Cookie for your thoughts? ASO council collects campus concerns to create complaint paper trail

to review the student comments to resolve concerns as soon as it can.

Tracy Johnson, a first semester ASO senator in student government and a club council representative, said that the best way to represent the student body is to directly hear from them and relay the message to the senate.

“I knew a couple things that I had complaints about, but I had no idea what the student body thought was the problem, so I came to the senate and asked if I could do this thing where I polled the students and actually find out what the issues are to the students,” Johnson said.

“I can’t just decide for myself. As a representative, I need to represent the people by hearing what you guys have to say,” Johnson said.

Johnson says she plans to look through the written suggestions with another senator and organize them based on the ones that the ASO is able to handle.

The complaints that ASO can’t solve will be passed along to the corresponding departments and senate.

Johnson then intends to inform students about the progress that is being made regarding these issues.

“Things like Wi-Fi and parking, we can’t do anything about that directly. But I will make sure that [administration] hears what the students are complaining about,” Johnson said.

Johnson said that taking formal complaints will create a paper trail that forces the administration to be accountable. If the same complaints are being received, but not addressed, there will be documentation.

Spanish major Thaddeus Jenkins thinks that Pierce needs to improve its restrooms and new smart classrooms.

“The bathrooms don’t work where my class is at, so I have to walk all the way to the library or the cafeteria to go to the bathroom,” Jenkins said. “It’s been broken for like three weeks now.”

Vice President of Student Services Earic Dixon-Peters said that ASO Awareness Day is essential for the

Stomp conference

The 18 Annual STOMP Conference will take place on Friday April 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. bus will Students interested must RSVP

English scholarship deadline

ASO to properly do their job and help improve student outcomes.

“My hope is that we make this a place that’s number one transfer graduation successful,” Dixon-Peters said.

Johnson plans on bringing the suggestions that the ASO can solve to the senate in the third or fourth week of April. During the month of May, the ASO plans on going to various departments on campus to resolve the student suggestions.

Though an exact date has not yet been determined, the next ASO Awareness Day will happen during the fall semester.

Applicants for the English Scholarship must submit their work to Professor M. Kraemer’s faculty mailbox (#630) by Friday, May 26, 2017. Students interested in applying must follow these requirements to be considered. Students should include a cover page with your name, identification number and email address along with an English essay from a class within the past academic year.

From the desk of the Roundup: Editorial

Everyone likes to think they’re special, that they’re the exception to the rule. Most believe they’d survive a zombie apocalypse. But what if nobody told you it had started?

Despite what “The Walking Dead” depicts, such an event is unlikely, but nonetheless, outdoor speakers throughout the campus would work as an emergency broadcast system, as well as keeping the campus informed and entertained. OK, forget the zombies, that’s not happening right now. But what about a more realistic and unfortunately common emergency.

School shootings are an increasingly frequent occurrence. According to the Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group, there have been 186 school shootings since Sandy Hook Elementary on Dec. 14, 2012. We were reminded of this grim reality recently when a man walked into a San Bernardino elementary school’s specialeducation class and shot and killed his estranged wife, an 8-year old student and himself, as well as injuring another student on April 10. What happens if a situation like this occurs at Pierce?

In case of an emergency on campus, Pierce sends out mass email and text message alerts. But what about the students and faculty that are already on campus?

While most classrooms have phones, some that don’t even work, not everyone is inside a building. Nearly everyday there are groups congregating around campus at places such as Rocky Young Park, outside of the gym and on The Mall.

A campus-wide emergency broadcast system (EBS) would be a quick and simple means of informing those on campus

Volume 126, Issue 5: roundupnews@ gmail.com of the situation, and keeping as many people out of harm’s way as possible.

Page 1: The last day to file taxes for 2016 was on April 18, not April 14.

Page 8: Madeline Martinez's title is Copy Editor, not reporter.

Page 1: In the free speech story on the front page, Kevin Shaw said that the free speech policy was arbitrarily enforced, not that the policies are arbitrary.

See any corrections we missed?

Email us at newsroom.

An EBS would be useful outside of such drastic times as a shooter on campus.

During the Fall 2016 semester, campus lost power in the early evening. As students and faculty filed out of buildings, confusion arose. No one knew what was going on, and whether or not that was it. Once the decision to cancel classes for the rest of the day was made, that information could not have spread across campus all that quickly.

A simple broadcast announcing the closing of the campus would make everyone’s life easier, as long as the system has an emergency power supply.

But what about all those times when there’s not an emergency?

News briefs and other campus updates could be broadcast throughout the day. Important updates, sports results, game previews, events and club promotions could fill the air.

Not only would this keep students and faculty updated on events around campus, but also inform them about resources they might not know of.

There are events on campus

Pro: makes dreams work

Teamwork makes

SAMANTHA BRAVO Managing Editor @sammybravo93

Effective group studies can solve procrastination and benefit students’ workload when working with others. It doesn’t have to feel like a daunting task. It all depends on how serious the members in your group are. If they want to get a good grade and pass the class, they’ll get motivated to do the work.

True, working in groups teaches us the value of teamwork, responsibility and communication, but it also prepares us with problem-solving abilities and patience. Almost every job requires behavioral interactions among people, so working in groups can help prepare you for your career.

Group projects give you an opportunity to share thoughts and compare notes with one another. Your classmate might have information that you probably didn’t write down.

I’ve experienced successful group projects where I learned more in a small group rather than a classroom of 50 students They don’t create more stress, they help divide it within each other and can help you figure out who can do what in the project. If someone is familiar with PowerPoint, they can create it and the others can help provide the information.

I’m going to agree with not having time outside class to meet up with your group, I couldn’t meet up sometimes because I was running late or I had class when they all didn’t; however, it all depends how much you care about your grade. You’ll make time to meet

“Iwasridingmyskateboard throughtheparkinglot,whenIhit apieceofwoodandflippedover.”

-Drew Stern, 28, Dance throughout the semester that go under-promoted. Flyers and posters around campus, as well as the occasional preview story found in this publication are often the only way the community might be informed.

Broadcasting short 15-30 second promos for events would not only promote the events, but also give radio students useful practice producing these short spots that are so common on commercial radio broadcasts.

Oh, yeah, did you know that Pierce has a radio station?

Broadcasting KPCR would give the students’ shows more

ROCIO

up with your group, and studying for even a few minutes helps you absorb the information thoroughly if you have others to motivate you. Get easily distracted? Libraries can provide private study rooms for students who want to work, but also talk freely. Group projects can help you cover more material quicker. By separating chapters and creating a summary of what you collected, it can help minimize the workload.

According to an article on educationcorner.com, the group project size recommendation is between 4 and 5, to minimize the socialization and maximize the contribution. Study sessions should be more than an hour, but shouldn’t last more than 3 hours. Shorter sessions tend to feel rushed and unproductive.

Who said group projects are stressful? Working alongside your classmates can be a fun and good time to make new friends. If you put aside your egos and personalities and focus on the work, it could be an opportunity to work together as a group. You can celebrate by grabbing a bite to eat or going out for drinks afterwards.

Group projects can also turn into quiz sessions in which you quiz each other with definitions, math problems, etc. If you are constantly repeating definitions or math solutions, it helps improve your knowledge retention and it helps you better absorb the information.

Lastly, group projects give you the opportunity to ask your classmates questions about topics you’re struggling with. Someone in your group can help you if your instructor can’t.

Whether it’s because of the work load or the threat of carrying someone’s weight throughout the project, working in groups almost always seems like a daunting task.

Typically, group projects are designed to teach us the valuable lessons of teamwork, responsibility and communication. But more common than not, group work does the polar opposite of what it’s designed to do.

When students hear their professor say “We’re going to have a group project this semester,” a low grumble spreads throughout the room as classmates anxiously wait to hear which group they’re being sentenced to. Then the anxiety of not knowing who your partners are sets in, and the worst of it all - will I be responsible for the bulk of the work load?

From my experience as a student of almost 17 years, working as a team for a group project hardly ever rang true. Usually, one or two people took complete control of the material and sacrificed their work for the others in the group who always made excuses.

For example, once upon a time in middle school, I was put in a group with classmates I hardly knew, and a couple free-riders took credit for all the work the rest of the group did. They made communication a living hell.

A 2013 study by the Higher Education Academy in England, UK states that 49 percent of students

Cartoonist: exposure, and possibly encourage others to join the program.

Currently, KPCR has the capability to stream their shows and news segments live online. With the added boost from a speaker system, live shows and game broadcasts could be heard on campus.

It seems like a simple thing. Outdoor speakers can keep this campus safe, informed and entertained, while providing exposure to the groups and resources that go unnoticed.

“IwastalkingtoagirlIlikedand accidentallyfarted.”

-Connor Brown, 24, Business

“Iwaswalkingthroughthehall, andlookingatmyphone,when Iwalkedintoapole.Itriedto pretenditdidn'thappen.”

-Mika Borhani, 18, Undecided opposed group work.

Group projects always seem like a ‘final destination’ for grades because of the many complications caused by the nature of group work. Everything from the obvious ‘free rider’ dilemma, lapse in crucial communication, impossible schedule coordination and the inevitable fate of deadlines, group projects achieve little of what they're promised to do for students.

I believe group projects create more stress in students’ lives because of how time consuming they can be. Group projects promote networking, but it dwindles in its ability to further students’ progress in their class by creating giant obstacles to achieve the grade each individual rightfully deserves.

Teachers must begin to take into consideration how limited students’ time is outside of class. Students’ unrelenting tendency to slack off make it nearly impossible to achieve the goal each individual sets for themselves in their respective classes.

Group projects also present the issue of conflicting egos and stubbornness to agree on an idea. A perfect example of this, which many students can resonate with, is when one of the group members decides to have everything done their way and is intolerant of others’ ideas and suggestions.

Conflict easily arises in group projects when the group cannot coordinate ideas and direction for the project, resulting in clashing personalities and disagreements that consume our energy and time.

“Igotmyperiodduringclass,and didn'trealize.Iendedupwalkingout withahugestainunbeknownstto me.”

-SusanVisokey23,MusicEducation deems not to be a letter. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. the Sunday prior to the issue date. Editorial Policy: The Pierce College Roundup position is presented only in the editorials.

Cartoons and photos, unless run under the editorial masthead, and columns are the opinions of the creators and not necessarily that of the Roundup. The college newspaper is published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. Accordingly, materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, should not be interpreted as the position of the L.A. Community College District, the college or any officer or employee thereof.

Introduces Candidates

Students seek changes in office

MADELINE MARTINEZ

Copy Editor

@madisaysso

Senators and students are finishing their campaigns for four spots on the Associated Students Organization's executive board.

Pierce College’s ASO hosted a candidate’s forum on Monday to allow prospective candidates running for office to introduce themselves to the student body and share their reasons for running for the selected position.

ASO Senator Tracy Johnson managed the forum, ensuring that the candidates had their allocated time, and he facilitated the questions after the candidates were done with their speeches.

Out of the eight candidates who are running for office, only one is not currently part of the ASO and is considered a newcomer, Johnson said. “Shayna is not a part of the senate, but the drive to come in here as an outsider, I really admire her and look forward to hearing more about her campaign,” Johnson said.