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Citrus College Clarion •

Hybrid teaching pilot delayed by COVID-19

Despite a 2019 pilot program of Hyflex model instruction, over $180,000 allocated for cameras and student interest in the instruction style, the Hyflex model will not be used during winter or spring 2022 semesters. The Hyflex model is a form of instruction that would allow the class to be taught in-person and virtually simultaneously. This teaching style allows for the class to be taught in two ways. The first way is having half the class in-person and the rest of the class online. Each half c
Citrus College Clarion •

Homophobia ruins relationships

Those who are partners with someone who is homophobic are not allies to the LGBTQ community. People tend to reflect their partner’s views and are influenced heavily by whom they hang out with. Being in a relationship with a homophobic person makes it hard for the other to enter open-minded spaces or help enact real change. Someone’s partner in this situation can control who a person’s friends are and how they support them. Imagine not being able to go to a friend’s wedding because of their sex
Citrus College Clarion •

The legacy of Edward Ortell lives on

Editor’s note: A paragraph detailing failed attempts to reach sources was removed on Nov. 3 at 12:36 p.m. The legacy left by Edward Ortell will not only be remembered by those who knew him, but will be embedded in Citrus’ past, present and future. “I always saw him as an advocate for students,” Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said. “He was a very fierce advocate for local control.” Ortell advocated for community colleges by lobbying Sacramento and Washington, D.C. legislators. He al
Citrus College Clarion •

Paranormal activity haunts Citrus

As Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos approach, it has become evident that Citrus is no stranger to paranormal activity. History professor Bruce Solheim, who has had paranormal experiences and teaches a paranormal history class, has witnessed paranormal activity at Citrus. Solheim has also published a number of paranormal books such as his “Timeless” trilogy, “Snarc” comic series and “Anzar the Progenitor.” “Citrus is a very haunted campus, there are a lot of things going on at night,” Solheim
Citrus College Clarion •

Student-centered leadership returns to Citrus

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed. Citrus College’s eighth superintendent/president was appointed June 15, He officially started his position at Citrus on July 1. Greg Schulz was the president of Fullerton College for five years. He has more than 21 years of leadership experience in California community colleges. Knowing this, the Clarion wanted to share with Citrus students what the new superintendent/president’s goals are for the fall semester. This interview was co
Citrus College Clarion •

Finalist for superintendent/president search withdraws application

Santanu Bandyopadhyay, the current president of Modesto Junior College, withdrew from the race for the next superintendent/president of Citrus College. The Modesto Bee reported that Bandyopadhyay withdrew his application for Citrus on May 30. Previously, he was the interim president at Modesto Junior College before being named president on May 12. He assumed the role on June 1, the Oakdale Leader reported. Bandyopadhyay will have a closed meeting with Chancellor Henry Yong and the Yosemite Com
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus continues the fight against fraudulent student enrollments

Citrus has disenrolled over 380 fraudulent students this semester and has reached out to the chancellors’ office to help investigate and resolve the problem. Joumana McGowan, vice president of academic affairs, said at a faculty senate meeting on April 28 the college has found over 380 fraudulent students and is working with other community colleges and sharing the components of what is happening at their schools to stop fraudulent activity. Richard Rams, vice president of student services, sa
Citrus College Clarion •

New Faculty contract to be approved

The Citrus Community College district has reached an agreement with the faculty after two day-long bargaining sessions with the appointed mediator. Dave Brown, Citrus College Faculty Association bargaining chair and automotive instructor, said in a phone interview on April 27 that the negotiations should be settled within the next week or two. Brown said both the district and faculty have signed a tentative agreement awaiting approval at the next board of trustees meeting on May 4. The faculty
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus moves forward with a gradual return to campus

Citrus College is preparing for an incremental return of classes and employees to campus in accordance with the college’s reopening plan, but Gov. Gavin Newsom’s guidance could change that. “It seems like this reopening plan was perfect about two hours ago, and now it seems to be changing,” Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis said at the Board of Trustees meeting on April 6. “It’s still a viable document, at least for the next couple of weeks.” California is ready to open back up to “bus
Citrus College Clarion •

A jazzy livestream performance promoted by the Haugh

The Haugh Performing Arts Center’s latest livestream event “David Benoit live from the Armstrong Theater” took place at 7 p.m. on April 3. It was streamed live by the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation as the concert took place at the James R. Armstrong Theater in Torrance, California. 107 people attended the show virtually. Benoit was accompanied by Dan Scnelle on the drums, Roberto Valle on the bass and Justin Klunk on the saxophone. Klunk was one of Benoit’s students during his time in the Y
Citrus College Clarion •

Faculty contract negotiations approach impasse

Update March 26: The faculty contract negotiations have officially reached an impasse. A state mediator will be appointed within the next two weeks. The Faculty Association and the District will not set a date to begin renegotiating until a mediator has been appointed. The Citrus Community College District filed a request for a mediator with the Public Employment Relations Board March 19 and is awaiting a decision from the board on March 26 to enter mediation stages. “It is not entirely clear
Citrus College Clarion •

Opinion: Academic Pathways: helping or harming?

College is meant to be a time of discovery where you can dive into new opportunities, careers and vocations. The new guided pathways program could potentially take that away from students. Guided Pathways is a new academic program that would allow students to get through their classes, graduate and transfer faster by detailing what classes they need to take, a course map, and counseling for those courses. The only problem with that is students are not allowed to explore other careers or intere
Citrus College Clarion •

Opinion: The days I love the most

Laughter erupts from his pizza-filled mouth as we watch the Disney movie Zombies on the couch. Gavin stuffs his mouth with another slice of pizza before his favorite song comes on, jumping onto the couch while singing and dancing to the song “Someday.” The sounds of laughter and the look on his face when he remembers all the words make me burst out laughing. He lets himself fall back on the couch, waking his now-cranky cat Oliver. Gavin takes yet another bite and looks at the screen, anticipati
Citrus College Clarion •

Faculty contract negotiation put on hold

The faculty at Citrus College has been working with expired contracts from the district since December. Their contract has been in the negotiation process since last Jan. A parallel negotiation is underway for an emergency memorandum of understanding, an agreement made outside of contract negotiations for pressing issues, as a result of the faculty having to work from home. On Feb. 22, the district and the faculty association settled the MOU for the spring semester. “We have agreed to a number
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus tackles "phantom students" in a financial fraud scheme

Editor’s note: This is an ongoing story and will be updated with new information when available. Citrus College is tackling enrollment fraud head-on. The college was alerted to fraudulent enrollment patterns and began to resolve the issue on March 10. Dean of Enrollment Gerald Sequeira said in a phone interview that he believes a potential group of people organized a large-scale enrollment scheme to commit financial aid fraud by using false information to enroll in classes at Citrus. In a sta
Citrus College Clarion •

Clery Act reveals overall decrease in campus crime

The Clery Act and the weekly crime log for 2020 released by Campus Safety for Citrus College reveal an overall decrease in reported violations over the past four years. Head of campus security Benjamin Macias did not respond to interview requests. He was sent four emails from Feb. 2 to 22. The Clery Act for Citrus College requires higher education institutions to give timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees and to make public their campus securi
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus College Board of Trustees approves hiring of new vice president of student services

The Citrus College Board of Trustees approved the hiring of the new vice president of student services on Jan. 19. Richard Rams will officially be the vice president of student services, taking over from Arvid Spor after Spor’s retirement. The Jan. 19 board meeting was officially Spor’s last board of trustees meeting. Rams was sent an interview request on Jan. 22 and has not responded for an interview. The vice president of student services position was originally left open by Martha McDonald
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus College Board of Trustees selected a search firm to help find the next superintendent/president

The Citrus College Board of Trustees selected the search firm PPL Inc. on Jan. 19 for the upcoming superintendent/president recruitment. The superintendent/president position will open in July when current Superintendent/President Geraldine Perri retires. Prior to the vote, Laura Bollinger praised PPL Inc. for its commitment to finding qualified and diverse applicants, which fits in with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at Citrus College. The board chose PPL Inc. after two consultants
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus College reports another case of COVID-19 on campus

There is another confirmed case of COVID-19 on campus, an exposure notification was sent to all staff on Jan.12. Director of Human Resources Robert Sammis sent out the notification after the case had been confirmed for Jan. 6 and 7. Sammis notified those who may have been in the area or had contact with the individual and cleaning and disinfecting of the exposed location are in progress. There were two more reported cases on Dec. 17 in the gardening and facilities area. The total COVID-19 ca
Citrus College Clarion •

Citrus College superintendent/president announces spring retirement

After 13 years as Superintendent/President of Citrus College, Dr. Geraldine Perri announced her retirement on Dec. 16 in an email. Her retirement will be effective in July 2021. “It is with bittersweet feelings that I share with you my decision to retire from Citrus College effective July 2021, after 13 years as superintendent/president and close to 40 years of higher education teaching and administrative experience,” Perri said in an email to Citrus colleagues on Dec. 16. In her time as supe
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