choice today. She made me realize that history isn’t all about men; women are also incorporated in history as well,” Gwendolyn Satchell, 19, business major, said. Brown feels by teaching women’s history and educating her students well she is helping with women equality. “When I think about feminism I think about how I feel as a woman, a black American woman that has a choice,” Brown said. Aside from the women’s history month luncheon last Friday, the second “Girls in the Garage” workshop was last Saturday in one of the auto shop rooms. Pati Fairchild, autobody instructor, ran the workshop, aimed to get women into the automotive profession. Other upcoming events celebrating Women’s History Month include a “Women’s Wall of Fame Ceremony,” a book discussion on “The Help” with the novel’s writer Kathryn Stockett, a hat fashion show, and the unveiling of the 2011 “Women of Distinction Award”. All events will be in the Alondra Room on campus. Dates and more information about these events can be found online at http:// www.elcamino.edu/events/whm2011.asp
Shiggy Ichinomaya /Union Maria Brown, women’s studies professor, speaks to attendees of the event.
Campus police are ready to respond to any disturbances Matt Simon Managing Editor
In the case of a student on campus with a weapon, the campus police are prepared to handle the situation. Instructors however, aren’t as prepared for such an incident. “Any kind of gun on a college campus, whether loaded or unloaded, is still a violation of the law,” Sgt. Dal Toruno said. “So, whether your gun is in the trunk and your bullets are in the glove compartment like it’s legal to do, because this is a college campus it is against the law.” Along with legal ramifications, students found to have a weapon will also face administrative action and possibly a hearing regarding their status as a student at EC. For Sara Blake, English instructor and basic skills coordinator for the Humanities Division, she isn’t sure what she would do in a situation where a student had a weapon in her class. “I don’t know what I’d do,” Blake said. “I would probably panic, I’d tell everyone to get down and go under their desk, but I don’t think that would be the
NEWS LINE
University fair to take place on campus Tuesday
There will be a university fair on the library lawn on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information or appointments, interested persons may call 310-660 -3593 ext. 6137.
This is part two of a three part series about students with mental illnesses at community colleges.
best idea.” Along with Blake, Susan Bachmann, English professor, was also unsure how she would handle the situation. “My instincts would be to do what I can to keep the situation calm,” Bachmann said. “I’d try to talk down the person in any way I can.” Most instructors welcomed the idea of having workshops on campus where they could learn what to do in those situations.
“I think a class would be very useful,” Bachmann said. “There’s no problem with being too prepared. If you know what to do beyond your instincts and have the training to know the next step that would help.” “I for one would be one person that would be at one of the classes,” Claudette Parks, reading instructor said. Campus police is ready in any situation where a student is being suspicious or may be believed to have a weapon, Toruno said. “We’ll try to be as low-key as possible if we just know a student has possession of a weapon,” Toruno said. “We’ll go to the classroom and we might even have somebody in plain clothes get into the class as a student and then kind of surprise the student and gain control of the student and safely remove the weapon and take him into custody and find out what he’s doing with his weapon.” In the case of a student running around campus with a gun, campus police are prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives and neutralize the threat. “In the old days, we were trained to wait for the SWAT team to get there, but since Columbine and
those type of incidents, we have to eliminate the threat,” Toruno said. “We’ve been trained, we draw support from the Gardena Police Department on active shooter training, we are trained in that we used the officers on duty and we can also call surrounding agencies for any assistance.” “If you have someone who is out there just shooting around, you lock down what you can,” Toruno said. “You lock down the classrooms and handle the threat.” Some knives, depending on the size, are allowed on campus, but they must be displayed at all times. Pepper spray is also always allowed without the need of any formal training. Tasers are also allowed on campus, but need formal training. “We try to tell students not to bring any kind of weapon to campus,” Toruno said. “If you have any question about it, don’t bring it, it’s not worth it.” With the incidents in Tucson and at Gardena High School, EC is prepared for anything that may happen on campus. With students’ safety in mind, the Campus Police are ready to save lives and do everything necessary to do so.
Financial Aid online workshop for students
Hair donations for cancer patients on campus
Inter-Club council meeting to discuss club budgets
ASO set to gather student concerns for conference
A workshop focusing on financial sid for students will be held in the Student Service Center, Room 204-G on Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. Those interested can sign up by calling 310-660-3493.
Students and faculty will have an opportunity to donate their hair for an organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. The event will be located on the Schauerman Library Lawn from 1 to 2 p.m. today.
An Inter-club council and finance meeting will take place Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the west wing of the Activities Center. Clubs requesting ICC funding should submit an ICC budget request and attend.
ASO will have a “Represent Advocacy” table on the library lawn today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to gather student concerns for their American Student Association of Community Colleges conference. -Tayani Davis