The monthly President’s Open Forum, held on Tuesday, Feb. 20 was open to students and faculty to share thoughts and concerns on Fullerton College.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to interact with students to give regular updates and there is an interactive portion with faculty and staff,” said President Greg Schulz.

Attendees with questions were instructed to write them on a piece of paper which Schulz then answered through the forum.

Schulz addressed the tragedy at Parkland and expressed his concern for those affected by the shooting.

“I’m not speaking as the President but just on my own, I am sending my thoughts and prayers to the victims,” said Schulz.

Preparation for the possibility for a mass shooting is essential, so there is a campus shooting drill happening on campus scheduled for March 19.

There was an update on the accreditation of the school which was reaffirmed for eighteen months.

“A part of the accreditation will be to make improvements to learning outcomes and distance education,” said Schulz.

This will ensure that there is communication between instructors and students and provide people who are certified to teach the online distance classes.

President Schultz took the time to thank anyone who participated or attended the Pathways of Hope charity event in the theatre where he did a dance number.

The charity raised $69,000 which will go to Fullerton College’s food bank and other resources for students.

The planned renovation of Sherbeck Field is currently an issue of debate amongst FC administration and the neighboring houses by the school.

Neighbors are worried that adding more lights and seats to the field will cause more disruption to the immediate area.

“The feedback that Fullerton residents have given is that Fullerton College needs to slow down,” said Schulz.

So, moving forward, there will be more meetings and a new draft of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be shared with the local community.

“We are currently working on solutions to the problem we have of not having enough vacant space at Fullerton College,” said Schulz.

The Veteran Resource Center (VRC) and the Umoja Center also brought up their concerns for needing more square footage.

Representatives from the VRC were in attendance and expressed their concerns that they feel ignored and kept in the dark.

Greg Schultz assured everyone that his administration is doing their best to work with all parties involved to come together and solve the problems at hand.

“These are challenges that we can fix, we have time and we will work together to get to a solution,” said Schulz. “I invite you all to hang in there, there’s always more opportunity.”

“These forums are such a good opportunity for everyone to hear the same things in one setting and I’m happy to see that students are being loud and clear so there is no misunderstandings,” said Albert Abutin, the Dean of Enrollment at Fullerton College.