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Clause

student voice of azusa pacific university since 1965

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28, 2016

VOL. 53, NO. 1

WWW.THECLAUSE.ORG

Football and
tracks Nate
Nasca becomes
universitys first
strength and
conditioning coach
11
SPORTS INFORMATION PHOTO

Senate Bill Cougars Den under renovation until spring

1146 settles Popular East
Campus cafe
after six
will be closed
at least
months of through
December.
alterations

editor-in-chief

After concern from Californias

religious institutions, which have
led to a nationwide conversation,
Senate Bill 1146 (SB 1146) is finalized
and waiting for Gov. Jerry Browns
approval by Sept. 30.
The bill was spurred by Los
Angeles County Sen. Ricardo Lara
in an effort to make students aware of
private institutions beliefs and rules
before enrollment. The discussion
focused heavily on the rights of the
LGBT community, as the bills goal
was to ensure that these students
knew the policies in place at religious
colleges before they committed to
attending.
APUs goal all along was to make
sure that our common concern was
and we shared [this] with Senator
Larathat students choose an
institution that is a good fit for them,
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dean Jennifer Walsh said. If an
institution didnt fully affirm LGBT
students, they would be aware of that
ahead of time, and they could either
modify their choices or go to another
institution, or at least understand
what kind of values were going to be
in play when they arrived.
APU originally opposed the bill
in its earliest form because it would
have meant changes in the universitys
hiring policies and faith integration
in general education courses. One
version of the bill said private
institutions would not be able to hire
only Christians, while another said
only biblical studies courses could
incorporate faith-related topics.
We wanted to make sure that
we had an opportunity to share how
faith impacts our history courses and
our sociology courses and biology
and even computer science, Walsh
said. That was a fun conversation
for us to have because it gave us an
opportunity to share with lawmakers
about who we are.
After these concerns were
addressed, APU moved to a position
of support for Laras final version of
the bill. This version states students
need to be notified of policies
regarding sexual fidelity and LGBT
practices in advance of admission,
which APU already does.

see SENATE BILL 4

Located on Cougar Walk,

the Cougars Den Cafe has been
undergoing renovations since June.
It is set to reopen next semester with
new kitchen equipment, furniture
and service lines.
As students eagerly anticipate the
new changes (and a wider selection of
food to choose from), APUs facilities
management team is working
diligently to ensure the Den has a
redefined look and experience.
We dont have a hard completion
date yet, said Tom Hunt,
associate vice president of facilities
management. We just finished
getting all our permits from the city,
from the planning department, the
building department, the county fire
department and health.
The contractor, Doug Giles
Construction, anticipates that the
work will take eight weeks after
all the required permits have been
received.
It will definitely be open by
next semester...[hopefully] or before
Christmas, Hunt said.
In addition to new kitchen
equipment, the Den is also getting
new cabinetry, three new service lines,
a separate area for beverages, more
seating, a new floor, a redesigned

NATHAN FOSTER PHOTO

Gina Ender

staff writer

The Cougars Den will be closed through the end of fall semester to renovate the floors, ceilings and restrooms, as well as add new cabinetry, service lines, seating, a beverage station and an updated menu.
ceiling and a fresh menu with more
options.
A lot of stuff was just outdated,
Hunt said. Other features, such as
restrooms, are being redesigned
to be accessible to students with
disabilities, in compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA).
To accommodate different size
stall configurations and number of
fixtures, we are basically swapping
the restrooms, Hunt said. The
mens restroom is going to become
the womens and the womens is
going to become the mens.
The contractors also plan to
provide new floors and ceilings, redo
the electrical wiring and change the

restroom entrances.
[Before], as the door would
open, you would see people in
the restroom; there was no visual
blockage, Hunt said. [Weve]
made it so that you dont look in the
restroom and still see people.
Additionally, the Den will lose
the door to the Student Post Office.
The door was rarely used, according
to Hunt.
All new plumbing was installed
so the concrete floor had to be saw
cut to allow this. Once the new
floor tile goes in, this wont be seen
through.
Theres a possibility of a followon project next summer which
[would] involve some of these other

spaces [like] The Clause office and

the SGA office, Hunt said. If a
relocation of those is possible, we
would expand the Cougars Den,
and we would relocate the restrooms
to be accessible off of Cougar Walk.
[This is] so the restroom would be
available to people outside as well,
which is a common complaint weve
heard.
The renovations are being
funded by University Services.
Its currently contracted for
$450,000, but it is subject to change,
Hunt said. He expects to get both
a final contract, price figure and
completion date from the contractor
soon.

see RENOVATION 2

Program works alongside first-generation students

TRiO
provides APU
students with
personalized
resources
Erika Hunter
news editor

With the increase in firstgeneration college students on

campus, TRiO is a program designed
to serve those students by being
a resource to them academically,
financially and even socially. TRiO
began in September 2015 when
APU recognized a significant peak
in underrepresented students, both
first-generation and low-income.
According to TRiO Director
LaTesha Hagler, 201113 statistics
show that first-generation students
made up about 25 percent of the
institutions population. With the
expectation that this number will
grow, TRiO has built upon its
resources and has plans to continue
to do so in the near future.
The program allows for 140
undergraduate
students
who
identify as first-generation to take

RACHEL WATHNE GRAPHIC

Religious
institutionrelated law seeks
final approval
after nine
iterations

Nathan Foster

part in opportunities like academic

success coaching, faculty and peer
mentoring, financial support and
financial and economic literacy.
TRiO students are also given the
privilege of participating in a number
of school-wide events, like the High
Sierra retreat to give them insight
of what a semester would be like
outside of APU.
I have been able to go to Israel
with TRiO, said Alea Render, a
junior cinematic arts major. The
bonds and relationships formed
during that time are unbelievable.
As a junior, Render is not only a
TRiO participant but a mentor, too.
The mentorship interaction creates
a space for TRiO students to talk
about their experiences and voice any
of their concerns. It seeks to increase
their validation and show them
exactly why they matter on campus
and in the world.

I truly believe that if we fail to

support the marginalized students
on this campus, we are going to fail
to retain them, said Jennifer Godoy,
the graduate assistant for TRiOs
first-year and sophomore students.
TRiO
increases
retention,
academic standing and graduation
rates for first-generation students
through various workshops and
privileges granted to them through
their involvement. These workshops
address topics like the importance
of good credit or how to properly
fill out the FAFSA, and are open
to both students and their families.
Additionally, students get help
putting together their four-year plan
and are granted priority registration
and tutoring if needed.
Sometimes
students
feel
like theyre classified or theyre
stereotyped as being low-income or
first-generation, but we take value in

that, Hagler said.

Due to the programs success and
its current waiting list, Hagler hopes
to see more TRiO programs in the
future. Because this program is only
for undergraduates, Hagler wishes
to have a Magnar program where
graduate students can be supported,
too. In addition to these, she also
wants to see an Upward Bound
program come to life.
TRiO has partnered with other
offices on campus that also support
the needs of first-generation students.
During New Student Orientation,
TRiO hosts workshops to bring
awareness to the significance of
first-generation students. They also
collaborate with the Student Center
for Reconciliation and Diversity
(SCRD) to create a sense of unity
among their participants.
First-generation students have a
unique story, and their reality differs
from the majority of students that
actually exists here at APU, Hagler
said.
TRiO is intentionally creating
an atmosphere for first-generation
students to feel secure, welcomed and
needed on campus. TRiO is currently
located in the Undergraduate
Academic Success Center in front of
One Stop.