By Breanna Fierro
Los Angeles Community College District Board President Steve Veres said students and DACA are LACCDs main focus for growth at the DACA/Immigration Task Force Meeting via Zoom.
“ The pandemic has had a devastating impact and disproportion on communities of color, and particularly, black and brown communities,” said
chancellor Francisco Rodriguez, Thursday.
“It is up to all of us in the respective positions that we hold and the responsibilities that we have to ensure that we provide a clear, consistent and ethical handoff to our students who have been left behind and to our communities that continue to suffer from intergenerational poverty and intergenerational health disparities,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez met with United States Representative member Tony Cardenas, ELAC’s Dream Resource Center and staff from the other eight colleges within the LACCD.
Drop-out rates have risen among LACCD colleges during the pandemic, but mostly within those of low income and those of color. The initial goal is how to support students and get them to return, according to Rodriguez.
During the student voices segment, Elias Geronimo an undocumented student trustee from ELAC, questioned his foreseeable future. He talked about what the United States has in store for him and others who are undocumented after obtaining a degree. Even before completing any amount of college education, the student trustee said, what troubles him is the thought of what is to happen after he is to obtain his bachelor’s degree.
“I discovered that once you start advancing in education, more doors open. That’s because wehave many people working to help students, but it’s not sufficient, we need more representation of those communities,” said Geronimo.
State Advocate Dale Shimasaki discussed the updated legislature calendar and process so far with about 800 bills introduced in the assembly and 3-400 bills in the senate. The bill introduction process is taking place as usual, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are condensing a lot of the
calendar.
“ninety six percent of dreamers
Tony Cardenas
are gainfully employed full-time,
full-time students and or both.
If every American-born child
had that kind of effort and that
lifestyle, our country would be so
much better off, but for people to
vilify our dreamers is just another
example of something that is just
heartbreaking,”
United States representative
On the assembly side for the higher education committee, there will only be two policy hearings for this session in April. Meaning even though there is a normal flow of legislation coming through, not all bills that go to the higher education committee will be heard due to the limited number of hearings that will be held, Shimasaki said.
“Even though the senate will havemore hearings it is still possible that there will be fewer bills in the higher education flowing through. The senate hasn’t established a limit as of yet,” said Shimasaki.
United States Representative member Tony Cardenas talked about the false information Fox News has been feeding the American people, teaching them to fear immigrants when the truth is the immigrants who are here in this country are hard working.
“ninety six percent of dreamers are gainfully employed full-time, full-time students and or both. If every American-born child had that kind of effort and that lifestyle, our country would be so much better off, but for people to
vilify our dreamers is just another example of something that is just heartbreaking,” said Cardenas.
Immigration legislation and dreamers among the Community College District was discussed with Representative Cardenas, in making sure everyone is treated with both dignity and is given the opportunity in retrieving a higher education.
Representative Cardenas discussed Biden, wanting to see comprehensive immigration legislation and the woman in charge of the House of Representatives Linda Sanchez and Menendez.
“The Hispanic caucus is now in charge of running points on the immigration bills. For those who have never experienced watching legislation, that is a big deal to have a Latino and a Latina in both houses
of the legislature in Washington. Meaning any changes to the bill, will have to go through them,” Cardenas said.
LACCD is looking forward to being able to provide the tools needed to help DACA students continue to succeed, especially during a pandemic. It is of the utmost importance to them to stay committed to the ethnic groups, the process and how to implement growth.