Last Friday at the request of a writer for the college
newspaper (“The Roundup”) I spent several hours on the campus of Pierce College
in Woodland Hills. Pierce is one of the nine community colleges in the LACCD
system. It has a long and proud history in Los Angeles.
Most of the time that day was spent in touring the Farm
Center , which, along with the larger farm, comprises nearly 250 acres of land
granted to Pierce College in the earlier days of the college. The entire parcel is green and lush. It provides land for crops, for a
variety of farm animals, for “eco-agriculture” programs and for the efforts of several hundred students who major in large
animal science, equine studies, pre-veterinary programs and other pursuits at
the college.
Yet the Farm Center is threatened by discussion (and
threats) of plans for adding to the encroaching development nearby----the
condoization of Woodland Hills. Moving in this direction would reduce options
for study at Pierce, would reduce avenues of farm income and would destroy a
large and very significant open space at the edge of the college. Open space that is badly needed in
sprawling Los Angeles. Development
would greatly diminish what is distinctive----and for many
students----attractive about Pierce.
Yet all this fits a pattern. It is a pattern of poor
management and short-sighted decisions that affect not just Pierce but all of
the nine colleges. It is a pattern that keeps the colleges far short of
reaching their promise, of delivering on what they were intended to deliver.
Driving around the rest of the Pierce campus one sees fine
buildings, athletic fields, charming faculty office buildings, newer
facilities-----all of which would seem to contribute to a good college
experience. The fact that Pierce and the other colleges fall short of this
promise is tragic----and a failure to deliver as promised.
When I went to college I was fortunate enough to receive a
four-year scholarship to one of the finest colleges in the country. My four
years at Yale were rich and rewarding and life-changing. The experience is what
I would hope that college would be for all students who the desire, are willing
to work hard and who dream of achieving. That is why the motto for my campaign
is “the college education you deserve”.
