Shock jock Howard Stern brings his popular morning show to San Diego radio station 91X ¡
Associated Student Government faces budget shortfall
Comet baseball team begins season with 2-6 record
NEWS PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 16
THE
LESC Palomar Community College
Friday, February 17, 1995
San Marcos, CA
Volume 48, Number 13
Wilson proposes $2 fee increase for fall
The Love Affair
• ASG's McNamara against Governor's proposed 13 percent tuition hike for '96 Kate Nelson News Editor
Carla Van Wagoner I The Telescope
Homecoming King Greg Armstrong (right) presents "Love Affair'' poetry contest winner Troy Anderson with his prizes Feb. 14. Anderson's prizes included a red teddy, $50 and an assortment of condoms.
During a Telescope press conference Feb. 8, Superintendent/President Dr. George Boggs spoke about Governor Pete Wilson ' s proposed I 996 budget, and called a $2 per unit fee increase "a victory within itself' as opposed to a higher fee increase. Boggs said that Wilson had wanted the fee set at $30 per unit, but that he had to compromise with the Chancellor of Community Colleges office, which supported the $15 per unit fee. Democratic leaders and student groups are expected to oppose any increase. ASG Vice President of State Affairs Matthew McNamara said he was opposed to any increase in enrollment fees, in fact, he said he was against enrollment fees altogether. "California has the ways and means to provide free education for students," said McNamara. "You don't pay to go through (grades) K-12; why pay for (grades) 12-14 ?" McNamara also said that the college system is interested in keeping students enrolled so that the school can receive money for each day of student attendance. McNamara said that the counterargument for funds being cut completely from the community college system is that if students had to pay more for their classes, they would care more
was caused by Wilson's veto of Assembly Bill 3474, which would have protected community colleges against property tax shortfalls, said Boggs. He added that Wilson vetoed the bill because Wilson didn't want to commit to an unknown amount of money. Boggs said that the state bases its budget proposal on the estimate of the income from local property taxes. "For the last four years, the state department of finance has overestimated our property tax revenue," said Boggs. "We think they overestimated on purpose, to make the state budget look like it's balanced." Property values have declined during the recession, said Boggs. Therefore, Palomar has to find money elsewhere, since the state can't come through with the money it promised. Palomar has lost $1.2 million this year because of the property tax shortfall. Boggs said Wilson has offered to restore $600,000 to help cover Palomar's loss. "Imagine how many classes we can offer with $1.2 million, or how much equipment we can buy for our classrooms," said Boggs.
Cost of Living Increase Boggs said that for the first time in four years, Wilson is proposing a cost of living increase of 2.2 percent for community colleges. The cost of living has increased 9 to 13 percent over the last four years, said Boggs. He said he hoped that Wilson would consider
Property Tax Shortfall Part of the budget problem for Palomar
See BUDGET, Page 3
Biology professor charges lab toxins caused blood disease • Knapp denied worker's comp by Palomar's insurance Diana Hooper SwffWrirer
This time last year, Palomar Life Science Professor Lester Knapp was still shaking sand out of his shoes from his field-biology class trip to the West Indies. He now faces a voyage of another sort, destination unknown. Knapp, a marine biologist, has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal bone marrow disease, and the reality he faces daily is to find a bone marrow donor with a DNA match or die. Knapp believes he acquired the disease at Palomar, the institution where he
has taught thousands of students for over 24 years. He claims that Palomar has a poor ventilation system that caused chemicals, such as ether, to circulate in his work environment and caused .his life-threatening disease. "Now I may have less than six months to live. I'm the canary in the mines that is dying from the gases," said Knapp, who has been on medical leave since September. This week, the college's insurance company denied Knapp's workers' compensation claim that would have helped cover the costly testing to find a bone marrow donor. The case will now go to
the state's workers compensation board for a hearing. To date, Knapp has put up $90,000 out of his savings and personal loans for the donor search. Palomar's insurance policy will cover the cost of a transplant but .iot the search for the donor. "The tests for the bone marrow compatibility can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, a lot more than the transplant itself," said Superintendent! President George Boggs. "In our policy there is no coverage for donor search." Knapp feels this policy should be
See KNAPP, Page 6
Courtesy of Robert Ebert
Lester Knapp (left) and student Creg Johnson pose with a 350-pound black sea bass which Knapp caught in the Sea of Cortez on a field study trip.