PCC Courier 03/01/2012

COURIER

Inside

Pasadena City College

Senate members angry Page 2

AS hold emergency meeting Page 3 Volume 105, Issue 2

Online edition pccCourier.com Facebook PCC Courier Twitter @pccCourier March 1, 2012

The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.

Trustees react to protest Some board members view demonstration as unproductive.

NICK ZEBROWSKI News Editor

After many spoke out loudly against class cuts and faculty reassignments at the Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 22, board members say the protest was not productive.

While trustees sympathize

with students and faculty, some were disappointed with the follow through when most protesters left before hearing why the cuts happened.

“The protesters left without getting an education about why the cuts occurred,” said Trustee Antony Fellow in an email. “I participated in protests in the 1960s…we were passionate about our positions. Young people are just as passionate about challenges today.”

The Board of Trustee meeting and the patios outside the CC Building were the site of heated,

Protest Pictures Pages 6 and 7 Occupy-movement style protests by students, faculty, and members of the community affected by the last-minute class cuts. This followed a protest the day before which prompted PCC President Mark Rocha to speak to a large crowd outside the C Building.

Board members had mixed feelings about the protest. They

agree that communication is important to solving problems, but some actions taken were ineffective.

Trustee Linda Wah said in an interview that the protests were to be expected, but added: “It is hard to get things done when people are calling you names and yelling at you.”

Trustees Jeanette Mann and Berlinda Brown declined to comment for this story.

“We have so much to be proud of at PCC. Let’s open the lines of communication and work together. No one at PCC caused

Continued on page 9

PAUL OCHOA AND NEIL PROTACIO Staff Writers

Chaotic scene disrupts proceedings PAUL OCHOA Asst. News Editor

with a portion even dedicated to public comment, not all the members of the public were allowed in because of the limited room capacity.

to these agencies and to the state controller’s office, the District also owes the public, the employees and the students, complete transparency in the use of public funds and has therefore made the information readily accessible on the PCC website,” Cooper said.

Some faculty and staff were unfazed by the posting. However, some were

The online live telecast of the tumultuous Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 22 was abruptly shut off when the heated protests began, the Courier has learned.

However, a portion of the omitted video was recorded by the Courier and can be seen online at pccCourier.com According to Dwayne Cable, vice president of information technology who was part of the team that helped stream the live feed, the broadcast was shut off in order to keep viewers from seeing the protest.

“It is not good for To view portions of the community to the omitted video, draw the wrong convisit clusion about our stupccCourier.com dents and faculty,“ /multi-media said Cable who knew about the decision to shut off the feed. “I would have turned it off if they asked me to.”

Director of Public Relations Juan Gutierrez said he did not know who ordered the broadcast to be turned off, but maintains that the video is “not to censor and to be transparent” and that archives show their comments.

“Everyone got to say what they wanted to say during the live meeting,” Gutierrez said. “If the meeting’s not on, there’s no meeting to broadcast.”

Usually, a live feed from the Creveling Lounge continues even during closed session of the board.

The cameras focus on either the audience or a close-up of the American flag until the board convenes in open session. On Feb. 22, however, the feed was interrupted shortly after 7 p.m.

Mikki Bolliger, a retired faculty member tried to tune in when she found that the broadcast had

Continued on page 9

Continued on page 9

Those inside began chanting; "Let them in!" referring to the those outside who had not been allowed into the building.

Various other chants were shouted out before someone yelled out: "If you support the students stand up!"

Most of the crowd stood up; a few remained seated.

The crowd, led by student Sarah Belknap, proceeded to walk around the board members chanting and reading their list of demands.

This prompted the board members to walk out of the room.

The protesters who had remained Continued on page 9

Public records request exposes staff salaries Details of 2011 gross incomes of all PCC employees were posted on the school’s official website last week after public records requests came from media organizations and the state controller’s office.

The detailed report was prepared in response to two California Public

the financial collapse of the state,” Fellow said. “We are a state that has overspent and now must pay the consequences.”

“Some faculty and students

Telecast omits crucial uproar; Courier has it

Photographs: Natalie Sehn Weber/ Daniel Nerio

NEIL PROTACIO Editor in Chief

Do you think recent class cuts are well managed? vote at pccCourier.com

Live stream of meeting halted at key point

Student activists, right, applaud English instructor Roger Marheine during the Board of Trustees meeting Feb. 22 in Creveling Lounge. Below, Students circling the trustees seats minutes before the board of trustees meeting started.

With protestors outside the Campus Center Building as well as inside the Creveling Lounge for the Board of Trustees meeting February 22, the board members could not avoid listening to the demonstrators' cries and demands.

"Cut the B.S. not the classes," chanted students gathered in the Quad from about 6 p.m. to protest the budget and class cuts during the scheduled board meeting.

The CC Building, where the meeting was being held, had been shut down and evacuated at 4 p.m. Even though Board meetings are open to the public

Speak out!

Records Act requests received from two publishers, California Watch and Bay Area News Group. According to General Counsel Gail Cooper, both entities were seeking employee’s complete compensation information from the last year. The request was sent to all other community colleges as well, Cooper said.

“In addition to the District’s legal obligation to provide the information

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News

Courier

March 1, 2012

Academic Senate members express anger NEIL PROTACIO Editor in Chief

Members of the Academic Senate are angry about new arrangements at its most recent meeting on Monday.

With campus police guarding Room C233, limited seating, and a video camera rolling during the meeting, it was Daniel Haley, librarian and treasurer of the Academic Senate, who broke the silence about the seating arrangements.

“We don’t have enough room for all the senators here,” Haley said to Academic Senate president Edward Martinez. “We have 29 senators.”

Haley then asked who closed

off the meeting and who pulled out the chairs in the room.

Vice President of Administrative Services Rick van Pelt replied that the meeting was structured in a way so that it would be in compliance of fire hazard regulations. The room’s capacity could fit only 34 members.

Still, Senate members were displeased. Jo Buczko of the Student Health Services department was the first to leave.

“I am not comfortable remaining here,” she announced before her departure. “I don’t feel like I have to stay here.”

Haley would follow suit. “The room has been artificially rearranged to hold people out

and they took chairs to make it seem like we have less room,” Haley said. “I don’t know what the current administration is trying to do but it seems like they’re declaring open war on faculty.”

According to Haley, the setup may have been used in order to intimidate and interfere in the process of the Academic Senate, a thought that is also shared by Martha Bonilla, the secretary of the Academic Senate, who also walked out, saying that the administration was taking control of the Senate’s movement by requesting the relocation of their meeting and taking up seats originally meant for Senate members.

“This was inappropriate,”

Bonilla said. “It was an inappropriate use of force and is an attack on the decorum of the senate and most importantly the faculty.”

Roger Marheine, PCC Faculty Association President and member of the Academic Senate, had originally motioned to move the meeting to next Monday in order to accommodate all members of the public.

While members of the board did take a vote to adjourn the meeting, General Counsel Gail Cooper announced later that the vote was inappropriate under the Brown Act. The Senate would have to agendize the rescheduling 72 hours in advance. Marheine left regard-

less.

The meeting was forced to continue, but because there weren’t enough members to constitute a 16-person quorum, the Academic Senate were not able to take vote on action items.

“I have never been to a meeting that was video taped,” Marheine said. “Administrators were sitting in the front row. It was intimidating and inappropriate.”

According to PCC President Mark Rocha, the video recording of the meeting was meant to ensure transparency.

“We want to have everything open, transparent, and recorded so there can’t be any question,” Rocha said.

Week of Welcome lightens up Quad Students treated to food and activities COLIN SUM Staff Writer

Kevin Peraza / Courier The U Building, which still houses many science classes, will eventually be demolished.

U Building still occupied for now BRANDON DREXEL Staff Writer

Due to the uncertainties of the schools budget, The U-Building will remain in use until the temporary classrooms are completed, according to college officials.

The U Building, while said to be still safe, is not up to current seismic standards. "There is a need to replace the U Building,” said Richard Van Pelt, vice president of administrative services, but the college still needs to use the structure, he added.

However, due to the everincreasing budget cuts, finding

the money to replace the U building may be tough. "There is no money set aside for its replacement", Van Pelt said.

The cost to replace the U Building will be about $40 to $50 million, Van Pelt said. “The district is seeking money from the state but it's a long shot,” he said.

The task of replacing the UBuilding would not be a short one either. It will take at least five years to fund, design and construct a new building, he said.

“The initial drawings are in front of the state.” Said David Douglass, dean of the natural

science division.

However, until this happens, classes will be held in the temporary classrooms in lot 5A. "The Science Village is scheduled to be in service for the start of the fall semester,” Van Pelt said.

“My staff is very excited to move into the new facilities”, said Douglass. He also said that he isn’t happy to be working in a building that isn’t up to current seismic code, but he still comes to work.

“We need to get the people out of the building at the earliest possible time," Van Pelt said.

The first week of each semester at PCC includes a warm welcome from the Associated Students as Joseph Garcia, AS vice president for campus affairs and others from AS presented Week of Welcome.

According to Garcia, various events were held during WOW from Feb. 21. The UJIMA Project featured Kabasa African drummers on that day, in honor of African American Heritage month, and hosted a performance by musician Geminelle Rollins on Thursday.

AS provided food, entertainment, and information to students. It held an “open jousting” event, in which two competitors had to knock each other off an inflated platform with inflatable “lances”.

Simon Fraser, chief justice of AS, said that WOW aimed to help educate students.

H&R Block was present and helped with tax funds. AS also provided financial aid, scholarships, and counseling.

“Free food is always nice,” said Jeannie Leslie, 23, environmental science major. She said

Related Pictures / Pages 5 and 9 counseling is a good idea, especially for those new to the campus.

One major concern on students' minds as well as AS are the class cuts. WOW offered a lobby for students to voice their concerns about the budget cuts and a rally for an upcoming event known as “March in March”.

Nicholas Schauer, nursing, felt that WOW went pretty well and many students were interested in the activities planned by AS. Schauer at that time was a volunteer for AS and was part of the lobby on oil tax funds and budget cuts.

He said that many new students were not well informed about the lobby. Schauer was supposed to take 10 units, but due to the cuts, he is currently only taking three units.

Garcia had also voiced his concerns about the class cuts.

He said it was unfortunate for students who had already enrolled in class and was not handled well. “Students already enrolled should have at least been given a week's notice if their class is canceled,” said Garcia. ”But it's still bad.”

R Building first-floor restroom renovation is under way BRENDA RENTERIA Staff Writer

The first floor lobby in the R Building is getting a restroom renovation and expansion which will double the size of the women’s restroom as well as revamp the men’s restroom, officials said.

“In looking at the restrooms on campus, it became apparent that

the R Building restrooms were far below PCC’s standards,” said Richard Van Pelt Vice President of Administrative Services. “The women’s restroom is being moved to the location of the former men’s room, because it has an adjacent space that allows for very significant expansion,” said Van Pelt.

Currently there is no access for students or staff at the south side entrance of the building, but the entrance and elevators of the north side are still accessible.

There are temporary restrooms located south of the R Building.

Project manager, Lori Holzem, reported on the PCC Pulse bulletin that the renovation started Dec.19 and is expected to continue for a few more months, as long as the renovation is kept on schedule. There, however, been some unexpected concerns “In

this case, we had to remove far more asbestos than we originally thought. We had to remove the fire-proofing material because of modern laws and codes,” said Van Pelt.

Measure P, the $150 million bond that was approved in 2002

by Pasadena Area district voters, is funding the renovation. There is enough money to last until its completion, said Van Pelt. The Measure P funds can only be used to repair and renovate our current facilities or to construct a new building to help alleviate overcrowding as stated on the PCC website that states the measure’s guidelines. this case, we had to remove far more asbestos than we originally thought. We had to remove the fire-proofing material because of modern laws and codes,” said Van Pelt.

Measure P, the $150 million bond that was approved in 2002

by Pasadena Area district voters, is funding the renovation. There is enough money to last until its completion, said Van Pelt. The Measure P funds can only be used to repair and renovate our current facilities or to construct a new building to help alleviate overcrowding as stated on the PCC website that states the measure’s guidelines.

The R Building will be getting more upgrades in the future under separate projects. “There will be additional work in the R Building once the Center for the Arts is complete and sections of the building are therefore made vacant,” said Van Pelt. A bid to improve the elevators should be taking place within the next few months to start the preliminary plans for new elevators.

Ronald Johnson / Courier Lobby of the R Building has been undergoing restroom renovation.

News

March 1, 2012

Courier

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Students affected by cuts speak out at emergency Town Hall meeting CICELY CHISHOLM Staff Writer

Ron Johnson / Courier The Center for the Arts construction site viewed from the second floor of the Hutto-Patterson gymnasium looks to be completed by the December deadline.

New arts building progressing MERCY FABILA Staff Writer

Justin Clay / Courier he construction of the Center for the Arts as seen from the top floor of parking lot 4.

Despite the ongoing financial crisis at PCC, construction on the Center for the Arts building is still progressing as planned with the addition of more staff to ensure that the December deadline for completion is met.

Since the dismantling of the T and K buildings in early 2011, a great amount of construction has been occurring on the site, especially in recent weeks.

More sections of the site can be seen even with the fence still surrounding the area.

“The most obvious addition is on the southeast corner of the site with the installation of the steel beams comprising the new Rehearsal Hall,” said Richard

van Pelt, vice president of administrative services.

“Less obvious is the work that has occurred within the ‘basement’ level, with the pouring of the concrete floor.”

Measure P director Jack Schulman said that construction is progressing well with the added staff who continue to work on erecting the 69,000 square-foot building.

“There are between 40 and 50 people working on the site each day,” said Schulman.

There are main objectives that the general contractor is hoping to accomplish in the upcoming months.

According to Schulman, these objectives include pouring the concrete decks, and begin framing the exterior shell.

Students spoke about how last-minute class cuts had affected them at an Associated Student’s Emergency Town Hall meeting on Monday in the Creveling Lounge.

For the first time, members of the Board of Trustees were present and so were campus police, though Chief Justice Simon Fraser reassured students that the AS had declined the offer for police presence.

“First and foremost, [this Town Hall] was to give the students an opportunity to speak out,” said Chris Fennessy, the AS vice president for academic affairs.

“You notice that we have a number of administrators and trustees here. We asked them here to hear the student’s stories and see what students are saying and why they’re saying it.”

According to John Fraser, the AS vice president for external affairs, the entire meeting was recorded and the video will be taken to the March in March in Sacramento to show how the budget cuts have affected individuals in the community college system.

While some students told how the cuts have affected them, others made suggestions about what AS could do to help and encouraged the audience to keep fighting. “As students, it’s our responsibility to be more aggressive and take a stand on what we need.

I want to empower you guys and challenge you guys to demand these classes,” said Brian Travis, biochemistry.

Travis also spoke directly to the administrators in the room, saying that a shirt, jeans, and a simple desk was enough.

When AS was first informed about the section cuts, it immediately began to work.

Fennessey explained that AS formed three teams, each given a specific job.

One group was to figure out what stand to take on the situation, one was to figure out how to help students, and one was to reach out to students to get them involved, including going from class to class to talk to students directly, he said.

Some solutions to the problems were presented to the students gathered at the meeting.

“The creation of the [graduation] fund would [pay for] high demand sections, though it’s not clear on how it’ll work. Some administrators have put money in the fund, and AS made $1000 donation,” said Simon Fraser.

A scholarship from AS, which is aimed toward students who lost classes, is being offered though it isn’t limited to them, said Daniela Rueda, the AS vice president for business affairs.

Spring Forward, a shortened 12-week intersession during the spring semester, is currently being planned out to help displaced students, said Fennessy.

“I wasn’t personally affected, but I know people who were and this is all a good start in the amount of time given,” said Katie Avina, accounting, after the meeting.

AS board members encouraged students who were affected to contact them as soon as possible so they can compile a list to see who needs the aid.

They also stressed the importance of going to meetings, joining committees, being involved, and staying informed.

Opinion

Budget crisis, class cuts no surprise. Sad, but true JESSI ALVA Staff Writer

PCC is in a crisis, a big enough crisis where it leads our administration to cancel 57 classes and not rehire 45 retired professors a week before the spring semester starts. But this should not come to us as a surprise.

For years now officials have been playing with fire, and spending when they shouldn’t have and borrowing where they shouldn’t. The school must sadly make these cuts to continue its service of higher education but those students affected should not be left unsatisfied, nor the teachers.

In a President’s budget message dated January 11, 2011, President Mark Rocha warned that hard times were coming. He asked managers and supervisors to, “review operations to plan how to deliver our services to students in the most costeffective way possible.” In this message

he pretty much warned that the dark days were among us.

That dark day came on February 13th when Rocha announced that 57 courses that had already been planned and scheduled for spring would be cut. Among the list of class that were cut were; five intro to Psychology classes, six art classes, and seven ESL classes. The news didn’t end there; 45 teachers contracts were not renewed for the semester.

Because of the abrupt mid year trigger cuts, a slew of students, teachers and community members of Pasadena gathered together Feb. 22 to protest against the class section and teacher cuts that were announced by Rocha.

The protestors articulated the losses the students have suffered. According to a PCCFA Statement on the educational crisis at PCC, about 3,000 students lost the opportunity continue toward their goals or degrees; some could possibly lose their full time status leading them to lose Pell

Grants and other financial aid; and some students can face losing their international student-visa status.

These conclusions are cold and hard to hear and should be one of the first things to be addressed when coming up with a solution to the budget problems. What will happen to those affected? Will the school provide a priority registration in the future? The answers are slowly reaching the surface.

One thing to consider is that though PCC is hitting the wall financially, our campus is one of the lucky ones. Other community colleges have had to cut their winter and summer sessions due to lack of funds.

As a past student at Glendale Community College, I can say that getting a class there is nearly impossible if one doesn’t have an early registration date.

Many arts programs there have been shortened to a limb if not already cut.

PCC students are lucky to still have

winter and summer sessions although we might have seen the last of them for a while. Many other colleges have also been hit with class and teacher cuts recently, there are a great number of student activities and services that PCC still has that other schools simply have had to cut.

Take advantage while you still have the opportunity. If you think this is going to be the only shock, consider that the school might have to cut $5 million more from next years budget.

If you feel the necessity to be involved, then the time is now. Rocha announced that there will be a budget meeting held in the Circadian every Friday at noon. This is all in attempts to make the budget as transparent to the public as possible. “ We should be proud of ourselves for holding out as long as we have,” said Rocha in a special budget message sent out February 13th. “ If we adapt, we can survive and grow and get better in the service of our students.”

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Courier 2011 JACC General Excellence Award Winner Editor­in­Chief Neil Protacio News Editor Nicholas Zebrowski Asst. News Editor Paul Ochoa Online Editor Galen Patterson­Smith Arts & Entertainment Editor Jessi Alva Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Mary Nurrenbern Opinion Editor F. E. Cornejo Sports Editor Nicholas Saul Asst. Sports Editor Linda Pineda Features Editor Mercy Fabila Asst. Features Editor Cicely Chisholm Photo Editor Gabriela Castillo Chief Photographer Daniel Nerio Online Photo Editor Louis Cheung Scene Editors Buren Smith, Max Perez Student Relations Manager Justin Clay Staff Writers: Ander Arostegui­Aguilar, Antero Barrantes, Brandon Drexel, Jesus Gomez, Tiffany Herrera, Amar Kasapovic, Edwin Lee, Philip McCormick, Michael McGrath, Raymond Pecson, Brenda Renteria, Luis Rodriguez, Karla Sosa, Colin Sum Staff Photographers: David Aguilar, Kevin Balmadrid, Megan Carrillo, Nikki Debbaudy, Minela Dela Cruz, Dustin Earl, Steven Fuel, Antonio Gandara, Ya Ling Hsu, Ronald Johnson, Teresa Mendoza, Kevin Peraza, Sasha Tracy, Blair Wells, Natalie Sehn Weber Faculty Adviser Warren Swil Photography Adviser Tim Berger Advertising Coordinator Anthony Richetts

March 1, 2012

Opinion

Courier

Court decision on Prop. 8 debated Marriage is a religious sacrament, not political issue F. E. CORNEJO Opinion Editor

The battle over the definition of marriage is sweeping the country.

The battle over California’s Proposition 8 is highly complex as many proponents and opponents are still confused over whether the measure grants gay people the right to marry or denys gay people the right to marry. Being “Pro” Proposition 8 means supporting the measure, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, not same-sex couples.

Being “Con” Proposition 8 means supporting the right to marry, for all people including same-sex couples.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional on Feb. 7.

In his written decision, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote “we considered whether the [Proposition 8] amendment violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. We conclude that it does.”

The court had the opportunity, but failed to re-invest and uphold one of the most fundamental provisions in U. S. constitutions; the “wall of separation between church and state” introduced by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Marriage is a religious sacrament and should never have transferred over to the civil/government sector.

Marriage is defined by many religions and Christian denominations as between one man and one woman, but not by all. It is foolish to assume that every person in California is a Christian or even religious.

The resolution of the Proposition 8 issue and the nationwide battle over the definition and legality of any marriage is simple; marriage should be given back to religion and all existing civil “marriages” between a man and a woman or two same-sex people need to be reverted to legal domestic partnership unions. End of problem.

Proposition 8 is a state level extension of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed into law by President Clinton in

1996. DOMA recognizes “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” The law also states that no state will be required to recognize the marriages of another state.

DOMAWatch.org, a site devoted to providing legal information to uphold the tradition of marriage states that “Congress passed DOMA because of a decades-long assault on marriage, and particularly in response to a Hawaii court decision that suggested there is a right to same-sex ‘marriage’ in the Hawaii Constitution.”

Back in California, Protect Marriage is the Christian based group that is the proponent in the Proposition 8 case. On its website the group states that “while gays have the right to their private lives, they do not have the right to redefine marriage for everyone else.” Does anyone?

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the Christian based legal counsel institution that represents Protect Marriage, has a clear

stance. “With God’s grace, ADF and our allies will continue to fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary, to uphold marriage as the union between one man and one woman.”

This past weekend, ADF established National Pray for Marriage Day on Sunday, Feb. 26 and invited the country “to pray for the future of marriage and families in our nation.”

It is the right of any Christian institution to define marriage or any thing else as they see fit for their congregation. However, given that DOMA requires that no state should be required to recognize a marriage from another state, that not everyone in this country is a Christian, and that Jefferson’s “wall” is very clear, why should any civil or state entity be required to recognize a religious sacrament at all?

There should be no legal definition for “marriage” at all.

Legal domestic partnership unions for all people will resolve the multiple issues at hand.

Court made correct decision: it’s unconstitutional MARY NURRENBERN Staff Writer

Does any one group or person have the right to dictate who is allowed to get married?

Religious organizations such as The National Organization for Marriage and Alliance Defense Fund wants the public to believe that same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.On the ADF website it states that the group stands, “to protect the freedoms our forefathers intended” and that it aims to “preserve marriage as being between one man and one woman.”

Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, was declared unconstitutional by the Ninth

VOICES:

Circuit of Appeals on Feb. 7. The court made the right decision.

The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

All men and women are created equal, not just some. What they intended is that every human being be treated the same. The bible simplifies this in Matthew 17: “Do unto others as you would like to be done unto yourself.” Traditional couples wouldn’t want anyone telling them that their love is invalid

and that they can’t be married.

Using children as one of the reasons to preserve traditional marriage, ProtectMarriage.com states, “California’s constitutional marriage amendment exists to provide the optimal environment to ensure the well being of children.”

A quality of life study was conducted by the national Lesbian Longitudinal Family study group.

The study concluded that children in lesbian families do not show differences in quality of life when compared to adolescents reared in heterosexual families and provides insight into positive aspects of mental health of adolescents with lesbian

mothers.

Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa student who spoke to the Iowa House of Representatives on Feb. 3, 2011. His YouTube video has attracted more than sixteen million views.

“I have never been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple,” he said.

“Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character.”

All gay people are asking for, to be allowed to love in the deepest way possible and with the deepest commitment there is, marriage. The Ninth Court Circuit of Appeals did the right thing.

Do you think the class cuts were justified?

The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free­speech forum. Editorial opinions and com­ ments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administra­ tion, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District.

The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writ­ ers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department.

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All rights reserved.

“It’s unreasonable. A lot of people “No. They should find better ways are taking classes hoping to transfer to distribute the funds. and their plans are offset by a year Transferring is hard enough.” or more.”

Christina Cedeno, 20, Nicolas Tomas, 21, Nutrition Graphics Design

“It’s a slap in the face. A lot of people depend on getting their classes. It’s a social contract.”

Brian Travis, 19, Biochemistry

ONLINE POLL RESULTS Online, we asked: Did you think class cuts are justified?

Results as of 2 p.m. Wednesday: 20% Yes 80% No

vote at pccCourier.com

“I’m glad they’re offering the Spring Forward program.

That’s cool.”

Mykesin Willis, 21, Communication

“It’s unjustified. It didn’t affect any of my classes, but I know people who were affected.”

Bijan Bahmani, 27, Social Work

Reporting by: Luis Rodriguez, Photos by: Louis Cheung

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 e­ mail to cornejo_courier@yahoo.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) 585­7130 or via e­mail to protacio_courier@yahoo.com.

March 1, 2012

Back to school

Courier

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Sasha Tracy/Courier Students engage in a back-to-school joust in the quad on Wednesday. The inflatable joust arena was one of many activities during Welcome Week.

Megan Carrillo/Courier The Kabasa Drummers and Dancers, perform before a lunch-time crowd in the quad, Tuesday, the first day of class. The program was sponsored by the Ujima.

Ron Johnson/Courier Students pass the time on their cell phones while waiting to see counselors in the L Building on the Tuesday, the first day of the Spring semester.

Starting Off Strong

Blair Wells/Courier Miles Lake, 24, biology, unlocks his bike outside the D Building on Tuesday. "The bike racks are full now, but deserted by the end of the semester," Miles comments as he leaves for the day.

Sasha Tracy/Courier The stairs next to the PCC bookstore teems with students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday.

Sasha Tracy/Courier Associated Students serves free pizza from its booth in the quad at PCC on Wednesday. It’s members passed out pamphlets along with the food.

Blair Wells/Courier Students wait in line at Student Business Services Office outside the B Building to purchase discount bus passes on Tuesday.

SCENE

Courier

March 1, 2012

Natalie Sehn Weber/Courier Student activists confront a campus police officer on Feb. 22, outside the CC Building. The heated exchange occurred after the officer accused a female protester of assault when she was pushed into her during the demonstration.

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Daniel Nerio/Courier Trustee Robert B. Miller asks students to take their seats after circling the board members during the Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday Feb. 22.

Crisis in education Protests engulf campus over cuts

Natalie Sehn Weber/Courier President Mark Rocha speaks to a group of students in front of the C Building on Feb. 21. The students had gathered to protest the recent elimination of class sections.

Protesters crowd the stairwell of the CC Building on Feb. 22 during the Board of Trustees meeting.

Both campus police and Pasadena police prevented them from storming into the meeting.

Justin Clay/Courier

Justin Clay/Courier Pasadena Police form a line outside of the CC Building to prevent protesters from getting into the Board of Trustees meeting. Only 180 people were allowed in.

Daniel Nerio / Courier Former PCC teacher, Norman Abbey inspects the overhead display detailing the yearly salaries of all PCC employees in the CC Building on Feb. 22. Abbey was one of the forty five teachers protesting the actions of the administration.

Courier

First Week of Semester

March 1, 2012

Blair Wells/Courier Van Hames, 18 Undeclared, gets his student I.D. photo taken outside the wifi lounge in the CC Building at PCC on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012.

It was the freshman's first day on campus.

Blair Wells/Courier Edward Willis, 18, English, and his dogs poke their heads into the PCC bookstore on Friday. Willis paused at the doorway as he waited for a friend.

Megan Carrillo/Courier Sponsored by PCC's Ujima Program, the Kabasa Drummers and Dancers, perform before a lunch-time crowd in the Quad, on Feb. 21, the first day of the Spring semester classes.

Spring Foward PCC community returns for the new semester

Blair Wells/Courier Students peel back layers of flyers in the Quad looking for apartments to rent and deals on text books by the D Building on Tuesday. Many often find good deals on the bulletin boards around campus.

Blair Wells/Courier Danielle Calvillo, 30 Business, scrambles to find open classes on her Ipad on Tuesday.

March 1, 2012

Trustees react to protests Continued from page 1

came to the meeting to peacefully and intelligently deal with the situation to help students and the college, Oothers came to use the meeting with its press coverage for their own agenda,” Fellow added.

Other members of the Board said that they felt threatened after protesters surrounded them.

Trustee Bill Thomson said the protesters were loud and rude. “We encourage people to come and tell their stories and we want to work with them,” Thomson said. “[But] the protests were quite concerning… they were loud, rude and threatening to the board.”

Thomson and other Board members also said that it was disappointing that students came and demanded action, but then left before the board members could speak.

“Interrupting will get you nowhere…we need to work together in a productive way,” Thomson said. “We encourage people to come and tell their stories and we want to work with them.”

Board members were also concerned with rumors of faculty members encouraging students to protest and be disruptive.

Board members became uncomfortable during the heated protests, prompting leading them to leave the room twice.

Live video cuts off abruptly Continued from page 1

“I am someone who watches the Board of Trustees videos regularly,” Bolliger said. “When I tried to watch the video that night, there was nothing there. I know of four people who tried to do the same.”

It is still unknown who ordered the broadcast to be cut.

Board of Trustees President Geoffrey Baum was not quite sure what happened to the live feed of the meeting, but said that broadcasts do shut off.

“The video only captures the meeting in progress,” Baum said in an interview. “If the board goes into a recess, the video would stop.”

A representative of Granicus, the private company based in San Francisco that provides streaming coverage of the meetings, told the Courier that its staff did not have anything to do with the cutting of the broadcast and that only PCC would be able to shut down the feed.

According to Devine, the network’s normal protocol is to shut off their feed for channel 96 when the board goes to recess. The decision to cut off the feed for the online streaming, however, is entirely up to PCC’s staff.

Additional reporting by Nick Zebrowski

Chaos leads to walk outs Continued from page 1

seated asked the ones standing to sit back down so the board members could return.

The standing students then agreed to sit; a few were hesitant.

Finally, they all ended up sitting, bringing the return of the board.

However, later board members would walk out a second time and eventually return.

The usually quick public comment period overshadowed the rest of the items on the agenda, and took up most of the meeting time.

The students had control of the meeting at some points, disobeying orders from board members and continuing to speak when asked to wait their turn.

When Board Vice President John Martin asked the crowd to sit down, he was ignored by the crowd, many of whom continued to chant, "It's not your turn to talk, you have to listen now."

Most of the comments made were aimed at President Mark Rocha and the cutting of classes.

"A president is supposed to be chosen and I never chose you, Mr. Rocha," said student Juan Flores.

After the most of the public comments were done most of the angry protesters left the meeting and the tense atmosphere was all of a sudden peaceful.

Employees income revealed Continued from page 1

worried that their privacy in terms of financial details had been breached.

Corina Santillan, a Piazza cafeteria worker said she didn’t take it personally, but that her income was a “private matter they didn’t have to bring up.”

Matt Henes, a math instructor, was surprised to hear about the publication of data through the news media.

“I’m not happy. I feel we should at least have been notified,” Henes said. “It would have been a lot better with me if I were told first rather than finding out in the Pasadena Sun.” Allegations have arisen, however, claiming that the information was shown to the public on last Wednesday’s board meeting to divide faculty and students in light of recent heated protest.

For more information on these stories, please visit our website at pccCourier.com.

Courier

9

How to get cheaper books CHRISTINE MICHAELS Staff Writer

At the beginning of every semester, students search and fish for the best deals to get on textbooks. But it’s not just the students at PCC who are aiming to get the best deals for their money.

Posters can be found around the campus advertising textbooks for sale as “cheaper than the bookstore.” There is also the bookstore alternative Bookmart across the street from the college on Colorado Boulevard.

According to Leslie Thompson, the manager and 17-year employee of the bookstore, states that while the textbooks available at the Bookstore are slightly expensive, the twenty five percent margin mark-up of textbooks is there to cover the cost of freight-shipping and overhead charges, including collecting and ordering inventory from faculty.

“We work closely with faculty to get a correct count of textbooks we need to buy. It’s a lot of work putting together the list of textbooks we need to buy,” said Thompson.

Students go out of their way to search for the cheapest textbooks, be it e-book versions or Shatford Library.

Access Services Librarian Pearl Ly orders and receives the library’s textbooks. Thanks to the Student Services Fund administered by the Associated Students, the library applies for $20,000 annually to cover the cost of textbooks.

“The average life of a textbook is two years at the library,” Ly said.

While the library exclusively purchases books from the bookstore, it receives a twenty percent mark-down on book purchases. College faculty and staff textbook donations also help with the cost of textbooks.

While looking over 294 pages of textbook inventory, Ly explains that not every college has a textbook collection. Students should take advantage of the library’s abundant textbook resources, she said.

Be it the e-book version available for check-out on the Shatford Library’s website, or requesting a Circulation Textbook Purchase Request form available at the Reference Desk for students who wish to request book purchases for the library.

Students look for books at a lower price at the corner of the R building.

Some students such as physics major Stephen Raynor recommend getting books from online websites such as amazon.com or chegg.com, where students can rent, sell, and buy books.

Ron Duarte, who is starting his tenth semester at PCC, recommends buying textbooks from older students, or looking for the much more affordable international editions of textbooks. “If I don’t need a textbook anymore, and I won’t get a lot of money for it, I might as well give it to another student.”

An international edition of a textbook according to textbooksrus.com, “has the same pagination and contents as the U.S. edition,” but for up to fifty percent cheaper, including shipping. Other websites, such as barnesandnoble.com and collegebookrenter.com offer services such as renting, buying, and selling used books.

Thompson explained that textbook publishers only allow access to U.S. edition textbooks by the bookstore. Faculty must officially adopt a textbook version for the bookstore to order it.

Other options of buying textbooks at a more affordable price are available and used, such as buying wholesale.

“People are always looking for an alternative” Thompson said, but the bookstore “only exists to serve the students.”

10

Arts & Entertainment

Courier

March 1, 2012

Instructors produce short film Courier Staff

On screen, the audience sees a caramel-skinned beauty in her towel, looking for her Lean Cuisine. Behind the camera, however are an amalgam of students, actors, producers, assistant directors, assistant camera operators and sound operators.

They have all managed to squeeze themselves, along with cables, chords, boom microphones and heavy lighting equipment into a studio apartment in Santa Monica to shoot a

scene for the independent film “Isis Dynasty.”

Former PCC cinema Instructor, Fatima Washington takes on multiple roles in this film as director, producer, and lead actress, along with her is coproducer and co-director, Corey Johnson.

“Isis Dynasty” is the story of Isis Angelo, a middle-aged African American writer, giving herself thirty days to “make it” or “break it’’ in the harsh Hollywood world of broken

dreams, after an encounter with a magical black cat and visit from goddess Isis.

Filming of the independent movie took place in the summer of 2010. PCC filmmaking Instructor Lindsey Jang was director of photography for the two day shoot. “I thought of a couple good students of mine that I trusted to know what they were doing, that they would treat this as if it was a real paid set’’, said Jang.

“Part of my mission as a

teacher is to try to encourage people who are not typical powerbrokers in filmmaking to try for it, to go for it!’’ Jang said.

Cinema Instructor Washington says that the project was all about “artist supporting artist” “I know it may sound corny,’’ says Washington proudly, “but I really couldn’t have done it without PCC.’’ Described as an avant-garde dramedy with a docu-feature style, “Isis Dynasty” is to be released sometime in 2012.

Courier Staff A portrait of Fatima Washington

Professor writes ‘Hot Shot’ book ‘My Country is Hockey describes Canidians’ passion for the sport KARLA SOSA Straff Writer

Anthony Richetts / Courier Brian Kennedy, English Instructor and writer of the book "The Country is Hockey," seen in his office on Monday.

If you’re looking for a new book to read this semester on your time off, but still haven’t found a book that has caught your attention, you can stop worrying. There’s a new book in stores now, and was written by an English instructor from PCC .

Instructor Brian P. Kennedy has been teaching at PCC for 15 years. He has a passion for hockey, his two previous books were about this sport.

His third book is titled, “My Country is Hockey.”

The book takes an in depth about Canadians and their passion for Hockey. Hockey plays a huge role in the lives of many Canadians.

Kennedy has several goals with his goals. He wants for his audience to get “Enjoyment, the chance to ponder the place of sports in culture, the meaning of what it is to be a fan, a Canadian,” he said.

It took Kennedy two years to fully complete his

Wifi lounge is a popular spot for students to relax MARY NURRENBERN Staff Writer

Complete your dream.

Students at PCC work hard hours studying, doing lab work and attending classes. However, the Wi-Fi Lounge is their haven and home away from home on campus. It is a place to bond with other students.

The Wi-Fi lounge is a popular place that has an average of at least a hundred people a day, according to Pablo Carreon, Student Affairs Advisor.

The Lounge is open from eight to 10pm but often closes early on Fridays. “The campus police open and close the lounge, so I can’t give an exact time,” said Carreon.

The lounge has computer jacks and loans out computer. There are also events in the lounge.

“Usually movie nights and screenings, which are open to the public for free,” Carreon said. “It

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book. One year was dedicated to research and writing, the following year was dedicated to revising and working with his editor Kathy Van Denderen. The publisher was Argenta Press. You can buy this book through Amazon.com for $18.95.

Kennedy had many inspirations for this book, especially since it was his third book published. His first book “Growing Up Hockey” was a memoir; it was a book for everyone who loved Hockey.

“Living the Hockey Dream” was his sequel, it was based on interviews he did with people that were in the Hockey industry.

Kennedy has published other work he said, “I also write about cars, and I have several academic essays published in books and journals, mostly on contemporary British literature, post-colonial literature, and literary theory. I also co-wrote a book which is a collection of essays called The People and Promise of California (Pearson, 2008).”

Laila Hajjali, a film and television major, doesn’t know that much about hockey, but after hearing about this book would be interested in reading it. Hajjali said, “I’ve always wanted to learn about hockey, this book will give me a better insight.”

is mainly a place for students to relax or get work done,” said Carreon.

“We come to plan events and have fun,” Santi Decunto, Psychology said. He comes to hang out with the members of the Japanese Visual Animation club. He spends an average of four to five hours a day there.

Some of the students complain that the noise is loud but others don’t mind it. No dancing, no food, and no loud music, are officially not allowed. “It is really too loud sometimes,” Natalie Aljamal, Biology said.

The lounge whether noisy or not provides the students a chance to unwind from the hectic weeks they face. “I encourage students to frequent the lounge,”Decunto said. “A lot of my friends come here, it gives me a chance to relax,”said Jessica Benefield, performing arts.

March 1, 2012

Courier

Swimmer Liu is top athlete at invitational EDWIN LEE Staff Writer

Lancer Cario Liu ended the weekend’s invitational as the men’s top swimmer with a total of 81 points.

PCC attended the 27th Annual Mt. San Antonio College Swim Invitation, which was on Feb. 24th & 25th. Twenty City Colleges came together for the first scoring invitational of the season.

Liu bested Mt. SAC’s Taylor Kneisley by one point.

Giselle Mendieta took eleventh place in points for the female swimmers. The men’s team finished ninth and the woman’s team eleventh.

Head Coach Terry Stoddard was pleased with the results and said: “We had too many second places and couldn’t finish on some races.”

Stoddard plans to continue to focus on the fundamentals with upcoming South Coast Conference meet against Chaffey

and El Camino College on Friday March 2nd.

Liu pulled away with a win in the men’s 1650-yard freestyle by 0.30 seconds from Palomar College’s Misaki Onoue.

After the race, out of breath, Liu said “it was a pretty tough race.”

Liu also placed second in the men’s 400yard individual medley and third in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Henry Chung from Ventura College pulled away from Lancers Stephen To by 0.26 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly.

To also was edged away again in the 200-yard butterfly by 0.93 seconds to get second place in both events.

Mendieta of the women’s team had a strong performance taking first place in the woman’s 200-yard breaststroke and third and fourth in the 100- and 50-yard breaststroke respectively.

Mikela Velasquez had a tough event in the woman’s 100-yard freestyle where she placed fifth.

Women’s softball loses on the road Los Angeles Harbor hands the Lancers their first conference loss of the season BRENDA RENTERIA Staff Writer

The Lancers softball team took a hard loss against Los Angeles Harbor College on Tuesday, losing 11-3. PCC had just come off a two-game winning streak in the South Coast Conference before the loss making its record 5-8 and 2-1 in the SCC. “I felt very confident going into our game versus LA Harbor. We have been playing well, and we’re coming into the game 2-0 in conference, so I had no doubts in my mind that we would be successful,” said Coach Brittany Williams.

PCC had a great start with the first batter Brittany Skoien doubling and then advancing to third inning after an error by the right fielder in the first inning. Skoien would later score the only run for the Lancers in the first inning inning.

“Brittany Skoien had a particularly great game,” said Coach Williams. “She had been struggling a bit offensively, and

because of extenuating circumstances, she had to play the infield and lead off. She handled it incredibly well, starting the game off with a triple and she also played very well defensively,” said Coach Williams.

The Lancers tried their best to score but only scored in three of the six innings while the Seahawks scored in every inning except the fifth.

The only other runs we scored by Elizabeth Luna after being walked in the top of the third and in the fifth after Maddy Gianoli singled.

“We did not execute our game plan as well as we are capable of. Had we been more aggressive, the outcome would have been different, said Coach Williams.

“Offensively, we could have attacked strikes more often, instead of letting the pitcher get ahead of us. Defensively, we needed to take care of the ball a little bit better,” said Coach Williams.

The Seahawks, who are 5-5 and 1-2 in SCC, have been a tough competitor for the Lancers in the past, and they wasted no time in showing that this year was no different. The Seahawks scored three runs in the first inning before doing most of their damage in the fourth inning where they scored another four runs.

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11

COUR IER

March 1, 2012

SPORTS

Women’s basketball wins one for the books The Lancer’s miracle win will be a comeback forever etched in PCC sports history.

AMAR KASAPOVIC Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team overcame a big deficit to rally back and beat Antelope Valley College. In a comeback that will be talked about for ages.

According to Robert Lewis, sports information specialist, the women’s basketball team did something this past Wednesday night, Feb. 27th, that will put them in the record books for years to come.

With 10 minutes left in the game, freshmen guard Stella Ghazarian, took over the game and started hitting big shots for the Lancers.

Ghazarian scored the next 4 shots, hitting on two consecutive lay ups and two three pointers to cut the lead to 53-52 with seven minutes left in the game.

The teams exchanged buckets at the end of the game, until Tiffany Thompson scored on a shot to give PCC its first lead with two minutes remaining in the game.

With 30 seconds left in the game AVC was leading the Lancers 65-64 before

Ghazarian hit a huge bucket for the Lancers which ended up being the game winning shot.

Peron remained optimistic during the game “I never lost hope. That’s something we’ve learned to do,” said Peron “The last thing that my team sees before they leave out of our team room everyday is the words ‘Don’t Ever Give Up’.”

The women’s basketball team overcame a 25 point deficit to the 18th ranked AVC on Wednesday, leaving the opposing team in complete shock.

The Lancers had a sluggish start, scoring only three points in the first 10 minutes of the game and seeing themselves down 28-3.

The team was out of sync for the first half of the game, playing with no competitive fire and energy, missing lay ups and wide open jump shots outside of the key.

The Lancers then cut the deficit down to 15, trailing Antelope Valley 37-22 at half time.

The team came out in the second half to play a little better, trailing AVC 52-42 with about 10 minutes to go in the game.

In the locker room after the game, coach Joe Peron congratulated his team on the exciting victory, “They were elated.”

Peron said. “I congratulated them, pointed out some great things they did during the game and said to take tomorrow off.”

Megan Carrillo / Courier Lancer all-state guard Marquetta Stokes drives past an Antelope Valley defender in a game that would prove to be one of PCCs greatest playoff victories.

Softball team blown out by conference rival PHILIP MCCORMICK Staff Writer

The Lancers softball team record dropped to 5-9 as its opponent Mt. San Antonio College came out slugging in the first few innings in the two teams first meeting Feb. 23. The final score was 10-4.

The Lancers came on strong at the end, but it was too little too late. “We didn’t start [the game]

with a fight,” said Brittany Williams, who is in her first season as head coach.

The game didn’t start off all too well for the Lancers, as Mt. SAC came out scoring one runner in the first inning and then another six in the second inning.

The third inning wasn’t a good inning for the Lancers either, as Mt. SAC added another three runs to its lead off of a homerun.

“They are a really good team,”

said Williams, adding that Mt. SAC was one of the better teams in the league.

A bright spot in the game was when the Lancers changed pitchers to Kayla Moore. She came in to close out the third inning, getting two batters to pop-out and one to strike-out.

The Lancer team members huddled up and shouted “Yes we can!” as they came back in the fourth with a new fire burn-

ing within them. Moore took out the Mt. SAC batters one, two, three, and in the bottom of the fourth, the Lancers scored three runs.

The Lancers scored in the fifth inning off of a wild pitch, but couldn’t get anything else going.

Moore allowed one earned run to score in the sixth inning off a homerun, but other than that, pitched a strong game.

“She is our ace,” said Maddy

Gianoli, who played the shortstop position against Mt. SAC. “[Moore] hadn’t been playing that well recently, but today she looked like the player we all know her to be.”

“We need to come out every game and start with the same fire that we ended this game with,” said Coach Williams. “If we start with that fight in us, we’ll be winning a lot more games.”

Baseball adds another game to loss column MICHAEL MCGRATH Staff Writer

Nikki Debbaudt / Courier Freshman Phillip Jovanovic fields a loose ball in the Lancer’s 11-3 loss to Grossmont.

The Lancer baseball team stumbled in an 11-3 loss against Grossmont College, Thursday at Brookside Junior Field.

With baseball’s conference games right around the corner, PCC’s baseball team is still struggling to fire on all cylinders, which consist of offense, defense, and pitching.

However, Head Coach Evan O’Meara believes this is “The most talented team in my eight years of coaching…”

The Lancers (2-8) struggled early on against Grossmont College Gryphon’s (4-6), while pitcher Brett Smith (1-2) gave up four runs by the end of the third inning.

In the third inning PCC gave up four hits, two of which were

doubles hit first by Wesley Wallace and then Braden Peters, giving Grossmont an early lead.

The defense for Lancers also had problems while spectators noticed the lack of communication between players, resulting in two unforced errors and seven steals by the Gryphon’s.

PCC finally started playing with a purpose by getting their first run in the seventh inning and adding two more in the ninth.

Brandon Spicer was the catalyst for PCC offense, getting on base 2 times and scoring both times.

“Right now our defense and offense do not seem to be on the same page,” said Matt Chavez, first basemen majoring in sociology.

“And that was the case for the Grossmont game.”

Nikki Debbaudt / Courier Freshmen Phillip Jovanovic and Spencer Stute sit out in the dugout as the team struggles to make runs against Grossmont College.

O’Meara said he has seen the team play brilliantly in their offense, defense and pitching, but all at separate times.

O’Meara used the Glendale game played on February 18th,

in which the Lancers won 5-4, as an example how well the team could perform. “If the team can put all three together at the same time…they will win a lot of baseball games.” Omera said.