By Javier Valdes
Editor-in-Chief
Bakersfield College Student Government Association President Matt Frazer and SGA Adviser Nicky Damania stopped by Fridays Associated Student Inc. meeting to talk to the board about Measure J.
Measure J is a bond that was recently voted on by the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees to be placed in the upcoming November 8 ballot.
The $502.8 million local education bond is meant to help repair and upgrade the KCCD’s college campuses.
Damania addressed the board noting that the 22-plus BC campus buildings which were built over 50 years ago are in high need of upgrades.
“There is asbestos in the ceilings, and the walls are falling down, and the chairs are being tortured, and we still have overhead projection because we can’t put in projectors or a screen on the walls because if we did that, it would come crumbling down,” said Damania. “That’s what we are living right now at Bakersfield College.”
Porterville College and Cerro Coso College are going through similar issues said Damania.
Damania described the bond as a property tax. For every $100,000 that your property is worth, the owner will be charged $25 in property tax, going toward the bond, for about 30 years.
“That money would then go into a pot where the Kern Community College District would be able to use it to the influx and upgrade their facility needs, as well as their technology needs with our capable classrooms,” said Damania.
Damania said that this, in turn, would eventually decrease class waiting lists because building upgrades would increase classroom sizes and space.
Damania mentioned how this semester Bakersfield College had about 3,500 students on wait lists because there was not enough space to house those students. The problem was not that they didn’t have the faculty to teach the classes but the lack of physical space.
Damania said how this, in turn, may cause students to spend more than the expected two years at BC.
“If we get more classroom spaces, we can educate more students, and we’re able to get them through community college and on to their four-year institution at a faster rate,” said Damania.
Damania noted that Measure J would not benefit this year’s students but it will benefit the students in the future.
Frazer and Damania were there to ask the board for help in educating the CSUB community as the election nears.
CSUB and BC student government boards are attempting to collaborate in educating students on the upcoming measure.
“We don’t want to push yes on J,” said Damania. “We just want to make sure that we are educating our students on what Measure J is.”
ASI Executive Director Ilaria Pesco agreed with Damania on the impact that the measure can have on students.
“This is a really good opportunity for us to collaborate with Bakersfield College and really help them out, especially as we know, there’re quite a few of our current students who went there,” said Pesco.
