With a reported 20 percent of California community college students experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity is on the minds of many of them, as well as the LACCD Board of Trustees.
During the Board of Trustees meeting on May 1, President of Student Power Los Angeles City College, a student collective, Jordan Slack highlighted the student struggle of housing.
Slack talked about how half the students in the district identify as housing insecure and what appropriate steps needed to be taken for better change.
“We’re largely a campus of non-traditional students,” Slack said. “And there’s tons of empty apartments throughout Los Angeles, so what we really need is to pay the rent. That’s something we can do right now, whether it’s through this $500 million of tax money or whether it’s through the foundation, or revenue, grants. We need you to find the money wherever you decide, and house students right now.”
LACCD Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez addressed the topic of emergency housing.
“We have over 100 students that are housed right now through our six, seven partners that we have throughout the community, providing housing today,” Rodriguez said. “Our college presidents and the District have set aside $3-5 million—probably in total—over the last two, three, four years so that we can make this available.”
Pierce Interim President Ara Aguiar provided updates related to the campus.
“I want to congratulate our Professor [Aron] Kamajaya, he just received a National Science Foundation grant this morning for $648,000 through the Illumina Genomic Discovery of LA,” Aguiar said. “It’s genomics and precision medicine. It only exists down in San Diego, and what they’re doing is gene sequencing in medicine, and Pierce will be a hub for the greater Los Angeles area in this type of technology.”
Trustee Kelsey Iino announced the Metro GoPass program will continue for students.
“Last week, Vice President Hernandez led a group of students to the LA Metro Board, and we got the GoPass permanently set for our students,” Iino said. “And the vote was 10 to zero.”
A lease agreement with Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber of Commerce for the use of Pierce campus areas for the 2024 Valley Asian Cultural Festival was ratified by the Board. The total estimated income was $3,090. The Board also authorized a service agreement to conduct tennis camps, tennis and pickleball classes. The total not-to-exceed cost is $110, 243.
Raquel G. Frohlich contributed to this story.