Peralta Community College District's Only Student-Run Publication
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen
Peralta Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson introduced her recommendation to merge Laney College and Merritt College at a recent district professional development day. Historically, Laney and Merritt were once two campuses of one school -- Oakland City College.
BREAKING: Peralta chancellor recommends merge between Merritt College and Laney College
August 15, 2025
Students walk through campus at Cabrillo College in Aptos on Dec. 7, 2023. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters
A safety net for struggling colleges is expiring. Why the Bay Area will be hit hardest
June 30, 2025
Peralta seeks proposals for new security vendors
Peralta seeks proposals for new security vendors
May 30, 2025
As a part of a tour of visits and study sessions at all four Peralta campuses, the Board of Trustees made their final stop at the College of Alameda.
April 22 Board Brief: College of Alameda highlights its academic programs and district enrollment trends
May 28, 2025
The district announced a new app allows students to access campus security, emergency contacts and law enforcement with the touch of a button.
Peralta community members now have access to new safety and security app
May 3, 2025
Laney College Machine Technology students construct this high-powered reflector telescope as they progress through their training. The project teaches students how to create complex parts out of various materials using precise tools.
(VIDEO) Laney’s student-built telescope launches machining careers
April 16, 2025
Berkeley City College Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim created the new owl mascot in collaboration with Marcus Creel, the district's graphic design specialist. (Owl and banner design via Yunha Kim and Marcus Creel. Used with permission.)
Berkeley City College arts student helps new mascot take flight
April 16, 2025
The pieces shown in Clay, Paper, Wood are crafted by advanced Laney students across many mediums. The gallery offers a tranquil space in the center of Laney College’s campus.
Laney Art students get crafty in new gallery show
March 10, 2025
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
December 12, 2024
Laney's student body president, Frida Veliz, wants to help connect students to the resources she didn't have access to when she first started college.
New ASLC President Builds Community
December 11, 2024
Berkeley City College Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim created the new owl mascot in collaboration with Marcus Creel, the district's graphic design specialist. (Owl and banner design via Yunha Kim and Marcus Creel. Used with permission.)
Berkeley City College arts student helps new mascot take flight
April 16, 2025
The pieces shown in Clay, Paper, Wood are crafted by advanced Laney students across many mediums. The gallery offers a tranquil space in the center of Laney College’s campus.
Laney Art students get crafty in new gallery show
March 10, 2025
Native American photographer Dugan Aguilar spent decades documenting the lives of Indigenous Californians through his camera lens. His collection of work is on display now at the Oakland Museum of Califoria. (Shown: “Mimi Mullen (Madiu) Grand Marshall,” 1997 Greenville Gold Digger Days Parade)
This Indigenous art exhibition is free for Laney students
January 27, 2025
A seven-year relationship ends in a tumultuous fight in Jeffrey Lo's "A Kind of Sad Love Story," performed live at the Laney Theater last month. Shown: Maya Wooten, Jesse Savoey
‘It started with an argument about bags’: Laney Theater performs A Kind of Sad Love Story
December 8, 2024
Merritt Librarian reimagines 'alebrijes' sculptor’s life in new picture book
Merritt Librarian reimagines ‘alebrijes’ sculptor’s life in new picture book
May 30, 2024
Incumbent Area 2 Trustee Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, pictured here in The Citizen's newsroom, has what it takes to stay on the Peralta board for another four years.
EDITORIAL: Keep Paulina Gonzalez-Brito on the Peralta board
September 25, 2024
Staff Writer Desmond Meagley stands in the very spot where a security guard confronted him last month: the doorway of the men’s restroom in the Laney College Library. Meagley, who is transgender, tried to report the incident, but reached a dead end when an administrator told him he would need the security guard’s name.
The Catch-22 in AP 3435, Peralta’s Harassment Protocol
May 20, 2024
Social Media Editor Isabelly Sabô stands in front of the door to The Citizen's newsroom. Sabô is an international student from Brazil.
We’re not just ‘rich kids on vacation’: The journey of an international student
May 5, 2024
(Photo: Glen Carrie/Unsplash)
Student elections open today. Has voter information been ‘widespread’?
April 9, 2024
The state flag of California flies underneath the American flag on the west side of the Laney College campus. Behind, the Tribune Tower, which once housed Oakland's daily print newspaper, sits in the city skyline. Both California and the United States have open government laws that establish the public's right to information, but the Peralta Community College District consistently lags behind in comprehensively fulfilling requests for public information made by student journalists at The Citizen. (Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)
We sued our district over public records and won. Here’s what we learned
February 22, 2024
An athlete looks down the dark stairwell towards the locker rooms. Illustration by Eliot Faine
The Locker Room Stall: 47 years of Title IX allegations at Laney College
March 31, 2025
The American Straight A Academy helped students in China receive transfer degrees from the Peralta Community College District without paying international tuition or setting foot in California. The for-profit company, registered in Dallas, Texas, has not disclosed how much students pay for the experience.
Investigation: A look at the for-profit Chinese business that sold Peralta classes overseas
October 30, 2024
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
September 17, 2024
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
July 25, 2024
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
March 17, 2024
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Berkeley City College

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: Berkeley City College

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: Berkeley City College

Ken Lester, Staff Writer • April 18, 2022

Whether it is a good idea or not, the world is opening back up to a more business-as-usual temperament after more than two years under the thumb of Coronavirus. Masks are no longer a necessity in every...

BCC student president applies his computer skills to 'hack' student government challenges

BCC student president applies his computer skills to ‘hack’ student government challenges

Described as an 'extraordinary student leader' by BCC administration official
David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 16, 2022

Harry Mapodile, a sophomore computer science student at Berkeley City College (BCC), relaxes by listening to movie soundtracks and sea shanties while refining his C++ and Python coding skills. Unfortunately,...

Angélica Garcia: Afable, Carismática, y Latina

Angélica Garcia: Afable, Carismática, y Latina

Leticia Luna and Maria Gomez Castro • December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021 Leticia Luna, Gerente de Redacción and Maria Fernanda Gomez Castro, Periodista de The Citizen (English version below) Afable, Carismática, y Latina - Angélica Garcia comparte...

CIRM awards bridge grant "Specialty in Stem Cell Biology" to Berkeley City College

CIRM awards bridge grant “Specialty in Stem Cell Biology” to Berkeley City College

Ivan Chairez, Photo Editor • September 4, 2021

Berkeley City College recently got awarded a little over 2.8 million dollars for Stem Cell Biology from CIRM. CIRM or California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is a state agency which was founded...

Jackson considering new RFP for unarmed security vendors

Jackson considering new RFP for unarmed security vendors

Community Ready Corps and Zulu unable to meet May 1 deadline for licenses
David Rowe, Associate Editor • May 13, 2021

In a May 7 “Chancellor’s Update” email, Interim Chancellor Jannett Jackson announced the Peralta district may issue a new request for proposal (RFP) that clearly states the requirement for a Private...

Berkeley City College Art Department adjusts to new world of online instruction

Berkeley City College Art Department adjusts to new world of online instruction

Despite drawbacks, online classes open opportunities for many students
Ivan Chairez, Photo Editor • May 1, 2021

Berkeley City College Studio Art Instructor, Lisa Rybovich Crallé has been teaching for about 11 years, and it wasn't until March of last year that she taught her first online course. Crallé now...

Women's History Month event held at Berkeley City College

Women’s History Month event held at Berkeley City College

Tayler Shaw, Staff Writer • March 14, 2021

The Berkeley City College Women’s Leadership Club hosted a Zoom screening of the documentary, “Knock Down the House” on March 11th in honor of Women’s History Month.  The film revolves...

Peralta students headline local 'Shark Tank'

Peralta students headline local ‘Shark Tank’

Zach Thompson, Staff Writer • March 9, 2021

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be on an episode of ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank”? Well, on Thursday, March 4, 2021, a few pupils got to find out.  Students throughout the...

BCC Multimedia Department helps students purchase software

BCC Multimedia Department helps students purchase software

Program helps individual students buy Adobe Suite for remote learning
Menel Raach, Staff Writer • February 27, 2021

The multimedia department at Berkeley City College (BCC) has faced a range of challenges since the COVID pandemic hit, including being able to afford Adobe Premiere Pro, a video editing software, for...

Peralta Foundation scholarships application deadline approaches

Peralta Foundation scholarships application deadline approaches

Farhad Golriz, Staff Writer • February 18, 2021

The Peralta Colleges Foundation will award several scholarships to students across the district, with March 1 being this semester’s deadline for all students to submit applications for these scholarships.  There...

District plans to hire four part-time mental health specialists this summer

District plans to hire four part-time mental health specialists this summer

Will work alongside unarmed security companies as part of de-escalation approach
David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 18, 2021

Mark Johnson, Peralta’s Executive Director of Marketing, Communications & Public Relations, confirmed in a February 1 email to The Citizen that the district is moving forward with hiring four...

Accrediting Commission defers decision on Peralta district’s status until June

Accrediting Commission defers decision on Peralta district’s status until June

'Team visits' planned with each college next month
David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 4, 2021

The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) decided to defer action on a decision regarding accreditation of the four Peralta colleges at its January meeting.  The Novato,...

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