De Anza College students claim victory in Eco-Pass battle

Originally published in La Voz News.

The VTA board voted to raise the community college Eco-Pass fee to only $20 and keep it at that price for the next four years, following months of lobbying by De Anza College student activists. VTA’s original proposal was to raise the fee up to $40 in chunks of $5 per year.

Over 30 students attended the meeting, many carrying signs protesting the fee increase, and nearly 20 spoke during the public comment period.

“It sets the right precedent. It’s a huge symbolic gesture, and it essentially says that ‘we’re not for price increases for students’,” Neil McClintick, 20, political science major, said.

Read the full story at La Voz News (archived version).


De Anza administration absent in Eco-Pass fight

Originally published in La Voz News.

VTA board members questioned the lack of attendance and communication from De Anza College administration during Thursday’s board meeting.

VTA Deputy Director Finance & Budget, Ali Hudda, said that they had emailed the De Anza Eco-Pass coordinator Dennis Shannakian twice, but never received a response.

“That seems kind of odd to me. So what you’re saying is that De Anza won’t even return our phone calls?” VTA board member Johnny Khamis said. He then asked, “Are there any administrators from De Anza here in the audience tonight? Anybody?” and was met with silence.

Read the full story at La Voz News (archived version).



Students learn about dangers of marijuana

Originally published in La Voz News.

Judicial Affairs Officer John Cognetta and Foothill-De Anza Police Assistant Chief Danny Acosta on Monday, May 15, warned students about the consequences of smoking marijuana on campus. Possessing or smoking marijuana within 1,000 feet of campus is illegal, Cognetta said.

Dr. Mallory Loflin, a guest speaker from Stanford University School of Medicine, explained different medical dangers of using different types of cannabis, but said the biggest risk of all when using cannabis is that it is illegal under federal law.

Read the full story at La Voz News (archived version).


Why your Netflix pastime is in danger: Destruction of net neutrality would ruin the internet

Originally published in La Voz News.

Do you play League of Legends or watch Netflix? If the Federal Communications Commission’s new plan goes through, you might need to start paying extra.

The Trump administration’s new FCC chair, Ajit Pai, has set into motion a plan to overturn the 2015 net neutrality protections that millions of Americans came together to demand.

In short, net neutrality requires that Internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon treat each website and all traffic fairly. This means ISPs cannot require subscribers to pay extra for access to specific websites, or intentionally slow down traffic.

Read the full story at La Voz News (archived version).