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

The Citizen
A look at Peralta’s crime data
A look at Peralta’s crime data
June 9, 2026
Photo taken by Li Khan, edited on Canva
Meet the candidates for Peralta’s Executive Vice President of Student Learning and Success
May 20, 2026
Notebooks on sale at the Bookstore at Laney College in Oakland, CA on May 6, 2026.
District’s only remaining bookstore will be online for summer
May 20, 2026
A ballot drop box sits on the corner of Oak and 12th Streets in Oakland, CA. on May 14, 2026.
What to know about Peralta’s Measure A on the June ballot
May 16, 2026
The Peralta Community College District sign sits outside the district offices in the setting sun on May 12, 2026 in Oakland, CA.
40% of Peralta buildings are in “deficient” condition, according to update on Facilities Master Plan
May 13, 2026
Raha Banoo, left, shows printmaking instructor Alex Echevarria, center, and classmate Abigail Shaw, right, a print of her work in the printmaking studio at Laney College in Oakland, CA. on Monday, Oct, 6, 2025.
Laney College printmaking instructor makes lasting impression; student work on display at SFO Museum
May 2, 2026
Laney College custodian, Dwayne Jefferson, pauses for a moment from work at Laney College in Oakland, CA on Dec. 4, 2025.
Tea with Tamara: Dwayne Jefferson, custodian at Laney College
April 24, 2026
Laney gardener Bahadur Rai watering vegetables at the Laney Community Garden at Laney College in Oakland, CA on Oct. 1, 2025.
Laney College’s garden has a history of collaboration with Oakland’s immigrant communities
April 21, 2026
Laney College culinary student Miracle Law-White smiles for photo on Feb. 27, 2026 at Peralta District Office in Oakland, CA
Peralta Colleges Foundation hosts fundraising events for student programming
March 26, 2026
Audience members watch Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee address a crowd of hundreds during a memorial for Laney College's late athletic director, John Beam, in Oakland, CA on Dec. 10, 2025.
The Citizen receives honorable mention in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge
March 9, 2026
Raha Banoo, left, shows printmaking instructor Alex Echevarria, center, and classmate Abigail Shaw, right, a print of her work in the printmaking studio at Laney College in Oakland, CA. on Monday, Oct, 6, 2025.
Laney College printmaking instructor makes lasting impression; student work on display at SFO Museum
May 2, 2026
Featured artist Terra Wong (left) looking at "Blink" by Jillian Freiheit during the Here and Now art exhibition reception at the June Steingart Art Gallery at Laney College in Oakland, CA on April 16, 2026. Freiheit and Wong both received awards for their submissions during the reception.
June Steingart Gallery hosts final exhibition in the Laney Tower
April 24, 2026
Left to right: Gavin Piedra, Arctomy Padilla, and Mariah Pon, organizers of the Student Arts Guild, prepare for a Club Rush event.
Submissions now open for Berkeley City College student-run art show
October 21, 2025
Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff performs with her band at Etcetera Wine Bar in San Francisco, CA., on April 15, 2025.
Alumnus reflects on decades-long performing career: “it really started in Laney College”
September 26, 2025
Yunomi by Ian Bassett is one of the featured works at the new exhibition. STOKED highlights the unique texture and color of wood-fired ceramics.
National art exhibition ‘STOKED’ showcases wood-fired possibilities for Laney ceramics program
September 24, 2025
Illustration and animation by Rachel Venable
Empty Promises: The disparity of inconsistent access to menstrual hygiene
May 6, 2026
Illustration by Eliot Faine, photo background by Romi Bales.
Student journalists have temporary roles, but a permanent responsibility
February 26, 2026
A student safety aide crosses the Laney College Quad at dusk in Oakland, CA on Nov. 20, 2025.
How The Citizen covered the Laney College shooting, and why our security reporting matters
November 26, 2025
Graphic made in Canva
Dial Tones and Disengagement: A student election marked by silence
October 16, 2025
Graphic of a student journalist, using a rolled up newspaper to break the ribbon of silence.
The Citizen will not “take down” the truth
October 4, 2025
A look at Peralta’s crime data
A look at Peralta’s crime data
June 9, 2026
Graphic by Desmond Meagley
Emergency alerts sent over 20 minutes after the Laney College shooting raise concerns
February 13, 2026
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
October 29, 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
March 31, 2025
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
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

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

The Citizen
Journalists tell stories, not fairytales

Journalists tell stories, not fairytales

Acknowledging Peralta’s problems should not make student journalists unpopular
Saskia Hatvany, Co-Editor • May 16, 2019

When I was younger, I always thought journalists were nosey people with no boundaries who would do anything to get their grubby hands on a good story. In my mind, the word conjured images of slick hair,...

An unexpected path

An unexpected path

Community college made my dream possible
Sydney Toth, Staff Writer • May 10, 2019

Growing up, I was told that to fit the mold for a “perfect” life I must attend a four year college straight after high school. I was told work hard, get good grades and graduate with an acceptance...

“Journalism can really take you places” Tower Co-Editor Saskia Hatvany won honorable mention for an on-the-spot cartoon competition based on journalist Kevin Fagan’s speech at the 2019 JACC state convention. Fagan likened journalism to a public service and talked about the rollercoaster of experiences he encountered throughout his journalism career, from being held at gunpoint to reviewing ice cream flavors for a story.

Everyone is biased

Isis Piccillo, Staff Writer • April 19, 2019

Isis Piccillo won first place for participation in the on-the-spot opinion writing competition at the 2019 JACC State convention. Piccillo wrote about award winning journalist Kevin Fagan’s keynote speech...

It’s a shame about body shaming

Bullying can be dangerous, but our culture doesn’t take it seriously
Tamia Lane, Staff Writer • April 19, 2019

Body shaming is the act of humiliating people about their shape or size, and is one issue in society that affects women of all ages. Men tend to hide their insecurities, but we women talk about ours. On...

Tower Staff Writer Isis Piccillo

Got $$$? We got the college

 Admissions scandal: a new outrage but old news
Isis Piccillo, Staff Writer • April 9, 2019

The overwhelming response I’ve observed from the recent college admissions scandal is that many are appalled, but few are surprised. Of course rich people are bribing and cheating the system. This...

Still we rise; still I write

Tamia Lane, Staff Writer • April 9, 2019

by Tamia Lane/Tower Staff Writer Tower Staff Writer Tamia Lane Knowing your true self and reclaiming your power as a Black woman is indispensable. As history changes over time, with the amplification...

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