Back to School

The parking lots, classes, wait lists, and hallways are full of returning and new students at El Camino College. Yet, the challenges students are facing seem to remain. The parking is always a main issue here on campus. Since the new parking structure has opened the traffic has decreased. There is also an abundant amount of parking compared to previous years. Students may still experience some trouble at peak times, like before classes at 8am. Over all the amount of spaces have increased significantly and the construction in Lot "L" shouldn't contribute to any future problems.
One thing that is costing students time that they usually would spend parking, would be navigating through the construction on campus. I find myself stopping to direct students in the right direction at least three times a day. As a student I find it to be frustrating to walk through an area one day and then it's closed the next. Unfortunately, it will not be ending anytime soon with the renovations and the new Humanities mall under construction. So be sure to give yourself enough time to get from one end of campus to another.

The main issue that is reoccurring on campus is the sexual assaults. In every student's email we received a notification about another occurrence here on campus. I was shocked to hear that this has happened again, and the magnitude of the attack was unbelievable. What happened overall is that a gentleman asked a female student to escort him to his vehicle, where a second abductor was waiting. The female was blindfolded and taken to an isolated area, and sexually assaulted. She was later dropped off at Crenshaw Blv. and 110th st. and contacted the police. It was another occurrence in broad daylight that could have possibly been avoided. It's super important for female students to remain aware of what is going on around them at all times. I also suggest to use the buddy system and never walk alone (especially at night). Remember El Camino College has strict rules about weapons and the police will not make exceptions to these rules. But, they are here to protect all students so familiarize yourself with the emergency poles to contact police. I also encourage bringing pepper spray and holding it in hand, especially while walking at night. For more info on this topic visit www.elcaminouniononline.com 0r www.elcamino.edu.

<3 Heather