Pierce College may need to reconsider their first response procedures during medical emergencies after an incident that occurred last Tuesday where a student collapsed in the performing arts building and was not properly attended to.
Garineh Avakian-Akkus, music professor, was present at the time of the incident and said she did not receive assistance by sheriff officers on campus after she made the call for help.
Avakian-Akkus explained how the school’s sheriff department was only able to transfer her to the Student Health Center, which then told her she had to physically pick up the ice or wheelchair if needed for the student.
“I’m up on the hill with no internet or phone line in those rooms and I was told to come down to get a bag of ice or to send a student. Or if I wanted a wheelchair I had to come down and check it out,” Avakian-Akkus said. “I ended up getting in touch with her parents and we literally had to carry her to the car.”
It took the student’s parents approximately 20 minutes to arrive according to Avakian-Akkus. By this time, the student was cautious and was given water by the professor.
In addition, the school’s sheriffs asked the music professor if she would like paramedics to be contacted but the student said no. The student’s name was withheld by Avakian-Akkus due to privacy concerns.
Wayne Skip Perkins, music instructor, who was also a part of the scene, explained his concerns about the protocols and measures that needed to be taken in these scenarios.
“We had no provisions to make phone calls, we had no provisions for any kind of resuscitation,” Perkins said. “Fortunately, she did not need resuscitation. I would like to put in some sort of motion that every room needs to have some sort of first aid kit for immediate response to situations like these.”
Beth Benne, director of the student health center, had immediate information on Perkin’s concern regarding a first-aid kit. She also explained how the health center is not first responders to any incidents.
According to Benne, it is the sheriff department who are the first responders. Benne also explained how she needed to physically see a patient in order to give an assessment and treatment.
“We do have a first aid kit, first responder response, and emergency protocol procedure booklet that Larry Kraus created that had been distributed to every department,” Benne said. “The health center is not first responders because we are usually a one person shop. So we can’t leave the health center or the people there to be a first responder. If ice needed to be applied that is a treatment and so it’s something that should happen at the health center and our transport is our sheriff.”
Sunday Salter, transfer center director, provided new information about Cal. State Northridge’s new major addition in criminology, which might be available for students in fall 2017 or spring 2018.
“It is up to the CSU chancellor office,” Salter said. “They are hoping for the fall 2017 for transfer applicants, but if it does not get approved it will be spring 2018,” Salter said.
CSUN has not accepted Pierce College’s Associate Degree of Transfer (AD-T) in criminology because it is not offered on their campus, according to Salter. CSUN has only offered the degree in sociology, which is why Salters encourages students to take courses in administration of justice now that changes are being made.
“They will be accepting our AD-T in administration of justice, so students who want to transfer to CSUN in that major should be following that degree,” Salter said.
According to Salter, there are many students who want to major in criminology but end up transferring to Cal State LA because CSUN does not have the major.
“I think the students will be happy about it because there are so many students that would rather go to CSUN since it’s closer,” Salter said.
According to Salter, Pierce has partnered with UCLA for the Center for Community College Partnerships Program, where mentors come to campus to speak to students.
“They also have a program they’re running on for at least 60 of our students and it starts off on Oct. 15 with a bus going to UCLA from Pierce,” Salter said. “Students do have to qualify for the program and they need to have a 3.2 grade point average.”
According to Academic Senate President Anna Bruzzese, the ITT Tech 12-unit residency waiver recommendation was approved by the senate. This recommendation was made to help ITT students receive credit for the courses they have taken. Since the motion was passed, ITT Tech students will now have to participate in “credit by examination” to receive the full credit of their courses, according to Bruzzese.
On Wednesday Oct. 12 the Associated Students Organization is hosting a tailgating event at 5 p.m. for the volleyball game and a football game on Saturday Oct. 15. at 6 p.m. These two tailgating events will include food, games, and prizes for all students, faculty, and staff.
Barbara Lombrano, ASO president, also mentioned that ASO will also be hosting a Student Health Advisory Committee [S.H.A.C.] event on Thursday Oct. 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Great Hall. S.H.A.C. will be featuring the film, “The Honeygram” to bring awareness to sexual assaults that occur on campus.
