V*
Ч {'
U
The
Graveyard
Workers
see page 5
Museum
Exhibit
Opens Up
see page 6
Men’s
Soccer Still
Unbeaten
see page 7
P A S A D E N A
C l T Y
С О
17
Г* С
vj Ju
Courier
VOL. 88 NO.
з
www.pcc-courieronline.com
Since 1915
SEPTEMBER 12, 2002
sr
On Campus
- STD
4 Exams
Offered
Free Testing
v
for Chlamydia
By Steve LuKanic
Staff Writer
V!
V
и
V
(8
V
fin an effort to
combat chlamy¬
dia, a serious
sexually trans¬
mitted disease on
STD r'se amon§
AWflfeness college-aged stu¬
dents, Student
Health Services is collaborating
with the Los Angeles County STD
Program to offer free chlamydia
testing to students at PCC.
According to Jo Buczko, col¬
lege health nurse, chlamydia is the
most common bacterial disease
reported in California, with some
600,000 new cases each year.
The disease is so preva¬
lent, that of the 88 PCC students
tested since the program launched
Aug. 26, 10 to 11 percent have
tested positive.
“That’s roughly double what
we expected,” said Buczko.
Like other sexually transmitted
diseases, chlamydia is easily
transmitted, and if partners go
undetected or untreated, they eas¬
ily pass it to other partners.
But what makes chlamydia
more problematic than other
STDs, Buczko said, is that the
majority of infected individuals —
80 percent female and 50 percent
male — show no symptoms and, as
a result, go undetected.
“Women are more vulnerable,”
said Buczko. “Usually men, when
they have a symptom, are going to
be right in here (the clinic). But
women don’t always know.”
Statistics show that nearly 40
percent of women with chlamydia
who are not treated develop seri¬
fs see EXAMS, page 3
The haunting strains of “Taps” echo across PCC Wednesday morning as Marine
Sergeant Colin Hayakawa blends his horn with those of other trumpeters stationed in
various parts of the campus. Five students from the marching band participated in
the ceremony to honor the fallen heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, as PCC marked the first
anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.
Officer John Hynes, of the campus police, is in full regalia as he salutes the victims.
Mikyl Nutter
/
Courier
A Salute to the Fallen
Union Gets
Outside Chair
CSEA recruit helps with the facilities ‘morale’ issue
By Matt Robinson
Contributing Writer
After five months of negotia¬
tions, the California School
Employees Association (CSEA)
has been granted its request to
have an outside facilitator chair a
committee to look into the low
morale among facilities workers.
The union’s original request to
have a neutral person look at
morale was turned down by Dr..
James Kossler, college president,
because he wanted Peter Hardash,
vice president of administrative
services, to chair the committee.
In a memo dated Aug. 15, the
members of the CSEA signed a peti¬
tion asking Warren Weber, president
of the board of trustees, to direct Dr.
Kossler to appoint a neutral, outside
facilitator as chairperson for the
CSEA morale committee.
In an e-mail to Jerry Blanton,
president of the CSEA dated Aug.
28, Kossler wrote, “The choice of
the chair of the committee is not
something that is up for popular
R.K. Fry
/
Courier
Jerry Blanton (above),
president of the CSEA,
prepares for negotiations.
vote. Hardash is the chair.”
The union did not feel comfort¬
able with Hardash in that position
because he oversees facilities serv¬
ices on campus.
That’s when Blanton approached
the board.
® see CSEA, page 4
Campus Prepares to Kick Butts
After Various Attempts at a Unified Smoking Policy, the Board of Trustees Will Have Final Say
By Chaim Dauermann
Staff Writer
Life isn’t getting any easier for
smokers in California, and those
here at PCC are no exception.
Amidst proposed legislation to
raise the smoking age to 21, and
many cities moving to limit out¬
door smoking, PCC has a restric¬
tive new smdking policy waiting in
the wings.
The policy has had many incar¬
nations over the past few years,
only to be tweaked and modified
several times by the College
Coordinating Council during fre¬
quent negotiations.
The council, which consists of
representatives from each segment
of the campus population (faculty,
classified staff, administration and
students), recently settled on a pol¬
icy limiting smoking to campus
parking lots, the
quad and an area
south of the
aquatic center.
They found
this to be the
option that
pleased the most
people.
However, this
does not mean
there is a univer¬
sal consensus on
the campus. “There is still a feeling
among the members of the council
that this is not a very workable
solution, but it is the best we have
received so far,” said college pres¬
ident Dr. James Kossler, in an
email to the Courier.
The council settled on the poli¬
cy in the spring, but before it goes
to the board of trustees for
approval, facilities services must
come up with an attractive way to
mark the smoking and nonsmok¬
ing areas.
“Facilities services was so busy
with classroom modifications over
the summer that I
knew they would
not have time to
look at the issue
until after the
semester started,”
Kossler said. “We
will get a proposal
from them during
the fall semester.”
If all goes
according to plan,
and the council
approves what facilities services
comes up with this semester, then
it will go to the board for approval.
If approved this fall, the new
policy could take effect as early as
the first day of the spring semester.
There are two distinct sides to
the debate over this smoking poli¬
cy.
The proponents are concerned
with the cleanliness Of the college
grounds and atmosphere, while
opponents have focused on incon¬
venience for students and faculty
who smoke. Both sides are frus-
t r a t e d
“I’m not sure I know
what is the best way to approach
the issue,” Kossler said. “At times
I think that perhaps we should just
go completely to a non-smoking
campus; or, as some have suggest¬
ed, limit smoking to the parking
lots or the parking structure only.”
• see SMOKING, page 3
“There is still a feeling among the
members of the council that this is
not a very workable solution, but it
is the best we have received so far.”
Dr. James Kossler
College President
• t:
V
U
Ц
The session on making textbooks
affordable will include four panels:
students’ comments and testimony;
bookstore managers’ input, publish¬
ers’ comments and ideas and faculty
discussion and testimony.
A 10-15 minute break between
each panel is scheduled for student
and public comment.
Written testimony fonns will also
be available for students who wish to
give their suggestions. Students may
also send e-mail comments to:
catherine.hazelton@asm.ca.gov.
President James Kossler, along
with all the members of the
Assembly Committee on Higher
Education, have been invited to
attend the hearing.
“About a year and a half ago,
PCC students came to Sacramento to
meet with Liu. They asked her to do
something about the high price of
college textbooks, ’’said Hazelton.
Last year, Liu co-sponsored a bill
to reduce the sales tax on textbooks
sold in California. The bill failed as
legislators hesitated to lose revenue
during a bad budget year.
Photo Courtesy of Carol Liu
Assembly woman Carol Liu is
making good on her promise to stu¬
dents.
She is sponsoring a hearing on
Sept. 16 to hear concerns about
bookstore prices.
PCC students are dissatisfied with
high prices and low resale rates in the
bookstore.
Many students have resorted to
posting notes on campus bulletin
boards, and other creative methods,
to resell used textbooks.
“Textbooks often cost more than
tuition,” said Catherine Hazelton,
Press Secretary to Liu. “The assem¬
bly woman wants to come up with
solutions, including possible future
legislation.”
Students are invited to a panel
discussion in the C.C. Lounge.
The Assembly Committee on
Higher Education will host the hear¬
ing from 9 a.m. to noon. Liu, who is
presiding during the panel discus¬
sion, officially became the new chair
of the Assembly Committee on
Higher Education on Tuesday, Sept
3.
School Trash is
Other's Treasure
By Jaynita Carney
Staff Writer
Employees and student volun¬
teers come together once a month,
to bridge the digital divide and
refurbish computers to give to
families and businesses that cannot
afford to buy them.
‘“Computers For Peace” is a
nonprofit organization designed to
recycle used or surplus technology.
The goal of the program is to miti¬
gate the effects of poverty and
injustice, to advance human
achievement by improving the
quality of life, and to provide
opportunities for positive change
in urban and rural communities.
“The technology will be used to
provide individuals, small enter¬
prises, and nonprofit organizations
with opportunities for economic
independence and/or economic
success,” states the ComPeace
mission statement.
About a year ago, instructors
Yves K. Magloe and Dr. Jill
O'Hara discovered that PCC was
discarding old computers and they
wondered what they could do with
them.
After some consideration, they
came up with a plan to refurbish
the computers and give them to
individuals in need of the technol¬
ogy.
With the help of eight other
people, including instructors
Darryl Dustin, Jane Hallinger and
Pat Rose, they created the non¬
profit organization ComPeace.
The organization uses student
volunteers from Alpha Gamma
Sigma to rebuild donated comput¬
ers. The donations come from the
city, the college, business, and
# see PEACE, page 7
