A new eco-friendly plan, that would include solar panels and help lower ongoing operational costs at ECC is being developed, officials said.
Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Services Jorge Gutierrez discussed a new sustainability plan in development during a recent College Council meeting on Monday, May 4 via Zoom.
The new plan seeks to minimize the cost of operations, as well as provide the school with new ecologically-beneficial improvements, Gutierrez said.
It was just two years ago when he taught his first-ever graphic novel in an English class. The only problem was that he had no idea where to start.
“While I had been a lifelong fan of the genre [graphic novels], I had never used a graphic narrative before in the classroom.” Matthew Cheung, a full-time English professor at El Camino College said. “There was much I didn’t know.”
Not long after teaching that English class, Cheung quickly realized he needed help. He began researching guides and crash courses to help him understand the basics of comics.
“I found Scott McCloud’s ‘Understanding Comics,’ which became my crash course in comics theory,” Cheung said. “From there, I found other resources like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund whose wide array of resources showed me there was an entire community of people integrating comics into their curricula.”
Two years have passed since these events unfolded. Now, Cheung believes it’s time for ECC to join the college community of comics and graphic novels.
ManyEl Camino College students are still under quarantine as the semester slowly comes to an end.
As ECC is also planning to have the fall 2020 semester partially online, students have been finding various ways to pass time until schools and jobs can reopen. Among other things, students have taken an interest in activities like cooking, art, craftsmanship, and video calls with friends.
Video games have also always been a popular way to kill time, but in quarantine video game products like the Nintendo Switch are in very high demand. We got a chance to speak with a few students on what their favorite games are and how they’re using games to help cope with COVID-19.
Over two months ago, El Camino College decided to close its campus and transition most courses into online instruction.
As expected, the change from in-class to online teaching has left a major impact on the education of many ECC students, whether it was a change in lesson plans, or the cancellation of classes.
Along with that, students and health officials alike have begun to wonder if the change in education has also led to changes in sleep and dream patterns.
El Camino College is offering students the opportunity to change from a letter grade to a pass/no pass option until Friday, May 15, in light of the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Camino College is currently going through an unprecedented time, as all classes are now being shifted to an online format, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amidst this unexpected change, ECC professors have been working tirelessly to get their planned lectures moved online and modified for their students. Meanwhile, the students themselves now haveto adjust to having their classes via online platforms.
ECC’s Learning Research Center and Math Study Center are also currently loaning laptops to students who don’t have access to Wi-Fi at home. According to an article from The Union, ECC officialsdo not have a complete method of knowing how many students will be needing laptops and other online resources, and for what classes.
Which truly begs the question: Which classes highly require internet and a computer/laptop to ensure each student’s success?
Students have found fun and productive ways to cope with the adjustment to online classes ever since El Camino College shut down its campus in response to COVID-19 concerns.
Two senators resigned from El Camino College’s student government this past week, officials said, leaving the organization with 19 vacant positions.
Associated Students Organization(ASO) Senator of Natural Sciences Marissa Hernandez-Gomez and Senator of Mathematical Sciences Xingbo Zhao resigned from their positions with others including Fine Arts and Humanities position still remain vacant.
Gardena, California’s transportation service is seeking for approval for a project to obtain new environmentally friendly buses, according to the Gardena City Manager at a Council Meeting on May 14, 2019.
Edward Medrano, former Gardena chief of police, now city manager, was given the floor by Mayor Tasha Cerda to discuss the Departmental Items on the Gardena City Council Meeting agenda.
One of the items to be discussed was about the Gardena transit service, otherwise known as GTrans, a request of approval for a plan made in Feb. 2017; a plan in which the transit wished to add a mixed fleet of 18 buses that will use either compressed natural gas (CNG), or electric motors.
“GTrans will be constructing a CNG fueling station and upgrade its maintenance facilities in order to accommodate this new technology,” said Medrano to the rest of the city council.
Stated by the city manager, the CNG fueling station will also allow for fueling of the transit’s upcoming orders for the 18 buses, and all other future orders for CNG buses.
“The station will be adjacent to the current fueling facilities located at GTrans.” said Medrano. “GTrans is in need of a professional service agreement for design, engineering, consulting services for its CNG fueling station and vehicle maintenance facility upgrade project”
Prior to the agreement, Medrano added, the transit company had engaged Fuel Systems Inc, back in 2006, in order to provide initial specifications in preparation for a grant application for their new facility.
“This firm will assist with the conceptual design, an engineering document, precurmative support responding to technical questions, and commissioning/performance testing when the project is completed.”
The whole project will have a cost not exceed $66,964, added by the city manager, along with GTrans recommending a contingency fee for said project for an additional total of $13,391 incase of “any unforeseen circumstances.”
Outside of this approved plan for the transit, Medrano had also made an announcement of a secondary plan for GTrans involving their pursuit for a mixed bus fleet. Said plan will involve having the National Resource Manager (NRM) and its associates acting as project management.
“GTrans is in need of a professional service agreement for project management consulting services,” The city manager told the council. “NRM & Associates will serve as the overall project manager for the project, and the project manager will be involved in all aspects of the project including: Assisting GTrans staff and day-to-day management of the project including the development of the scope of work and the design build of the project coordinated with utilities and other stakeholders involved ”
The NRM has experience in working through unique circumstances presented by transit in the past; along with municipal fund-related projects.
They had also successfully worked with GTrans, according to Medrano, in terms of project management capacity for the installation of a maintenance management system; along with the installation of surveillance cameras on their buses.
“The contract will be formed on time and at a cost not to exceed $50,000; which includes project management and precurmative assistance throughout the project,” Medrano said.
GTrans will also be making a second request for 20% contingency for the project, or an additional $10,000, for any and all unforeseen expenditures that may occur in the future.
“There is no general fund impact,” according to the city manager. “GTrans, CNG fueling and Maintenance project is, once again, funded using existing federal and local grants obligated specifically for the CNG project.”
After finishing his explanation of each plan to the city council, Mayor Cerda would ask for any comments or questions from the council regarding the departmental items stated by Medrano; to which none would speak up.
The first approval of agreement, with Fuel Solutions Inc., was moved by Council Member, Rodney G. Tanaka, and Mayor Pro Tem, Art Kaskanian. The second approval of agreement, with NRM & Associates, would be moved by Council Member, Mark E. Henderson, and Kaskanian once more
After gaining approval, however, it was not specified by either Medrano, or the city council itself, as to when these new transit buses would expected to be released for public use; leaving for us to wait until any other information may become available.
My selfie of me attending the Gardena City Council Meeting
One of multiple bees that were found dead in the ECC Humanities Building staircase on Monday morning, April 15. Reason as to why is currently unknown. El Camino Student Aaron Bundy, Undecided Major, helping Chelsea McKissic, Art Major, get back on her feet after being knocked down by another student in a bumper ball at the ICC Spring Fest on April 24. Photojournalism Instructor, Gary Kohatsu, right, argues with Instructional Assistant Roderick Hicks, left, in a mock debate as photojournalism students take photos for an in-class assignment on April 11 in room 111 of the ECC Humanities building. Members of the ECC Honors Transfer Club Gordon Tran, Nimra Ghazal, Ryan Chase, from left to right, helping raise money for their club’s scholarship program by selling donuts outside the school library on April 23.
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