8 VIEWS
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016
STAFF EDITORIAL
GOVERNMENT
Opinion
A member of student leadership denied my right to take photographs at a
March 21 Associated Student Government meeting, citing a restrictive policy that violates California law.
The attorney general has found that
meetings of a community college student body association are subject to
the requirements of the Brown Act, according to a 2010 report published by
the Student Press Law Center.
The Brown Act states, in Section
54953.5, that the public has “the right
to make a motion picture or still camera recording of a public meeting.”
In the middle of a speech being given to ASG by Lilia Tanakeyowma, dean
of student affairs, one member of ASG
interjected loudly, ordering me to stop
photographing out of respect for the
members’ privacy.
I cancelled the meeting, as is my right
under the Brown Act, yet they continued. I continued taking photographs.
By deciding to hold an office, all members of ASG become public figures.
While we respect their individual privacy, our student leaders must know that
what they do in an official capacity is
the business of the public.
ASG members must learn the laws
governing public meetings and rectify their unlawful policies, or renounce
their roles. / JOSE SERVIN
Threatening note provided to el Don
SAFETY OFFICERS FAIL STUDENTS
Facing a threat
to their safety,
students and
faculty were
left to fend for
themselves.
C
ommunications Professor Vera
Holder acted like a hero when
campus security left her and her
students to fend for themselves in a
dangerous situation on March 19.
After reading a threatening note
that included the words “shoot” and
“head” left on a desk by a suspicious
individual, Holder secured her
students in a locked office and proceeded to call campus security.
A quick response by campus
safety officers is what should have
happened next. Instead, she was
directed to voicemail both times she
made the call.
Holder was left with no other
choice but to dial 911 and contact
the city police.
Campus security arrived only after
a helicopter and several officers
from the Santa Ana Police Department were dispatched to the scene.
Last year, district officials approved a $500,000 plan to arm campus security officials, citing student
safety as a reason.
After quelling opposition from
concerned students, the plan was
approved. Since then, the armed
officers that were hired have earned
the trust of students and faculty. It
was a good idea.
But on a Saturday where there
were few students on campus
Holder and her class felt threatened,
they were left to defend themselves.
Armed or not, the safety officers on
campus can make no difference if
they do not answer the calls.
Whether it was a communication
breakdown or negligence on behalf
of an unarmed, part-time security
employee, the safety of students and
faculty at an institution of learning
should have no margin of error.