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PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
COURIER
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 7
INSIDE: SECRET MENUS Discover the secret menus that surround the campus. PAGE 7>>
BIG JAZZ Big band jazz ignites the Quad with explosive vocals.
PAGE 6>>
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM
March 6, 2014
HOOP DREAMS DASHED
Billy Skelly/Courier Averie-Alice Guzman (25) watches the clock as it with seconds left in the playoff game against Long Beach City College on Wednesday. The men’s basketball team also lost its playoff game against Chaffey College last night to end its season.
CAPM dispute resolved Kristina Wedseltoft and Philip McCormick Staff Writers
For the first time this academic year, the Council on Academic and Professional Matters (CAPM) met after an ongoing dispute between President Mark Rocha and the Academic Senate about whether the meeting was subject to the Brown Act and thus open to the public. “We only went back because the administration turned it into a Brown Act meeting,” Academic Senate Treasurer Daniel Haley said. “There were some issues put on the table and we are off to a good start.” Mary Thompson, administrative assistant to the board, explained that because CAPM was created by board policy it is covered by the Brown Act and is subject to public notice and open for all to attend. In an email to the senate, Rocha also said that he agrees the meeting must be open to the public.
CAPM is a forum for discussion and mutual agreement. It is the primary communication mechanism between the faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees. “I’m happy about the turnout,” Haley said. “A lot of faculty showed up to support the senate.” Haley said the next CAPM meeting would be on March 31. Once the meeting started, the
senate and Rocha debated the origins of $400,000 in funding now available to faculty under the Student Access to Success Initiative (SASI). Rocha said during the meeting that the discussion of SASI funds goes back “into ancient history.” In Dec. 2010, on President Rocha’s recommendation to the administration, the Board of Trustees set aside $1 million
CAPM page 7
Video still courtesy of Faculty Association President Mark Rocha and Academic Senate President Eduardo Cairo talk about issues at the CAPM meeting on Monday.
Board rebuffs town hall invite Christine Michaels Editor-in-Chief
The Board of Trustees declined to attend an Academic Senate-run Town Hall in a letter sent out to the entire campus, arguing that the meeting is redundant. The Academic Senate Ad Hoc Committee for Town Halls, headed by senators Melissa Michelson, Yolanda McKay, David Cuatt, Kristin Pilon and Martha House, invited the board earlier this year to attend its Town Hall in April. Michelson sent out an invitation to both the board and Rocha on Feb. 26 with the intention of having an open dialogue among college constituents. TOWN HALL page 6
School approves independent climate survey SPEAK OUT! Do you think E-Cigarettes should be banned in Los Angeles?
Vote at PccCourier.com
Christine Michaels Editor-in-Chief
The college will distribute a staff-wide campus climate survey on March 19 designed to measure the quality of the school’s workplace, according to college officials. An independent company, Modern Think, which has worked with over 300 colleges in a standardized questionnaire called “Great Colleges To Work For”, will conduct the survey. Crystal Kollross, interim director of institutional effectiveness, is working closely with Modern Think and emphasized the stan-
dardization of the survey. “Every 300 colleges that gets the survey gets the same one,” she said. “And that’s beneficial. It gives us a benchmark to look at how do we score compared to other colleges. I like something to benchmark ourselves against.” According to the Modern Think survey website, chroniclegreatcolleges.com, more than 45,000 employees in colleges across the country have already taken the standardized survey. Modern Think also conducted the 2011 campus climate survey on campus, according to Kollross. However, according to some
faculty members, such as ESL instructor and member of the Academic Senate survey committee Melissa Michelson, the survey should have staff involvement. “How come we were not asked to work on questions for the survey?” she asked. “[Faculty was given] no input to decide which questions to gather [for the upcoming survey].” Kollross explained that the administration had no involvement other than changing the name of the survey and adjusting employee demographics. “I find that to be very, very interesting. It’s not like I was
involved,” Kollross said. “It’s a standard survey that’s administered so it’s not like I in any way was able to modify the questions.” Kollross described many questions on the survey as “hard hitting,” and ranging on topics such as leadership efficiency, overall satisfaction in the workplace environment, and satisfaction of employee benefits. The administration plans to have Modern Think present the results of the survey after it is completed to give feedback and analytics regarding the data. The survey deadline is scheduled for April 4.
NEWS
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March 6, 2014
Campus closed due to rainy ‘snow day’ Tiffany Roesler Asst. Online Editor
“It’s a snow day,” said Superintendent President Mark Rocha in an email sent out to PCC faculty and staff on Friday morning. A public service announcement was also sent out, warning of flash floods in Azusa, Monrovia, and Glendora residents. Hours later PCC closed its main campus along with the Rosemead campus and Community Education Center. Students, both happy and confused, were asked to empty out buildings. “We basically closed down campus to err out the side of caution,” said Interim Director of Public Relations Valerie Wardlaw. “We’ve been listening to the weather forecast so we don’t want to have our students have to travel back and fourth, [so] we’re locking the doors [and] turning off the lights.” All of Friday’s sports events were postponed, including the playoff rounds for both the men’s and women’s basketball
teams, which took place on Saturday evening. Both teams ended up successful in their competitions against Saddleback College and Canyon. “From what we heard the traffic that they were going in the direction of what they would’ve traveled is going to be packed,” Wardlaw said. “So the police are saying if you don’t have to go on the highways don’t do it. So we’re not going to take the chances with our teams, knowing that it will take them three hours to get somewhere.” Some of the staff on campus was unaware that the campus would be closed or why. Athletic trainer Patty Gallego was one of them. “Game on, I’ll be in at 2 p.m.,” she said in a text at 11:15 a.m. But just a few minutes later she was notified of the cancellation. “Change that, games are cancelled too!” she wrote. Every building was locked and shut by noon including the Shatford Library and the Piazza. One librarian started locking the doors of the library right at noon and told perplexed stu-
Daniel Nerio/Courier Monitors at the Center for the Arts building announce the campus closure on Friday.
dents that they had to shut down the library for reasons she didn’t know of at the moment. The I-8 Food Services and the catering department, which started its preparation at 5:30 a.m., didn’t receive an email until 9 a.m. I-8’s catering Manager, Pai Pispratuang, informed Terry Surin, the Piazza Food Counter Manager, that they were to prepare for an early closing
Senate supports potential bachelor’s degree programs John Peters II Asst. News Editor
The Academic Senate will write a letter to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office supporting the implementation of a new baccalaureate degree program at PCC. Dr. Dianne S. Moore, director of nursing, said if California Senate Bill SB850 passes in the assembly, community colleges could participate in an 8-year pilot project to offer one baccalaureate degree in one in-demand major. “Community colleges can provide a quality baccalaureate education with lower costs to their students than a traditional 4-year university, enabling place-bound local students the opportunity to earn the baccalaureate degree needed for new job opportunities and promotion,” the bill states. Senator Kaitzer Puglia said community colleges in 21 other states already offer bachelor’s degrees. “New York was one of the first states allowing community colleges to offer degrees as early as 1970,”she said. Being the Director of Nursing at PCC, Moore hopes that if the legislation passes and PCC participates in the program, a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) would be the program chosen by PCC. “(PCC) just lost a clinical contract with Methodist Hospital because we do not offer a BSN,” Moore said. “Our (nursing) students are increasingly having difficulty with gaining employ-
Concepcion Gonzalez/Courier Dr. Dianne S. Moore, director of nursing, asking for a letter
of support to pass SB850 allowing community colleges to offer bachelor programs, in the Creveling Lounge, on Feb. 24. ment in some of the acute care facilities because they are missing bachelor’s degrees.” Moore added that the Cal States and UCs are unable to meet the demands for nursing students. “The 4-year colleges simply cannot produce BSNs fast enough,” Moore said. “That is one of the reasons why the legislation is going through and why they are pushing for the BSNs.” The Institute of Medicine recommends that the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree increase to 80 percent by 2020. Moore said PCC students will have better clinical opportunities, job placement, and have the ability to move on to masters and doctoral programs by obtaining a BSN. Facilities will have to be upgraded, administrative support
added, and faculty with doctorates hired for some upper division classes. “The money will come from this legislation, the grant and the Chancellor’s office,” Moore said. “It will not come from any funds that are currently here. It will add money to the operations for Pasadena.” She added that community colleges might change the tuition for upper division classes, but it won’t be anywhere near the $330 per unit that state schools charge. According to LegiScan, the bill is currently in the Senate Education Committee. “If all (the legislation and approvals) are fast-tracked through, like we all pray it would, we may be able to admit by Spring/Fall 2015,” Moore said.
due to the rain. Surin said they were able to save some of the chopped vegetables that were prepared for the day’s events to use for events coming over the weekend. The Piazza only had a few hours to sell food. The only building that remained open was the Center for the Arts Building, which featured the musical theatre production of Stephen Sondheim’s
“Company” at 8 p.m. in Center for the Arts Theatre. The Pamela L. Girard Guest Artist/Master Class Series also continued its show at 8 p.m. in the Westerbeck Recital Hall. “Now the performances are still going on. Our Theater Arts department decided not to cancel,” Wardlaw said. “The show must go on.” -Additional reporting by Monique LeBleu
College moves towards online classes Kristina Wedseltoft Staff Writer
Three grants, all under the student success initiative and California statewide initiatives of distance education, are going to be put into place over the next three years and were discussed during a presentation at the College Council meeting last week by Interim Director of Distance Education, Leslie Tirapelle. Tirapelle gathered all this information from a meeting in December where the initiatives were discussed from a technology standpoint, and expected effectiveness. Under the online education initiative, $16.9 million will be given at one time and $10 million will be given on going to support these initiatives. “The mission of Distance Education is to promote student access and success by integrating programs and services of the California community colleges using technology mediated instruction and to develop and promote effective distance learning paradigms,” a statement from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office reads. The online education initiative would allow students to take online courses through another community college but their home college would still receive the funds for the student taking the course. This initiative would use an existing online database, California Virtual Campus (CVC), which would be used as an online catalog. Colleges can
place selected courses in the course exchange and any student from any community college would have the accessibility to the class. “This is important,” Rocha said. “Even if our student took their course we can still get paid for it because the student is ours.” The education planning initiative would focus on creating a centralized education plan. This would include a new electronic transcript system and allow for a common assessment. This common assessment would allow for a shared system with other community colleges where assessment tests could be transferred between colleges. This will hopefully lead to the creation of a common system along with the new California Community College (CCC) Apply that will identify students more efficiently. This effort to create a centralized education plan has a timeline to be done by the end of 2015-2016. “That’s not a lot of time, they’re under very tight deadlines,” Tirapelle said. Many members of the College Council wondered how priority registration would be affected since PCC is in the middle of changing its priority registration process. “The secret sauce, a new student identifier that will be separate from the K-12 with the new CCC apply,” Tirapelle said. “Everything I’ve talked about is going to end up in a single portal, that will provide an abundance of access and resources.”
OPINION
March 06, 2014
Courier
2012 JACC General Excellence Award-Winner Editor-in-Chief Christine Michaels Managing Editor Philip McCormick Asst. News Editor John Peters II Online Editor Justin Clay Asst. Online Editors Tiffany Roesler, Aerika Dave Opinion Editor Raymond Bernal Asst. Opinion Editor Tiffany Herrera A&E Editor Samantha Molina Asst. A&E Editor Lucy Patrikian Features Editor Aubrey Quezada Asst. Features Editor Monique LeBleu Lifestyle Editor Paul Ochoa Asst. Lifestyle Editor Janel Leonard Sports Editor Daron Grandberry Asst. Sports Editor Andrew Salmi Photo Editor Antonio Gandara Asst. Photo Editor Nagisa Mihara
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Is banning animal testing necessary? Tiffany Herrera Asst. Opinion Editor
Animal testing is not just morally wrong; it’s cruel. If people offer themselves up as test subjects, it’s a choice and can easily be undone by walking away. But an animal doesn’t have that freedom to walk away if the results are uncomfortable or unbearable for them. According to the Humane Society (HS) website, companies that test on animals use several common tests on mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The tests include skin and eye irritation tests, repeated force-feeding studies that can last for months, and “lethal dose” tests. The skin and eye irritation tests are when chemicals are rubbed directly on the animal’s shaved skin and when they are dripped into the eyes of a restrained animal. This is all done without any pain relief. The force-feeding studies watch for signs of general illness or specific health problems, such as cancer. “Lethal dose” tests, which are widely condemned, are when animals are forced to swallow
PRO
VOICES:
large amounts of chemicals in order to determine what dose causes death. “At the end of a test the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking, or decapitation,” the HS website states. “Pain relief is not provided. In the United States, a large percentage of the animals used in such testing (such as laboratory-bred rats and mice) are not counted in official statistics and receive no protection under the Animal Welfare Act.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) undermines the argument that if we didn’t use animals, we’d have to test new drugs on people.“The fact is that we already do test new drugs on people. No matter how many animal tests are undertaken, someone will always be the first human to be tested on,” PETA said. With other alternatives out there, testing on animals is just lazy. While animals should never be put before people, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have some rights. Animals are living creatures that do not deserve to be abused and tortured.
Matthew Kiewiet Staff Writer
CON
It is impossible to argue that animal testing is 100 percent
flawless. It only takes a few clicks on any Internet search engine to find proof that animals are mistreated every day. However, completely banning animal testing is not the way to go. Effective testing is definitely possible without inflicting harm on the subjects. The Animal Welfare Act is the only federal law that places restrictions on what can and cannot be done with animal research. The law provides no protection for rats, mice, and birds, which make up about 90 percent of the species used for research, and hardly any protection for the species that it does cover. For example, in 2004, a chimpanzee died from overheating because of subpar ventilation in his cage while being held at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. The USDA fined the center
$1,375—a slap on the wrist. In 2008, the AWA raised the maximum fine per violation to $10,000. These amounts are simply inconsequential, especially for facilities that rake in millions of dollars annually. The AWA is also incredibly vague. It does not specify what animals can or cannot be subjected to during experiments. So what exactly is being checked during the required annual inspections? This is an issue that simply needs stricter regulations. It does not take heavy scrutiny to see the areas that need improvement. In addition to the weak, unintimidating punishments for the minimal amount of regulations that currently exist, there are only 115 USDA inspectors to oversee close to 8,000 testing facilities. An all-out ban on animal testing would work about as well as the War on Drugs, or Prohibition. If it is completely outlawed, manufacturers will just find somewhere else where they can test their products on animals.
Do you think the campus shouldv’e closed due to rain?
Online Photo Editor Benjamin Simpson Scene Editor Billy Skelly Social Media Editor Concepcion Gonzales Staff Writers: Jessica Arceo, Matthew Kiewiet, Emma Koffroth, Mary Nurrenbern, Robert Tovar, Kristina Wedseltoft Staff Photographers: Joseph Adajar, Josh Balmadrid, Jorell Brittenum, Victoria De La Torre, Andrew French, Chris Martinez, Mary Nurrenbern, Barney Soto, Daniel Valencia, Rocio Vera, Charles Winners
“No, Dr. Rocha was a drama queen about some rain.” Danielle Rico, music
“I was already on campus. It was unnecessary to close down the campus.” Ryan Catalasan, electric engineering
“I think the hype of the rain affected the administration’s decision to close the campus.” Annie Loau, psychology
“I could see if it was a windstorm like we’ve had in the past, but it’s only rain. It’s not going to kill you.” Dylan Lopez, business
“I understand for safety reasons it makes sense but it wasn’t that bad. It was only an inch of rain.” Daniel Salazar, music
“No because they announced it too late. They should have closed it in the beginning of the day.” Azariah Rivera, education
“No, it’s rain! I understand if it were the winds of 2011, but it’s rain. Rain is nice.”
“It wasn’t raining that hard. It’s only Los Angeles rain.” Ryan Navarrete-Fonseca, Chicano studies and psychology
Faculty Adviser Nathan McIntire Photography Adviser Tim Berger Advertising Coordinator Daniel Nerio
The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free-speech forum. Editorials and comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administration, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District. The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department. Phone: (626) 585-7130 Fax: (626) 585-7971 Advertising (626) 585-7979 Office: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., CC-208 Pasadena, CA 91106-3215 © Copyright 2014 Courier. All rights Reserved.
“I get it was for safety reasons but the rain did calm down. It wasn’t like there was snow.” Lizette Lupercio, psychology
“No because this is California and we have unexpected weather.” Angelica Crenshaw, sociology
Arthur Martinez, music
Reporting by: Paul Ochoa
Note to Readers Letters to the Editor The Courier welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be about 300 words and may be edited by Courier staff. All letters must contain your full name and a correct daytime phone number. Letters can be delivered to the Courier office in CC 208 or sent by email to raymondjbernal@gmail.com Corrections The Courier staff endeavors to ensure accuracy in all aspects of its reporting. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at (626) 585-7130 or via email to michaels.courier@gmail.com
Photos by: Mary Nurrenbern
ONLINE POLL RESULTS Online, we asked: Do you think animal testing should be banned? Results as of 5 p.m. Wednesday:
Yes, it’s cruelty: 82 % No, it keeps products cheap: 12 % Who cares, they’re just animals: 6 %
Vote at PccCourier.com
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March 6, 2014 COURIER 5
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FEATURES
March 6, 2014
Spazmaster highlights true art in music
Emma Koffroth Staff Writer
For the last few years Jennifer Perez has been going to local music shows and hunting down the original and unique sounds of underground musicians so she can broadcast them on her Lancer Radio show “The Spazmaster’s Domain” every Friday at 10 p.m. Perez first started the program about seven years ago and then came up with the concept of “The Spazmaster’s Domain,” but then she got pregnant, got married and took time off. After all of that she came back into the program and hit the ground running, specifically playing around with Lancer Radio’s catch phrase: “Pasadena campus sound.” The show was inspired by the concept of shaping the sound of Pasadena City College, an idea she had after watching the documentary “Before the Music Dies” in Sarah Barker’s class. “It goes into great depths about how the radio industry is ruining the artistry behind music and is stopping really original artists from surfacing,” Perez explained. “There is an entire community of artists that has been told that music is dead for a very long time, so I am going to be documenting and covering what happened after the music died.” The excitement of originality that seems to have fled mainstream music is what she lives for, and she gleefully recalls some of the more unique bands featured on the show. “The thing I really remembered about The Hot MCs was that the keyboard-
ist didn’t have a stand,” she said. “He brought a shower chair, like one of those things that people use when they’re really old to take a shower. He found it, old and rusted on the street.” This week’s performance on the show will feature the girl duo Girlpool, who just hit the local music scene a mere three months ago. Consisting of Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker, they are a feminine force to be reckoned with who hold their own in a musical world that seems to favor men. “Male dominated bands are widely more common than female dominated bands, and it’s a shame more women don’t feel as capable to play music,” Tividad said. “Male superiority in the music scene is one of the reasons why we started Girlpool. We both felt like female-front bands were lacking and wanted to show other girls that they can do it too!” Perez is holding her own as well. She has published books of poetry, and done live performances herself including rapping, singing and dancing. Making a commitment to herself that she’d perform her own music before 30, she had a show at an Echo Park venue called Lot 1 on her 30th birthday. “It was hard. Immediately after that [performance] I was like, oh my God, I respect you guys so much more!” Perez said. She is currently still taking courses at PCC and trying to finish up her math and sscience requirements despite having four certificates of achievement in the radio program. Spazmaster is truly the labor of love for her as she does not get paid.
Benjamin Simpson/Courier Jennifer Perez interviews the band Girlpool in the Lancer Radio sound studio on Feb. 26. “The Spazmaster’s Domain” airs on Lancer Radio on Friday nights from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Working on trying to make a living out of a notoriously difficult career path, Perez has ideas for the creation of a media company in the works. “Doing what artists do is not going to pay a lot of money in the long run,” Perez said. “At some point in time I do need
Jazz Big Band showcases beautiful chaos
Victoria de la Torre/Courier The Lancer Jazz Big Band performs in front of the Center for the Arts on Feb. 25 under Andrea Wilkerson direction. Emma Koffroth Staff Writer
A mess of auditory chaos preceded a performance by the Lancer Jazz Big Band led by Andrea Wilkerson outside the Center for the Arts building on Feb. 25. Wilkerson, who presents herself as cool and collected amidst the pandemonium of rehearsal, commanded the respect of her class and the audience by frequently getting the crowd cheering for soloists when the show began. Considering there were five saxophonists, five trumpeters and four trombonists in the horn section alone seems like quite a feat to direct. In addition there was a bassist switching between a 5-string electric and an upright, two drummers, a percussionist, two guitarists, two pianists and three different singers that came up to sing solos. “We always want to be sure that the band is prepared as they can be before a rehearsal or performance,” Wilkerson said. “It’s been a little bit of a challenge this year because we had the grand opening the first
two weeks of school, so it kind of cut into our rehearsal time. Making sure we have enough rehearsal time to get a clean performance in, it’s just time management.” She was pleased with how the show went and rightly so as the attendance of students hovered around 100 at any given time. Her students seemed to be enjoying the attention and support from their peers as well. Luis Caceres, playing saxophone, had a smooth solo in the band’s rendition of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” Caceres, who has been playing sax for 10 years, finds who you’re playing with to be a key factor in how you play. “It’s good to have a good relationship with your players. That bond makes a better section,” Caceres said. Creating the opportunity for all of her students to be a part of the musical community is important to Wilkerson as well. During the performance the two drummers, pianists and guitar players switched off playing every other song. “I hate to not let people have an opportunity to play so I will let two equally gifted
people have a chance to play,” she said. A first for Wilkerson this semester is having two female guitarists. Erika Takagi and Hansuk Cho switched off playing, except for the final piece “Jazz Police” in which both had impressive solos. Wilkerson spoke of them as very different but very wonderful musicians. She is confident that both will go on to have careers in music. “I would like to become a professional musician and also a composer for TV shows, film or video games,” Takagi said of her future plans. “I also would like to teach guitar and musicianship to younger generations.” Wilkerson has high hopes for all of her students. She finds the final product of her class’ performances to be the most enjoyable part of the process. “When you hear the finished product it makes you feel like you’ve done your job,” she said. “We have a really good record of our students going on to 4-year schools, conservatories and playing professionally. That’s also very rewarding.”
to figure out how to make a living at it because I have a daughter. The idea is to stick my finger in every pot, like managing the dance crew I’m in, putting on events and managing bands. ‘The Spazmaster’s Domain’ will ultimately be a hodge-podge of all of that.”
TOWN HALL Continued from page 1
“In a collegial effort to address this need, the Academic Senate invites you to participate as panelists,” the letter reads. “The theme is ‘campus climate.’… The aim of the event is to facilitate discussion of ideas and effective communication among our institution’s constituencies.” A response written by board president Anthony Fellow stated that the board’s bi-weekly public meetings sufficed as town halls and that president Mark Rocha was the appropriate person to invite to the upcoming town hall. “Board bylaws governing the roles of the board and the superintendent-president assign all matters of shared governance and college operations to the superintendent-president,” the letter reads. “Dr. Rocha has conducted a series of well attended school town hall meetings.” Michelson was upset yet not shocked that the board declined its invitation. “I’m not surprised that the board members were unwilling to participate,” she said. “They didn’t participate in the Oct. 13 [town hall] either.” The board also chastised senate members for conducting their own campus climate survey, calling it “duplicative and outside of any consultation or involvement of the Institutional Planning and Research Office.” Michelson explained that the senate campus climate survey was not duplicative, as it had questions from the college’s own campus climate survey, which was conducted in 2010 and separate from Modern Think, along with questions regarding major discussion topics from last fall. The information gathered from the survey will be used as topics of discussion for the upcoming town hall, according to Michelson.
March 6, 2014
LIFESTYLE
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watching aren’t necessarily the same,” said Lee. The Academy Awards did manage to attract some new viewers this year that wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. “I liked it, I usually don’t watch the awards and I wanted to see how it went,” said Sergio Herrera, theater arts. Herrera says that people of today’s generation have so many other distractions that the Oscars just don’t tend to appeal to them. “Young people are too busy doing other things like socializing, school work and being employed. Many people don’t see the Oscars as being significant to their lives,” Herrera said. Many believe that the Academy Awards will have to do a lot in order to be able to once again reach todays youth. “It’s tough to change something that hasn’t changed in the last 80 years or so,” said Conklin.
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“You can just see all of the clips and highlights on social media sites, that’s what I did,” said Christiae Butron, biology. Butron also believes that the Academy has lost its touch when it comes to grabbing the attention of the average movie watcher. “Some of the best movies I have ever seen have been independent films and the Oscars haven’t recognized them because they weren’t from major studios.” James Lee, a film major, is another student that agrees that the Oscar presentation can’t hold up to the attention span of the modern day viewer. “I feel as though it isn’t as accessible to younger viewers, I would rather watch the results on YouTube,” he says. “The film industry doesn’t have the prestige that it once had, what the Academy recognizes and what people are
STAY U
Nagisa Mihara/Courier Students prefer to watch highlights of the Academy Awards online instead of watching all of it live.
for SASI grants. The board then authorized an additional $400,000 for SASI grants in a recommendation from President Rocha. “We’d love to get this money out to work based on your recommendations,” Rocha said. But Academic Senate President Eduardo Caíro said he is concerned about where the money came from and intimated that there might be “strings attached to the money.” “Where did it come from?” Caíro asked. “Nobody from the senate asked the board for the money.” Robert Miller, Senior Vice President and Assistant Superintendent of Business and College Services, has expressed concerns about the budget but tried to explain where the $400,000 came from. “The original purpose [of SASI] was research and development innovations [such as] first year experience and pathways. Once these dollars are invested and if in fact they are successful, then we try to institutionalize these so we can see where we’re going in the
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The Academy Awards is Hollywood’s annual celebration of the best films of the previous year. As publicized as the event is, many potential viewers are not excited about the film industries biggest night. According to the entertainment magazine Variety, the 2014 Academy Awards ceremony hit a 10-year high in viewership but fell relatively flat among the coveted 18-49-age bracket. The Los Angeles times reported last week that the median age for Oscar viewers has risen from 42 in 1993 to 53 in 2012. What is it about the Academy Awards that repels the younger demographic? Many in the PCC community have their own opinions about the biggest night in show business. Many believe there is a disconnect between the films that people are watching and the films that the Academy selects for judgment. “The way people in this generation watches movies has changed,” says Eamon Conklin, photo lab manager. “In previous years, the only access had to movies was the theater. But now because of the Internet, younger people have access to smaller independent productions and the major award shows haven’t caught up yet.” Many younger people don’t see the point of watching a three hour long ceremony when all of the highlights can just be recapped after all of the pageantry and the media frenzy has ended.
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budget.” The board funded the additional money because they felt there was more leeway in the budget that would allow for extra allocations to help faculty work on worthy projects, Miller said. “I don’t think anyone from the academic senate asked for the money. I don’t think the administration said here’s the money,” Robert Bell, Senior Vice President and Assistant Superintendent said. “Rocha recommended to the board [that they] allocate more money to the faculty for professional development and the best way to facilitate that is through the Academic Senate.” “I’m still more than happy to get this money granted out to the faculty by the end of this year, so we can work on it for next year,” Rocha said.
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Justin Clay Online Editor
CAPM
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Academy Awards lost on young viewers
American cheese, the same grilled-until-caramelized onions and the spread. Ashley Hamlin, psychology, said that many PCC students frequent the Jamba Juice bar on Lake Avenue where she works and order secret menu items. “We get anywhere from 30-40 [students] every day,” said Hamlin, noting that the most popular custom drink is the “White Gummy Bear” made with peach juice, mango, soy milk, raspberry, lime, pineapple and orange sherbert. Other creative sounding items
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So, every week we’ll get one that we’ve never heard of and say ‘Well what is that?’ so they’ll look it up and find the recipe and then we’ll make them for them.” At the In-N-Out Burger on Foothill Boulevard and Craig Avenue, the long drive-thru lines are unhampered by off-menu orders. “Animal Style” will prompt that a beef patty is grilled with mustard, topped with pickles, tomato, diced grilled onions and a slathering of the house “spread.” “Animal Fries” are similar, with french fries covered in melted
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are often simple modifications to official items that Starbuck’s barista’s are trained to create. Palma was not the least surprised to hear of the high-shot content of a “Liquid Cocaine,” which boasts four shots of espresso, equal shots vanilla syrup and milk. “Four is not really a lot in our world!,” Palma laughs. “To give you an example, a Venti Iced Double Shot gets five shots of espresso. It’s just called a double shot, but it has five shots. We can make all these drinks, it’s just that we don’t get trained on them.
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Billy Beans Skelly/Courier Secret menu items from In-N-Out Burger are the animal fries, left, and the 4x4 burger, right.
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Special orders rarely upset the fast food and made-to-order power drink restaurants these days and off-the-menu ordering from so-called “secret menus” has become an art form fueled by word-of-mouth and online social networking. Corporate franchises such as Starbuck’s, In-N-Out Burger, Jamba Juice and even mom and pop cafes like the Zephyr, are quick to embrace the growing popularity of off-menu ordering. Some secret menus are so well known that they are not really secret any more. Alejandro Palma, a manager at the Starbuck’s across from PCC, said that off-menu items such as the Harry Potter inspired “Butter Beer,” the “Snicker Doodle,” the “Banana Cream Pie” and the “Horchata” have often been requested. “Every hour, we get about five customers who ask for secret menu items,” Palma said. “And recently, because they go in fads, the most popular item is a Cotton Candy Frappuccino. That’s a really good one with Raspberry.” Many secret menu items involve high doses of caffeine that
are the “Peanut Butter and Jelly,” the “Sour Patch Kids”—with a tart mix of four sherberts, blueberries and lemonade—and the “Skittles,” according to hackthemenu.com. Britney Cimmino, a PCC business major and a manager at the Zephyr Coffee House and Art Gallery on Colorado Boulevard and Sierra Madre Boulevard, is also frequented by PCC students who come for the coffee, teas, power drinks and sweet and savory crepe dishes, as well as to enjoy the hookah. “We pretty much get the younger crowd, so people come to study and the drinks are just a plus,” Cimmino said. “The Dirty Chai, which is a chai latte with a shot of espresso, is very popular.” She also mentioned the high-octane drink, the “Redbull Fusion,” which is a popular modification to a menu item called “The Italian Soda,” which replaces Crystal Geyser soda with the energy drink Red Bull. But even with the origins of most secret menu items still unknown, the creative spirit lives on in a PCC’s student’s quest to meet hunger, thirst and study fatigue head on.
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Monique LeBleu Staff Writer
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SPORTS
COURIER
March 6, 2014
Women’s basketball upset at home Daron Grandberry Sports Editor
Billy Beans Skelly/Courier Sophomore guard Tyler Crockom drives to the basket during the Lancers’ 64-62 upset to LBCC in the Hutto-Patterson Gym on Wednesday.
Despite last second heroics from sophomore guard Skai Thompson, one missed free-throw ended the Lancers women’s basketball season. The No. 4-seed Lancers (22-8) were upset by South Coast South rivals Long Beach City College, 64-62, but they had an opportunity to even the score at the very end. Thompson had the chance to tie the game with a free throw when she was fouled after scoring on a lay-up with 3.2 seconds left in the game. But her shot from the charity stripe bounced off the back of the rim, sealing the Lancers’ fate. “We fought hard,” Dillard added. “Our ladies shouldn’t hang their heads. This season has been a long rollercoaster ride. I’m very proud of our girls, we stepped when we needed to but tonight wasn’t enough.” Despite the game-sealing miss, Thompson was the leading scorer for the Lancers. Thompson finished the game with a team-high 23 points and five rebounds, including five 3-point field goals. “Skai played an amazing game,” assistant coach La’Nette Dillard said. “Skai stepped up and had the best game she’s had all season long. I’m very impressed with Skai.” Sophomore center Kaitlyn Parks recorded a double-double in her final game, scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Tyler Crockom added eight points and five assists, while letterman point guard Desiree Loving added six points and a team-high 10 assists before injuring her ankle with five seconds remaining in the game. The Lancers advanced to the third round of the playoffs after defeating College of the Canyons on Saturday. when six players scored in double figures.
Men’s basketball ousted Daron Grandberry and Benjamin Simpson Staff Writers
Despite a valiant effort to come back against fourth-seeded Chaffey College, the Lancers came up short down the stretch as they lost 79-71 in the third round of the 2014 CCCAA Men’s Basketball Southern California Regional playoff tournament. The defeat ended PCC’s season on the road in Rancho Cucamonga. “I’m very proud of the guys for their season,” said head coach Michael Swanegan. “We held tough with the No. 4 seed. We just could not get it done at the end.”
Benjamin Simpson/Courier Bryce Clifton scores during the first half of the third round of the playoffs away against Chaffey College on Wednesday.
Down 34-27 at the half, the Lancers managed to come back to tie the score at 59 with 7:08 remaining in the second half. Sophomore forward Taj Spencer led all scorers with 25 points on 9 of 19 shooting, also adding a game-high 14 rebounds on the night. “We had plenty of opportunities to win the game but we could not capitalize on our shots,” said Spencer. “We could not get enough stops.” Outside of Spencer, the Lancers only had one other player score in double figures. Sophomore guard Jeffrey Dockett scored 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting. Dockett also added three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Rashad Smith, who scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds, was clearly disappointed with his team’s loss. “I’m sick, tired and I want to go home,” said Smith. “We turned the ball over in crucial situations and got out-rebounded at times.” The Lancers reached the third round by beating Saddleback College by the score of 53-49 on Saturday, giving them their first road playoff win in 20 years. The last time the Lancers won a road playoff game was when they were a No. 13 seed and defeated both Southwestern and Cypress in the 1994 regionals. The Lancers began the game with an early 14-4 lead, but the Gauchos came back to take the 24-22 lead at halftime. In the second half, Saddleback jumped out to a 37-26 lead with 12:02 left, but the Lancers would not go down without a fight. The teams traded baskets until Dockett hit a jumper and picked up a foul, making the free throw to give the Lancers the lead for good, 51-49, with 28 seconds remaining. The Lancers were led in scoring by freshman guard Adrian Miles with 14 points, including three 3-point field goals. Second-year forward Rashad Smith added 12 points and sophomore forward Taj Spencer added 10 points, despite being in foul trouble. Pasadena men’s basketball finished the 20132014 season with a very respectable 21-10 record. ~Staff writer Andrew Salmi contributed to the story.
Sophomores Tyler Crockom and Brandi DuBose tied for team-high honors in points with 13. Crockom was instrumental for the Lancers recording eight assists and six rebounds, but it was the rebounding and hustle of DuBose who helped the Lancers dominate COC. DuBose grabbed a Lancers playoff record with 18 rebounds. Freshman guard Kiara Phillips scored 12 points off the bench and added four steals and four assists. “Once we woke up, our defense was awesome,” Dillard added. Sophomore guard Skai Thompson scored 11 points and seven rebounds, while standout point guard Desiree Loving added 11 points and four assists. Sophomore center Kaitlyn Parks added 10 points and nine rebounds. For COC, Keiona Mathews scored 19 points, connecting on 7-of-17 field goals. The Lancers were relentless on defense, forcing the Cougars to turn the ball over 25 times. No other Cougars player reached double figures in scoring. Canyons closed the season at 13-15. The Lancers got off to a slow start as COC jumped out to an early 18-9 advantage with 13:10 left in the first half. The Lancers would go on a 20-3 run to end the half and take an 18-point halftime lead, 44-26. The Lancers shot 42 percent from the field (connecting on 32 of 76 attempts), and outrebounded the Cougars 54-47. In SCC play, the Lancers defeated the Vikings, 77-70, in overtime. That was the second time that the teams went to overtime as the Lancers also defeated LBCC, 69-64, in the championship final of the Irvine Valley Tournament earlier in the season.
Player of the week
Christopher Martinez/Courier Sophomore sprinter Breanna Clark was named the Courier Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 24 through March 3. At the Cerritos Invitational, Clark won the 100M for the second consecutive year with a time of 12.40.