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CRYSTAL METHOD EXHIBIT A new and fragile exhibit is on display in the art gallery at Palomar College. The featured artists used all glass for their pieces. • Page 5
“Toy Wall” by artist Aya Oki, on display at the Boehm Gallery’s “Crystal Method” exhibit through Nov. 6. • Hayley Ulle/The Telescope
the telescope Palomar College’s Independent Newspaper
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Vol. 68, No. 4 • Monday, Oct. 20, 2014
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the-telescope.com
HALLOWEEN
Benefits, drawbacks of early retirement SUSAN WHALEY THE TELESCOPE
Stu Miller’s pumpkin patch is crowded in San Marcos with people ready to celebrate this years’ Halloween festivities. For full story turn to page 2. • Meredith James/The Telescope
Officials plan for wheelchair accessibility CHRISTOPHER BULLOCK THE TELESCOPE
School officials said they will take action after two Palomar students complained that the cafeteria, which was built in 1970, is not accessible to handicap students. Students Shovan Vatandoust and Sid Matlock told school officials that the door to the Food Service building was impossible for Vatandoust, who is in a wheelchair, to enter without help. Vatandoust asked his friend Matlock to com-
plain to school officials. Those officials initially said the complaint had to be from Vatandoust. But, Palomar President Robert Deegan told The Telescope they would handle the complaint heedless of the complainant. “Anytime a student is encountering a barrier to access any of the buildings, then we certainly want to address that issue as quickly as possible,” Deegan said. “Any student with any form of a disability, we don’t have an option of whether to accommodate or not ... we do,” Deegan said.
When Deegan heard of the complaint, he immediately placed a call to Christopher Miller, Director of facilities at the school. “He told me I didn’t have to tell him, ‘Hey, Chris, fix the door,’” Deegan said. “He informed me that the door is being fixed, that it is in the works,” he added. According to Miller, the school has plans to fix not only the cafeteria, but the bathroom that is located in the Student Union building as well.
JUMP TO WHEELCHAIR PAGE 3
With a proposed early retirement for eligible employees at Palomar College, officials are looking at the pros and cons. It will save the college $2.7 million, according to Palomar President Robert Deegan. “This is absolutely to save money,” Deegan said. He also added that it will be beneficial for students on campus because it will increase diversity. Eligible employees have until April 3 to sign up for the incentive plan. When a college loses older faculty, then the college can hire new, younger faculty at a lower pay rate. Vice President of Human Resources John Tortarolo, said the negative side of losing older faculty members is a loss of experience, but the positives outweighs the negatives. “Students are changing, so faculty must change,” said Teresa Laughlin, lead negotiator for the Palomar Faculty Federation. A downside to adding parttime faculty to fill in for the lost members who retired is less office hours which creates less access for students, Laughlin said.
Rancho Bernardo campus scheduled to open Fall 2017 KIRK MATTU THE TELESCOPE
As the slew of continuous construction ensues on campus, Palomar College is establishing new outposts within its district. Ahead of the North Education Center in Fallbrook, the South Education Center in Rancho Bernardo is gearing up for primetime and establishing its staffing and educational needs, according to Palomar officials. The center is planned to open for classes in Fall Semester 2017 with an overall budget of $34 million, according to Chris Miller, the director of facilities at Palomar. Once the plans are finalized, construction will begin at the end of 2015 or the
beginning of 2016. “We don’t want to build too soon where (the center) sits vacant or too late where there is a rush at the end,” Miller said. The building, located off Interstate 15 and Rancho Bernardo Road, was originally built as a business building with an existing parking structure. The building sat vacant and because Palomar officials couldn’t find a parcel of land big enough to meet their needs within the southern portion of the district, they took on the 26 acre lot to make it into an educational facility, according to President Robert Deegan. “We came across this building and we thought, let’s think outside the box. Instead of a traditional cam-
The center is planned to open for classes in Fall Semester 2017 with an overall budget of $34 million. CHRIS MILLER • FACILITIES DIRECTOR
pus that’s spreads out, we’ll go up,” Deegan said. There are four floors for the new center. The first floor will consist of student services as well as a
community room to accommodate 150 people. The community room will create a space to hold events for the school and the surrounding community. The second and third floor will hold classrooms, faculty offices and lab rooms. The fourth floor will hold additional classes as well as a library that overlooks majestic views of the area. Palomar needs that building to serve the needs of its southern region. While classes are offered at Mount Carmel High School, it is not enough. About 8 percent of Palomar’s student body comes from the Poway area and increased traffic on Interstate 15 has made it harder for those students to come to Palomar’s main campus, Deegan said. Palomar has also seen a
significant loss in student enrollment from 8 to 6 percent, he added. “We just want to have more of a presence in that southern area to meet the needs of the community of that area of our district,” Deegan said. Classes that are scheduled for the center will be traditional general education courses. “A student who chooses to attend there can take all of their general education courses for an associates degree, for transfer to a CSU or to transfer to a UC,” Deegan said. It will also offer technical courses designed to meet the job needs of the local community as well as basic skill courses, he added. KMATTU@THE-TELESCOPE.COM