East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is a community college of the Los Angeles Community College District in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park. Fourteen communities comprise its primary service area. With an enrollment of 34,697 students, ELAC is the largest campus in the Los Angeles Community College District. It was located in northeastern East Los Angeles before that part of unincorporated East Los Angeles was annexed by Monterey Park in the early 1970s.
ELAC is a two-year college, offering associate degree programs in over 25 fields as well as both occupational programs and also academic transfer courses to prepare students for admission to the University of California and California State University systems.
Theatre and arts
ELAC is the home to the Vincent and Mary Price Gallery and the Vincent Price Art Museum, the repository of the art collection of Vincent Price. In 1957, impressed by the spirit of the students and the community's need for the opportunity to experience original art works first hand, Vincent and Mary Grant Price donated 90 pieces from their private collection to establish the museum, which was the first "teaching art collection" owned by a community college in the United States. They ultimately donated some 2,000 pieces; the collection contains over 9,000 pieces and has been valued in excess of $5 million.
Clubs and organizations
All clubs in East Los Angeles College are operated and chartered with the ELAC Associate Student Union.
The East Los Angeles College Alumni Association is responsible for continually connecting graduates to the student body and holds annual and bi-annual events to raise money for scholarships.
East Los Angeles College Campus News is the college's newspaper, and it was established in 1945. The paper is managed by the students after they have successfully completed Journalism 101. A print edition comes out every Wednesday during the Spring and Fall semesters. The current adviser is Jean Stapleton. Other organizations include East Side Spirit and Pride, the organization that founded the Husky marching band on campus, as well as helping to restore the football program in 1995. In addition ESSP is now the alumni association for the college with Dennis Sanchez as the Chairperson and a board of directors of 23 members.
Recent developments
The new Performing and Fine Arts Complex (designed by Arquitectonica) houses the Vincent Price Art Museum, The Fine and visual Arts Building, and the Performing Arts Building.
- The Vincent Price Art Museum is three stories high, with the basement including an 8,000-ft vault for storage. The museum's permanent collection includes the art pieces donated from actor Vincent Price. It featured in the "'Round the Clock: Chinese American Artists Working in Los Angeles" exhibit from January 21 to May 25, 2012. The exhibit showed paintings by Tyrus Wong. Some of Wong's kites were hung in the lobby.
- The Fine and Visual Arts Building is the largest of the three structures. It houses the Art, Music, and Dance departments.
- The Performing Arts Building contains two separate performing theaters.
Activity with area high school
ELAC's football field is the site of graduation ceremonies for local high schools such as Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. It has also hosted the "East L.A. Classic" football game between Garfield against Theodore Roosevelt High School, that traditionally draws over 20,000 fans.
Hillary Clinton speech at East L.A. College attract fans and protesters
Fans, as well as opponents of Hillary Clinton, came together to see Clinton speak a few weeks before the 2016 California primaries. Clinton talked about her plans to raise family incomes and other topics during a speech in the college gymnasium.
Several groups opposed to Clinton’s candidacy marched from Belevedere Park in East Los Angeles to the college campus in Monterey Park to protest her support of U.S. military force in Iraq, as well as her position on economic issues that were viewed as detrimental to working-class citizens, according to a City News Service story in the Daily News.
It’s not the first time a Clinton has campaigned for president at East L.A. College. In 1992, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s husband, spoke about ways to improve education during a campaign stop at the college according to Campus News.
Notable alumni
- Leroy D. Baca, former Sheriff of Los Angeles
- Clarence Davis, retired NFL football player
- Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor
- Edward James Olmos, actor
- Bob Pacheco, former 60th District Assemblyman
- Dennis Sanchez, founder of East Side Spirit and Pride
- Art Torres, California Democratic Party Chairman
- Dan Gudino, sportscaster
- Kent Twitchell, muralist
- Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles
- Jesse Waugh, artist
- Lamar A. Thorpe, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Antioch, CA
- Seve Romo, baseball pitcher for the University of Arizona
See also
- Howard E. Dorsey, Los Angeles City Council member, 1937, supported establishing new college in East Los Angeles
References
External links
- East Los Angeles College official website
- The Vincent Price Art Museum at ELAC
- East Los Angeles College Library