EL CAMINO COLLEGE
THE UNION
S e r v i n g t h e E l C a m i n o c o m m u n i t y s i n c e 19 4 6 eccunion.com
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TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
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Females represent small fraction of STEM field Clubs, programs attempt to reach women Jaime Solis
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJaime
Nicoleene Yunker/Union A cat looks on as it hides in the bushes from predators during the night. This is just one of several cats that live on campus. March 6, 2019.
On campus from dusk to dawn
Coyotes attempt to establish home in midst of urbanization
Jun Ueda
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJ
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s the sun goes down and night classes begin to wrap up, the El Camino College campus becomes a playground for cats, raccoons and squirrels as they wander throughout, scouring for food. On several corners, a pulsating red light glows in the darkness— below it reads: Coyote Deterrent. Do Not Touch. “It is important for students to immediately report any sightings of coyotes on campus,” EC Chief of Police Michael Trevis said. “Avoid them, don’t feed them, if
you see one on campus, please call us, use the blue poles, or call us.” In the last year, EC’s police department received seven reports of coyote sightings on campus from janitors and faculty at night and students during the day. Because of this, coyote deterrents were set up around campus in the Fall of 2018. EC biology professor Bryan Carey said the reason why coyote awareness has risen in the past decade could be because of our lack of exposure to wildlife in urban areas. “It could be the change in perspectives in the decades of generations over time,” Carey said. “We are more sheltered and not exposed to seeing coyotes around,
whereas my father could’ve been regularly seeing coyotes or other wildlife more often.” Carey said urban coyotes have been around long before we began to raise awareness about them. Carey added that as humans begin to colonize more land, the habitats for wildlife shrunk, forcing them to adapt to urban environments. “You kind of have to think beyond our bias for some of that and those answers come from changes in ice ages, migration patterns, humans coming or going, and humans introducing other species that might compete with or be similar to [coyotes],” Carey said. “I don’t want people getting attacked certainly not, but
I don’t want them [coyotes] being punished for trying to be what they are.” Growing concerns Journalism and English professor, Kate McLaughlin, who has also been involved with the EC Cat Care Volunteer Group, said she was concerned regarding the risks of other cats and people being attacked by coyotes. “It’s a concern that urban areas across the nation are having to deal with as the coyote’s habitat is being developed and is getting pressed into urban areas,” McLaughlin said. Campus wildlife continued on page 4.
Breaking barriers between cultures
International Student Program helps foreign students adjust Anna Podshivalova
Staff Writer @ECCUnionAnna The International Student Program(ISP) at El Camino College enrolls about 650 students every semester from over 67 different countries all over the world, according to EC’s 20162017 Annual Factbook. The Factbook also provides insights into specifics of international students’ origin. Thus, the largest share of EC international students come from Asia: 31 percent from Japan, 14 percent from China, 13 percent from Korea, and 11 percent from Vietnam. European students make up 7 percent, while South American students represent 4 percent.
“Foreign students find out about us at educational fairs that take place in their home countries,” Lindsey Ludwig, ISP manager, said.”Most often, students will learn about our college through friends or family members.” However, not all of the incoming foreign students have an understanding of English and need to go through a language school before they are able to attend community college. “It took me six months at a language school before I transferred to El Camino College,” ISP assistant, Caroline Etges said. “Now I work at the ISP office on campus but also attend Long Beach California State University— majoring in communication and media studies, and I still struggle with writing skills.” For international students requiring additional language
training, EC offers an English language program called El Camino Language Academy (ECLA), which provides staff support through quality language instruction and one-on-one interactions for each student, according to the EC website. But despite the language barrier, international students choose to pursue majors that require strong communication skills. The most popular programs for international students include business administration, computer science, fashion, psychology, art, and cinema, according to the Annual Factbook. Shaotong He, an international student said she studies business administration. I am very interested in it, as it is quite versatile.” she said. “After graduation, I want to transfer to UC Irvine or UC Santa Barbara.”
However, learning a new language is not the only barrier international students face. Trump’s travel ban has created limitations for several potential students. However, Ludwig said that although the travel ban has not affected EC students directly, the number of visa approval has decreased. “In many countries such as Russia, Venezuela, or Iran, there are now difficulties with the economy,” Ludwig said. “Because of this, studying abroad has become quite expensive for some students.” Yet, EC charges non-residents $270 per unit plus the original $46 per unit residents pay, according to the EC website.
Over the last year or so, society as a whole has been plunged into the uncomfortable discussion of equality in the workforce and an emphasis on equal representation across many industries. Social movements such as the #metoo and #timesup movements have garnered much attention and a degree of success to the cause of on a national level. However, this problem has not fully been resolved in engineering classrooms. “There are professional organizations out there trying to recruit women into the field,” Victoria Martinez, faculty advisor for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Women in Technology (WIT), and El Camino Robotics club, said. “But they’re finding out there are no women at the community college, or college level, to move into those professions.”
Machine technology major Brady Fernandez said he witnessed the stark lack of women in engineering classes. “There’s one woman out of 16 students in my ‘Intro to Machine Tools’ class,” Fernandez said. Kimberly Orellana, electronic engineering technology major and co-president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), said she has experienced this isolation firsthand. “Sometimes I’ll be the only female in my class,“ Orellana said. “And I hear that from other girls too, about their classes.” EC has two clubs dedicated to promoting the representation of women in the industry: the Society of Women Engineers and the Women in Technology clubs. “We aim to get women to be aware of the programs we have here involving the industry,” Orellana said. STEM industry representation continued on page 4.
Astronaut visits EC in effort to promote space field
EC hosts annual Onizuka Space Science Day
Jaime Solis
Staff Writer @ECCUnionJaime Students in between fifth and twelfth grade from throughout southern California landed at El Camino on Saturday, March 9 at 7 a.m. to participate in the annual Onizuka Space Science Day. This event was presented by the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Committee and sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc, and El Camino College and included the 32nd Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Lecture Series at the Marsee Auditorium. Held in memory of the seven astronauts that lost their lives in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on Jan 28, 1986, the event’s goals
were to spark an interest in the space and science fields to generate an awareness of the various potential career paths possible for youth. “We’re interested in laying a foundation for interest in STEM” Erik Wedin, manager of Corporate Relations at American Honda Motor Co., Inc, said. “We want them to get their hands dirty and dream big.” The doors open The event at Marsee Auditorium began at about 9 a.m. with keynote speaker Dr. Stanley G. Love, a NASA astronaut that has logged over 306 hours in space. Daniel Vasquez, fifth grader from Chapman Elementary School, said he was excited to see the astronaut and hear about space. Space day continued on page 4.
Mona Itani/Union Student Natalie Okamura, pre-nursing major, helps International students continued preschool student Vianey Cardenas make squishy on page 4. polymers at the science courtyard. March 9, 2019.
Spring University Fair................................................... March, 19, at 10 a.m. Library Lawn
Options for Transfer Workshop .............. March 21, at 12:30 ITEC 112
UCLA Transfer Admission Workshop......................... March, 19, 1:30 p.m. ITEC 112
San Diego State Tour ................................ March 23, at 6:30 a.m. Parking Lot J
Photo credits: Jun Ueda Elena Perez Mari Inagaki