2 Opinion
ROUNDUP: December 5, 2012
Editorials
Construction continues congesting campus Opening up pathways between the Mall and Village would alleviate foot traffic
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ver find yourself walking down the Mall and admiring the gorgeous scenery all around? The lush green grass, the majestic bull statue, the pristine fogging fountain, and all of that heavilytarped chain-link fence covering up construction zones. Beautiful, isn’t it? According to the map of the campus on Pierce’s official website, 11 of the 55 building on campus are under construction, a perfect 20 percent. However, nine of those 11 buildings under construction are located on or close to the Mall, effectively separating the campus into two halves. Needless to say, the construction zones lining the Mall need some re-evaluating. Pierce’s brand new, state-of-the-art library, which was scheduled to be completed by October of this year and fully operational by the beginning of the Spring 2013 semester, has been delayed until the Fall 2013 semester at the earliest after it was discovered that several features of the new building were not up to code. It looks as if we’ll get to enjoy the view for a little while longer. Simply a joy, don’t you think? Heading further South down the Mall, one finds the old Physics and Administration buildings, which sit half-finished and boarded up thanks to budget cuts that simply forced the college to stop working on them.
In fact, the entire East side of the Mall from Parking Lot 1 to Parking Lot 7 is lined with construction areas, save for the one small pathway connecting the gym and the Village to the rest of the campus that takes travelers through the S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden. Not only is the walkway narrow and lined with sharp cacti, but the amount of students walking the path during the busy times of day on campus really makes you feel like part of a herd of cattle moving slowly to the next feeding ground. Understandably, the powers that be have other things to worry about on campus, like whether or not Proposition 30 will truly save the college from all of these nasty budgets cuts, but surely something can be done to fix the school’s many construction problems. Opening up a few more walkways between the buildings separating the Mall and the Village will alleviate some of the stresses and congestion along that lone trail and breathe some new life into that side of the campus. Not much can be done with the library while they fix the mistakes, but some sort of positive news regarding the project would be music to the ears of the students that look at the building day after day and seemingly find no improvement. Give us a chance to enjoy being on campus. Photo by: Kristen Aslanian
Where are students supposed to study?
With finals coming up and the winter cold blowing in, places to study are scarce
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ollege can get pretty overwhelming sometimes and without many places to rest, life at Pierce can get pretty uncomfortable. With nearly 20,000 students roaming on our campus throughout the week, a few tables and chairs outside the Freudian Sip just won’t sit well. As a commuter college, many students come in by bus, bike or board, meaning that they can’t just hop in their car and drive home during breaks in-between classes. On any given day, students can be found seeking refuge from the unpredictable San Fernando Valley weather in the Great Hall, Library and South Gym, but these locations become crowded rather quickly. So where can you go if you’re looking for a little peace and quiet when you need to study or just relax? The new Library that is still under construction at the North end of the Mall seems like it would be the end for this problem, but with delays in development it looks like students are going to have to wait outside. Even with the Great Hall being open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.and Friday
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., some chairs and tables would give students a quiet place to study. Tables and chairs have popped up outside the South Gym by the food trucks, but the arrangement only seats about a dozen people. Good thing we have our cafeteria. Oh wait, we don’t. There’s plenty of seating in the S. Mark Taper Life Sciences Botanic Garden, along the Mall, and some in the Village, but all are without shade. Historically, our college has had some of the hottest days in Los Angeles County.On July 22, 2006 Woodland Hills reached a record high with 119 degrees Fahrenheit according to weather.com. Though it might not seem like a big deal, the problem is more noticeable around finals week when students begin looking for a place to bunker down and study.. Well, at least we have extended Library hours so that we can study nice and cozy, all thanks to the Associated Students Organization. Until the construction on our campus is complete, some overhead protection from rain and wind would be convenient.
Illustration by: Austin Faber
v i sit: s c i m o c For more .com s w e n p u rou nd w w w. t h e By Austin Faber
Thumbs up & Thumbs down Awesome Student Organization
A much appreciated thumbs up to the Associated Students Organization for funding to extend the Library hours during finals.
Taking away seats from classes
A disappointing thumbs down to students that take up spaces in classes only to drop them near the end of the semester.
Volume 117 – Issue 10
Corrections
Opinions [Page 2] -The same page from issue 9 was published again in issue 10. News [Page 3] -Staff writer Oskar Gustowski’s name was misspelled in the byline for “Students hesitant about using North gym lockers.
Volume 117 – Issue 10/9
Opinions [Page 2] -The correction that ran for “Religious dispute results in hate crime” is from Issue 7, not 8.
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