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Skyline View The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, California
Volume XXXIV Issue 2
February 6, 2014
www.theskylineview.com
California’s institutions of higher ed create “Master Plan”
Communuity College students will soon find ease in transferring to a California 4-year by Renee Abu-Zaghibra TSV Production Editor
New ways to invigorate the purpose of the higher education system was addressed by the top dignitaries of California’s three higher
education segments on Wed. Jan. 22 at the UC Board of Regents. California Community College Chancellor Brice Harris, CSU Chancellor Tim White, and UC President Janet Napolitano
discussed new tactics the three systems will try to accomplish helping K-12 students become more motivated in progressing to college. Also addressed, abetting community college students
with transferring to a 4-year university, the three systems constructed a way in which the students will be able to ease the process of moving forward. The higher education leaders
discussed communicating with K-12 schools to show students ways they can reach college with the help of financial aid for those Master plan continued on page 2
Bus schedule changes impacts commuters Drought causes Bay Area
water sources to diminish by Jeanita Lyman TSV Staff Writer
Photo by Lea Naqishbendi/ The Skyline View
Students board a crowded bus after the alternative route had been discontinued.
SamTrans eliminates redundant bus lines that served Skyline campus in hopes of effeciency but may have caused more issues by Lea Naqishbendi TSV Features Editor
SamTrans underwent changes to their schedules Jan. 26, adjusting arrival times and stops, as well as eliminating a route that served Skyline students. Route 123 to Colma BART which has served Skyline students in providing transportation through the surrounding neighborhood of the college has been discontinued. It now takes twice as long for service to Daly City. The 121 has been adjusted with more frequent service and times to be more accurate; however there have been delays in their arrival times, due to an increase in riders. Routes 140 and 141 have also adjusted their times and stops. Another change which students may have noticed is with the El Camino Real (ECR) no longer stopping at Milbrae BART, but rather on El Camino, with service now to San Bruno BART instead. “SamTrans began working on an overhaul of our services two years ago which included public outreach in the SamTrans Service Plan,” Spokesperson for SamTrans Christine Dunn said. “The goal was to improve efficiency and increase ridership.” According to Dunn, there was a need to improve the services in a way that was budget neutral. To “strike a balance,” similar
or duplicate routes were eliminated in order to “increase service to some areas.” Full-time Skyline students Keyairra Murray and Jazmone Johnson who ride the 121 have encountered frustration with the changes because it hinders their ability to arrive to class on time. “It’s too long, it goes all the way around, and the buses don’t run back to back when people got to get to school,” Murray said. “This morning I missed my class, I was so upset.” Johnson commutes from San Francisco via the 121 which has increased her travel time. “It takes 30 minutes just to get to Serramonte,” said Johnson. “If you miss that you (have) to wait 30 more minutes, and then you get late to class.” SamTrans has already received negative feedback on the changes made to its services and are pursuing ways to improve going forward. “We have heard from some people that they aren’t happy with the elimination of the 123, so we are continuing evaluate the situation,” Dunn said. “We can’t make any promises, but we’ll be seeking ideas to identify adjustments for the future.” Kevin Brown, current SamTrans bus operator of the 121 which serves Skyline, has noticed the “gradual” changes
over the just short of 30 years he has been with the company. “From my position and perspective, I have seen routes that have been affected that I have operated throughout the years,” said Brown. “I have seen the ridership dip dramatically and that is principally the cause, along with some other aspects like on time performance where they have increased the frequency.” Brown recalls historical routes, such as the existing 122, having more riders. That route, which formally was called the 21a, used to be packed leaving El Camino and Arroyo according to Brown. “Now you leave with not even ten people,” said Brown. Since the change, crowding might have students feeling as though they are on a metropolitan transit system, but Brown suggests this could very well be part of a “cycle” that will even itself out. “It’s crowded,” Skyline student Nathalye Zamora said about the new Skyline routes. “If people with disabilities want to sit down there’s not enough room.” What Brown proposes that riders do is plan accordingly. Zamora has done just that, and as a result, she arrives two hours before her class. Zamora, who Buses continued on page 2
The State Water Project (SWP), in an effort to conserve water for the year ahead, dropped water allocation to zero percent on Jan. 31 for the first time in it’s 54 year history, which means the project’s customers,most California counties, will not be receiving any water deliveries from the state’s reservoir if dry weather persists. “The harsh weather leaves us little choice. If we are to have any hope of coping with continued dry weather and balancing multiple needs, we must act now to preserve what water remains in our reservoirs,” said Mark Cowin, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) director, in a news release Friday. “It is our duty to give State Water Project customers a realistic understanding of how much water they will receive from the Project. Simply put, there’s not enough water in the system right now for customers to expect any water this season from the project.” Most areas served by the SWP have local reservoirs, groundwater and other independent sources of water and will not be drastically effected. However, the state health department released a list of 17 rural communities that are in danger of running out of water within 60-120 days, which included areas as nearby as Sonoma and Santa
Cruz counties. Depending on snow survey results, agricultural districts in the Sacramento valley could have their water supply cut by up to 50 percent, the maximum permitted by contract. Water deliveries to the Sacramento valley haven’t been cut since 1992. In a statement issued by Gov. Jerry Brown, he requested all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20%. Some simple tips for saving water include only running washing machines or dishwashers with a full load, taking shorter showers (five minutes vs. 10 minutes), installing lowflow shower heads and aerators on bathroom faucets and turning off water when brushing teeth, washing hair and scrubbing dishes. Free conservation kits, which include high-efficiency shower heads and faucet aerators are available at https://www.calwater.com/ conservation-kits/. Although they seem simple, these measures can save hundreds of gallons of water per person per year. If adopted by residents on a large enough scale, they could potentially enable us to handle our current water situation and prepare for future droughts. Richard Hsu, Sustainability Coordinator at Skyline, encourages anyone interested in getting Drought continued on page 2
Photo courtesy of National Oceanic and Atomosopheric Agency
Satellite images shows comparison of the California Seirra Nevada snowfall from this year versus last year.