…For self

After graduating high school, Jason Freudenrich went to work building boats at a factory in Minnesota. He spent the rest of the time partying. “I was going nowhere in life,” he said. So at the age of 19, he talked to a Marine Corps recruiter and two weeks later was in boot camp.

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Accreditation visit success

After more than a year of preparation that involved hundreds of faculty, staff and students and an intensive three-day visit by a group of colleagues, Pierce College was given a positive evaluation by a visiting accreditation team. The study was performed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) team under the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which visited Pierce during the week of March 19.

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Tattered Braille Trail unseen to all

It’s clear so one can walk through it but the promised aromas of Primrose Jasmine and Lemon Scented Gum have been over shadowed by the scent of dead leaves. Now all that fills it are several types of lifeless plants and dry shrub. The Giant Sequoia is now an undersized dehydrated tree and the Birds of Paradise are singing for water.

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P.S. You’ve been rejected

“We appreciate your interest in the University of California, Santa Barbara. “We have evaluated your application for admission for the fall 2007 quarter and regret that we cannot offer you admission to UC Santa Barbara at this time.” The letter was pleasant, yet patronizing; rejection usually is.

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New trustee selected today

A new Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) board trustee will be appointed today to replace Michael Waxman, who resigned from office and relocated to Washington, D.C. Waxman was the former president of the LACCD board of trustees. Waxman left the board at a very critical point for the LACCD because the board will also need to choose a new chancellor when Darroch “Rocky” Young will leave his top post in August.

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Textbook prices at the mercy of professors

We applaud the Pierce College Bookstore for its efforts to reduce the high cost of textbooks and we strongly encourage all faculty members to fully participate in the process. At a recent meeting of the Academic Policy Committee, which is comprised of all Pierce department chairs, bookstore representatives made a professional and compelling presentation, identifying several ways that faculty can have a direct impact on the cost of textbooks.

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