EDITORIAL : SAVE THE COLLEGE; PIERCE COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY SHOULD GET TOGETHER ON UTILIZING FARMLAND SO STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS BENEFIT.``SAVE the farm'' has long been the rallying cry Noun 1. rallying cry - a slogan used to rally support for a cause; "a cry to arms"; "our watchword will be `democracy'" war cry, watchword, battle cry, cry catchword, motto, shibboleth, slogan - a favorite saying of a sect or political group 2. of NIMBYs opposed to Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. touching 240 acres of pristine open space in the heartland of suburbia. The problem with saving the farm is that it could spell doom for the college. As it is, the great debate over the future of the 50-year-old Pierce College farm has produced nothing beneficial, just a crop of weeds in a dust bowl setting. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to recognize that the fallowed land isn't hallowed and neighborhood NIMBYs aren't the only stakeholders in the future of the farm. The Los Angeles Community College District The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is the community college district serving Los Angeles, California and some of its neighboring cities. In addition to typical college aged students, the LACCD also serves adults of all ages. board agreed Wednesday to allow Pierce College administrators to seek bids for a golf course or other moneymaking venture on the campus farm. The college floated a similar idea a year ago and officials were roundly criticized. Community leaders fear that the cash-strapped community college district will sell off the coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. open space for development near Warner Center. While the community and students have demonstrated strong support for keeping the college's historical roots tied to agriculture, the college must face facts. Farm jobs are shrinking nationally and the Valley has not been farm country for most of a generation. The college has a right to move forward. It and the majority of its students have critical needs that must be met. The best use of the land is a project that preserves and protects as much open space as possible while providing opportunities for students. That could include developing a park, a golf course or a small demonstration farm. Classes in landscaping, gardening and horticulture could be incorporated, giving students programs that have jobs and a future and the community verdant ver·dant adj. 1. Green with vegetation; covered with green growth. 2. Green. 3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive. open space. Whatever direction it takes to turn fallow land fallow land, cropland that is not seeded for a season; it may or may not be plowed. The land may be cultivated or chemically treated for control of weeds and other pests or may be left unaltered. into fertile ground, college officials must recognize they have to bring the community and its neighbors along with them. Pierce College President E. Bing Inocencio would do well to follow the model set by California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , and President Blenda Wilson as that institution debated what to do with the north campus. Seeking solutions together with all interested parties is beneficial to all. The community has a responsibility to save the college and the opportunities it provides for an affordable education to thousands of area students. The best use of the land is one that aids the college financially, that puts the land to practical and beneficial use, that provides the broadest use for students and the community and that serves the interests of the college and its major stakeholders, the students. Surely, there are more valuable uses for the historic Pierce farm than letting everything on it and around it shrivel up and die. |
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