CAMPUS
FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE FALLOUT FROM IMPROMPTU CLOSING OF BROTMAN HALL DURING RALLY JESSICA BERTOLLUCCI CONTRIBUTOR
A
s you may or may not know, a statewide protest was held on Wednesday, April 13 to protest cuts in education in the state budget. The protest at CSULB had some very strange fallout. Any seniors attempting to pay their summer tuition fees before 3pm may have stumbled upon an unusual situation. All of Enrollment Services was under police lockdown. Initially, students could be let into Brotman Hall if they had a faculty or staff member vouch for them. By the time I was able to get someone on the phone to agree to let another senior and myself enter to pay our tuition, so as not to be dropped from our summer classes, the Long Beach Police Department changed the protocol. LBPD would not allow any-
one other than faculty and staff to enter the building. The thing I find most disconcerting is that the college did not seem to think that the closing of Brotman Hall warranted the use of the emergency email system. Disseminating information to the student body is supposedly the purpose of this system. I spoke to Enrollment Services and explained that if they simply sent out an email notifying the student body that they were closed due safety concerns stemming from the protest, the deluge of confused students attempting to access Enrollment Services would end. Apparently, this was not a priority for the University, as no email was ever sent. It seems irresponsible to close Enrollment Services, without warning, the week
that tuition is due. Particularly for transfer students with senior status, who have priority enrollment dates and no access to financial aid disbursements until July. For Spring 2011 transfer students, like me, who are dependent upon financial aid and the Pell Grant to fund their education, they may have found themselves in a precarious fiscal situation this week. Spring transfer students were not included in summer financial aid distributions. However, I called the financial aid office on Monday and found out that there is a separate list of transfer students who qualify for assistance and will receive a disbursement in July. For those of you who are freaking out because you have to come up with nearly $4,000, you may want to call the financial
aid office and make sure that your name is not on this list. Simply by inquiring about this discrepancy Monday morning, I received an estimated Pell Grant and subsequently only needed to come up with $1,039, still a substantial sum but not nearly as devastating as $4,000. When I spoke to Enrollment Services on April 13, the woman on the phone put me on hold for 10 minutes to speak to a supervisor. When she came back on the line she said that they would postpone dropping people from classes for one week in order to make up for the inconvenience of being closed due to the protest. Whether or not this was mere lip service or if the University will uphold this promise, only time will tell.
professor here and at Cal Poly, and a current business owner, concluded the panel. Lynch urged her audience to negotiate when a salary is offered by a potential employer. Most women are likely to just accept the first offer on the table, so Lynch provided us with a handout of her top ten tips for negotiating a salary. But perhaps the most immediate concern presented was in regards to the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would not put an end to the problems of equal pay, but it would update the 48-year-old fair pay laws to address issues such as closing the loopholes that were used against the women in
the Dukes v. Wal-Mart case. This act went through the Senate last year, but despite the support of the majority it did not pass. The bill will be re-introduced this week, and the members of the American Association of University Women urge students to show their support for a bill that will help put an end to this battle. After all, some of the women in that room have fought this war their entire lives. I definitely don’t want to continue to fight it for the rest of my life. As I left, the words of the panel’s moderator, Gerrie Schipske, rang through my head, “Equal pay for equal work is not a radical concept!”
EQUAL PAY DAY PANEL BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN LAURA HEMBD CONTRIBUTOR
Equal Pay Day is a national event that takes place every April 12. Statistically, a woman would have to work three months and 12 days more than a man to make the same annual amount. I never had to worry about pay discrimination in my three, part-time, $8-an-hour jobs. When I got to the event, I noticed that the audience consisted of more than just students—there were women of retiring age who still feel the impact of this issue. After the introduction, Alejandra Edwards, an Economics professor here at CSULB, relayed a brief history of women in the work place and gender discrimination.
She then went on to stress the importance of networking among women. Sometimes facing the monumental effort needed to draw even with their male coworkers, women forget to work not just toward equality, but toward advancement. Carlynne McDonnell, an organizational consultant, spoke to the audience next. McDonnell informed the audience about the lawsuits that have taken place because of gender discrimination, such as Dukes v. Wal-Mart, which involved women across the nation who have worked at Wal-Mart and experienced unequal pay, fewer promotion opportunities, and hostile work environments. Pat Lynch, a former
SAKURA BLOSSOM BENEFIT FOR JAPAN
BENEFIT FUNDRAISER FOR VICTIMS OF JAPANESE EARTHQUAKE AND PACIFIC TSUNAMI SIERRA PATHEAL CONTRIBUTOR
As one of my friends said a few days ago, crossing the boring, “On March 11, 2011, a 9.0…” off of the flyer I was holding for her perusal, “If they don’t know what happened in Japan by now, they’ve been living under a rock.” I had to agree that she was probably correct (if you have been living under a rock, carry on. I’m impressed that you get the Union there.) That said, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been looking for, and finding, ways to help Japan since the earthquake. On behalf of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the University Honors Program Student Association at CSULB, UNION WEEKLY
18 APRIL 2011
I would like to invite you to another way to help. On April 20, 2011, the Sakura Blossom Benefit for Japan, a gala benefit fundraiser, will be held in the beautiful Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at CSULB. A common response when I tell my friends about the event is, “I’ve never been there,” spoken in a wistful tone. If that counts for you, too, here’s your chance. And even if you have been there, the Gardens are lovely in the spring, and that kind of beauty never gets old. Local indie rock band Squarefish will be performing and the silent auction will fea-
ture CSULB student artwork. Light refreshments will be provided. The price is only $5, but additional donations will be graciously accepted. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross for victims of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami, and a separate station will be set up for donations to World Vets in support of Japan’s animal community. The CSULB student community is a powerful one; we can make a difference. By coming out and spending the evening listening to music, socializing, bidding on student artwork, and generally showing your support for Japan, you can expedite the recovery. Together, we make a difference.
This event is funded in part by the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at CSULB. For more information about the American Red Cross, please call (562) 595-6341 or email arbinim@usa.redcross.org.
When: April 20, 6-8:30pm Where: Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens Who: Open to the public Dress: Casual Cost: $5