Lariat the student voice of Saddleback & Irvine Valley colleges since 1968
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015
How the GI Bill benefits veterans at Saddleback
volume 48, issue 9
PIZZA PALOOZA 3
facebook.com/lariatnews
twitter.com/lariatnews
Review
New Imagine Dragons album dissected 2 LARIATNEWS.COM
twitter.com/lariatsports
Saddleback Police write out a ticket for one unlucky student driver
AARON MITZLAFF NEWS EDITOR
Students recquired to immunize at UCs by 2017 AARON MITZLAFF NEWS EDITOR
There are a growing number of veterans coming home from the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of them are starting their college careers. Their service has earned them money for college, but many do not know what benefits are available to them. Saddleback offers personal counseling, including academic and financial counseling through the Veterans Education and Transition Services on campus. Before separating from the military, every service member must attend classes on base to help with the transition into civilian life through the Transition Assistance Program. This class discusses Veterans Affairs benefits, job placement and the GI Bill. However when former service members arrive on a college campus, most of them don’t know what to do to begin the process of receiving VA benefits through the GI Bill. “Saddleback does send an official representative to Camp Pendleton to [advise] active-duty military on academic counseling, the same type of counseling that is provided here,” said Jason Conway, an employee of the VETS Center. The information military personnel receive about the GI Bill in TAP classes is very general, due to the fact that many of the personnel will be going back to their home of record to start their college experience. It is up to each individual to research information on the veteran programs at their school of choice. California has the largest population of veterans in this country, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office. Saddleback College has around 500 veterans enrolled in classes either on or off campus. “379 veterans here are using the GI Bill, but their are some that are not using the GI Bill,” said Karen Miranda from the VA Benefits office. The VA Benefits office in the Student Services Center Room 208 is where veterans begin the process of getting their GI Bill started. “Most of the veterans hear about us through word of mouth,” Miranda said. “ They are usually not very knowledgeably on the steps to getting their benefits.” Saddleback’s veterans office has counselors to help each veteran through the steps. These counselors can be located on campus, at the VETS Center in the SSC Room 207. There’re two types of GI bills, the Montgomery Bill and the Post 9/11 Bill. Most of the veterans here use the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which pays for tuition, books and monthly housing allowance, or MHA. In order to get the MHA the veteran must be a full-time student. Veterans at Saddleback are generally pleased with their experiences with the VA services on campus. “It has been great so far, a much easier transition then I thought it would be,” said Zak Peel, 28, graphic design and photography. “They overpaid me once, and late payments are the only [other] problems that I have had.” New veterans now have more opportunities to receive a college education. “[New veterans should] visit the college and talk to the veterans counselor and other veterans that go to school,” Peel said. If you know a veteran that wants to enroll in college, tell them to contact the VA office at their college of choice.
amitzlaff.lariat@gmail.com
Niko Labarbera/Lariat
UH-OH: Many students aren’t aware of parking regulations at Saddleback that are grounds for a citation.
5 tips for ticket-free parking NIKO LABARBERA
PHOTO/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Parking at Saddleback College can be costly if the rules aren’t precisely followed. Parking tickets are distributed by campus police on a daily basis, and finding one on your windshield can be as upsetting as receiving a bad grade, except it’ll cost you some cash. These tickets may be frustrating, but they are avoidable. Rather than reading all nine pages of parking and traffic regulations on the Saddleback police website, here are five of the most important traffic and parking regulations students should know. Section 411 of the parking guidebook states all vehicles shall be parked clearly within a designated parking stall. The terms to focus on are “designated parking stall.” All student drivers know what it’s like to be late for class and left scrambling for a parking spot. Although student drivers may find clever ways to park in
unmarked spots, those who do may be subject to a ticket. No student enjoys an orange envelope on their windshield. Section 412 states all vehicles shall be parked heading into a parking stall. Backing into a parking spot makes life easy when leaving school, but there’s also a good chance students will get a ticket for doing so. It doesn’t matter whether a driver is in an angled spot by the tennis courts or in parking Lot 10, expect a ticket if the vehicle is backed into a parking spot. Section 414 states no vehicle shall be left parked on campus after 11 p.m. or before 6 a.m., except by special permit. This may seem like a no-brainer, but for students who’ve ever contemplated leaving their car at the college while grabbing a beer with a buddy after a night class, do so with caution. If students leave cars after 11p.m. they will most likely be towed by the time they get back to school. Section 202 states no person shall
ride a skateboard, roller skates or roller blades within the confines of the campus. This may be a surprise many students. While this regulation may not be strongly enforced at Saddleback, students may want to get off your skate and walk next time you happen to be passing a school officer. Section 406 states no person shall stop, park or leave standing any vehicle in any area where the curb is painted red, regardless of whether or not the vehicle is attended. Many student drivers like to get to school early to stake out the parking situation. This usually occurs in the form of waiting in one’s car at the back of the parking lot until a spot opens up. While student drivers will most likely continue to wait in red zones to find parking, be aware that if campus police see this, they may write a citation.
nlabarbera.lariat@gmail.com
Landscape design closes 81 parking spots around campus Parking in Lots 9 and 10 of Saddlebck College was more difficult than usual in early February due to the closure of parking spaces to accomodate landscaping meant to aesthetically improve the college NIKO LABARBERA
PHOTO/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Why were 81 parking spots closed in Lot 10 a few weeks ago? That’s the question many student drivers may have been asking themselves when they got to school and saw caution tape lining the outside of parking Lots 9 and 10. This was due to new landscape designs which began on Tuesday, Feb. 10. While the shrubbery surrounding Lots 9 and 10 acted as a good natural barrier, it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing display of plant life. Contractors began excavating the area surrounding parking Lot 10 on Tuesday, which resulted in 81 spots being temporarily closed. Lot 10 returned to normal after Tuesday, but Lot 9 experienced 23 closures on Wednesday as excavation continued. The shrubs are gone and parking is back to normal, but when landscaping continues prepare for the parking lots to experience more traffic. No definitive schedule is in place for future landscape designs, though more parking closures are to be expected throughout the semester. The closures create a more difficult than normal parking situation for student and staff drivers. Some drivers
risk parking along the empty red curbs to get to class, while others try squeezing into the unmarked spaces below the Fine Arts Building. Second year photography student Noah Garrett parked off of campus to avoid a possible ticket and the chaotic parking lots. “The parking lot was crazy that day,” said Garrett. “It made more sense to park on the street and walk.” Campus police are aware of these
student struggles. They know when parking is scarce and that student drivers will park anywhere to get to class on time. Parking in makeshift spots may get drivers out of the parking lot quicker, but there’s a good chance they’ll find a ticket waiting for them when they return. nlabarbera.lariat@gmail.com
The University of California passed a policy that would make it mandatory for all students enrolling in 2017, to have their immunization shots, or their registration will be suspended. Documentation of this must be shown before students are allowed to attend classes at these universities. The recent outbreak of measles has bought an awareness of immunization and vaccines to Southern California as well as the entire country. The University of California is now taking steps to stay ahead of the issue. The mandatory immunizations will be done in three phases. “Immunizations save lives and I respect any organization’s requirements,” said Saddleback College student Charleton Aguirre, 23, astrophysics. “Since you are not required to attend Saddleback, I feel it’s not that out of line for them to ask for such things.” This policy was put in place to give all universities in the UC system a baseline on immunizations. Each university can make their own policy as long as they hit the minimum requirements. They would also be able to speed up the process and start the mandatory immunizations earlier than 2017. The immunizations that will be required in 2017 are hepatitis B, TB screening, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal, varicella a.k.a chicken pox, tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis a.k.a. whooping cough. The three phases start with awareness and end with the application and implementation of these new policies. This policy is news to many university students. Those who know are displeased that there’s going to be a pretty big list of vaccines that will be required, “mostly due to the cost,” said Spiros Antzoulators, a UC Davis student. The required immunizations for the UC system are covered by the Affordable Care Act, according to HHS.gov. Some students at these universities already get some immunizations. “I always get my vaccines every year before I start school,” Antzoulators said. “I don’t want to risk my health or the health of others.” California State University, Fullerton, also has requirements dealing with immunizations, but they are not nearly as extensive, according to the CSUF’s Student Health and Counseling Center. Students are required documentation of immunizations on hepatitis B, measles and rubella. These documents are not required until a student’s second semester and they will not be able to register for those classes until documentation has been shown.
amitzlaff.lariat@gmail.com
ON THE WEB
/lariatnews
@lariatnews
@lariatnews
/TheLariatNews
Niko LaBarbera/Lariat
DUDE, WHERE’S MY SPOT: Construction equiptment was brought in when crews began landscaping around certain parking lots starting Feb. 10, causing the closure of 81 parking spots.