2 El Camino College Union POLICE BEAT By Coree Heard
Paramedics called to parking lot L Sept. 5, 10:30 a.m.–Paramedics responded to parking lot L after a female student called for assistance for her boyfriend. The female student said her boyfriend had thrown up and had a fever. Paramedics transported him to a local hospital.
NEWS
Board member has link to Mars Carl Martin
Staff Writer
As pictures from the Mars rover, Curiosity, stream back to Earth, students and faculty can know that Kenneth Brown, member of the
board of trustees, contributed to the project. Brown worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1987 to 2011, and worked on one of the rover’s science packages from 2007 to 2010, he said. Brown said that he
Student’s backpack stolen outside Bookstore Sept. 4, 1:20 p.m.–Officers responded to a theft which happened outside the Bookstore. A student left his backpack outside the Bookstore and found it missing after returning to get it. Police urged students to use the lockers provided outside the Bookstore.
Bike stolen near the Administration Building Sept. 4, 10:20 a.m.–Officers responded to a call from the Administration Building regarding a stolen bike. A female student said she parked and secured her bike beside the building and when she returned it was gone. There were no witnesses and police have been unable to identify a suspect.
Bookstore cashier finds counterfeit money Aug. 31, 3:40 p.m.–Officers responded to the Bookstore after receiving a call about the use of counterfeit money. The bookstore cashier had found $240 in counterfeit money which had been there for several hours. Police were unable to identify a suspect.
September 13, 2012
Elfego Casasola/Union Board of trustees member Kenneth Brown sits in the board meeting room. He is currently working as an associate system engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton, prior to which he worked for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he participated in the Mars rover project.
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The eligibility requires that a student must have completed graded units that are course-applicable, a GPA of 2.0 or better, and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. Factor said that students were often discouraged because of the amount of legwork they have to do to start and finish the application process. Aside from the perception that they do not qualify for a scholarship, students who may have initiated the process sometimes fail to complete the process. Last year, 300 applications, out of the 1000 received, were unfinished and disqualified, Gleason said. The Foundation had reached out to faculty and asked them to be involved in informing their students
worked on the Tunable Laser Spectrometer, which studied atmospheric and sub-surface gas measurements on Mars. “I was responsible for capturing test-bed assembly and inspection data records and drawings as well as assisting with flight hardware integration,” Brown said. Brown received his bachelors degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, and a masters degree from Clark Atlanta University. One of the many questions Brown usually gets asked is what the importance of the Mars mission is and what people will be able to learn from it, he said. “By understanding Mars, which many scientists think is a precursor of an older Earth-like planet, we can see if there was life
and they overwhelmingly agreed, Gleason said. “We are trying to get the word out more and more,” Gleason added. The Scholarship Office, under the Foundation, will also conduct workshops to help students complete and submit their applications. Students find this information helpful in applying for a scholarship. “The announcements from faculty, banners and posters plays a part (in the application process),” Fiat Tapaneeyakorn, economics major, 20 said, “but student responsibility is also important,” she added. Lawrenz Manalo, architectural engineering major, 20, said that reminding students about scholarships plays a part, but it also depends on the person whether they will apply or not. The foundation will open the ap-
on Mars to see if we can see what Mars was, to help us understand Earth’s future better,” Brown said. He added that missions like this also allow the development of technology that we “take for granted” in everyday life, such as iPads and cell phones. Students were taking advantage of the immediate data that the Mars rover mission was providing, Perry Hacking, astronomy professor, said. He said that many of his students were following the adventures of Curiosity from the JPL website (http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ msl/). “There will be many contributions from the rover mission in future textbooks based on the data the rover on the surface produces,” Hacking added. Brown said he sees op-
plication process earlier for school year 2013-2014 to give time for a more thorough review of submitted applications, Gleason said. The scholarship application will be done electronically through the MyEcc portal. The online applications will be open starting Monday up to Dec. 14, and will be awarded in April 2013. The scholarship aims to assist a broad population of students. “The Foundation has over $600,000 that we can award each year to incoming high school students, current and continuing students, and transfer students. Each scholarship is very specific to what student population the donors are trying to assist. Some of them are broad. For instance, it may be for a particular area of study, or they are just merit-based, or financial need based,” Gleason said. .
portunities for students in aerospace fields at local companies. “EC can help feed the aerospace industry, even with two-year degrees, that if you are a programmer you don’t necessarily need a master’s degree in programming,” Brown said. “But if you have that kind of skill coming out, people are going to swoop you up.” Brown added that it’s a really good bargain to get a community college background before transferring to the four-year schools. Brown said he sees his connection to the college as a trustee being inherent due to his family and roots in the community. “I feel a connection just because there’s a responsibility,” Brown said. “There’s a strong possibility that my kids are going
to be here the way tuition is going in this country.” Brown said he currently resides in Carson and works at Booz Allen Hamilton, a strategy and technology consulting firm, as well as being an adjunct professor of physics at California State University, Dominguez HillsHowever he said that being a board member was “one of the hardest jobs” he has had. Due to his connection to the district, Brown said he appreciates the opportunity he has had to direct the future of the college rather than having somebody from the outside do it. “I just don’t think about these students, I think about the eighth and ninth graders who are coming up and what kind of campus this is going to be in three or for years,” Brown said.
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Coming later this month, the ASO will be at information tablels and conduct events to inform staff, students, and their families about Proposition 30 in the hopes of preventing the cuts from taking place. “We are working on a ‘Get Out The Vote’ campaign and students will be able to register to vote at events on campus,” Matson said. ASO Vice President Dillan Horton is organizing this campaign and has been approaching students in hopes of acquiring volunteers to spread the word about the upcoming vote. “A lot of it is down to interpersonal communication, more so than an ad on the TV or a poster on the wall,” Horton said. Gen also encouraged students to “get informed on the campaign,”
while Matson wished to emphasize to students that the cuts are not set in stone and do not have to happen. “The number one thing is to be informed about everything, and the number two thing is to register to vote,” she added. Should the proposition, which will be added to the bottom of the presidential ballot, fail to pass, Nishime encouraged students to “take advantage of your registration date” to better their chances of getting a seat in class. Nishime noted that the final decisions about section cuts for the spring would be available to students before registration for spring begins. Until that time, administrators will not make any final plans, and students will have to do their best. “Make your own decisions look at the information yourself and use that information to make your decision,” Horton added.
Two faculty members honored after 38 years of dedication to education Jorge Maldonado Staff Writer
Kyle Ward/Union Maria Brown, history professor, has been teaching at the college for 38 years and was receantly awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award for her service to the college.
Michael Williams/Union Hiram Hironaka shows his students the intricacies of working on an engine. Hironaka is a college alumni and has been teaching in the automotive department for 38 years.
After 38 years of inspiring and motivating students, two professors were recognized with top accolades by their peers. Professor Maria Brown was honored in May with the EC Faculty of the Year award, while Professor Hiram Hironaka received the Teacher of the Year award from the Los Angeles County Industrial and Technology Education Association. “It’s a real privilege and a real honor to receive acclamation from my colleagues and peers,” Maria Brown, history professor, said. Inspired to teach by a mentor, Maria Brown became a history teacher at the age of 27, one of the youngest history teachers at that time, she said. “I came out of graduate school in 1974 and was looking for a job and El Camino had an opening and I applied,” she said. When Brown applied, she
had a background education in African American History that set her apart, she added. On May 24, Brown was to receive the Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award, presented to instructors who have demonstrated the highest level of commitment to their students, college and profession, according to the guidelines for the Distinguished Faculty Award. Brown was unable to attend the 16th Annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation and Recognition Reception as she was hospitalized for surgery, she said. “I was upset at the time, because I wanted very much to be here, but I think when the award was finally given, which was on FLEX day (faculty training day), it was more meaningful because it was in front of all my peers, which was really great,” she said. Inside the classroom, Brown motivates her students by having discussions of current events that directly affect them,
she said. “I like watching students grow, that has been a reward for me,” Brown said. “I like it because it gives me that opportunity to give back what was given to me. I had teachers who cared about me and who were concerned and encouraged me,” she added. “Instead of always lecturing, she gives us a chance to discuss and express how we feel about certain issues, such as the speeches given by First Lady Michelle Obama and Ann Romney,” Hanna Shim, 21, communication major, said. Also in his 38th year of teaching, Hironaka was recognized on May 19 by the Los Angeles County Industrial Education Association with the Community College Teacher of the Year award. “The difference between his teaching (and other colleges), he’s so easy to understand, he’s a teacher who really cares and relates to his students,” Ginette Perez, automotive technology
department intern, said. Hironaka was well acquainted with the college when he started teaching in 1983 as he was an alumni before earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Long Beach. “The passion still continues after all these years,” Hironaka said. “Working with the students branches out beyond helping them academically, it branches out to keeping them healthy, helping them emotionally and to feel that somebody cares,” he added. In addition to teaching, Hironaka owns the restaurant Wasabi Sushiya located in the city of Gardena, he added. Both instructors said teaching is what they’re passionate about as well as inspiring their students to accomplish their goals and lead successful lives. “My greatest achievement is not to forget that which was given to me and that which I have imparted,” Brown said.
Use of smartphones on college campuses growing by leaps and bounds
Carl Martin
Staff Writer
The use of smartphones on college campuses is steadily rising, according to a Ball State University study. Smartphones can be an excellent resource for finding information, organizing, or staying in contact with classmates and instructors. They may have also become a major accessory that many college students cannot do without. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, about 45 percent of college students used their smartphones to help with school assignments and 46 percent for other work related-tasks. Some col-
leges and universities planned to use this increase in smartphone usage to their advantage. Seton Hall University planned to provide smartphones and pre-paid cell phone plans to their incoming freshmen class, according to a US News and World report. “We need to be able to reach (students) and connect to them,” Michael Taylor, academic director of Seton Hall University’s Center for Mobile Research and Innovation, said in the report. “We want to (provide) a device that’s always on, always connected, and tends to always be with the student no matter where they are.” Many EC students may find their use of smartphones is similar to other stu-
dents around the country. Bijan Eskandari, 28, civil engineering and computer science major, says he doesn’t use his smartphone during classes, but does use it to transcribe notes and research homework afterwards. “I do have some engineering and graphing applications that I use for some of my math classes, but not much beyond that,” Eskandari said. Smartphones may provide many benefits for students, but Eskandari said he tries to avoid some of their pitfalls. Eskandari said he tries not to overuse his smartphone to avoid it becoming a “crutch to rely on” and preventing him from “interacting with others.”
Other students, like freshman student Enrique Gante, 18, undecided major, may just be discovering their smartphones’ potential. Gante said he did not use his smartphone for high school classes, but plans to use it more in college. “I think I’ll be able to use it more now for quick access and quick information before class.” Gante said. Gante is part of a group that is receiving more attention from smartphone application designers that are tailoring more apps for college students according to a Bloomberg Businessweek article. “Today, tech-savvy students can find apps of all sorts that will organize their
assignments, map out the university campus, and locate free Wi-Fi, among many other functions,” according to the article. According to a recent Ball State University study, smartphone use on that campus had more than doubled since 2009 from 27 percent to 69 percent in 2012. This college like many other colleges, provides the mobile access application MOX to help students gather this type of information, but some students feel it could be more comprehensive. “I’m just now starting using the MOX app,” Gante said, “but wish it had additional information like being able to register or pay for classes to make it more useful.”