- Title
- PCC Courier, April 01, 1983
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- Date of Creation
- 01 April 1983
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- Description
- Student newspaper published and edited for the Associated Student Body of Pasadena City College weekly during the college year by the journalism students.
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PCC Courier, April 01, 1983
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Trustee Asks for Senate Support
By Mark Blocker
News Editor
Trustee Dr. Richard H. Green went before
the Faculty Senate Board to discuss their
mutual opposition to the second summer ses¬
sion and plea for faculty involvement in his
fund-raising campaign which is expected to be
approved by the Board of Trustees.
The second summer session was criticized by
the senate board for moving ADA base (state
criterion to determine funding) from spring and
fall into summer. Since the second summer
session has been alloted 200 sections for instruc¬
tion, 20 full-time positions in the fall and spring
could be eliminated, said Faculty Senate Board
President Dr. Fredrick E. Holland.
“The size of the second summer session
makes me question whether or not we can get
enough students to come and fill the available
enrollment,” said Green.
The second summer session was initiated by
the Board of Trustees because while only
costing $400,000, the term could generate up to
$900,000 for the college.
. A faculty member from the math department
questioned the ability of instructors used during
summer since they are not regular staff. He
also voiced concern about their compatibility
with set departmental procedures that regular
faculty work under.
It was also said that priority numbers of
students in the system are set back because of
attendance by students outside the district.
In the end, the senate voted 17-1 with two
abstentions to oppose the second summer ses¬
sion.
Fund-Raising
Green also gave the board an outline of his
fund-raising program which includes phone-a-
thons, radio-thons, solicitations for donations
from local businesses, citizens, alumni, parents
and students, with a goal of acquiring $2 million
for the college.
“They (the community) are always talking
about how they’re supportive of us. Now we can
find out if that support is really there,” said
Green.
“We don’t want to sit around pointing fingers
at each other, figuring out whose program to
cut while we’re on the threshold of running out
of money, we have to take matters in our own
hands, and we can’t do it without the faculty
behind us 100 percent,” he said.
Green also added, though he didn’t express
optimism, that the college should look into ways
of acquiring state funds, “ because we no longer
want to be 50th on the tax support list.”
Though the board ultimately approved of
sending representatives to the fund-raising
planning committee, not everyone was
enthusiastic.
“Because of the pink slips (layoff notices)
enthusiasm for teaching is questionable, let
alone for something like this,” said one faculty
member.
Metro Exodus
Holland also disclosed to the senate that at a
district Academic Senate meeting last week,
concern was voiced over the possibility of a
division in the statewide community college
system, as each district lobbies for funding.
“The officers of the state-wide senate felt
that the three large urban districts, which
include Los Angeles, San Diego and even San
Francisco, will go ahead and make their own
deal,” when the state begins to work on
financing legislation for the 1983-84 school year.
Holland also read the draft of the Faculty
Senate letter recently sent to the state com¬
munity college chancellor requesting an inde¬
pendent audit of the PCC financial records. The
letter holds an additional request.
“We would also like an explanation of the so-
called ‘50-percent rule,’ as only $14 million of
our $38 million budget is being spent on instruc¬
tional salaries. Your explanation of the 50-
percent rule might disclose whether or not we
are in compliance,” read Holland.
PCC
COURIER
MEAT LOAF
APPRECIATION
WEEK SET
— See Food Section
VOL. 55. NO. 7
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA. CALIFORNIA
APRIL 1, 1983
QUADROPOP
The rock band Popsters give a Tuesday noon performance in the quad.
— Courier photo by Barrett Stinson
Shortfall May Change
Because of Progress
James Emphasizes Flexibility of '83 Budget Projections
By Stephen Williams
Editor-in-Chief
The projections for the budget short¬
fall will inevitably change as the
semester progresses, according to Dr.
Bonnie R. James, vice president of
business services.
“There’s nothing mystical about
this. PCC’s income is limited to the
14,080 ADA,” but the budget can
change with cuts, said James.
“Budget projections are simple and
straight forward. There’s income for
the college on one end, and a projected
budget (expenditure rate through the
semester) on the the other. The income
must be greater than the expenditures,
or the college has a deficit,” he said.
The projected budget is estimated to
be “$40.2 million.” The college will
receive approximately “$34.5 million”
from the state, if Governor George
Deukmejian’s budget passes.
It seems very unlikely that the col¬
lege will get more money, because the
state has a projected $1.5 billion defi¬
cit, and by state law, it has to balance
the budget like we do, James said.
The “$34.5 million” income sub¬
tracted from the “$40.2 million” budget
calculates into a $5.7 million deficit. A
projected “$2.2 million” ending bal¬
ance, beginning balance for next year,
is subtracted from the $5.7 million
deficit to give PCC a $3.5 million
shortfall.
Three components make up the end¬
ing balance, “reserves” (money in the
bank, etc . . . ), “actual income versus
estimated income” (such as interest
rates, which change), and “unexpended
balances” (money budgeted, but not
spent).
“Reserves” and “actual income ver¬
sus estimated income” amounts cannot
be controlled, but the unexpended bal¬
ances can be flexible. “By having a
freeze on the budget, which we have
implemented, the unexpended balance
increases.”
This does not give us money, but is a
“cost avoidance,” said James. “We did
not like our forecast, so we froze the
budget, which we did four of the last
five years after my projections.”
Freezing the budget will raise the
beginning balance, therefore lowering
the shortfall amount. “It could save us
$800,000, but the freeze only affects
certain areas,” said James. Salaries,
84 percent of the budget, and federal
funded money for projects cannot be
frozen.
The problem centers around the
large deficit, which has threatened the
school for the past four years. Now
calculated to be $5.7 million, it was
approximately $3.4 million for the
1982-83 school year, $643,000 for 1981-82,
$2.7 million for 1980-81 and $1.5 million
for 1979-80.
“The expenditures increased, while
the income decreased before leveling
off” during the period, he said.
The problem has been “frustrated”
by salary increases and inflation. In
1980-81, there was a 7 percent salary
increase, and a two year contract was
made with the California Teachers
Association
(СТА)
in 1981 allowing for
a 10.5 percent increase.
The 1981 contract gave instructors an
8 percent increase for July, 1981— Jan.,
1982. Then 2 percent was added to the 8
percent for the spring semester. Being
only a semester raise, the figure
rounds off to 1 percent for the entire
year, making it 9 percent.
Summer school accounted for the
other 1.5 percent, as an increase of
1/1,000
of the teachers annual salary,
was paid on an hourly basis. So if an
instructor was paid $35,000 per year, he
or she would be paid $35 per hour.
Analyzing the problem, James said
“the rocks are there (the $3.5 million
shortfall), and our (the administration)
job is to avoid them. If we hit them, the
college gets into trouble, and if we
change the course of the boat to miss
them, some will believe they were
never there.”
Accreditation Threatened
Budget Cuts Endanger Nursing Department
By Leann Sumner
Staff Writer
The accreditation of the nursing de¬
partment is in jeopardy due to the 53
percent cut in staff proposed for the
department, according to Dr. Barbara
B. Latham, associate professor of nurs¬
ing.
Its eight year accreditation period
ends this year, and the department is
scheduled to be evaluated for re-ac-
creditation in the fall. The department
is presently accredited by the National
League for Nursing (NLN), of which
Latham is chairperson of the board of
review, in the accreditation division.
Among the problems which will be
cited by the review board, according to
Latham, is an apparent lack of admin¬
istrative support for the program.
The dismissal of 16 of the depart¬
ment’s 30 instructors is the largest cut
proposed for any department.
“If the workload is not consistant
with the rest of the college, a problem
will be noted,” said Latham. “Four¬
teen teachers can in no way teach the
program as it is, without increasing the
workload.”
To compensate for the loss of in¬
structors, the remaining teachers will
inevitably be assigned to areas in which
they have little clinical expertise, said
Latham.
With the reduction in staff, concern
about the admission and progression of
students in the program will be ex¬
pressed by the review board, she said.
Cuts in support services, such as the
library, will also be cited by ac¬
creditors.
At last week’s trustees meeting,
Latham told the board “there is no
better way to jeopardize the accredita¬
tion than to cut back a school’s library
staff.” (All six of PCC’s librarians
have recieved layoff notices.
The review board will also be con¬
cerned with departmental financing.
The accreditors will most likely ques¬
tion whether the nursing program is
being cut back, or if it will be phased
out completely in the future, said
Latham.
The administration has no intention
of phasing out the nursing department,
however, the department costs PCC
more than $1 million per year, but it
does not generate that much money
back to the school, said trustee William
T. Shatford.
The quality of PCC’s nursing pro¬
gram is nationally known, Latham told
the Board. It would be better to “close
the nursing department while it still
has its reputation” than to let the
program lose both its accreditation and
reputation in a slow death.
The NLN accreditation assures a
nursing student high quality education.
Last year 100 percent of the graduates
of PCC’s nursing program passed state
board exams for RN and LVN licenses
on their first try. The accreditation
also provides a basis for determining a
student’s eligiblity for federal scholar¬
ships, said Latham.
Many hospitals only employ nurses
who are graduates of an NLN-ac-
credited school, Also, the Armed Serv¬
ices accept only nurses who have grad¬
uated from programs accreditated by
the NLN, she said.
YES, THEY WANT BLOOD— The Red Cross, that is . . . The
Bloodmobile was on campus last Thursday seeking student and staff
donors in the campus center lounge. The process is painless and can
help save lives. The Red Cross is a world-wide charity organization
providing medical and other help to the needy.
— Courier photo by Beverly Speakman
Library's Entire Certificated Staff Has Received 'Pink Slips'
By Denni Young
Staff Writer
“I can’t run a library without certificated staff anymore
than a college can run classes without teachers, said
William K. Grainger, head librarian.
The classified staff can not do the librarians jobs, and he
can not do the work of seven people. “I can’t be in all places
at one time,” said Grainger.
William I. Weitzel, a librarian who has been with the
college for 25 years, expressed concern about the book and
magazine collection. ‘ ‘It is discouraging and disheartening to
work on building a good book and magazine collection and
suddenly, in my view, to see it all going down the tubes,
sdid Weitzel
Grainger pointed out that in the Carvell study, 97.7 percent
of respondents expressed an opinion considering the library
resources as “essential” to PCC. In the 1980 Accreditation
report, faculty and students gave excellent evaluations to the
library.
Grainger believes that these are sufficent reasons to give
the library highest priority. “It is clearly performing well
and is considered essential by virtually everyone in the
academic community,” he said.
“The library is not a library without librarians, ’’said
Weitzel. Weitzel believes the classified and student staff
won’t be able to keep up and utilize the collection properly.
The classified staff is strong, but they are not librarians,
said Weitzel, “they don’t have degrees in library science.”
Section 52000 of Title V of the state administrative code
states that “no person shall be employed by a district as a
librarian unless such person holds a valid credential.”
Under section 52360 of the same code, the basis for
insurance of a credential is a master’s degree in library
science.
A librarian selects, organizes and supervises the distribu¬
tion of library materials. “Indexes don’t just happen, the
librarians do them,” said Grainger. “The library has one of
the best card catologs, perhaps the best anywhere.
“Librarians are teachers. They instruct and assist library
users in the utilization of the library’s materials,” said
Grainger.
According to section 87436 of the state education code,
“any librarian when employed full time . . . shall rank as an
instructor.”
Librarians teach students strategies and skills for finding
information, said Grainger. “Librarians work with students
on a one-to-one basis all day long.”
A library class is presently taught that teaches students
basic library procedures, but in Grainger’s opinion, it will
probably be discontinued. According to Grainger about 150 to
200 students take the class every year.
The classified staff consists of technical assistants,
library clerks and student assistants. These positions are
less educationally demanding than a librarian’s, said
Weitzel, they can be learned on the job or in a junior college
course. “It’s unreasonable to expect them to pick up the
pieces,” he said.
Some of the librarians have “bumping rights,” said
Grainger. They can “bump” an instructor with less ex¬
perience, providing they can teach that particular class.
An automated circulation system will be installed in the
library, said Grainger. “There will be no one here to develop
the new circulation system.” According to Grainger, an on¬
line catolog system takes knowledgeable professionals to
develope procedures and operate the system.
“Adequacy of the library is a factor in determining
whether an institution will be granted full five-year ac¬
creditation, ’’said Grainger. Accredidation teams will nor¬
mally look to guidelines such as those published by the
Learning Resources Association of California Community
Colleges (LRACCC). The LRACCC’s 1980 guidelines specify
a certificated staff of eight full-time equivalents to serve a
student body the size of PCC. “We currently fall 35 percent
below that standard, ’’said Grainger.
“The accreditation teams have always been concerned
with the library. They won’t look the other way and pretend
it did not happen,” said Weitzel.
According to Grainger, the cuts will not destroy the
library, but it will destroy its ability to do what it is suppose
to do. “Reason rather than emotion should prevail,” said
Grainger.
(