During the Sept. 11 LACCD Board of Trustees meeting, SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Local 99 representative Christzann Ozann was among those giving representative reports who took some moments to acknowledge the people killed and injured in the 9/11 terrorist attack 23 years prior.
“Many of us, like myself, remember this day, this attack on America, like it was yesterday,” Ozann said. “This catastrophic event will never be forgotten. It had a profound impact on our country, economy. Twenty-three years later, people are still suffering from the long-term health effects of these attacks and families are still mourning the loss of their loved ones.”
District Academic Senate (DAS) President Angela Echeverri highlighted topics of discussion to be had at the first DAS meeting of the academic year on Sept. 12, including a legislative proposal to overhaul Assembly Bill (AB) 1705.
“I want to thank the trustees who have signed on to support that, because it is clear that there are problems with AB 1705 implementation, in particular in the STEM programs and in other areas,” Echeverri said.
Pierce President Ara Aguiar presented a brief report on upcoming events at Pierce, announcing the Oct. 11 groundbreaking of the Academic East building and providing details about the San Fernando Valley Goes to College Fair.
Trustee Gabriel Buelna provided a report of the committee to advance in-language instruction, and noted that over two years, the District has brought in revenue of about $2.3 million from in-language courses.
“55% of all students taking in-language courses are new students, and that there is an image that’s kind of clarifying itself, so that students are coming into the in-language classes, then bilingual classes, then other regular classes,” said Buelna, adding that the district expects about 2,300 new enrollments from in-language courses this semester, and there are 35 for-credit in-language classes.
In-language classes are mainly conducted in Spanish, but some are taught in both English and Spanish while others are in Armenian, Russian, Mandarin and Korean, Buelna said in a 2023 interview for LAist.
Niki Dixon Harrison, associate dean of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) at Los Angeles City College and president-elect of the California Community College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Association, expressed thanks for the recognition of September 2024 as EOPS Month on behalf of all LACCD EOPS directors and coordinators.
“On Sept. 4, 1969, EOPS was signed into law for California community colleges,” Harrison said. “EOPS is the original equity program in the California community college system, with a 55-year track record of student success. Born out of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s—which marks the era to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination and disenfranchisement in the United States—it was out of this era the EOPS program was born in the state of California.”
EOPS students receive support such as academic counseling, priority registration, book vouchers, meal assistance, school supplies, tutoring, college application fee waivers, campus and community referrals and unmet need grants, said Harrison.
Also on the agenda were various of business to approve for the nine campuses within the district.
Permits issued at Pierce between June 1 to July 31, 2024, and ratified by the Board, brought in a total income of $87,907.
Two student transportation agreements at Pierce were ratified by the Board—one to provide shuttle services between classes and other on-campus locations for students registered under the District’s Disabled Student Programs and Services at a cost of $114,499 and one to provide bus transportation services for the Athletics Department’s 2024-2025 intercollegiate competition season at a cost of $75,000.
A lease agreement for a section of the Pierce campus to be used as a pumpkin patch for about two months was authorized for an estimated income of $112,258.
Additional funds totaling $1,470,000—coming from Measure J Bond proceeds—were authorized by the Board for the Demolition of Old Library Building 1800 Project. The additional funds are required to complete the project because of unforeseen conditions, design related changes, agency related changes and additional general conditions costs, according to the background provided.
In late October, four Pierce students and one faculty member are traveling to Phoenix, Ariz., to participate in the NDiSTEM 2024 Conference, which is sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science.
