Just call it quits for the spring semester

Share: Transition to remote learning, study abroad failures, counseling fiascos, virtual commencement ceremonies, and transferring inquiries is all unfair. The current COVID-19 pandemic is now becoming an added stress factor to the lives of the many students who worked closely to achieve their spring semester courses, and academic goals, in the once known face-to-face settings.  Now more than ever, PCC students remain confused, and rightfully so, as to what their future will look like. As California officially declared a stay-at-home order, what does that mean …

Spring break is canceled: ‘It’s time to grow up’

Share: The stay-at-home order is the right move to make. Teenagers are out on their spring break getting wasted, while others are on ventilators fighting for their lives. There are selfish individuals in this society, tests are limited, and our president fired the pandemic response team back in 2018. If Disneyland gets closed down, that’s a good reason if any to stay home.  It is a common misconception that people 65 and up are at a higher risk of getting the virus, yet according to …

10 budget friendly ways to keep occupied in quarantine

Share: COVID-19 has most of us home, bored and going stir crazy from lack of work, events and friends to keep us preoccupied. Here are 10 budget friendly things to keep yourself busy during the stay at home orders. 1. Stay connected One of the relationships we are deprived of during this quarantine is quality time with friends. Netflix Party, a Chrome extension, is a way to watch shows together with friends. Once everyone is in a party, there is a chatroom on the side …

A UBI plan is as welcome as IBS, no thank you.

Share: Universal basic income [UBI] is a temporary bandage for a hemorrhaging economy clinging to life support with no relief in sight. Policy makers both nationally and in CA are considering the UBI put forth by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. This measure would attempt to counter the growing number of unemployed residents who have lost jobs that are considered non-essential due to the Covid-19 outbreak.  Policy makers have a habit of ban-waggoning as seen with CA now introducing a bill that would provide an …

PCC’s dash to catch up to COVID-19

Share: Pasadena City College has been rushing to keep up with the necessary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic described by the school’s Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) plan.   The ATD Emergency Preparedness Plan was made as a companion document to the college’s Emergency Operations Plan. It was released on March 5. The day before, on March 4, the first death in California related to the virus was confirmed and Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency. The plan identifies five levels, which correspond to the linear …

Lancer Pantry closes, other campus resources go remote

Share: UPDATE: As of March 28, the Lancer Pantry will be open for one distribution day a week on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting April 3. Note: This was canceled again on April 1. See, here, for more information on accessing gift cards for food. The PCC Lancer Pantry Drive-Thru/Walk-Up was closed on Tuesday following guidance from the Department of Public Health intended to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. PCC is currently working on other ways to provide help to those students who …

Being sick in the age of COVID-19

Share: Last week I was sick. Normally, I would never mention this, but ever since COVID-19 came on the scene, a cold isn’t just a cold. The flu isn’t just the flu and a sneeze, if done in public, isn’t just a sneeze. Colds, the flu, and all of their symptoms are compromised health conditions that put you and others at risk for contracting a virus that is the greatest pandemic the modern world has seen, and has caused me more than a little anxiety.   …

Why our safety comes first before school

Share: As new cases and new deaths from COVID-19 start to rise, people are starting to panic over what will happen if a lockdown occured in California. Since the campus closure, many students worry over how they are going to get their classes done. But where there is a will there is a must, and our health and safety must come first. Follow:

Work study students still have a paycheck

Share: Pasadena City College has received permission to pay Federal Work Study (FWS) students who work on campus, even while the campus is closed to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. In addition, 8,000 PCC students will have their Pell Grants and all other financial aid funds available by March 27, according to Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) and More Math and Science (MAS2 ) representatives.  Financial Aid payments have also been moved up. According to Alex Boekelheide, special assistant to the superintendent/president, the second wave …

Hurting small businesses goes deeper than just financial issues

Share: COVID-19 has been striking the world with panic and rapid change. Now people are no longer only worrying about their own and the public’s health. On Mar. 16 Los Angeles County officially ordered for most public places deemed non-essential to be shut down, from restaurants and bars to movie theatres and even gyms. Cue the economic struggle for employees and employers alike.  Follow: