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Peralta Community College District's Only Student-Run Publication
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Laney athletics members line up for their turn during public comment.
April 8 Peralta Board of Trustees Brief: students say no to cuts, resignation incentives approved, and 2025 Employee of the Year Awards
The district settles resignation incentives across various union groups as a way to save money in the long-run
Nelzy Gonzalez, Staff Writer • April 22, 2025

The Peralta Community College District convened for a Board of Trustees Meeting on April 8, where several athletic department leaders, student-athletes,...

Staff Writer Desmond Meagley stands in the very spot where a security guard confronted him last month: the doorway of the men’s restroom in the Laney College Library. Meagley, who is transgender, tried to report the incident, but reached a dead end when an administrator told him he would need the security guard’s name.
The Catch-22 in AP 3435, Peralta’s Harassment Protocol
Desmond Meagley, Staff Writer • May 20, 2024
Laney College Machine Technology students construct this high-powered reflector telescope as they progress through their training. The project teaches students how to create complex parts out of various materials using precise tools.
(VIDEO) Laney’s student-built telescope launches machining careers
The Laney Lunar Looker project is part of a "massive modernization" that recently took place within the college's Machine Technology program.
Desmond Meagley, Editor in Chief • April 16, 2025
Berkeley City College Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim created the new owl mascot in collaboration with Marcus Creel, the district's graphic design specialist. (Owl and banner design via Yunha Kim and Marcus Creel. Used with permission.)
Berkeley City College arts student helps new mascot take flight
Native birds, Dungeons & Dragons and UC Berkeley all served as inspiration for Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim's design.
Ian Waters, Staff Writer • April 16, 2025
Elected student body leaders are invited to speak at the Peralta Board of Trustees meetings and provide updates to college administration on student life and needs.
Voting begins for Peralta student government elections
Ongoing student government elections will determine the future of student leadership and transportation access at each Peralta campus
Tamara Copes and Lylah Schmedel-Permanna April 9, 2025
An athlete looks down the dark stairwell towards the locker rooms. Illustration by Eliot Faine
The Locker Room Stall: 47 years of Title IX allegations at Laney College
Nearly 10 years since the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights mandated their renovation, Laney's locker rooms remain in disrepair.
Eliot Faine and Romi Bales March 31, 2025
A neon sign on the Laney College Tower building lights up at dusk. The Tower houses the offices of administrators, counselors, and other Laney employees.
Besikof Leaves Laney
March 19, 2025
Resource flyers hang just outside of Berkeley City College’s Undocumented Community Resource Center, where students can access various free support systems.
Berkeley City College strengthens its resources for undocumented students
March 19, 2025
The Board of Trustees listens intently as public comments are under way.
Peralta’s Board of Trustees vote to lay off 68 positions at 02/25 trustee meeting
March 15, 2025
On Jan. 30, 2025, the Trump Administration issued two executive orders focusing on restricting trans and non-binary people from accessing gender affirming care and spaces. These executive actions have raised questions within the LGBTQ+ community at Peralta about what the colleges are doing to protect their students.
LGBTQ+ students are feeling “fear and hesitation” under Trump. What’s Peralta doing about it?
March 14, 2025
The pieces shown in Clay, Paper, Wood are crafted by advanced Laney students across many mediums. The gallery offers a tranquil space in the center of Laney College’s campus.
Laney Art students get crafty in new gallery show
March 10, 2025
Abdul Pridgen sits down for a chat with The Citizen regarding public safety, how Peralta's security model currently works, and his plans for a new model.
Interview and security updates with Peralta’s Interim Executive Director of Public Safety Abdul Pridgen
Prigden speaks with The Citizen about his experience as a long-time police officer and a new proposal to form a Peralta-led police force through a “hybrid model”.
Stephon Autery, Staff Writer • March 1, 2025
(Photo by Li Khan/The Citizen)
PCCD to hold hearing on proposed layoffs
Rachel Venable, Staff Writer • February 10, 2025
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
December 12, 2024
Laney's student body president, Frida Veliz, wants to help connect students to the resources she didn't have access to when she first started college.
New ASLC President Builds Community
December 11, 2024
Cheryl Lew has been an instructor in the Culinary Arts department since 2012 and was tenured in 2015. Her focus is on baking and pastries.
Multi-layered, highly decorated pastry chef Cheryl Lew brings culture and chemistry to Laney’s culinary department
December 11, 2024
Laney Engineering Department Chair Mallory Barkdull tallies points as her students pit their soccer-playing robots against each other. The friendly tournament challenges contestants to learn design and coding skills through play.
Robot soccer teaches students nuts and bolts of engineering
November 26, 2024
A new space for LGBTQ+ students has popped up on the Laney College campus. The Queer Community center will host events and offer resources to LGBTQ+ members of the Peralta community.
‘We’re here, we’re in school, we have dreams’: New Laney queer center offers safe haven for LGBTQ+ students
November 20, 2024
Citizen Staff Writer Eliot Fane pays a visit to PCCD's cat community. Photos by Stevie Campos-Seligman.
The Feline Freaks Come Out at Night:  Peralta District Office’s Nocturnal Neighbors
November 3, 2024
Peabody Award-winning journalist Candice Nguyen captivated a crowd of student journalists Saturday as she recounted her life and career. Nguyen, who was born and raised in Oakland, said journalism gave her the "structure and purpose" to stitch her life back together after a chaotic childhood.
Peabody Award winner inspires students
November 1, 2024
Who are Peralta’s student trustees?
Who are Peralta’s student trustees?
October 31, 2024
Tea with Tamara: Black Panther Party History Month w/ Merritt College President David Johnson
Tea with Tamara: Black Panther Party History Month w/ Merritt College President David Johnson
October 25, 2024
Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk
Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk
October 17, 2024
The American Straight A Academy helped students in China receive transfer degrees from the Peralta Community College District without paying international tuition or setting foot in California. The for-profit company, registered in Dallas, Texas, has not disclosed how much students pay for the experience.
Investigation: A look at the for-profit Chinese business that sold Peralta classes overseas
October 30, 2024
A private company sold access to California public education for an undisclosed price.
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
September 17, 2024
We asked PCCD for five years of conflict of interest disclosures, but only got half. Here's why an ethics expert is concerned.
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
July 25, 2024
Peralta has yet to establish a process to evaluate the costs and benefits of funding international travel. We combed through travel receipts, international student data, and district policy to find out.
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