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

The Citizen
Smoke from the Keller Fire rises into the air above the Oakland hills. Residents near Merritt College and the Oakland Zoo were evacuated from the area Friday.
Oakland “Keller Fire” sparks Merritt College evacuation
October 19, 2024
Abdul Pridgen. (Source: 9/24 PCCD Board of Trustees Meeting livestream)
New hybrid safety model proposed for Peralta Community College District
October 3, 2024
New Student Trustee Pierce Byrne takes the oath of office at the Sep. 10 meeting of the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees.
New student trustee, $325m budget and more at 9/10 meeting for PCCD trustees
September 24, 2024
(Photo: Citizen Staff)
Peralta board approves budget
September 21, 2024
Basketball legend Gary Payton, who left a coaching gig at Lincoln University earlier this year, has been tapped to lead the College of Alameda's men's basketball team. (Photo: Faiza Ali/PCCD via Peralta Colleges Smugmug)
Lights flash at Payton press conference
September 20, 2024
Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk
Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk
October 17, 2024
Q&A with Trustee Nicky González Yuen
Q&A with Trustee Nicky González Yuen
October 17, 2024
The newly reopened Laney Cafeteria, packed with students, faculty, and staff, now offers burgers, salads, sandwiches and more.
Four years later, Laney Cafeteria reopens without free meals
September 20, 2024
Students walk through the Laney Quad.
Engaging a diverse student body: A stroll on the Laney College Quad
September 19, 2024
They conquered gloom and Zoom: 2024 college grads on what comes next
They conquered gloom and Zoom: 2024 college grads on what comes next
June 29, 2024
Merritt Librarian reimagines 'alebrijes' sculptor’s life in new picture book
Merritt Librarian reimagines ‘alebrijes’ sculptor’s life in new picture book
May 30, 2024
College of Alameda jazz professor Glen Pearson demonstrates his musical talent on his classroom piano. He's one of the newest members of the Count Basie Orchestra, a historic 18-piece jazz ensemble that took home a Grammy this year.
The humble Grammy-winning pianist leading CoA’s music program
March 4, 2024
In Director Chelsea Bo's first feature-length film, half-sisters Harper (left, Chelsea Bo) and Georgie (right, Ava Acres), thrown together by circumstance and a weak blood relation, must untie the knots in their relationship. The film won "Jury Prize Feature" at the Alameda International Film Festival last week. (Courtesy: Paxeros)
No Right Way, Chelsea Bo’s hard-hitting emotional rollercoaster about the complexities of sisterhood, shown at Alameda International Film Festival
February 29, 2024
©Netflix 2023. Fair Use Disclaimer: This image has been used in good faith for the purpose of review and critique under the terms of "fair use". Under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" of copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research.
Queer Black History: A review of ‘Rustin’
February 28, 2024
Muffler’s first headlining performance at the Golden Bull in Oakland, CA on May 24, 2023. From left to right: Wes Allerd, TJ Gardea Jr., Gaby Aravjo (Photo by Lylah Schmedel-Permanna/The Citizen)
Your next favorite post-punk band includes two Peralta students — an interview with Muffler
November 6, 2023
Incumbent Area 2 Trustee Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, pictured here in The Citizen's newsroom, has what it takes to stay on the Peralta board for another four years.
EDITORIAL: Keep Paulina Gonzalez-Brito on the Peralta board
September 25, 2024
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
May 20, 2024
Social Media Editor Isabelly Sabô stands in front of the door to The Citizen's newsroom. Sabô is an international student from Brazil.
We’re not just ‘rich kids on vacation’: The journey of an international student
May 5, 2024
(Photo: Glen Carrie/Unsplash)
Student elections open today. Has voter information been ‘widespread’?
April 9, 2024
The state flag of California flies underneath the American flag on the west side of the Laney College campus. Behind, the Tribune Tower, which once housed Oakland's daily print newspaper, sits in the city skyline. Both California and the United States have open government laws that establish the public's right to information, but the Peralta Community College District consistently lags behind in comprehensively fulfilling requests for public information made by student journalists at The Citizen. (Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)
We sued our district over public records and won. Here’s what we learned
February 22, 2024
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
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
July 25, 2024
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
March 17, 2024
The UC Berkeley chapter of End Overdose at Sproul Plaza in Berkeley on Jan. 23, 2024. The organization passes out free fentanyl test strips to students, and gives other organizations training on Narcan usage. (Photo: Juliana Yamada/CalMatters)
Narcan at California colleges: Are students getting overdose medication?
March 8, 2024
(Graphic by Li Khan/The Citizen)
Laney’s Tower of Terror
December 28, 2023
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

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

The Citizen

Profile

Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk

Q&A with Trustee Dyana Delfín Polk

Berkeley rep wants Peralta to 'explore additional revenue sources' to avoid cuts
The Citizen Staff • October 17, 2024
Polk, a political organizer and campaign consultant, represents the Berkeley and Oakland hills and parts of North Oakland.
Q&A with Trustee Nicky González Yuen

Q&A with Trustee Nicky González Yuen

Longtime board member is hopeful about new administration: 'Things are actually just getting fun'
The Citizen Staff • October 17, 2024
Yuen, a political science instructor at De Anza College, is running uncontested for his sixth term on the Peralta Community College District’s governing board.
Armando Franco, BCC's new MESA Program Director, sits at his desk in a corner of the MESA center at BCC. The new program will offer support for low-income, first-generation students in STEM.

BCC’s new MESA director instills confidence in students

Armando Franco reflects on journey from first-generation college student to experienced mentor
Ivan Saravia, Staff Writer • May 21, 2024
Armando Franco leads BCC's program for first-generation, low-income students in STEM. Like the students he guides, Franco is a first generation college graduate who once dreamed of a career in a STEM-related field.
Carpentry instructor spruces up department

Carpentry instructor spruces up department

Matthew Wolpe found his passion for building in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now he wants to inspire students
Rym-Maya Kherbache, Staff Writer • April 24, 2024
Newly tenured instructor Matthew Wolpe’s path brought him to Laney College, where he has whittled his creative passion into teaching students about building and carpentry.
Student Trustee Natasha Masand believes her voice has the power to impact the PCCD community.

Student Trustee Natasha Masand finds her voice

Isabelly Sabô Barbosa, Social Media Editor • March 19, 2024

Natasha Masand used to be shy in high school, and didn't always feel like she “fit in.” But at Peralta Community College District (PCCD), Masand found her voice. “Being a student trustee changed...

College of Alameda jazz professor Glen Pearson demonstrates his musical talent on his classroom piano. He's one of the newest members of the Count Basie Orchestra, a historic 18-piece jazz ensemble that took home a Grammy this year.

The humble Grammy-winning pianist leading CoA’s music program

Jazz professor Glen Pearson performs with legendary Count Basie Orchestra, which took home a Grammy this year
Desmond Meagley, Staff Writer • March 4, 2024

Seated at his piano in room G-119, between stacks of papers and cardboard boxes, Glen Pearson effortlessly hammers out snappy blues melodies with the flick of a wrist for his jazz ensemble students. His...

Student Trustee Naomi Vasquez, who was sworn onto the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees on Dec. 12, 2023, sees her role as an opportunity to uplift her fellow students and advocate for the value of a community college education.

Student Trustee Naomi Vasquez aims to lift voices and empower students at PCCD

Isabelly Sabô Barbosa, Social Media Editor • February 28, 2024

Between studying full time, working part time, volunteering, and spending time with her family, Naomi Vasquez has many commitments to balance. Last year, Vasquez’s passion for uplifting student voices...

Childhood photo of Burgess

Tea with Tamara: Drew Burgess, art faculty at College of Alameda

Tamara Copes, Columnist • February 21, 2024

Drew Burgess has been in love with art since the wee days of drawing at his parents’ kitchen table in San Jose, California. To Burgess, art is the lens through which he views life, and he explores...

Izzie Villanueva sits at their laptop in BCC's Basic Needs Center, scanning student IDs into a database to track Basic Needs usage. (Photo courtesy: Izzie Villanueva)

The Basics on Izzie Villanueva, BCC’s first Basic Needs Coordinator

Ian Waters, News Editor • December 15, 2023

After a long day spent answering emails, signing paperwork, and distributing food to Berkeley City College’s students, Izzie Villanueva sits down with Basic Needs Center student workers for a meeting....

Meet Peralta's student leaders

Meet Peralta’s student leaders

Four student body presidents discuss their backgrounds and aspirations
Satch Alvarez, Staff Writer • December 13, 2023

At each of the four Peralta colleges, student body government plays a substantial role in the shared governance structure, responsible for voicing the needs and concerns of the students at their respective...

Tea with Tamara: Mark Rauzon, biogeographer and Laney Instructor

Tea with Tamara: Mark Rauzon, biogeographer and Laney Instructor

Tamara Copes, Columnist • December 11, 2023
Biogeographer Mark Rauzon, armed with a cup of tea, sits down with me to chat from his home in Oakland, CA.
(Graphic: Li Khan/The Citizen. Photo courtesy of Laney College)

Q&A with incoming chancellor

Tammeil Gilkerson shares her background and plans for leadership
The Citizen Staff • December 3, 2023

Peralta Community College District's incoming chancellor, Tammeil Gilkerson, is set to begin her term on Jan. 4 of next year. Gilkerson – the district’s first permanent chancellor in over three years...

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