Divided: Faculty union continues fight against in-person learning

Share: After some faculty members and students held a demonstration last week about returning to campus, PCC welcomed students and faculty back to school this week with multiple COVID testing sites and equipped everyone with a pack of triple-layered surgical-grade masks. Over the weekend, the Pasadena Area Community College District (PACCD) and the PCC Faculty Association (PCCFA) negotiated terms about returning to campus amid a rising surge in COVID cases. According to an email sent from the district to the faculty, there were meetings on …

PCC confirms return to campus, sparking protest among faculty

Share: Faculty at PCC are set to protest the college’s plan for a return to campus, which includes requiring students and staff to wear masks and take mandatory weekly COVID-19 tests at designated testing sites around the school when they return on Monday, Jan. 24.  The PCC Faculty Association proposed an extension to the district in order to continue remote learning until Feb. 12. However, the school district has not signed off on the proposal, prompting concerned faculty and students to respond by organizing a …

Students divided over public access to Shatford Library

Share: PCC library announced the reopening of the Shatford Library to the public on October 25, 2021. The decision has the potential to impact students concerned about lack of space delegated to the students in future semesters. While others are happy to allocate the resources given by the school to the community of Pasadena. The library, usually filled to the brim with students studying for the next midterm or cracking at a 10 page paper in a time crunch is now a ghost town. With …

Faculty vs. students: Student government blasts remote learning decision

Share: While many students expected to return to campus this fall due to relaxed Covid-19 mandates and the PCC campus reopening in July, the Pasadena City College Curriculum Committee (PCCCC) had other plans. The PCCCC, followed by the approval from the Academic Senate, granted approval for forms submitted by faculty members to continue remote learning despite the wishes of administration and PCC’s elected student government, Associated Students. Superintendent-President Dr. Erika Endrijonas said that when they were creating the schedule for the Fall 2021 semester, they …

A cautionary tale: India’s COVID surge is a warning to us all

Share: India’s latest COVID-19 surge is spreading like wildfire after India loosened up its regulations on the original lockdown. Reports of new cases as well as deaths have increased, which will undoubtedly be a path the US will be heading down if we do not take heed of this warning. At the height of COVID-19, India prepared for a deadly virus that could potentially affect billions of people in their country. In crowded areas like Mumbai, India had prepared for the worst, but the worst …

As COVID cases go down, we should open up

Share: There have been good signs as of late for the United States. COVID cases are not as high as they were and positivity rates are as low as they could ever be.The state of California is at an all time low rate for the virus, with 1.3 percent of daily tests coming up positive. However, the question is should we rush to open up the country? The answer is yes and there are multiple reasons for this answer. Follow:

California schools shouldn’t reopen at the risk of spiking COVID-19 cases

Share: While reopening schools may seem appealing to parents and students, cases are still rising all over the state and are predicted to worsen with the upcoming holiday season. Almost all Southern California counties have already announced that the Spring semester of 2021 will remain online, including PCC. As of right now, this is the best route California can take in order to contain the virus and decrease cases. Follow: