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Nindiya Maheswari & Ethan Cohen
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The demand for fair wages, affordable healthcare, smaller class sizes and the cost-of-living adjustment dominated discussion during public comment at the Board of Trustees meeting Monday, March 20.
Disputes between the El Camino College Federation of Teachers and the El Camino College District continue to rage on as faculty and district officials failed to reach an agreement at the previous Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 22 and contract negotiations on March 10.
Federation Vice President for part-time faculty Laila Dellapasqua told The Union during a previous interview on March 16 El Camino is far behind its sister colleges in terms of wages, benefits and basic working conditions.
“Many of my part-time colleagues with [Masters] and Ph.D.’s have not seen any upward mobility on their pay rate scale; their hourly pay rate is stationary,” Dellapasqua said. “Highly qualified educators deserve a longevity increment.”
Dellapasqua said part-time faculty are deserving of quality healthcare and faculty wellness directly impacts and contributes to student success.
The Union asked Jane Miyashiro, vice president of human resources, for comment. Miyashiro, who is on the negotiations team, directed The Union to a previously emailed statement about the district’s position on the negotiations from Director of Public Information and Government Relations Kerri Webb.
Ethan Cohen
@itsecohen
Former El Camino College baseball player and aspiring firefighter Cameron Schneider died at the age of 21.
Schneider’s death was announced by the El Camino baseball team’s social media accounts on Friday, March 3.
Hailing from Peninsula High School, Schneider played baseball at El Camino and was on track to follow in his family’s footsteps to go into firefighting according to close friend Nico Anvirapour.
Anvirapour, 21, grew up knowing Schneider in middle school and said their friendship really “blossomed into a brotherhood” over the years as they both pursued going into firefighting together.
“His dad was a big-time captain for LA County,” Anvaripour said. “I think after a while he realized it was his calling.”
Anvaripour said his last conversation with Schneider was discussing questions he had about the emergency medical technician exams and asking about his day.
“It’s heartbreaking for me in the sense that I can understand his dreams and what he wanted to do,” Anvaripour said. “I can never imagine that being taken away from you.”
Officially, there is no information about a service for Schneider or a tribute from the Warriors baseball team.
“[Schneider] really had a passion for helping other people,” Anvaripour said. “He was a people person and that’s why he would’ve been so good for the job.”
President Kelsey Iino leads a march around campus with faculty, staff, employees and students on Tuesday, Feb, 28.
Khoury Williams | The Union
The Union approached Trustee Trisha Murakawa to comment on the ongoing contract negotiations. She said she is not allowed to comment because the district is still negotiating and suggested reaching out to PR.
Trustees Nilo Michelin and Clifford Numark could not share the details of contract negotiations as discussed during the closed session, however, they highlighted their support for faculty.
