Archive for the ‘Campus Life’ Category

Anyone can be a target for crime.  Most criminals are opportunists, however, and rely on the fact that victims are not paying attention to their surroundings, or may not know what to do if they are victimized.

• Whether or not you feel confident, look and act confident!  Walk with purpose, look people in the eye, and acknowledge them.
• Be aware of your surroundings, and be familiar with safe and direct routes to campus destinations.
• Use discretion and caution when taking shortcuts through isolated parts of the campus, and try not to walk alone after dark.
• Visualize multiple potential exit routes from an event or location, in case of an emergency.
• Do not carry large amounts of cash or your debit or credit cards, unless you need them.
• If someone tries to snatch your purse, let it go.  Most injuries from robberies occur when people resist during purse snatches.
• Most people do not listen to the internal voice that tells them when something is wrong.  If you don’t feel comfortable in a place, or situation – LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!
• Have your keys in your hand as you approach your car.
• Keep emergency numbers in your cell phone, or by your landline phone, including the Campus Safety number for your campus.
• Report suspicious activity to Campus Safety.  Puyallup – (253 )840-8481/Fort Steilacoom – (253) 964-6751.

If you are attacked, whether you resist and how you resist will depend on your personal resources and your personal values. Give some thought right now to what you would do in various situations that could arise. The more you think ahead, the more likely you will be to act in the way you have planned.

In considering your reactions to different situations, keep these three basic rules in mind:
• Trust your instincts.
• Don’t be afraid to be impolite or make a scene; this is especially important if someone you know threatens or attacks you.
• Try to remain calm and use your imagination and good judgment; give yourself time to think.

Pierce College is stepping up to help local job seekers by hosting two Employment and Education Fairs this month.

Pierce College Fort Steilacoom will host its Employment and Education Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, in the Welcome Center (third floor of the Cascade Building), 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood.

Pierce College Puyallup will host its Employment and Education Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, in the College Center building, 1601 39^th Ave. SE.

The fairs are open and free to the public. They provide a great opportunity to break into a new career, advance in a current field, or learn about exciting professional and technical training programs.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring copies of their resumes and to dress in interview-appropriate attire.

For more information on the fairs or any of Pierce College’s many career training options, call (253) 964-6265. Or, visit the event website at www.pierce.ctc.edu/dist/workforce/fair.

The Access and Disability Services office at Pierce College Puyallup will have reduced office hours and services the week of April 16-20. The reduced hours are listed below:

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday

8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday

8 a.m. to noon Friday

Regular hours will resume April 23.

Construction continues at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. Several projects are now in the works, and several more will be following throughout spring quarter. Here’s an update from the Facilities Office:

Cascade Building

• Contractors are nearing completion of the last round of work on Level 5 of the Cascade building. Crews are expected to be out of that area by the start of spring quarter April 2.

• Work continues on Level 3 in the old division area and on Level 4 in the Performance Lounge and student programs area. Contractors are installing sheet rock on interior walls and the areas are really beginning to take shape.

• During demolition work on Level 3, additional, unexpected damage was found in the exterior walls due to moisture penetration. The wall conditions made it necessary to secure emergency funds from the Department of Enterprise Services (formerly the Department of General Administration) and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. This work will involve removal and replacement of exterior walls on Level 3 around the old division area and removing the glass walls around the cafeteria directly above the damaged sections on Level 3. Since a major source of water penetration into the Level 3 walls has been coming from around the windows on Level 4, those wall sections will be replaced on both levels up to the roofline.

• The interior glass walls in the cafeteria that enclosed what has been called the “eagle’s nest” will be replaced. This area will then become part of the overall cafeteria and should really change the look of the entire space. Just prior to demolishing the exterior walls around the cafeteria, contractors will be installing temporary construction barriers a few feet inside the cafeteria space. Until wall replacement is completed sometime this summer, the cafeteria will look very blocked in around the entire perimeter. A few other interior improvements in the cafeteria are possible over the summer, but that is not definite at this time.

• Construction in Cascade should be completed in late summer. At that time, the Veterans Center, Student Programs, Distance Learning, The Pioneer newspaper, and the criminal justice program will be moved back into Levels 3 and 4.

Other Buildings

• After the Cascade work is completed, the focus will shift to cleanup and repairs in the Sunrise building; the goal is to have it entirely back to instructional use for fall quarter. The two portable classroom buildings should be removed after the end of the spring quarter.

• Construction of the Science Dome in the Rainier building is expected to start very soon. The contractor is waiting for acceptance of a final permitting requirement from the City of Lakewood. The plan remains to have the dome ready for operation at the start of the fall quarter.

The Academic Support Center at Pierce Fort Steilacoom is in desperate need of tutors, particularly in math and science, this quarter.

“The laws of supply and demand have finally caught up with us,” said Sabrina Stevenson, center manager. “Student demand has exceeded our tutor supply and we have a waiting list nearly 30 students long.”

The greatest demand is in the following areas:

Math 51-98

PreCal I and II

Statistics

Chemistry 131

Biology 211

Biology 241 and 242

Students interested in working as tutors must:

• Be currently enrolled at Pierce College.

• Have a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in the tutored subject.

• Have a 3.2 cumulative GPA.

• Provide a recommendation from an instructor.

• Attend a tutoring orientation.

Lauren Adler, Pierce Puyallup's student president, addresses legislators and students at the Feb. 1 rally in Olympia.

On Feb. 1, about 350 students from across the state, including 40 from Pierce Puyallup, converged on the state capitol to rally in support of increased funding for two-year colleges.

Concerned about the availability of classes and programs, reductions in financial aid, and increases in tuition, students spoke out against proposed additional funding cuts now debated by the legislature.

“It was a very vibrant group,” Lauren Adler, president of the Associated Students of Pierce College Puyallup, told the board of trustees on Feb. 8. “We were really lucky to have several legislators speak at the rally and reiterate that they hear us.”

Rep. Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup, certainly heard Lauren the day before the rally. She delivered to his office 800 postcards from students (650 from Puyallup and 250 from Fort Steilacoom) in support of two-year colleges.

“It was the most correspondence he’s ever received on a single issue,” Lauren said.

Added Nicole Ortega, president of the Associated Students of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, “It was absolutely amazing. How inspiring that movement was!”

Read more about the rally and Lauren’s participation in it in the Puyallup Herald.

Pierce College’s Criminal Justice Club is working with the Lakewood police and the state’s CHIPs child ID program to keep local children safe in emergencies.

From 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, parents can have their children fingerprinted and receive DNA swabs, dental impressions, and a video — items that will be critical in locating a child in an emergency situation. The ID kits will be available on the third floor of the Cascade building at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Dr. SW, Lakewood.

Pierce’s Criminal Justice club has been offering the free ID kits to parents for the last seven years. It’s a service members feel strongly about.

“Law enforcement use these tools to help locate missing children or reunite children with their families in natural disasters and emergencies,” explained Teresa Carlo, instructor and club advisor. “Parents who have these records already available are at a great advantage.”

Parents take the entire kit home with them; no records are kept by law enforcement or Pierce College. Parents will need to store their own identification kit.

Because of limited supplies, parents are asked to call ahead to reserve a kit for their child or children. Contact Teresa Carlo via phone at (253) 964-6357 or via email at tcarlo@pierce.ctc.edu.

The Fine Arts Gallery at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom is now accepting applications for the annual Pierce Arts at Pierce College exhibition this spring.

The show is open to all Western Washington artists. A jury will select the work.
The application deadline is Jan. 13. The exhibit will be on display Feb. 27-April 6.

Interested artists should send curriculum vitae, artist statement, exhibition history, and a disc of five images (include a list of each image’s title, date, medium, and size) to Jennifer Olson-Rudenko, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Dr. SW, Olympic 260, Lakewood WA 98498. Submissions must be postmarked by Jan. 13 for consideration.

For more information, contact Olson-Rudenko via email at jolsonru@pierce.ctc.edu or via phone at (253) 964-6535.

Pierce Puyallup basic skills students collected 12 bags of food and toys for local families.

Pierce College Puyallup’s basic skills students rallied in the final weeks of fall quarter to collect new toys and food for needy local families.

The students worked together with the Office of Student Life, which organized the food and toy drive for the FISH food banks.

Students in the Adult Basic Skills, English as a Second Language, and GED programs collected, in just two days, 12 bags of food and toys.

“It was very heartwarming,” said Deb Ramirez, ESL instructor.

See more photos on the Pierce College Facebook page.