It appears as though the chaotic protest held by students at Santa Monica College (SMC) Tuesday night -- which resulted in a controversial pepper-spraying incident -- has worked, kinda. The state agency that oversees California's community colleges has ordered SMC to postpone the pilot program offering costlier classes this summer. Additionally, the agency has called on the attorney general to decide whether or not the plan is legal. more ›

Santa Monica College campus police pepper-sprayed about 30 students attending the Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening, and college officials plan to investigate the incident. Trustees and several college administrators met on Tuesday to discuss a two-tiered system of fees due to go into effect this summer, significantly increasing the cost of attending the college. more ›

After receiving a report of a gunman on campus, school officials at Santa Monica College locked down the campus, including the KCRW studios, for about one hour on Tuesday, according to NBC LA. more ›

As many expected, Santa Monica College named and their Board of Trustees approved Jennifer Ferro as General Manager of 89.9 KCRW, the campus' public radio station and NPR affiliate. Ferro, the station's current Assistant GM, replaces Ruth Seymour, who announced her retirement last November. Seymour's last day on the job is February 26th, marking the end of her over 32 years at the station and an undeniable force in KCRW's rise to prominence in the local and national stage. more ›

The Natural History Museum mixes music and science tonight for its First Friday series. The museum’s celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin all year, and it’s reflected in the tours and discussions. At 5:30 and 6 pm there will be tours of the Vertebrate Paleontology Collections with Dr. John Harris, NHM Chief Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, followed by “Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins” with paleoanthropologist Dr. Donald C. Johanson. The live music kicks off at 7 pm courtesy of Wolfmother and The Ruby Suns and DJs in the African Mammal Hall. Tickets are $9. more ›

Way back in the day LAist got crappy grades in high school so we had to do a few years over at Santa Monica College. One of our favorite classes was Cinema because due to the proximity of Hollywood, pretty much all of our Cinema teachers were former industry insiders or historians who knew about everything. We ate up those classes with a spoon and couldn't believe we were getting college credit for learning... more ›