The Pierce College Council discussed several issues on and around the campus on Thursday, April 25. One of those topics was the increase in crime that has been taking place in the community surrounding the Pierce campus.
“We have an uptick in crime in the surrounding neighborhoods, especially on the streets like Victory and Winnetka,” Sheriff’s Deputy Isaac Jorge said.
PCC also talked about collaborating with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to notify students about the vehicle break-ins that have been occurring to cars parked on the streets around the campus.
“Let’s make sure that we hide our stuff, we hide our laptops, our backpacks, put them in the trunk and out of sight,” Jorge said.
Another topic discussed was the issues on-campus students have in completing the full units for their degrees.
As Pierce’s scheduling moves away from the pandemic-style planning of online-only class options, the students who attend in-person exclusively are incapable of getting the necessary credits for their goals without taking a virtual class, according to PCC member Margarita Pillado.
“We have heard, for example, from some student veterans and some international students that they cannot complete their enrollment requirement because we are not offering enough in-person instruction at Pierce College,” Pillado said. “We are turning them away and they are going somewhere else.”
The council is now aiming for more optimized scheduling and use of campus spaces for more in-person classes.
One of the guest speakers was Pierce student and STEM major Lorenzo Valdez-Larios, who is one of two candidates running for a position as an LACCD Student Trustee.
“Some of the things I want to work on as Student Trustee is improving student resources, ensuring a vibrant student life and advocating for the students,” Valdez-Larios said.
An example of this advocacy was when Valdez-Larios went to the LA Metro Transportation Board of Directors to advocate for the continuance of the student service that allows Pierce to issue free bus passes, and said he hopes to advocate to make the service permanent.
Valdez-Larios encouraged PCC members to notify the students they work with that the voting period for the student trustee election takes place from April 29 to May 5. Students can vote through the SIS portal where a tile with the option to vote will be made available.
