CAMPUS
NEWS
ON CAMPUS
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
OFFERS LAB HOURS
The full eff ect of Assembly Bill-
705 began this fall semester for the
English Department. Lab courses
were created for the purpose of
off ering extra support for English
101 students. In order to register
for the lab, the English 66 course
must be taken with a 101 class. The
course is an extra three hours per
week. Students can sign up for the
lab course through WebAdvisor
when signing up for their English
101 class. / Kandace Lara
AWARDS
PRESTIGIOUS PRIZE
NOMINATION FOR SAC
Dreamer's needs
DACA AT RISK/ The federal government is debating the DACA program, students fi ght for their undocumented classmates.
STORY
ASHLEY RAMYNKE
PHOTO
CARLOS DUARTE
I.D.E.A.S. club members went to the nation's capital to advocate
for more fi nancial resources for DACA students
Santa Ana College was invited
to compete for the prestigious
Aspen Prize for Community
College Excellence, in which
only 15% of community colleges
nationwide are invited to apply.
This award is for exceptional
results in students learning,
certificate and degree completion,
employment and earnings and
high success for minority and low-
income students. SAC is currently
in the top 150 colleges to win.
The finalists for the award will be
known in 2020./ Marta Konarska
Below the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court,
Santa Ana College students and allies hung their
heads and prayed in the chilly, nighttime air. Oral
arguments on a case that could aff ect about
70,000 California community college students
would begin the next morning.
“We said a prayer for those who couldn’t be there
that day and for those who were going in[to] the
Supreme Court,” said Luisa Lopez Alejandre, Co-
Chair of SAC's Improving Dreams, Equity, Access
and Success Club.
On Nov. 12, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
— a program that allows students to have a social
security number and apply for fi nancial aid — went
before the court with a decision expected in 2020.
Four SAC students went to Washington, D.C. with
the California-Mexico Studies Center last month
to advocate for undocumented students. Now,
they're bringing the fi ght back to campus.
According to the most recent SAC Student
Satisfaction survey, one in 10 students reported
themselves as undocumented. One of the major
concerns is the potential increase of DACA renewal
prices from $495 to $765.
To help with these costs, some of the I.D.E.A.S.
club members met with Rep. Lou Correra in
Washington D.C. about starting a DACA Renewal
Fund.
On campus, the Undocu-Scholars Program off ers
additional resources to students, whether or not
they are recipients of DACA.
“As a state, we recognize that immigrants are
part of the community that is helping our state
thrive and want to make sure that they know
that,” counselor and Undocu-Scholars Program
Coordinator Maribel Pineda said. “In the California
Community College system, immigrant students
[and their] family members, are welcomed and we
are here to serve them.”
Uncertainty of the court’s decision won't stop the
I.D.E.A.S. club from advocating for undocumented
students on a local and national level.
“Whatever happens in the Supreme Court, it
doesn’t matter because we’re still going to stay
here whether they allow us to or not,” Lopez said.
“It’s not up to them. It’s up to us.”
el Don Santa Ana College · December 2019
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