Mailbag: Coast colleges are indeed a strong resource for veterans

As Joseph Klunder wrote in his commentary, “Colleges offer good opportunities for veterans” on Oct. 27, Coast Colleges offer excellent opportunities and services for veterans. In fact, our local colleges are very welcoming to all veterans, whether students or not.

Coastline College actually has two veterans resource centers on its campuses in Fountain Valley and Garden Grove (newly opened this summer). Coastline is well known to active service members for its online college courses and many are drawn to the college as veterans.

Golden West College in Huntington Beach has a very active Veterans Resource Center offering snacks, school supplies, free printing and a laptop loan program.

These services accompany tutoring, counseling services, scholarships and entertaining events. One event is coming up very soon: Golden West celebrates Veterans Day on Nov. 7, recognizing GWC service members and all veterans. All are welcome to join us in the quad near the flag pole at 11 a.m.

There are ample resources offered by our local community colleges to our veterans, and we are always looking for new ways to serve the needs of those who serve us.

Lorraine Prinsky
Huntington Beach

The writer is a trustee and board president of the Coast Community College District.

Let’s truly cooperate on the homeless issue

Mayor Katrina Foley wrote a very good article regarding our city’s positive effects on our homeless issues (“Commentary: Partnerships are key in ending homelessness,” Oct. 24). The only thing not mentioned in this article about cooperation was the current efforts of surrounding cities and their ideas to put their homeless shelters in Costa Mesa.

This is not the kind of “cooperation” this family has in mind. Yet there has been no obvious, or easy-to-find comments, from our City Council on these ideas from other cities that are being voted on elsewhere.

Are these partnerships actually being considered? This is not the kind of partnering that Costa Mesa needs or wants.

Wanda Bale
Costa Mesa

Our schools need AC, ASAP

It was Back to School Night last Thursday, and I finally got to meet my tenth-grader’s teachers. All the meetings were pleasant, and I finally was able to ask some pressing questions (something my kids would never answer without getting mad at dad). I attended a total of six classes lasting 10 minutes each.

It was a really hot day and at 7:30 p.m. it was still hot outside, and the classrooms felt even hotter. Fans blazed away and the rooms were very noisy.

One teacher should have used a P.A. system to be heard. I spoke to three of them about their expectation that air conditioners will be installed by next year and they all seemed skeptical.

Until now, those hot day stories were just stories to me. I can say now without hesitation they are real and nobody can learn in rooms this hot. I feel bad for these kids and teachers.

In the composition and literature class, the teacher was so skeptical about the promise of air conditioning being fulfilled, she had her students send letters to Supt. Fred Navarro and Principal Haley pleading for AC to be installed.

Well kids, welcome to the world of the school district, where the simplest task takes forever, and everything costs a fortune. And yes, you do matter but you are not our top priority. Shush, don’t tell anyone.

Barry Friedland
Costa Mesa

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