June 12 Newsletter
Free local news about your community delivered straight into your inbox.
Happy Thursday + finals + grad week!
New issues of both The Union newspaper and Warrior Life magazine are now available in print on newsstands around campus and online.
Pick up copies in person and read the digital versions here.
You are reading The Union’s newsletter — Mark your calendars: The next newsletter will arrive Thursday, September 11.
Drop a ❤️ and have a great summer!
NEWS
New transitional math class options to be added at El Camino
By Nick Miller
Ten new math classes at El Camino College will offer students the option to strengthen their fundamental understanding of arithmetic and algebraic expressions to prepare for transfer-level math courses. Various math essentials for STEM classes, which comprise seven of the new courses, will cover factoring, expressions, functions, equations and include Math 508, titled “Crash Course on Trig.” Read more.
Reckless driving, vandalism reported to El Camino Police
Six crimes have been reported to the El Camino College Police Department since Monday, May 19, as reported in the last Police Beat. Read more.
Here, there were cats: El Camino sees significant decline in feline population
By Erica Lee
In the early 2000s, El Camino College was home to over 350 cats. Today, that number has dwindled to 20 to 25 cats. The Union investigates what is behind their decline. Watch here.
High school students excel at El Camino: Dual enrollment yields high success rates
By Elise Fauni
High school students are able to enroll in college courses through dual enrollment, a growing program at California community colleges. Though only accounting for about 9% of the student population, high school students have the highest course success and completion rates at El Camino College. Read more.
El Camino students pay a $15 Associated Students Fee with limited benefits
Students at El Camino College pay a $15 student government fee each semester, but compared to nearby colleges, the benefits they receive offer fewer practical resources aimed at supporting academic and career success. A review by The Union compared student government fees and the benefits they provide at El Camino and six other local colleges. Read more.
Pay for top administrators varies widely across California community colleges
As student enrollment and faculty numbers continue to change and budget challenges mount across California community colleges, an analysis by The Union shows disparities in pay for top administrators – even among institutions of similar size. The analysis reviewed 2023 salary data for presidents and vice presidents at El Camino and seven other local colleges, as reported by Transparent California, a public pay and pension database. Read more.
SPORTS
El Camino celebrates 32nd Annual Athletics Hall of Fame inductees
Former and current athletes and coaches who have contributed to El Camino College’s athletic programs were recognized in a ceremony Thursday, May 29. ECC has honored the careers of former Warrior athletes and coaches for 32 years. Watch here.
CJ Arnold works to help student-athletes in all sports succeed at El Camino
By Nick Miller
CJ Arnold is an athletic specialist at El Camino College. Being an athletic specialist is a valuable job that some people might not know about. Arnold helps ECC sports programs and athletes prosper and helps put them in a position to be successful. Watch here.
Championships and walk-offs: El Camino utility hitter Savanna Kastigar talks all about softball
By Seph Peters
The 2024-2025 softball season brought the Warriors women’s softball team to the 3C2A State Championships. Utility hitter Savanna Kastigar talks about what the team did to reach this historical achievement. She also goes over her goals and what's next for her going forward. Watch here.
Out-of-state and international athletes enroll in sports programs at community colleges
Out-of-state and international athletes enrolling at California Community Colleges is a trend that has been increasing in the last five years. At El Camino College, the men’s athletics program has seen increases in baseball and basketball and the women’s basketball team has had success recruiting out-of-state and international athletes. Watch here.
Deaf student finds fulfillment and friendship on the badminton court at El Camino
Tiffany “Thao” Hoang, who is deaf, has been a valuable teammate on El Camino College Warriors badminton team since she joined last year. Hoang, the coaches, and the team work together to find ways to communicate with each other, from texting and body language to a scoreboard system. Watch here.
ARTS & FEATURES
Physics professor teaches students at El Camino and millions more on YouTube
Countless videos thumbnailed with equations cover the YouTube channel of El Camino College physics professor Michel van Biezen, 68. Van Biezen might appear to be an ordinary teacher, but beneath the surface lies a passion for education that manifests in multiple forms. Read more.
New life, new camino
Cinthya Duran had opened a school of performing arts for kids, writing, producing and directing musicals in a project called “Proyecto N de Niños,” in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The happy days of successfully running the dance academy were described with a smile on her face — until her story took a dark turn and her life changed unexpectedly. Read more.
Retiring El Camino employees take a look back at their time on campus
By Nick Miller
At the end of the spring 2025 semester, 74 faculty and staff members will retire from El Camino College, with their final date of employment being Monday, June 30. Thirteen others retired at the end of the fall 2024 semester. Staff members who retire from the campus may leave, but their contributions to the school will not be forgotten. Read more.
Analog photography in a digital age: An inside look into El Camino’s darkroom
By Mario Trejos
Within the walls of El Camino College’s Arts Complex lies the photography program’s very own darkroom, where one can discover and explore the almost forgotten art of film development. Watch here.
Annual student show returns to El Camino Art Gallery
By Nikki Yunker
Watercolor paintings, computer animations, digital photography and glazed ceramics include just some of the pieces forming the Art Gallery’s annual student show. The show this year contained 140 different creations made by students in various art classes at El Camino College. Read more.
OPINION
Graduation caps and gowns should not come with a price tag
Graduation is a special time in the life of a student. After all the hard work, dedication and countless early mornings and late nights spent working on a degree, students have to pay for their own cap, gown and sash? Not only pay for it, but pay a lot for it. Read more.
Campus viewpoints: Walking at Commencement
As the semester comes to a close, many El Camino College students are either preparing for the end of their academic journey or the next steps ahead. Graduation is something students work for for years, and now it’s finally here. The Union interviewed different graduates in hopes of exploring who would be walking in the ceremony and why. Read more.
El Cappuccino needs longer hours for students taking evening classes
By Tina Talley
El Cappuccino, located right next to the El Camino College Bookstore and facing parking Lot C, is a major hub for beverages and socialization. Almost like a mini Starbucks, El Cappuccino is a popular spot for students to stop by, grab a sweet drink and go on about the rest of their day. Although a lot of ECC students manage to get there within a period of time after their classes end, or before noon, some are on campus longer. Read more.
Having religious faith provides college students with purpose and support
Generation Z is losing faith. Members of this generation, defined as people born between 1997 and 2012, make up a large percentage of the current college-aged population. College students must not allow themselves to lose faith because it is fundamental to their lives. Read more.
STORY MAPS
Five mechanic shops to visit in the South Bay
Every individual seeks outstanding service and work for their vehicles from a trustworthy, experienced mechanic. Searching for the best mechanic services in the area, The Union visited shops in Hawthorne and Inglewood. Click here to cruise around the top mechanic shops in the South Bay. Read more.
WARRIOR LIFE
Cage-free California: Transformative justice can help to end mass incarceration and make us safer
By Kim McGill
California has legislation against cage-free chickens but continues to cage more than 150,000 people each year in prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers. There is a growing international movement to reclaim ancient, indigenous practices to build transformative justice alternatives to costly and ineffective public safety strategies that rely on punishment, police suppression and incarceration. Read more.
War torn: Refugees at El Camino face an uncertain future
By Kim McGill
At the age of 15, El Camino College student Amaliia Ripko fled from her home in Ukraine when Russian air strikes tore through her neighborhood in Kharkiv. When she was four, ECC student Gissel Paniagua ran from El Salvador to escape the local cartel when it threatened to kill her family. Read more.
PHOTOS
(Center) Joanna Medawar Nachef, El Camino College professor and director of choral and orchestral activities, gathers with her students at the “End-of-Semester Celebration” in the Music Building courtyard where nine faculty members of the Fine Arts division were honored before they retire at the end of the spring 2025 semester on Thursday, June 5. Nachef was honored the event as she will retire after 30 years of working at ECC. She said it felt heart-warming to realize her hard work be recognized by her colleagues, the administration and students. "My legacy is the impact on [my] students, to inspire them and see them thrive, grow and make a difference in other people's lives and paying it forward because they found their foundation [at ECC] and I was a part of it," Nachef said. (Eddy Cermeno | The Union)
Jimmy Macareno, facilities painter, 68, has been working at El Camino College since 1979 and will retire at the end of the spring 2025 semester. Macareno said he fell in love with art in the first grade and knew transitioning into a painting career would not go against the grain. He believes he has painted at every building on campus over his 46 years of service. "I can't think of one I didn't," Macareno said. "I believe in a nice view of the campus, a nice painted room, nice hallways, is what brings [students] pride to be a part of the institution where they're getting their education," he said. During retirement Macareno said he will keep busy by painting, working on personal art projects, and improving with digital art. "I believe art is life, life is art, so as an artist that's why I'm that way," Macareno said. (Eddy Cermeno | The Union)
Kobbi Frey, business marketing major, participates in on-campus bible studies Wednesday, June 4. He says his fashion inspirations are "ASAP Rocky, Tyler the Creator and Lil Yachty.” (Bret Fast | The Union)
Two ducks from Alondra Park rest on the lawn in front of the old Art Building on Wednesday, June 4. Nicknamed "Donald" and "Daisy," the pair is inseparable and one is never seen without the other. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)
The Union’s fall 2025 publication schedule
Thanks for following along with our spring 2025 publication of The Union.
Our fifth and final issue this semester was released Thursday, June 5, and is now available on newsstands around campus and online. Take a copy to enjoy over the summer and support local journalism.
The paper will return next semester for five print issues:
• Sept. 18
• Oct. 9
• Oct. 30
• Nov. 13
• Dec. 4
The Union, volume 79, issue 10
The fourth spring 2025 issue of The Union is available online and in print on newsstands around campus.
This special 12-page issue features stories on sports programs being suspended, the pay of presidents and vice presidents at California community colleges, a 30th anniversary concert, a profile on a student marimba player and more.
Access the digital version of our newspaper here.
Warrior Life magazine, spring 2025
The spring/summer 2025 issue of Warrior Life magazine is available online and in print on newsstands around campus.
This 72-page issue of the magazine has features on El Camino College’s new chief of police, an alternative rock band, a fashion and content creator, a cosmetology student and much more. You'll also find personal stories that include working alongside a parent, bouts with asthma and trying a video game workout.
Access the digital version of the issue here.
About The Union
The Union is El Camino College’s student-run newspaper and the only local source of news for its college community. Everything published by The Union is produced by student journalists. The Union is proud to present the college community with weekly newsletters each semester.
The Union dedicates itself to public service, accuracy, fairness and journalistic independence. The Union is committed to covering stories that deliver the truth and highlight diversity, equity and inclusion on campus at El Camino College and in its surrounding community.
If you have any questions, comments or story suggestions, please feel free to contact Editor-in-Chief Nikki Yunker by sending an email to eccunion@gmail.com.