By Dorany Pineda After 44 years of service at East Los Angeles College, Olga Barnes will bid farewell to the campus community at the close of this semester. It was in the fall of 1971 when Barnes first stepped foot onto ELAC grounds, just a few months after graduating from Garfield Senior High School in East Los Angeles. As a student here, she was a legal secretary major, a fitting…
By Dorany Pineda The allegations of sexual harassment and rape against former movie-mogul Harvey Weinstein were no surprise to many women. It is an incident that is not singular. Since the New York Times published an article on Oct. 5 that revealed Weinstein as a scumbag whose enormous power and influence protected him for decades from accusations of sexual assault and rape, a ripple effect has occurred. Countless women, and…
By Dorany Pineda The indigenous Rohingya people of Myanmar are described by many to be the most persecuted people in the world. Maung Nu, 32, is one of them. A political science student at East Los Angeles College, Nu was very lucky to have received his visa to study in the United States. “After I finish, I want to help my people, my country,” Nu said. Nu is a member of…
By Dorany Pineda Retired professor of speech and communications Louie Sarracino, who taught at East Los Angeles College for 53 years before retiring in 2002, died on Oct. 23 at the age of 95. Sarracino is remembered by family and friends as having been friendly and fun, and loved by all his students. “Louie was really personable and funny,” Tom Atha, a speech professor, said. “He had a lot of…
By Dorany Pineda East Los Angeles College has seen a slight increase in crime on and off campus according to the 2017 Annual Security Report published by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The report shows crime statistics from 2014 to 2016 and is divided into three categories: on campus, non-campus and off campus. The report found that there was a slight growth in sexual assault cases on campus in…
By Dorany Pineda Edward “Ed” Serrano, an alumnus and retired Psychology professor at East Los Angeles College, took a nap after breakfast and died in his sleep of a heart attack on Sept. 30. He was 65. Serrano’s wife of 31 years, Joan, remembers that he always wore shorts. “It had to snow before he put pants on,” she said. She said he was dearly loved by students and was…
By Dorany Pineda The Board of Governors introduced the California College Innovation Promise Grant on Sept. 19, which promises high school who show financial need a free year of community college tuition. Formerly known as the Board of Governors Fee Waiver program, the College Promise Grant provided $15 million during the 2016-2017 year to approximately 1 million students with free tuition––with half of the 2.1 million current California Community College…
By Dorany Pineda The College Budget Committee reviewed the enrollment outlook for the fall 2017 semester on Monday and found it had decreased. The Fall 2017 Credit Enrollment Comparison found a nine percent dip in student enrollment this semester compared to enrollment in 2016’s fall semester. The drop from fall 2016’s 30,011 students to the current 25,585 is due mostly to a low unemployment rate and a problematic Student Information…
Grilled Special Patty Melt By Kevin Camargo Hungry, and want something very simple to eat fast? This might be a good choice. The Patty Melt consists of two slices of sourdough bread, a hamburger patty, lots of cheese and grilled onions. Every ingredient can be tasted as each bite is taken. Dislike any of the ingredients? This might not be a good choice. The combo comes with a full sandwich…
By Dorany Pineda Director Peter Bratt’s new documentary “Dolores” is a powerful, intimate and engaging look into the life of activist, feminist and rebel Dolores Huerta. Huerta––unbeknownst to many––was cofounder of the National Farmworkers Association, which would later be known as the United Farmworkers Union. She, along with the more widely-known Cesar Chavez, fought tirelessly to change the miserable working conditions and unjust treatment of the country’s food growers in…