By Leonardo Cervantes
Noe Dominguez and Heribérto Gutierrez Jr led the Resource Recap workshop on March 19, discussing some of the most important resources, programs and services that East Los Angeles College has to offer.
Most students at ELAC will probably know about some of these programs.
First year students should utilize these services in order to familiarize themselves with the campus and everything it has to offer.
Gutierrez and Dominguez are success coaches with the FYE (First-Year Experience) program.
One resource to incoming students is the Associated Student Union.
ASU is the official student government at ELAC.
It is made up of executive officers and senators that represent students at the college district and even state level.
All ELAC students are encouraged to join ASU.
The fee is only seven-dollars during spring and during the summer and the fall, the fee falls to three dollars.
“Students pay their fee at the fiscal office and on the back of their ID students will receive a sticker saying you paid. One of the benefits of this is it provides students up to 30 free printings. Students might also receive ASU items or clothes, a flash drive, scantrons and green books. Students also have access to book rentals,” Dominguez said.
The shuttle bus is an important resource that students should use.
The shuttle bus brings students from the South Gate campus to ELAC. This is a great way to save money on gas.
ELAC tutoring provides the reading and writing center, learning center, math lab, STEM/MESA center and the NetTutor. NetTutor is a tutoring service that students can use online.
The Student Health Center provides mental health help, food resources, relaxation and stress rooms.
The Health Center is a great place for students to unwind and relax for a few minutes after a stressful day.
There are also domestic violence and sexual assault support centers.
“Admissions and Records is where students go to petition for a grade if they feel it isn’t correct,” Gutierrez said.
The First-Year Experience (FYE) program assists students with any questions they might have. The program can potentially lead students to the specific department they need.
Second and third-year students can still get help from the FYE program if needed.
“The One Zone is like a giant umbrella that oversees a few smaller departments,” Gutierrez said.
The One Zone provides The Dream Resource Center which helps undocumented students.
Rising Scholars is for emancipated youth. They will be able to provide students with exclusive resources for them.
The Umoja program is a new program that caters specifically to the African American population at ELAC.
The assessment center verifies what level of math and English courses students should take.
“Students no longer take formal assessments. Now it’s a questionnaire,” Gutierrez said.
America Job Center of California (AJCC) and CalWorks are both ways students can get jobs quickly.
“If you want to get a quick career because you’re in dire financial stress and you don’t have the time to dedicate to formal schooling.
The AJCC would be a great choice for students as they offer a lot of certificates.
CalWorks is the same but it’s state-run,” Dominguez said.
Academic programs that STEM provides are MESA, SERVES (Success, Engagement, and Retention of Veterans in Engineering and Science), STEM Cohort and STEM Core which aid students in chosen STEM majors.
The FYE program can help out any student with any question or misunderstanding they might have. FYE can point students in the right direction.