New president of ECC prioritizes students and student services, statewide trends show enrollment decrease and distance education increase
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Hello again Warriors,
Our third semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic, spring 2021 will surely be one we remember. For nearly a year and a half, the entire El Camino College community has been impacted in so many ways by coronavirus, most notably perhaps, by the wide-scale shift to online learning. The transition to online learning has not been an easy one, but we have done it, we have powered-through.
Though we published a newsletter just last week, we wanted to close off the semester by sending out a final set of stories, showcasing 2021 Commencement, The Union’s Editorial Board’s requests for an eventual return to campus, sports currently on-campus and more.
In addition, this newsletter will also include articles from Warrior Life Magazine along with a link to the digital copy of the Spring/Summer 2021 issue. Warrior Life is produced by students in Journalism 9 over two semesters. This specific issue covers hate crimes, punk rock legend Keith Morris, local businesses and more.
Warrior Life Spring/Summer 2021 is dedicated to Juan Miranda, the previous editor-in-chief of Warrior Life who died in January of this year. Juan had a clear vision for the magazine, to shine a light on the true diversity and culture of El Camino College— to feature Warriors. We have done our best to carry out that vision.
Personally, this is my last semester at El Camino College, The Union and Warrior Life, and I could not be prouder of the work we have done. However, none of it would be possible without you— the community-members, faculty, students and officials of ECC who give their time and support to the journalism department, its students and its publications— so thank you all.
The Union won’t begin publishing newsletters again until next fall, but in the meantime, check eccunion.com for breaking news over the summer, and check out Warrior Life Spring/Summer 2021 here.
Best regards,
Molly Cochran
Editor-in-chief| The Union
Managing Editor| Warrior Life Magazine
NEWS
New president and superintendent prioritizes student services, plans to eventually retire from ECC
By: Molly Cochran
Incoming President of El Camino College who intends on retiring after years at ECC, Brenda Thames became a college student at 17-years-old. Due to her struggle as a young student and other factors, Thames is now an advocate for students and student services. Read more.
Research shows that community colleges across Calif. see overall enrollment decline paired with incline in Distance Education enrollment
By: The Union Staff
Prior to COVID-19, distance education was merely an option that students could utilize, but was not a leading preference for students. Amidst the school closures that began in March 2020, colleges across California have seen a rise in distance education. Read more.
Nike spotted filming commercial at Murdock Stadium
Nike was seen on-campus filming a commercial at Murdock Stadium. This is the second filming on campus in the past 30 days at the stadium, with actor, singer and songwriter Joe Jonas seen filming an unknown project on May 10. Read more.
EDITORIAL
What we wish to see on campus by spring 2022
By: Editorial Board
With more people getting vaccinated in California, it is only a matter of time until El Camino College makes the transition back to in-person learning. The Editorial Board recommends that El Camino not only focus on the health and safety of students and faculty going back on campus, but also look into ways to assure students both mentally and educationally. Read more.
HEALTH
El Camino College commencement to be virtual once again amid COVID-19
By: Maureen Linzaga
El Camino College has decided to hold its Spring 2021 Commencement online via live-stream while other universities in the Los Angeles area are holding theirs in-person. This is the second commencement at ECC to be held online since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.
Masks to be worn on El Camino College campus in fall 2021
By: Mana Tsumoto
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowing individuals who are fully-vaccinated to stop wearing masks, ECC is still requiring students and faculty to wear masks while on campus despite their vaccination level, in accordance with local guidelines. Read more.
FEATURES
El Camino College student receives the Advocate Award
By: Mana Tsumoto
Giancarlo Fernandez, El Camino College student and president of the Associated Students Organization (ASO) for the 2020-2021 academic year, received the Advocate Award from the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce. Read more.
Vegan beauty retail store permanently closes due to COVID-19
By: Zoha Jan
Due to COVID-19, Lulu's Vegan Skin, a vegan beauty products retail store near El Camino College, had permanently closed. After dealing with pandemic-related difficulties, the owner is pleased with the company's current status as a result of moving everything online. Read more.
VIDEOS
El Camino Athletics begin return to the field
Athletic programs at El Camino College begin their return to on-campus practices and conditioning. See more.
The Union Cookbook: Kujirai Style Ramen
By: Maureen Linzaga
A tutorial on how to make Kujirai-style ramen by upgrading instant ramen. See more.
WARRIOR LIFE MAGAZINE
For the past two semesters, El Camino College journalism students have been putting together the annual Warrior Life Magazine. Despite a pandemic and the death of an editor-in-chief, Warrior Life Spring/Summer 2021 is now published. Here are a few stories from this issue of Warrior Life. To read more, please click here.
For a digital copy of Warrior Life Spring/ Summer 2021, please visit here.
He was the victim of a hate crime, now he’s speaking up
By: Molly Cochran
A hate crime last fall left Jordan Paige with a prolapsed eye, half of his vision and a story to tell. A drag queen and a fighter, he now speaks up about what has happened to him and many others. Read more.
I spent 4 years at community college instead of dropping out
By: Elisa Albarran
Defeated and labeled, Elisa Albarran struggled to stay at El Camino College beyond the initial two years many students expect to attend. After four years at the college, she's happy she stayed. Read more.
Top 5 international bakeries
By: Gary Kohatsu
No need to spend money on a plane ticket when these international sweets are a drive away. Taste the globe through sugar confections and discover new flavors right in your neighborhood. Read more.
Quarantunes: A playlist delivered to you every two weeks
Times can be tough right now, and so many of us are just hoping to push through what seems like it may be home-stretch in this pandemic. We’re all being impacted by the coronavirus in different ways. To cheer you up, we have been curating a new playlist every two weeks just for you.
This week, our final playlist of the semester is called “It’s summertime folks!” to celebrate the end of this semester and the beginning of summer. Give it a listen here or click below:
Has COVID-19 impacted you? Let us know!
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A little bit 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 done by student journalists. Despite barriers to reporting created by COVID-19 and other forces, our entire staff works incredibly hard to keep the El Camino community informed.
With the impacts of the coronavirus far-reaching, The Union has expanded its scope of coverage to include countless communities where El Camino College’s students, professors, employees and community members live. As the campus remains closed, we remain publishing to deliver local news to the people of ECC.
If you have any comments or questions about this issue of The Union’s newsletter or any of the stories you’ve read, please contact our new Editor-in-chief Nicholas Broadhead by emailing him at eccunion@gmail.com. If you feel satisfied with what you read today, let us know by sharing this newsletter and tagging us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.