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UPCOMING EVENTS Club Officer Training • 12:30 p.m., Jan. 28 @ SU-204 ‘High Tech=High-Pay’ Seminar • 10 a.m., Feb. 1 @ Women’s Museum, San Diego
BASEBALL
“Botanical Records Breaker” Lecture• 10 a.m. @ NS-139
2013 championship winners return for another season on Feb. 1• Page 7
Blood Drive • 9 a.m. Feb. 6, @ Escondido Center Parking Lot
the telescope Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper
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Vol. 67, No. 9 • Monday, January 27, 2014
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1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos, Calif.
WHAT’S INSIDE
The new Teaching and Learning Center opened on the San Marcos campus this semester • Page 3
Palomar College students wait to return to class as campus police arrive to investigate a fire in the men’s restroom the incident on Jan. 15.• Ralph Chapoco/The Telescope
Arsonist targets men’s restrooms The Enlightened Lens Photo Exibit featured student submitted art • Page 4
See how a Telescope writer feels about under 21 music venues • Page 6
CLIFF IRELAND THE TELESCOPE
Palomar College Police Department (PCPD) increased patrol around campus after five fires occurred during the first two weeks of the spring semester. All being started in bathrooms, the fires occurred over the course of five different days in four different buildings on the main campus in San Marcos. Although the increase of patrol in and around bathrooms started after the third fire, campus police were clearly visible in the MD building as patrols were on every floor of the building with one officer driving a Segway throughout the building. In an email response from
San Marcos Fire Department arrive at the Multi-Disciplinary building to assist with the fire in the men’s restroom on Jan. 15.• Yolanda Granados/The Telescope
Palomar College’s Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs Laura Gropen s
that they have increased patrols throughout the campus in specific areas, which is just standard
procedure. The following is a day by day account according to alerts sent out by Palomar officials as to when the PCPD received notice of the fires and causes: • 9:35 a.m. on Jan.14 in the men’s restroom of the P building. Cause was a box of toilet seat covers being set on fire. • 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 15 in the men’s restroom on the second floor of the Multi-Disciplinary building. Cause was a box of toilet seat covers being set on fire. • 11:12 a.m. on Jan.16 in the handicap restroom of the Student Union building. There is no cause of fire. • 8:57 a.m. on Jan. 21 in the
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Proposed state budget may provide an additional $2 million MEGAN BUBAK THE TELESCOPE
The proposed state budget is good news for Palomar, even though it hasn’t been officially approved yet it could bring more funding for community colleges. On Jan. 9, Governor Jerry Brown stated that there was good news this year, considering the fiscal stability and resources available for the state of California. During his press conference, he proposed that the state put the surplus from last year’s revenues toward
the debts the state owes to higher education, healthcare programs, public safety, and expanding prison capacity. The amount that would go toward colleges comes out to roughly $155 million, the debt owed to California Community Colleges reached $961 million at the end of 2012. “Palomar would receive around 1.66 percent of that amount which would give us around $2 million,” Palomar President Robert Deegan said. There are various areas of Palomar College that could use the funding to
add classes, programs, or materials. “We will identify the high demand areas with the department heads,” Deegan said. Director of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs Laura Gropen said that we may not get the money for a while because the process contains many revisions and debates about how the surplus should be spent. “At the end of the day, we have to show that we earned that money,” Gropen said. The college would have to write out a detailed plan of how our extra
funding would be spent and how helpful it would be for the school. “If this budget is put into effect, we would be financially put back on track continuing from 2008,” Gropen said. At the moment, this budget is simply an idea of what the Governor wants to do with the money. Next, the Legislature will decide whether or not to adopt the budget. Finally, the bill will end up at the Governors desk for him to sign and approve. “Simply put, this proposed budget does more to help community college students than any in recent
memory,” Chancellor Brice Harris of the California Community College organization said. A press release by Chancellor Harris stated that the 11.4 percent increase in funding will possibly add more classes and continue to provide higher education opportunities to people looking to improve their lives. “It provides resources to strengthen support services for students and help close achievement gaps,” Harris said in a press release. MBUBAK@THE-TELESCOPE.COM