TORCHES Welding class is so metal Page 10» Volume 107, Issue 11
COURIER Pasadena City College
The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
Online edition pccCourier.com Facebook PCC Courier Twitter @pccCourier April 25, 2013
Winter term a hot topic again
Record breakers
‘13-14 calendar with winter up for consideration by committees ANTHONY RICHETTS Online Editor
Antonio Gandara / Courier Stephen To repeats as butterfly champion at the South Coast Conference Championships over the weekend. The swim team broke a dozen school records on their way to the most successful swim meet in school history. Story / Page 12
Academic senate has no confidence NICHOLAS SAUL Editor-in-Chief
The Academic Senate overwhelmingly approved a vote of no confidence in President Mark Rocha and his administration. The final tally was 23 in favor of the vote, with none against, and only one abstention. “President Mark Rocha, the president-superintendent, has repeatedly violated the regulations and spirit of shared governance,” the senate resolution reads. “The Academic Senate of Pasadena City College has no confidence in President Mark Rocha to maintain a healthy shared governance system, implement major changes responsibly,
John Novak / Courier The academic senate raise their hands in approval of the no confidence item.
or provide effective leadership to the campus community, and/or communicate accurately to the Board the recommendations of the Academic Senate
and the input of the campus community.” Rocha immediately responded to the vote, expressing his disappointment but assuring faculty that it will not have a negative impact on campus collegiality. "While I am disappointed in the Senate's action, I will rise in the morning to work with a renewed commitment to move the college forward into a bright future," Rocha said in an official statement. "Nothing will change the high regard and profound respect I hold for every single faculty member at PCC." This marks the second official vote of no confidence in President Rocha's
Bribery scandal set for trial NICHOLAS SAUL Editor-in-Chief
The bribery scandal involving two high ranking school officials that rocked the campus last summer will finally be going to trial. Richard van Pelt, the former vice president of administrative services and former Facilities Supervisor Alfred Hutchings were fired after the school found out that they were being investigated by the District Attorney’s office for “conflicts of interest.” After months of hearings, the trial was finally set for Oct. 15. In the complaint filed July 26 in Los Angeles Superior Court, LED Global LLC and its two principals Robert Das and Saila Smith accused van Pelt and Hutchings of a host of illicit requests on top of a solicitation of bribes. According to the complaints, van Pelt and Hutchings had offered LED Global a “purchase agreement” to the tune of $5 million for energy-efficient lighting after the company agreed to numerous
requests, including expensive travel for van Pelt and Hutchings to Mumbai for a factory site visit. “During the course of making arrangements for the factory site visit to Mumbai, Hutchings and van Pelt began to make unusual and expensive requests,” the court document says. The requests included business class travel, accommodation at five star hotels (the Four Seasons in Mumbai), an excursion to the Taj Mahal, more than $2,000 worth of Cuban Cigars, and the demand for prostitutes, which, LED Global denies providing. Van Pelt and Hutchings also allegedly requested they be paid $250,000 in commission for the contract they made with PCC, and after introducing LED Global to other community colleges, “to be personally paid by [LED Global] a 5 percent commission on the value of any contract entered into between LED Global and any other college in the State of California.” These commissions were to be paid to an off-shore bank account, according to Continued on page 10
Winter intersession will again become a major issue on campus as the PCC Calendar Committee has, with large majority, approved a 2013-14 calendar including a winter intersession that is now making its way up to the Board of Trustees for final approval. Eighteen of the 20 members voted to send the proposed calendar to the Academic Senate, where the Senate voted unanimously to approve it. It now currently waits for the College Council’s approval before being presented to the board. The College Council meeting scheduled for April 24 was cancelled. The action to approve/deny the proposed calender with winter was on the agenda for that cancelled meeting. Philip Ricards, a member of the Calendar Committee, felt the old system was the way to go, and he disagrees with the board’s decision to eliminate winter. “We wanted to change the calendar back to the way it was before, to its proven and effective system that we’ve had since 2004,” Ricards said in an interview. “The effects of having a winter intersession have been well documented, and the board should have seen the difficulties that come with removing it.” Another committee member, Matthew Henes, explained that the possibility of not having a winter intersession did arise during the committee’s meetings. “When we made the decision [to include winter] it was relatively easy to make,” Henes said in an interview. “On the agenda for the last few meetings we’ve had a calendar with winter and a calendar without it. In meetings where [committee cochair] Robert Bell was present, we would discuss a calendar without winter, when he wasn’t present, we were working on a calendar that includes it.”
Continued on page 8
Continued on page 9
Courier adviser is still in limbo NICHOLAS SAUL Editor-in-Chief
No one knows who will be advising the Courier this upcoming fall semester. Last month, the Courier’s adviser, Warren Swil, was put on paid administrative leave after an official complaint citing “employee misconduct” was made against him. “We are not actively looking for an adviser for the fall,” Bob Bell, senior vice president and assistant superintendent, said in an interview on Tuesday. “We haven’t even begun that process.” Because the complaint was and remains confidential, rumors swirled that Swil was placed on administrative leave as punishment for what the Courier had been publishing. Just two days prior to Swil being escorted off campus, President Mark Rocha openly chastised the Courier, and made it clear that he had a problem with its coverage. However, the individual who filed the complaint against Swil confirmed with the Courier that he did make a formal complaint against him, but did not go into detail about it. The complainant wishes to
Lissett Matos / Courier Warren Swil outside of the newsroom.
remain anonymous, and referred the reporter to his lawyer, Kevin Rehwald, who also declined to comment. School officials say they won’t begin the search for a new adviser until the outcome of the independent investigation, something they admit can take weeks or months to conclude. “While there is no specific time limit, it is common practice for an employee placed on administrative leave to remain in said status until such time that the matContinued on page 11
2
News
Courier
April 25, 2013
Associated Students Election Results Students For Progress sweep election for fourth consecutive year BENJAMIN SIMPSON Staff Writer
More than 1,100 students voted during this years Associated Students elections held on April 16 and 17, an increase from last year, according to Scott Thayer, assistant dean of student affairs. Simon Fraser continues his work in public service as he moves from his current position as AS president to student trustee, beating out Snefuru Hines, 733 to 324. John Fraser, who is currently working as the vice president of external affairs, won the presidency over Robert Gordon with 732 to 383. The chief justice position was won by Peter Torres with 661 votes, over Elizabeth Garcia who gained 274 and Paul Ingram-Birkeland who picked up 189. Torres is currently vice president of public relations. Austin Kank won for vice president for business affairs with 763 votes over Charles Camacho with 339. Nick Alderete won for vice president for external affairs with 660 votes to Erick Peraza's 437. Marison Salcedo won for vice president for internal affairs with 742 votes to Valerie Roque's 330. Irene Lee won for vice president for public relations with 729 votes over Alexys Carter who received 355. Alyssa Nunez won for vice president for sustainability with 729 votes over Dorcas Llorico who received 366. There were four offices with students running unopposed. Each candidate
Mary Nurrenburn/Courier The AS board debated over impeachment measures during a meeting on April 17. The meeting had to be moved from its usual room in CC 212 to the Creveling Lounge due to the high number of people in attendance.
received more yes votes than no votes and each was voted into office. Vice President of Academic Affairs: Eric Bustamente. Vice President for Campus Activities: David Zepeda. Vice President for Cultural Diversity: Auriana Duffy, Vice President for Student Services: Miranda Alvarado. The Election Commission certified the results at 12:50 p.m. on April 18, 2013.
The election was not without controversy. At the April 17 AS meeting, a motion to impeach was brought against John Fraser and Nick Alderete separately. Both had made comments on Facebook that some board members considered inappropriate. The AS voted not to impeach John Fraser for quoting a philosophical comment on genocide. After a lengthly debate, Alderete put
forward -and the AS accepted- his resignation for his comments about the standing Chief Justice Diego Lopez. “There were a lot of questions [about Facebook],” said Thayer at the Election Commission meeting, “and I think we will have to follow up on that down the road. I did not hear of people doing things that were against our election process.”
Upcoming Events Thursday, April 25 Mary Nurrenbern /Courier The Alexis Soto Quartet performs at the PCC Career Tech Showcase on the steps of the C Building on April 18.
Showcase bridges high schoolers to certificates MADISON MIRANDA Staff Writer
The CTE Career Tech Showcase was an attempt to bridge the gap between high school and college, and to inform incoming students of the certificate programs available at PCC. Nine high school senior classes attended the all-day event on Thursday. The event started with a speech from Dr. Robert Bell, senior vice president of PCC, in the Sexson Auditorium. The students took tours of the certificate programs on campus and passed through the job fair that was taking place in the Creveling Lounge. "There [were] two different events, but they were intertwined," said Nicole Ayers, college assistant. She helped coordinate the showcase, which was a separate event that was linked with the job fair. This was the first year the events were held together, according to Ayers.
"We tried to collaborate [with the job fair] to save resources," said Lynell Wiggins, CTE transitions counselor and coordinator of the showcase. "My purpose is to help high school students get into Career Tech Ed pathways at PCC," said Wiggins. The event was a way for students to plan to take certificate programs while still working to transfer from PCC. "The goal is to help them narrow their options," said Wiggins. Red and white clothed tables surrounded the mirror pools for the lunch that was provided to the high school students. Water bottles were handed out to help alleviate some of the sweltering heat as the sun beat down on the lunch tables. The Alexis Soto Jazz Quartet created a fun atmosphere as they played on the steps of the C Building as the students ate their lunches. As the bells finished chiming,
signaling that it was 1 p.m., President Mark Rocha addressed the gathered high schoolers. "We are absolutely thrilled to death to have you here," he said. Rocha spoke about building partnerships and creating a bridge between high school and college. "If you come here, I promise we will take care of you." "The career fair is a great new event that strengthens the partnership between high schools and PCC," said Rocha. Juan Muro and Charlene Pham, seniors from Arroyo High School, enjoyed the event. They each found certificate programs that they wanted to look into. "The one that caught my interest was the dentist [program]," said Muro. He is considering joining the dentist certificate program while still taking transfer classes. Muro plans on being an accounting major when he comes to PCC. "It's a nice campus," he said.
Brass Ensembles Concert– 6 p.m. Jameson Theater UCLA Day– Transfer advisement. 10 a.m. Quad CSU Northridge Rep. visit– Transfer advisement. 10 a.m. Transfer Center L110 CSU Los Angeles Rep. visit– Transfer advisement. 10 a.m. Transfer Center L110 Syracuse University Rep. visit– Transfer advisement. 1p.m. Transfer Center L110 Budget and resource allocation standing committee meeting. 3:30 p.m. C217 PCC Foundation– Finance and Investment Committee. 3:30 p.m. C217 Zooey’s Perfect Wedding by Matthew Lopez. 8 p.m. Little Theater C106. General admission is $10 and $5 admission for students, seniors and staff. WARNING: FOR ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. The play contains profanity and sexually explicit language.* Friday, April 26 Emerson College Rep. visit– Transfer advisement. Noon, Quad African Drumming and Dancing Concert 8 p.m. Harbeson Hall Classical Guitar Vosloh Forum in UU building. General admission is $5 and $3 admission for students, seniors and staff.* Gospel Choir 8 p.m., Sexson Auditorium. General admission is $5 and $3 admission for students, seniors and staff.* Zooey’s Perfect Wedding by Matthew Lopez. 8 p.m., Little Theater C106. General admission is $10 and $5 admission for students, seniors and staff.*
Saturday, April 27 Orchestra Concerto concert. Concert will feature first place competition winner. General admission is $5 and $3 admission for students, seniors and staff.* Sunday, April 28 Chamber Ensembles. 3 p.m., Harbeson Hall. Spring Choral Recital directed by Donald Brinegar. 7 p.m., Harbeson Hall. General admission is $5 and $3 admission for students, seniors and staff.* Monday, April 29 Mt. St. Mary’s University Rep. visit–Transfer advisement. 9 a.m., Quad Tuesday, April 30 CSU Los Angeles Rep. Visit– Transfer advisement. 10 a.m., L110 University of Phoenix Rep. Visit–Transfer advisement. 10:30 a.m., Quad UC Santa Cruz Rep. Visit–Transfer advisement. 10:30 a.m., Transfer Center L110 National University Rep. Visit–Transfer Advisement. Noon, Transfer Center L110 Wednesday, May 1 Women’s Badminton in Southern California Championships. 3 p.m., San Diego City College Board of Trustees Meeting–6 p.m., Creveling Lounge *Tickets are sold at the door only. - Compiled by Vivian Meza
News
April 25, 2013
Courier
3
Jackie Robinson honored at ‘42’ premiere ADAM MITCHELL Staff Writer
Members of the Robinson family, PCC alumni, students and staff and many Pasadena residents gathered at the Arclight theater to celebrate the life of Jackie Robinson and to watch a premiere of the film “42.” Delano Robinson, the wife of the late Mack Robinson, was the special guest and she arrived sporting the warm-up jacket worn by Jackie in his playing days with the Dodgers. It was a light-hearted event filled with fond memories of possibly the most famous PCC Alum. With a small brass band of PCC musicians playing tunes like “Take me out to the ball game,” it was a fitting welcome to the premiere of the movie about Robinson’s struggles to break the color barrier in major professional sports. Memorabilia filled the lobby of the theater, and Robinson’s presence could be felt immediately upon arrival. That is similar to the way assistant baseball coach David Walters feels every time his team takes the field named after Robinson. “Absolutely [we feel his] presence, we play at his field. It’s hard to have that lost on the guys.” Robinson attended PCC from 1937 to 1939, and during that time he played and lettered in four different sports. The film, made by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, focused on Robinson’s years with the Brooklyn Dodgers. While with the Dodgers, Robinson became a revered player and managed to break down barriers across
Ronald Johnson / Courier Delano Robinson, (wife of Jackie Robinson's brother Mack), chats with the baseball team after a pre-game ceremony honoring Jackie Robinson and dedicating his jersey and the famed number 42, Feb. 28, 2012. Brittni Hamleton (front center), grand daughter of Delano Robinson looks on.
more than just Ebbet’s Field. The Dodgers official team historian Mark Langill was in attendance. He spoke to the crowd about what Robinson meant to the Dodger organization. “This is a movie about a great man who just happened to play baseball,” said Langrill.
Langill went on to say that Robinson’s life was more than just baseball. He put his life on the line and what happened behind the scenes was the most important part of his journey. In Langrill’s eyes there was no better season than the Brooklyn Dodgers’ of 1947 when Jackie
Robinson changed the world. It was a morning of celebration. Old friends gathered to watch a film about a man that meant so much not only to this college and the community but to this entire country.
TEDxPCC event to headline in 2013 fall term SHELLY MALDONADO Staff Writer TEDx, an event that is planned and coordinated independently on a community-bycommunity basis, will be coming to the PCC campus and will feature speakers from several different facets of the world this coming fall. The event is being hosted by the TEDxPCC club on campus and is expected to attract about a thousand attendees. While TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is known for the conferences held on a global level, TEDx is known for holding events at the local level to fulfill TED’s
mission, “ideas worth spreading.” After being inspired by attending other TEDx conferences, organizers of the campus event developed the theme, “Expanding Horizons of Understanding,” which is based on the idea that all individuals have a shared experience. “Behind our theme is the idea that we are the sum of our human experiences and sometimes the problems we have in this world is the lack of understanding between people,” said Eric Espinosa, organizer of the event. “Once we start to share our experiences and show who we
are as people to each other, we then expand our horizons of understanding. Once we do that, we grow as individuals.” For Renee Shaw, co-organizer of the event, TEDxPCC is an opportunity to showcase what the PCC student body is capable of doing. “We are some of the few students who are doing an event of this size,” said Shaw. “That is one of the beautiful things that PCC has to offer to the TED community. It can show that anyone can have these ideas, it’s just a matter of commitment and creativity.” While organizers are unable to the reveal names of any speakers participating in the
event, they are looking to get some well-known individuals. “Everything is definitely in the planning process, but we are looking to have some pretty headline names,” said Espinosa. “We are hitting musicians, entrepreneurs, leading scientists, poets, people in the entertainment industry, environmentalists, people from all facets of the world.” Because this is an event run solely by students, John Wood, adviser for the club, sees it as an opportunity to gain realworld experience. “It’s not just people putting on an event, it’s a learning opportunity for students that is rich, and taking on some-
thing this challenging.” Wood said. “This large of a project is the kind of thing that you learn mammoth amounts from.” TEDxPCC, which has been in the works since January, is expected to take place in early November in the Sexson Auditorium and will be a daylong event. Event organizers are preparing to keep attendees entertained from the main events taking place throughout the day to everything else in between. “We want to bring a worldclass conference to a worldclass college,” Espinosa said.
Smoking fines to be considered PAUL OCHOA Staff Writer
Campus Health and Safety Committee is considering enforcing the no smoking policy by fining scofflaws. Photo Illustration by Concepcion Gonzalez / Courier
The Health and Safety Committee is moving toward citing students caught smoking outside designated areas with monetary fines. “The first fine would be $25, the second $50 and the third $75. We’re going to charge everybody the same thing. Students would be charged the same as employees and visitors,” said Jo Ann Buczko, coordinator of student health services and Health and Safety Committee member. Buczko says that the reason for the delay in monetary fines was concern with a change in working conditions. “Two union groups expressed concern at the College Council that changing the smoking policy enforcement procedures may be a “change in working conditions,” said Buczko. According to Campus Police Chief Don Yoder, the smoking policy has not changed yet and the current smoking
policy stands as is with no monetary fines being given and students just being directed to smoking areas. “We don’t have the authority to cite right now [but] we encourage everybody to smoke in the designated area,” said Yoder. The policy has to be approved by the shared governance process before the school implements it as an official policy. Mike Shamilia, undeclared, does not agree with fining students because of the bad designated smoking area locations. “There’s not enough smoking areas and the smoking areas they have are not good areas,” said Shamilia. Noel Moreno, undeclared, is for fining students because he feels that they are still given the right to smoke. “I’m for it. They’re not taking away the right to smoke, they’re just saying smoke within the [designated] areas,” said Moreno.
4
Courier 2012 JACC General Excellence Award Winner EditorinChief Nicholas Saul News Editor Christine Michaels Assist. News Editor Teresa Mendoza Online Editor Anthony Richetts Assist. Online Editor Madison Miranda Opinion Editor Emily Chang ‐ Chien Assist. Opinion Editor Raymond Bernal Arts & Entertainment Editor Paul Ochoa Assist. Arts & Entertainment Editor Vivian Meza Features Editor Luis Rodriguez Assist. Features Editor Shelly Maldonado Sports Editor Jonathan Biles Photo Editor Buren Smith Assist. Photo Editor Matthew Chan Chief Photographer Justin Clay Online Photo Editor Antonio Gandara Assist. Online Photo Editor John Novak Scene Editor Concepcion Gonzalez Staff Writers: Tiffany Herrera, Philip McCormick, Adam Mitchell, Tiffany Roesler, Andrew Salmi, Benjamin Simpson, Karla Sosa
April 25, 2013
Opinion
Courier
The Iron Lady: friend or foe? By: Raymond Bernal, Assistant Opinion Editor
Thatcher’s policies restored Britain Prime minister did irreparable damage
“Ding dong the witch is dead,” many of her detractors sang. But, like it or not Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a grocer’s daughter, rose to prominence and became one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century, and Great Britain owes her a big thank you! In the years before Thatcher’s first election, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said to President Gerald Ford, “Britain is a tragedy: they have sunk to begging, borrowing, and stealing,“ said Kissinger. Thatcher took office in 1979 just after the infamous Winter of Discontent in which the country was mired in daily disruptive union strikes, never ending recession, inflation at 18 percent, high unemployment and failing schools according to Scheherazade Rehman, professor of international finance at George Washington University, in an article from U.S. News and World Report. Thatcher’s ideology, known as Thatcherism, consisted of core beliefs in small government, privatization, free trade, respon-
sible public services and military pride. Thatcher began her premiership by breaking the debilitating hold trade unions had on the country whose militant leaders had paralyzed the economy with crippling strikes. If one needs a physical reminder of the successful free trade policies under Thatcher, Canary Wharf is a very good example, said Charles Moore, the author of Margaret Thatcher’s authorized biography. “Before she came along they were dilapidated docks. But, new financial skyscrapers now dominate these docks, considered to be the Wall Street of London,” said Moore. The Iron Lady never walked away from a fight. When Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, she stated her rationale for war. “You simply do not take what does not belong to you," Thatcher said. And because of her “iron” will in just a matter of weeks, Britain won the war. Thatcher along with her ideological American cousin, Ronald Reagan, “The two of them worked so well together that they
VOICES:
soon made the stagnation and malaise of the 1970s seem like a distant memory for both their respective nations,” said Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation. “By standing up to communism, they broke the back of the Soviet Union and brought the Cold War to an end without, as they say, firing a shot,” said Gardiner. Thatcher was convinced that liberal policies just didn’t work. “Socialism governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people’s money,” said Thatcher. Whether one calls her The Iron Lady or Thatcher the Milk Snatcher, the stubborn facts of Thatcherism — which liberals conveniently seem to forget — speak for themselves. How many more Winters of Discontent would the British people have had to endure if not for Thatcher’s policies? Love her or loathe her, there’s no denying Thatcher restored Great Britain’s international prestige and brought her beloved country from the brink of financial collapse.
“Ding dong the witch is dead,” the British people sang and they did so with good reason. The witch in this case is late former Prime Minister Marga-ret Thatcher. No political figure in recent British history generated such deep hatred than Thatcher has. To the blue-collar British worker, Thatcherism became a synonym for breaking the back of hard working people. She once referred to them and their organizations as “the enemy within.” Thatcher's thuggish union busting methods became the norm throughout the country, all to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. Older generations are still crippled by her heartless policies. Thatcherism allowed discontent to fester for year after year, not just for one winter. “After 11 years in power, government spending was still high and the rate of economic
growth during the 1980s was little better than during the 1970s," said David Cannadine of The New York Times. “She negotiated the transfer of Hong Kong to China and opposed the reunification of Germany.” British Prime Minister David Cameron had to apologize in 2009 for Thatcher’s 1988 Section 28 law, which banned local authorities from portraying homosexuality in a positive light. “I’m sorry for Section 28. We got it wrong,” said Cameron in an article by Andrew Pierce with the Telegraph. “Thatcher was an extraordinary woman, but she was extraordinary for the wrong reasons. So many of her policies were wrong and heartless,” said human rights activists Peter Tatchell of SDGLN.com. Those who refuse to rewrite history and remember the Thatcher years should join the British people and singa-long: “Ding dong the witch is dead.”
How should the Boston Marathon bombings suspect be dealt with?
Staff Photographers: Jordan Harris, Teresa Mendoza, Caitlin KellyThompson, Lissett Matos, Mary Nurrenbern, Benjamin Simpson Faculty Adviser Mikki Bolliger Photography Adviser Rachel Fermi Advertising Coordinator Anthony Richetts
"Keep him in jail." Kimberly Ixtlahuac, criminal justice
"[The suspect] should get the death penalty because they killed innocent people." Elena Aguilar, audiology
"He should get a fair trial. Even though he did a terrible thing, he does have rights." Sebastian Edinger, undecided
"Hopefully they will give him the punishment that is suitable for what [the bombers] did." Vincent Sarnell, French
"Get down to the nitty-gritty and find out why he did it.” Averie-Alice Guzman, kinesiology
"He should be charged with the death penalty. ... He caused a lot of trauma and chaos and destruction." Yasmin Romero, undecided
“They should be given a fair trial even though one of them is already dead. They shouldn’t get off the hook.” Joo Young, film
“They should go to jail. They get what they deserve” Noel Moreno, undeclared
“Let them get violated in prison so they could learn something.” Qarnard Dixon, music
“They should be [tried] like any other person because he’s a suspect.” John Dorusinec, science
The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free‐speech 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. Phone: (626) 585‐7130 Fax: (626) 585‐7971 Advertising: (626) 585‐7979 pccCourierAds@yahoo.com Office: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., CC‐208 Pasadena, CA 91106‐3215 The first copy of the Courier is free. Additional copies are $1 each © Copyright 2013 Courier. All rights reserved.
Reporting by: Tiffany Herrera, Vivian Meza Photos by: Lissett Matos, Concepcion Gonzalez
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 changchien_courier@yahoo.com.
Corrections The Courier staff endeavors to ensure accuracy in all aspects of its report‐ ing. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at (626) 585‐7130 or via e‐mail to saul.nicholas@yahoo.com.
Opinion
April 25, 2013
Courier
5
Concepcion Gonzalez / Courier
Problems arise en route to extended spring No winter results in registration troubles TIFFANY ROESLER Staff Writer
The Board of Trustees tossed out a much-needed winter intersession in August 2012 and replaced it with a trimester system. The college’s spring and summer sessions have had to change names and fake official starting dates in order to fool CSU and UC admissions. The results? Chaos and a calendar that has yet to prove itself successful. Angry students rightfully became impatient after waiting hours in line to enroll in classes for Extended Spring in the April 8 Black Monday madness. Frightened registration clerks fled their posts after feeling threatened and all the administration could do was attempt to reassure that this, too, shall pass. 26,000 students would have been able to compete for classes on Lancerlink in a more organized fashion, but the lack of priority registration overloaded the antiquated system. At a rate of 2 million hits per hour, Lancerlink failed. “My first problem was that there was no priority for [registra-
tion] when it’s supposed to be used for people who need to get out and need to transfer,” said Brandon Grainger, a criminal justice student who took part in the hectic registration process. Students missed classes, work, and wasted time all because PCC’s administration would rather run a college like a company. In a press conference held March 26, President Mark Rocha insisted that not having a winter intersession was better for students because starting and stopping the school year is a handicap to students, especially those who are on the remedial level of English and math. The most significant improvement – and the apparent primary benefit of the cancellation of winter – is the increase of persistence, he said. “A big stoppage in the calendar doesn’t help,” said Rocha. “The longer gap you have in the calendar, the more students you lose from fall and spring.” However, because of the complicated calendar situation, students who couldn’t get Extended Spring classes or never planned
on taking any classes after spring will roughly have a four-month break with no classes. At an emergency meeting held the same day Extended Spring registration opened, Senior Vice President Robert Bell said that because spring semester was still underway, Lancerlink’s outdated system would not allow for priority registration to be done a second time during the same semester. “I was told we couldn’t schedule a second priority registration period. We did seek that out,” he said. If there had been a winter session, spring and summer would have begun in Feb. and June like normal. Priority registration wouldn’t have been a problem to begin with. The registration fiasco could have been avoided if the calendar had been left alone. The Board and administrators tried to fix something that was never broken. Until change occurs and trust in the administration can be rebuilt, students are reduced to threatening registration clerks and fleeing an institution that they all thought was focused on student success.
Lancerlink computer system crash was not a surprise ANDREW SALMI Staff Writer
After encountering the first day of registration chaos on April 8 for Extended Spring, countless students were left confused, angry and without classes after they were not able to access online registration services. Many students immediately rushed to line up at the Student Services Center to try and manually register for Extended Spring classes, completely up in arms and outraged after being reassured by registration clerks that they needed to continue trying to log in to Lancerlink. Although there was no priority registration for Extended Spring, this disaster shouldn't be incredibly surprising to students. With the overwhelming demand for classes by students, the seemingly ancient Lancerlink registration system could not handle the number of students trying to access the website at once.
With so many students caught off guard by the system crash, frustration and impatience mounted toward registration clerks on campus and administration members. But should all the anger have been directed at these workers? It seems that most of their advice was simply ignored in the heat of the moment. A large number of people were unaware that since the current spring semester was still in session, the Lancerlink system would not allow priority registration to be used twice. Having trouble getting classes at PCC due to overcrowding and demand for classes is unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary, even with priority registration for returning students. With that in mind, the repeated threats toward registration clerks in the Student Services Center only added to the chaos and made the registration process more difficult for all people involved.
Best of the Web
Comments recently posted to stories published online The following comments are in response to “Academic Senate has no confidence in President Rocha” “This vote was long in coming, but kudos to our AS representatives for taking this step. Will it be the final straw? Virtually everyone on campus has concluded that Rocha must go, and his cronies must go with him. It is the
only hope for the future of a onceproud community college. How long can the Board of Trustees remain blind and deaf to this?” Faculty member “Okay, so you don’t like the way the Board is running the school. My first question is why did you (i.e. the voters) elect these people to the Board in the last city election, and my second question
is how are you going to make this Board or the next Board reinstate Winter Intersession?” Bear Stearns The following comments are in response to “Crash in registration system leads to free-for-all admissions chaos” “If anyone doubted the incompetence of Rocha and his adminis-
tration before this, all doubt should be removed after today.” Sam “When you run a college like a business, the students pay the price.” Eye See
“Calling the campus security guards WAS a wonderful move. They are true professionals.” Gaylord Snicklefritz Visit pccCourier.com and post a comment to one of the online Coruier stories. Make your voice heard!
The following comment is in response to “Registration clerks flee posts after facing threats”
Equal recognition in same-sex marriage should be national TIFFANY ROESLER Staff Writer
Same-sex marriage debates have enthralled the nation, but a further question remains: should the decision to lift same-sex marriage bans be left for states to decide? The constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage was approved months after California's Supreme Court had ruled that gays and lesbians had the right to marry in 2008. A state’s decision had overpowered a federal one in the state of California.
The state-by-state approach has been long, dry, and ineffective with less than one-third of states allowing same-sex marriage. The federal government, nationwide, should determine same-sex marriage rights, not the states. A nationwide approach would allow the freedom for all members of the LGBTQ community to marry however, wherever and whenever they choose to do so. This issue has been a heated debate in the courts ever since 2008. Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut,
Washington, and the District of Columbia have allowed same sex marriages. On Dec. 7, 2012, the U.S. Supreme court jumped into the debate of same-sex marriage by agreeing to hear two cases, California’s Hollingsworth vs. Perry, No. 12-144 and New York’s U.S. vs. Windsor, No. 12-307, that challenge state and federal laws that define marriage and its benefits to include only unions of a man and a woman, as in the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 (DOMA). According to gaymarriage.procon.org, “Gay marriage is protect-
ed by the Constitution's commitments to liberty and equality. The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1974’s Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the “freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the due process clause.” US District Judge Vaughn Walker wrote on Aug. 4, 2010 that Proposition 8 in California banning gay marriage was “unconstitutional under both the due process and equal protection clauses.’” Even President Obama seemed
to push for a nationwide approach to the whole matter. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,” Obama said in his inaugural speech. “For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” The whole debate has the Supreme Court quickly and deeply involved. It should follow suit to make the decision to lift the ban off the entire country.
SCENE
Courier
April 25, 2013
Michaela Ann Escarcega, winner for Best Actress in the film “Awakening” on the red carpet in the WiFi lounge at the after party.
7
Flair for film Photos by Benjamin Simpson Courier staff photographer
The R Building movie theater was packed to capacity for the 72 Hour Film Scholarship Awards Thursday, April 11. All entrants had three days to write, film and edit the film shorts, before uploading them to YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSexyEvent/videos After screening the 15 movies, Director Moses Navarro walked away with the first place trophy and $1,000 for the movie “Home.” The second place/audience choice award was won by the film with the most “Thumbs Up” on YouTube, it was “Kyle Foster,” directed by Angelo Domingo ($750). The third place trophy went to “Mi Vida” directed by Jan Kirby Penafiel ($500). Gabriel Rousset won best actor for “Kyle Foster” ($250) and Michaela Ann Escarcega won best actress for “Awakening” ($250). After the awards, the participants walked the red carpet into the after party in the WiFi lounge. The event was coordinated by Andrew Bott, Associated Students vice president of business affairs. All entrants had Canon 7Ds, sound and lighting equipment rented for them.
Dave Bedrosian accepts an award for the film “Kyle Foster.
Zain Chagany, left, president of the Lancer Film Club hands an award to Lionce Haggerty, script writer for “Kyle Foster”.
AS President Simon Fraser, steps over from the Drag Show, announces the winner for the 72 Hour Film Scholarship.
Andrew Bott, coordinator of the 72 Hour Film Scholarship.
Contestants watch movies at the after party.
The cast and crew of the first place winning film “Home” on the red carpet in the WiFi lounge during the after party
Director Angelo Domingo accepts the award for the second place film “Kyle Foster.”
8
Features
Courier
Jazz band makes the joint jump PAUL OCHOA Staff Writer
Squeal, pop, crash! Were the sounds coming from the Vosloh Forum on April 19 as the Lancer Jazz Big Band and Commercial Music Ensemble took the stage. The Commercial Music Ensemble turned the stage into an arena, opening up the show with an exciting version of the "Sesame Street Theme". The Lancer Jazz Big Band brought the audience into a lounge setting (musically), opening its set with "Basically Blues", a song written by Phil Wilson and made famous by Buddy Rich. Jose Ortiz, trumpet player with the Lancer Jazz Big Band was pleased with the performance. "It went very well, we never know what to expect," said Ortiz. On choosing the set list for the show Andrea Wilkerson, director of the Lancer Jazz Big Band, chose songs that went with the performers' personality. "I just try to find music that fits the personality of the students," said Wilkerson.
April 25, 2013
Dancers make first impressions
Kyle Luck, director of the Commercial Ensemble went about choosing his set list with variety in mind. "I looked for some variety of songs. I want them to enjoy playing," said Luck. James Pedroza, undeclared, felt it hard to contain himself in his seat during the performance. "I was really impressed. I didn't know we had that kind of talent. It was hard to contain myself in my seat," said Pedroza. One of the highlights from the performance was "My Kind of Town" which was performed by the Lancer Jazz Big Band and featured vocalist Chris Wing, who sang with a rich robust voice reminiscent of Frank Sinatra. Another was "Stardust" which featured special guest Steve Wilkerson on tenor saxophone. Amanda Gonzalez, nursing, enjoyed Wilkerson's and the students' playing. "It was fantastic. I very much liked Steve Wilkerson; he was smoking it, and the students did a really good job," said Gonzalez.
Concepcion Gonzalez / Courier Students from the PCC Dance Department perform “Tortured Soul”, an interpretive dance about famous impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, as part of the Dance Department’s production “Homage: Memories, Inspirations, Tributes.” playing in the Sexson Auditorium on April 19.
Academic Senate passes no confidence vote in president Continued from page 1
administration. The Associated Students Executive Board unanimously approved of a no confidence vote and censure of the president and his administration in February. Similarly, an ad-hoc faculty committee conducted a faculty-wide survey where 92% of those that participated voted in favor of a no confidence vote. The Board of Trustees has been stalwart in their support of Rocha throughout the seemingly campus-wide dissatisfaction of his administration. "We see the Senate's action today as hasty and premature before all the facts are in," Board of Trustees President John Martin said in an official district statement. "The Board wishes to reiterate its unequivocal and unanimous support for the SuperintendentPresident and his administration."
Debra Wood, a chemistry professor, felt the vote was rushed. "I am disappointed that the "No Confidence" vote was conducted in haste, before the Academic Senate had adequate time to assess whether a clear majority of all the faculty was in favor of the resolution," she said in an email. Melissa Michelson, an English instructor and the senator that spearheaded and drafted the no confidence resolution, was adamant in the timeliness of the vote. "I feel that it was the right thing to do at this moment in time for PCC's Academic Senate, and it was the result of a lot of collaboration and collegiality with fellowfaculty," she said. The senate made most of their last meeting of the semester. They also voted to approve of a '13-14 calendar that would include a winter session. The no confidence resolution will be presented to the board of trustees at the May 1 meeting.
John Novak / Courier Danny Hamman debates why the Academic Senate should vote no confidence in PCC President Mark Rocha, while Senator Rod Foster listens at the Academic Senate meeting on April 15 in the Circadian.
Features
April 25, 2013
Courier
9
Language clubs unite for evening Cultures meet on campus to express diversity LUIS RODRIGUEZ Features Editor
Languages from around the globe could be heard as students and faculty gathered in the Circadian on April 18 for a night of cultural interaction known as “Cultural Encounters.” Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Japanese, Bengali and German were all represented and participated to some degree. The gathering was the first of its kind. Carlos Herrera, club president of Le Circle Français French Club, said “We were trying to bring everything together because languages have a lot of similarities to each other,” said Herrera. “They all have influences from each other.” Herrera wanted to bring people together to hear and listen
to languages. Even though they may not understand, they could recognize the sentiments being said. “You might not understand but you have it in you to hear what other people feel when they don’t speak your language and you don’t speak theirs.” The highlight of the night came when members of the audience got out of their seats and participated in a “Tarantella Napoletana,” a traditional Italian folk dance where people link arms and move quickly around the room. As the music quickened in tempo the line of people kept up. Herrera joked that everyone who participated was now an Italian citizen. Lydia Summerville, ESL, heard about the event in her Spanish class and now plans on taking up French at some point. “I’m in a Spanish class, and I heard there would be food and entertainment,” said Summerville. “I think it went really well. I love seeing cultures coming together. If I learn another language it would probably be
French. I was understanding it to the point where I could say ‘I guess they’re saying this.’” Michele Pedrini, language instructor, was all smiles at the end of the night as she munched on cheese and crackers. “To have all the different language groups represented and come together was a great idea,” said Pedrini. “We have catering from Portos, which is Cuban food,” said Herrera. “We have a lot of French pastries and salads with Italian influences. We also have a lot of different cheeses, crackers and grapes which is traditionally very very French.” Some of the members in attendance were indeed international students like Yasmin Rehman. “I’m from Switzerland, so my mother tongue is German. I moved to the United States and my husband is over here and I decided to go to school,” said Yasmin Rehman. At the end of the night there were no croissants or biscotti in sight as people both literally and figuratively took in a little culture.
Drag-a-licious
Mary Nurrenbern / Courier George Ramirez (left) and Carlos Herrera, French club president performs at the Cultural Encounters event April 18 in the Circadian. The evening consisted of music, poetry and food of various cultures.
French recital shows off music community CHRISTINE MICHAELS Staff Writer
Benjamin Simpson/Courier Contestants line up at the end of the Drag Show with presenter Gail Force in Creveling Lounge on April 11. The Drag Show was put on by the Associated Students to engender cultural and sexual diversity on campus.
Winter intersession still a hot topic Continued from page 1
One of the student members of the committee, Anna Torres representing the Associated Student, believes that the calendar will make it through the legislative process. “This calendar does have a chance to be approved because it’s going through the shared governance process. It’s the voice of many constituent groups on campus, and it’s really come from the bottom up,” said Torres “The board will hopefully see that this is what the college as a whole wants, not just the students.” Attempts to
reach committee Co-Chair Robert Bell before deadline were unsuccessful. Along with presenting the proposed calendar, the Calendar Committee released a document stating pedagogical reasons for reinstating winter. Reasons included that PCC’s top competing colleges in transfers to UC and CSU schools all offer winter intersessions, and that without a winter intersession, students will have a harder time transferring to those schools. However this is not entirely true. According to records from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s website, the
top four schools in transfers to the UC system in California for the 2011-12 year are Santa Monica College, De Anza College, Diablo Valley College, and PCC. While Santa Monica and De Anza, the top two schools in transfers, have winter intersessions on their 201314 calendars, PCC and Diablo Valley College currently do not offer winter. The proposed 2013-14 calendar is currently making its way through the legislative process. Its next stop is to be debated by the College Council. Should it be approved, it will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its meeting on May 1.
While the performances were not the best ever heard in Harbeson Hall over the last year, people left the “Vive le France!” piano ensemble and accompanying recital with pep in their steps. There was a strong sense of community both on and off stage among the students who performed together. And as piano director Phillip Young said, music connects people. “Fraternity, equality and unity,” said Young. “We try to create musical relationships, fraternity. We create a sense of equality when different musicians play together, equality. And unity, we create music into the mind, through the emotions of someone who is not you. It’s not really about playing. We are serving as a voice of the composer.” If there were one performance that held all three of Young’s cornerstones to musicianship, it would be the one by pianist Sally Emilia and clarinet player Carlos Herrera’s piece by French composer Andre Messager’s “Solo de Concours.” Both musicians played their instruments with such skill, giving the audience a sense of being in the streets of Paris. Herrera’s trills and transitions on the clarinet flowed effortlessly with Emilia’s strong crescendos and decrescendos on the piano. The most memorable moment of their performance to many was Herrera’s heartfelt solo, where one felt each note
move through the crowd wave after wave, until suddenly, Emilia’s notes on the piano weaved right back into the song. Herrera believed their hard work was showcased on stage. “It’s part of what we do as music majors,” Herrera said. “Performing was just as fun as rehearsing. It’s always a great pleasure.” Emilia found performing with a different instrument musician fun, but also a challenge. “It’s different than playing with someone else on a piano,” she said. “With another instrument, you have to match their color and tone.” Members of the audience, including Mikki Huacuja, a mother of piano student Anthony Huacuja, was delighted to see the students perform together. “We’re proud Anthony is joining music at PCC,” she said with a smile. “His instructors are great, and the music program here is fabulous.” For Huacuja, who performed a rendition of French composer Desidre-Emile Inghelbrecht’s “La Nursery” excerpts “Dansez Bamboula” and “Am Stram Gram,” with other pianist Michelle Liao, the experience with others is what made performing so important to him. “The relationships you build here, are because of the music,” he said. “It’s the music that makes the connection. You don’t have to be a music major to build a connection through music with others.”
10
April 25, 2013
Courier
Welders forge career path with torches TERESA MENDOZA Staff Writer
The welding shop in the IT building is undeniably a safetyglasses zone, filled with metallic sounds and a friendly atmosphere. Metal hammering, fans humming, and torches echoing in the shop don’t cause headaches because they have a rhythm and aren’t constant. Students wear leather jackets that were once bright yellow, but sweat and metal dust have stained them black. In the 10-unit class students practice for the L.A. city certification test, which is the toughest in the world according to Alan Armstrong, professor of Engineering and Technology. Using a metal plate that has slag, leftover metal from the welding rod, Armstrong points out that the slag could cause the weld to fail. In the American Welding Society certification, this type of drip could be ground off, but in the L.A. city test the use of power tools is not allowed, so it would have to be hammered or chiseled out. “Welding is the key in repairing stuff yourself. You are able to build anything you want,” said Joe Gonzales, the teacher assistant. Having passed his certification test in stick welding, Gonzales is now learning a new process called FCAW (flux core arc welding) as part of his goal to join the Ironworkers Union Local 433 whose members build skylines and bridges. “I want to be that. I want to do that for a living.” The shop is divided into sections with individual workstations for the different types of welding. Students learn TIG, ARC, MIG and steel cutting torch processes under the expert guidance of Armstrong. “Like anything in welding, how do you get good? Well, you practice and you practice and you practice,” said Armstrong. When people ask Gonzales what the welding class is like, he tells them that they would have to be OK with getting burned, dealing with heat, heavy objects as well as “being sore and in pain and [willing to] do it again.” For Meilliona Truong, welding major, specializing in TIG process (tungsten inert gas), the training is an opportunity to work in a small shop in a near future. “Originally I was taking [the
class] for an art major to work with metal sculptures. I ended up liking it a lot and [welding] seems to be more stable than the art field,” she said. The class averages three women out of 22 students. Some of the female students take the class to supplement their curriculum as architecture majors, whereas others go on to apply the skills they’ve learned in the field. “One of my students got accepted into the main ironworkers union. She is a high structural steel welder,” said Armstrong. “She even tattooed the number of her union on her forearm Local 433.” In the back, inside individual bays with orange curtains that filter some of the hazardous gases, students work on stick welding, which is used in heavy construction. Armstrong says the spaces remind him of the old time language labs because everyone has his/her own little cubicle. “Don’t stop, keep on welding, we have some observers here!” Armstrong shouts over the noise at one of the students working on vertical weld. As he walks through each process, he repeatedly takes breaks from the interview and instructs his students while they work. Behind protective goggles, Doug Guerra who is inside a less noisy and cleaner cubicle, demonstrates TIG process used for welding aluminum and titanium. TIG welding utilizes an electric torch that melts the metal and the rod is added by hand— a process that doesn’t create smoke. “TIG involves great precision work and is used for aerospace and bicycle frames,” said Armstrong. “It takes much greater operator skill.” Guerra practices welding some tubing, creating a small structure that resembles an art piece. “I saw frame builders using TIG to weld bikes together and ever since then I’ve been hooked,” said Guerra. He is practicing to better his skills and gain experience working in a bike building shop. “My ultimate goal is opening my own shop making custom bicycle frames,” added Guerra. Armstrong explains that welders are used heavily in construction, and belonging to a union is a commonly desired goal. Despite the fact the industry
Joe Gonzales lets sparks fly as he uses the cutting torch in the welding lab which is part of the Industrial Technologies building.
Below: Joe Gonzales (left), teacher assistant, watches over Juan Hernandez as he performs MIG welding on a miniature table in the welding lab in room IT137
John Novak / Courier
is slow at the moment, a lot of small subcontractors for Aerospace still need welders. One of Armstrong’s students got into the pipe fitters union, while a couple students went
on to work on the subway tunnel for Metro Rail. Another student went into the pile drivers’ union building docks and piers. Others got work in small shops doing fabrication and
manufacturing. “It is a tight job market. I think that’s the case for every area, but it’s a skill that you can take with you,” said Armstrong.
Bribery case scandal has trial date set for October Continued from page 1
the lawsuit. Van Pelt and Hutchings filed a cross-complaint against LED Global in which they claim “[LED Global] conspired and agreed among themselves that if they did not receive the substantial lighting contract with Pasadena City College, they would instead accuse [van Pelt and Hutchings]
of alleged wrongdoing and would seek substantial damages against [van Pelt and Hutchings] to compensation for the lost contract money.” This cross-complaint was thrown out on Jan. 10. The judge ruled that the entirety of their cross-complaint be dropped due to anti-SLAPP motions and complaint objections. SLAPP is a state law pre-
venting frivolous lawsuits designed to discourage individuals for participating in matters of public importance. Lastly, Hutchings has filed another suit against the district, the president and the school’s legal counsel claiming wrongful termination, defamation, and sexual harassment. That lawsuit is still in the preliminary hearing stages.
April 25, 2013
Courier
11
Column
Sports help in healing process JONATHAN BILES Sports Editor
The flags are still at half-staff. Both suspects in the horrific Boston Marathon bombing and ensuing firefights with police have been either killed or captured. The city that had been held in a state of terror could finally exhale. The victims could be mourned, the first responders and law enforcement could be celebrated and the citizens of one of America’s most historic cities could finally leave their homes without fear. Boston isn’t back to normal yet, but it will be. And its healing started with sports. In the days after an attack like the bombing of the Boston Marathon, the city’s sporting events were cancelled. A city that prides itself in its heritage also is obnoxiously proud of its sports teams. The threat of another attack prompted a Celtics basketball game and a Bruins hockey game to be postponed. These terrorists had taken innocent lives as well as the sense of security and normalcy on which Americans should be able to rely. Sports can even unite bitter rivals. Last week, the New York Yankees plastered the Boston Red Sox’ logo on their Bronx big screen beside the words “United We Stand” and sang the Sox’ most iconic theme song, Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” On Saturday, the Boston Red Sox finally returned to their city. The Red Sox are the second-oldest professional sports tradition
in Boston, after the Marathon. The Red Sox won, of course. The team held a pregame ceremony honoring the victims of the attack, the first responders and law enforcement officers who were involved with the initial bombing and the manhunt that followed. The ceremony was completed with a speech from longtime Red Sox first baseman, David Ortiz. “This jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say ‘Red Sox,’ it says ‘Boston,’” Ortiz – who is from the Dominican Republic – said before the game. “This is our [expletive] city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.” Sports in America have always been there as a needed distraction from tragedy: the New Orleans Saints playing for the first time in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, The Mets playing in New York City after 9/11, and the University of Alabama football team after the deadly tornadoes of April 27, 2011. Sports are trivial. They don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. I even had a journalism professor tell me that sports don’t belong on the front page of a newspaper. But no matter how inconsequential sports may seem, they are crucial for many Americans to feel normal again, especially in a sports-crazed city like Boston. Boston isn’t the first city to rebound from a tragedy, and unfortunately it won’t be the last. But what united a city in need of something joyous was its sports teams.
Teresa Mendoza/Courier Lancer Katelyn Thordarson, short stop, slides safely into first base during the South Coast Conference game against Mt. SAC, on April 18 at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA.
Softball crushes L.A. Harbor in last game TIFFANY ROESLER Staff Writer
Losing the final game of the season was not an option for the women’s softball team. Six straight losses did not impede PCC’s ability to grab a lastchance victory against L.A. Harbor on Tuesday. The Lancers swept the Seahawks 10-0 in five innings and finished off the season 15-25 overall and 7-14 in the South Coast Conference. L.A. Harbor fell to 10-24 overall and 3-18 in conference. “It felt amazing. I’m so glad we got to end on such a high note and go out with a win,” said sophomore outfielder Ashley Shaneberger. In the first inning alone, the Lancers had six runs and five hits. Freshman pitcher Cierra
Newton batted 3-for-3, totaled three RBIs and had one run. Freshman third basemen Audrey Serna went 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs. “We definitely played as a team and kept our energy up the entire game,” said Shaneberger. Last week, PCC fell victim to an aggressive Mt. SAC offense on April 18 as the Mounties scored 16 runs, six of which were homers. The game was called after five innings due to the 8point mercy rule. Freshman left fielder Jazmin Hernandez had one hit and one RBI. Sophomore first baseman Natalie Ficocelli and Thordarson picked up one hit a piece. “We were not our usual selves at the plate,” said Head Coach Brittany Williams. “There were some bright spots, but not
enough to overcome the deficit.” The undefeated Mounties didn’t ease off offensively, while the Lancers struggled at the plate. Three team errors also hindered PCC. “Unfortunately, we did not come to play against Mt. SAC defensively,” said Williams. “We made too many mistakes to stay in the game.” The Lancers finished off the season in the fifth place in conference. Ficocelli is moving on from PCC. She committed to continue her career at William Penn University next year, according to Williams. “This whole season has totally been a rollercoaster but through the good and the bad we stuck it out and made the best of it that we could,” said Shaneberger.˚
Adviser probe underway Continued from page 1
matter is resolved,” said Terri Hampton, executive director of human resources. The interim adviser, Mikki Bolliger, has already said that she won’t be back for the fall semester. Throughout this Swil saga, the issue of privacy was a hot topic as it pertained to the confidentiality of a complaint and the Courier’s rights as a first amendment newspaper. Multiple news organizations reported that placing Swil on leave was retaliation and an effort to censor the paper, an assertion vehemently rejected by the administration saying that confidentiality policies kept them from discussing the matter. “There are strict legal requirements for confidentiality during an investigation of a complaint against any District employee,” Bell said in a statement. “It would be an invasion of Professor Swil’s privacy, and that of the complainant, to publish details of the allegations in order to let the college community know this has absolutely
nothing to do with retaliation.” Still, the administration’s fervent compliance with confidentiality has been called into question. General Counsel Gail Cooper has stated publicly that she told the PCC Faculty Association President Roger Marheine of the specific details of the complaint. “I personally informed [Marheine] of the allegation against Mr. Swil the same day that Mr. Swil was placed on paid administrative leave,” Cooper said in response to an article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Swil also questioned the school’s privacy ethics on Facebook after the Pasadena Weekly published a confidential hiring committee information about him that was found on the school’s website. “I was alerted by a faculty colleague who has served on many hiring committees that this document is confidential. She did some research and so did I. We could not find a similar document about any other faculty member on the internet,” Swil said on Facebook.
Have your AA Degree? eg ee e You Y ou o Can Attend Law School. You Y ou o can attend Trinity Trinity Law School upon completion Degree. of your Associates Degr ee. Go straight to law school. money,, and get a gr great eat education with Save time, save money FREE!* unlimited opportunities. Apply today FREE !*
*Application fee waiver code: JCA213 morre information: www For more www.tls.edu .tls.edu
COUR IER
April 25, 2013
SPORTS
Swim team has historic conference meet VIVIAN MEZA Staff Writer
The Pasadena swim team broke 12 records and one of the swimmers gets named Swimmer of Year at the Southern Coast Conference Championship this past weekend at Chaffey College, which qualifies swimmers for the state championships. Two of the men swimmers, Michael Chioto and Stephen To, qualified for state championships as well. Even though ranking fifth place in women’s events and sixth in men’s, PCC won about half of the events held at the championship meet and received a total of 10 gold medals. “I am proud of the work the team put in. [The team] didn’t let the nerves get in the way,” said Coach Terry Stoddard. Among the gold medals, Shannon Cheung, freshman, took home three individual gold medals. Cheung did not only
earn gold medals but she was also named the SCC swimmer of the year. On the men’s team, Michael Chioto and Stephen To swam hard enough to qualify in the upcoming CCAAA State Championships. “ I feel very accomplished and very good about [the results] because I dropped a lot of time in them. I’m happy to make state times with that,” said Chioto. In the women’s swim, Erolyn Bashman, freshman, was satisfied with the results in the SCC. “I think we did really well. We all swam the races we wanted and how we wanted to swim in it. It was really exiting,” she said. Paige Watroba, sophomore, believes that dedication was the key for the team’s success. “[The swimmers] were not competing for conference but they are competing for state too. To get ready for conference and then have to do it all over again in those same events is a big deal. And it takes
Shannon Cheung moments before taking the gold in the Women’s 200yard, setting a new South Coast Conference record. She won three individual gold medals and was named SCC swimmer of the year. Antonio Gandara / Courier
a lot of dedication, which I think that we all have this year,” she said. “It was fun. I am happy with
the results. I am humbled and grateful,” said Coach Terry Stoddard. The Lancers will continue their
journey at the CCCAA State Championships this weekend, April 25 to 27, at East Los Angeles College.
Badminton tied for first place in conference BENJAMIN SIMPSON Staff Writer
Benjamin Simpson/Courier Alejandra Palacios playing in a singles match against ELAC on April 19. The Lancers fell to the Huskies by a score of 10-11.
The Lancers Badminton team lost to its South Coast Conference rivals, East Los Angeles College 10-11 at East L.A. on Friday April 19. With the loss, PCC is now unofficially tied with ELAC for first place in the conference. PCC’s record is 7-2 and ELAC’s record is 9-2. The reason for Pasadena’s two fewer conference games is that two games with ECC Compton Center were cancelled and still need to be played. The Lancers have one scheduled game and two make-up games against ECC Compton Center to finish the season. In the previous game against ECC Compton Center, Pasadena won 19-2. If Pasadena wins all three games, it will finish the season with a 10-2 record. ELAC has one game left to play against El Camino. ELAC beat El Camino in its first three games with a combined score of 47-7. If ELAC wins its last game they will
finish the season with a 10-2 record. Only one team from the conference will move on to the SoCal Championships. If two teams are tied at the end of the season, the winner will be decided on the number of points won when those two teams played each other. PCC and ELAC have a 2-2 record against each other this season. But Pasadena won 47 of the 84 points available in the four games, with ELAC winning 37 points. If PCC and ELAC were to end the season tied, PCC would move on to the SoCal Championships. At the match on Friday, the two teams were evenly matched. Both teams won six of the 12 singles games. With Angie Ortiz and Shaghag Avadisian winning both of their games. But Pasadena won only two of the five doubles games, with Ortiz and Alice Liew winning both their games. It was the last game of the day, a doubles match between
Avadisian and Alyssa Boyt of Pasadena and Shirley Su and Suki Kwan for East L.A. that filled the gym with tension. The winners of the game would win the match. Avadisian and Boyt ended up losing the match, and afterward, Avadisian spoke of the pressure of playing the final game of the day. “I did OK on my singles; I won my two matches, but in doubles I could have done better. But there was too much pressure on me,” said Avadisian. “I think if the pressure was off I would have done better.” Coach Bill Sanchez said after the game, “The kids competed well; they played hard. East LA has a little bit more experience; we don’t have a lot of experience right now. They all got nervous, that’s what you are supposed to do the first time you go through this thing. Hopefully we will learn a bunch from it and carry some of this momentum into the state if we can get in.”
Baseball continues free fall, swept by ECC Compton ANDREW SALMI Staff Writer
Pasadena’s prolonged losing streak in the South Coast Conference continued last week as they were swept by El Camino-Compton Center in three games. They lost 11-3 in Compton on April 16, 8-3 playing host at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field on April 18 and were then shut out 8-0 in Compton on April 20.
In the first game, the Lancers gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning to fall into an early hole. However, PCC got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when sophomore first baseman David Halstead hit a homerun to right field, which was his second homerun of the season. Halstead had two of the Lancers four hits on the day, as he also smacked a triple off the center field wall.
“The triple was probably the best ball I’ve hit all year,” said Halstead. “But on the homerun the wind helped carry the ball over the right field fence.” The second game of the series, despite the 8-3 loss, marked the first time since March 16 that the Lancers had more than 10 hits in a game, with RBI’s from freshman catcher Corey Richards and sophomore shortstop Josh Clark. Standouts who had multiple hits on the day
were freshman left fielder Kori Grant, sophomore second baseman Tyler Dominguez and freshman right fielder Phillip Perez. On April 18, sophomore starting pitcher Evan Stransky had his toughest outing of the season, getting pulled after 3 1/3 innings of work. Stransky, who has been very consistent on the mound this season despite not getting much run support from his offense, was roughed up for seven runs while walking
four batters. “That was my worst outing of the season,” said Stransky. “I just didn’t feel well out there and the speed of my pitches has dropped recently.” The Lancers struggled mightily on defense during the series as well, tallying 11 errors in three games against ECCC.. With their final three games of the season coming up, the Lancers hope to end their brutal season on a positive note.