Softball team begins season
Depp is 'Grape' in new film
Page 12
Pa el
THE ·
___LESC Friday, February 4, 1994
Palomar Community College
San Marcos, CA ·
Volume 47, Number 12
E Page 10 0 Kick Up Your 0 Heels and Crank Up Garth, We're T Gotn. ,... * SCOOT IN'!
Rival Bookstore Open For Business
February is Black History Month
•Shorter lines, cheaper books, has students shopping Alex Ebel Staff Writer
t4
•• Christopher C. Holmes/Contributing Photographer
President of the Afrikan American Student Alliance, Robert Jenkins, addresses a crowd of students in the Student Union Feb. 2 during opening ceremonies of Black History Month.
New Class Teaches Street Smarts •Reading, writing and arithmetic replaced with the horrors of our streets James Hatch Copy Editor
G
ang warfare has finally come from the streets into the
classroom. Administrative Justice 197X is a semester long study of gangs, sul:x::ultures, and other deviant groups. Police Officer Rick Trevino, who teaches the course has spent six of his eight and a half years in Oceanside working the streets asagangdetective. He says that by the end of the semester "students will be able to read the graffiti and the tattoos, understand the slang, recognize the colors, and have a know ledge of the criminal tendencies of each group." Among the many subjects covered will be why youths join gangs, and the history of some well established gangs such as hispanic, black, asian, and anglo. He intends to have a representative from each of the major groups come into the class and give the students a chance to ask questions and get first-hand an-
swers. Other guests include experts from the District Attorney's office who will explain what exactly is meant by the vertical prosecution of documented gang members.
Education is the key Trevino says he feels that not only should the class be of interest to the students on campus, but to those in law enforcement, anyone interested in joining that particular field, the parents of students and/ or current gang members, and to anyone curious about this lifestyle. To Trevino, the key is education. "We need to educate the parents and the teachers," says Trevino, "so that they can· get to the little guys before the gangs do. If the adults don't understand the gang mentality, then there won't be anyone to teach our kids."
Trevino felt that his experiences with the gangs were educational and could benefit someone. He saw an opportunity to give something back to the community. If Mira Costa didn't want him someone else would. Palomar did. "As an officer I had seen plenty of courses offered to other [cops], but it was only a three hour class given in a singleday." Trevino'scourse, however, may be the first of its kind. "As far as I know," he says, "this is the first class on gangs offered at a community college, or even a four-year [university] in the state." "The last time I checked the statistics," says Trevino, "there were 150,000 gang members in Los Angeles County alone. That tells me that we need to get a handle on this [problem] in San Diego [County] before things get out of control." Trevino admits that most of the work now being done is simply reactive but he say there's a chance to be pro-active before it is too late.
Campus Books, a discount bookstore targeting Palomar College students, recently opened in direct competition with the Palomar College Bookstore. Many students have discovered that the prices of textbooks at Campus Books are lower than the college run bookstore. College-run bookstores have always been a sore spot with students because of what is perceived as a monopoly on the retailing of books that faculty requires students to buy. With littleorno competition, students often believe they are being exploited by the campus bookstore. While Campus Books sells some books at a lower price than the college bookstore, it does not
offer the same products and guarantees that the Palomar College Bookstore offers, according to college officials. MichaelS chaeffer, the manager of Palomar College Bookstore, admits that books are expensive. He also insists that the Palomar College Bookstore does not take advantaged ·o f students. "We are obligated to make textbooks availableforeach studentineachclass," says Schaeffer. The college stipulates that the -c.ampus bookstore must stock all texts that the faculty requires students to purchase. No matter how obscure a text may be, difficult it is to fmd or how expensive it is, Schaeffer says that he is required to order it. Furthermore, he says that he is responsible for having •See
BOOKSTORE. page 5
Census Shows Enrollment Up •Student Count Rises With Fees Kathi Renaud Staff Writer
Contrary to expectations, this spring's enrollment of 22,520 is actually slightly up. "About 3 percent over fall semester and about even with spring of 1993," according to Herman Lee, Director of
Records and Admissions. The increase carne even in the face of a drop in students who already hold bachelor's or advanced degrees. ''When fees increased, we lost about 48 percent of the students with degrees," Lee said. "How•See ENROLLMENT, page 5
23,000 1 - - - - - - - - + - - - - - - - - t - - - - - - - 1 22,500 1-------+------+---:::;po!l~-; 22,000 1--------:F--t-____:=~~~F;;.:.._-----1 21,500 1 - - - - . P . . . - - + - - - - - - - - t - - - - - - - ; 21,000 1------..~---+-------+-------1 20,500 1---J~----+------+-------; 20,000
L_.L;::___ _ _ __L__ _ _ _ _.L..__ _ _ ____,
SPRING 1993
FALL 1993
SPRING 1994
Ellzabeth McClaren!Graphic Designer
Despite a dip last fall, enrollment at Palomar is up this spring •