FEATURES
KPCC’s Doug Johnson never expected to
come back to school. But he did.
Page 5
SPORTS
Joey Citro swings away at a
professional golf career.
Page 6
THE
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
Pasadena, California
Vol. 78 No. 12
COURIER
Serving the PCC Community for 76 years
THURSDAY
April 14, 1994
AS ELECTIONS
Ballot counting postponed
□ Two candidates face
possible disqualification
or disciplinary action
for violations during the
campaign period
By P ATRIA G. ABELGAS
GILBERT RIVERA
Ballot counting has been postponed
for one day as accusations of mudslinging
and vandalism marred this year’s Associ¬
ated Students executive board and stu¬
dent trustee elections.
Alvar Kauti, assistant dean of student
affairs, said that the election committee
decided to withhold the counting until
after a decision has been made on several
grievances filed against some of the can¬
didates.
“We don’t want the committee to be
biased in any way by the results of the
votes,” Kauti said.
The committee will review the griev¬
ances, and based on evidence available,
will decide if thecandidates involved will
be disqualified, penalized, or disciplined.
A candidate running on the Student
Coalition for Change (SCC) ticket faces
disqualification (if he wins) or disciplin¬
ary action (if he loses) if the election
committee rules he is guilty of tearing
down other candidates’ posters.
Christopher J. Boyden, a candidate for
vice president of student services, was
reportedly seen by a campus police offi¬
cer tearing down campaign posters at
10:53 p.m. last Sunday.
According to a report, the “officer
made contact with two individuals east of
C building at the Mirror Pools, subjects
were tearing down posters on the upcom¬
ing elections.”
The report named Boyden and a Laura
Corby as the individuals. The two were
“advised of trespassing,” which means
that they could be arrested if caught again.
Boyden refused to comment when the
COURIER asked him about the incident.
Alex Ortega, presidential candidate of
Photos by SHANE CLARKE/The COURIER
Voting officially ended yesterday but controversy continues to surround the AS elections.
SCC and incumbent AS executive vice presi¬
dent, said that Boyden was only taking down
“damaged SCC posters.”
“People should be careful before they
make allegations,” Ortega said.
A grievance was filed with the election
committee against Boyden and his slate for
“defacing and removing other people ’ s cam -
paign materials.”
The grievance was filed by Michael D.
Young, candidate for student trustee under
the Students’ Team in Control (STIC) ticket.
Young also faces possible disqualifica¬
tion or penalty for releasing Boyden’s social
security number to the public.
Kauti said that the committee is asking
the Social Security office what the conse¬
quences of that violation are.
Young, along with Kim Smoot of the
Unity, Fairness, and Change (UFC), and
Roldan Herrera of Together for Equality
(TFE), also filed a complaint petition accus¬
ing SCC of planning to give out free sodas to
Please see“CAMPAIGNS ” Page 6
Ballots will not be counted until tomorrow when the
election committee decides on complaints.
Proposition 1C
to give college
$20.2 million
□ Construction of
new physical
education building
depends on the $900
million bond issue to
be voted on in June
By DAVID MUSHEGAIN
Staff Writer
If voters pass Proposition 1C on
the June ballot, PCC could receive
$20.2 million out of $900 million in
bonds for higher education.
The proposition will allot $300
million statewide to community col¬
leges, of which $178 million issched-
uled to be spent in 1994-95.
According to Mark W allace, pub¬
lic relations officer, PCC has one of
the highest requests for funds from
the proposition. That money is vital
to PCC and the surrounding commu¬
nity.
Dr. William E. Goldmann, dean
of educational services and head of
the legislative contact committee
which is lobbying for Proposition
1C, stated that the money would be
used for the construction of a new
physical education facility. Some of
the money will go for remodeling
the old library into a student services
building and drawings for secondary
effects on the physical education
facility.
He added that if the bond issue
failed, work on these projects would
be delayed.
The proposition will fund $13.9
million for the new physical educa¬
tion building.
The remodeling of the old library
will cost $5.9 million while remod¬
eling of maintenance facilties will
total $367,000.
Nancy Ackley, director of col¬
lege relations for California Com¬
munity Colleges, stated that each
Californian pays $64 annually to pay
off already existing bonds. Proposi¬
tion 1C would mean an additional
$1.83 per person.
Proponents of the proposition,
which include Gov. Pete Wilson and
Sen. Gary Hart of Santa Barbara,
emphasize that money will be used
for capital projects and construction,
not for college operating costs or
salaries.
One analysis estimates the the
Proposition will create more than
10,000 jobs in California and
strengthen the state economy by pro¬
viding space for more job training.
Also proposed is Assembly Bill
3474, which according to Goldmann,
will “stop the huge hemorrhaging of
money out the back door” due to the
shortfall in property tax revenues.
AB 3474 would basically require
that the state backfill any shortfalls
in property tax revenues for commu¬
nity colleges, therefore, protecting
the community colleges against rev¬
enue reductions.
A decrease in property tax rev¬
enue has caused community colleges
to lose seven percent in money allot¬
ted per student since the 1990-91
school year.
Goldmann stated that both Propo¬
sition 1C and AB 3474 are vital to
PCC’s future.
Proposition 1C will be on the June
7 primary election ballot. It needs at
least 50 percent voter approval.
There will be a legislative contact
committee hearing on April 19 re¬
garding higher education and the
future of Assembly Bill 3474.
Minorities get better deal
□ New policy aims
for a total 23 percent
participation from
minority, women
and disabled veteran
business owners
By PATRIA G. ABELGAS
Editor in Chief
Minority, women, and disabled
veteran business owners will soon be
getting a better deal now that the
Board of Trustees adopted a policy
that would encourage the college to
have at least 23 percent of its total
purchase transactions from those
three business groups.
The policy, drafted by Mark
Robbins, director of purchasing, ad¬
dresses changes in PCC’s current
system of business transactions in
response to legislation passed in
1990.
Education Code Section 71028
requires the Board of Governors to
formulate regulations for commu¬
nity colleges to establish participa¬
tion goals for minorities, women,
and disabled veteran business enter¬
prises.
By the end of the first fiscal year,
the statewide total business transac¬
tions should include at least 15 per¬
cent minority business owners, five
percent women business owners,
and three percent disabled veteran
business owners.
The code also requires the Board
of Governors to report annually to
the state on the levels of participa¬
tion for the entire community col¬
lege system and also on the levels of
participation by each community
college district.
“It’s going to be a difficult goal to
achieve,” Robbins said. “But it’s just
a goal, not a mandate.”
Although PCC was doing well
recruiting minority contractors even
before the policy was adopted,
Robbins said that the college will
have to make an extra effort to meet
the goals.
Currently, the purchasing office
has no way of knowing how many
transactions the college has with
business owners in the target groups.
There has never been a system
before, “just a good faith measure,”
according to Sandi Holthaus, assis¬
tant buyer, who worked with Robbins
in drafting the policy.
The purchasing office, however,
will soon be working with a new
software, Escape Technology, that
will track and categorize all transac¬
tions made by the college.
Robbins, Holthaus, and the other
buyers will also increase minority
recruitment efforts by going to more
business conferences and placing
advertising invitations to bid in mi¬
nority newspapers.
Hopefully, this policy will make
all purchasers aware that there are
women, minority, and disabled vet¬
eran business owners out there,
Robbins said.
“And hopefully, minority busi¬
ness owners will become more aware
of their opportunities. Perhaps they
will be more active and less intimi-
datedin theirtransactions,” Holthaus
said.
The policy raises concerns, how¬
ever, that the college might sacrifice
low price and a better deal just to
meet the goal.
“We have to get the best price for
the best quality. We have to get the
lowest bidder.
“But sometimes, small businesses
owned by minorities charge higher
prices,” Holthaus said.
“If we’re spending more money
on minority businesses just to meet
the goal, we’re just giving out the
money faster,” Holthaus said.
A business can qualify for the
enterprise if it is 51 percent owned
and operated by a minority, woman
or disabled veteran.
Distance learning
Students to get a taste of
college life through TV
□ Does distance
learning program
offer quality
education from
the comforts of
home?
By ANDREW McDIARMID
News Features Editor
Students are well aware of the
many classes that are available
on campus. They're also aware of
which ones they need to com¬
plete their requirements during a
semester.
Many groan when it’s their
turn to register and they find out
that all that is left are classes at 7
a.m. or at 4 p.m.
However, soon there might be
an alternative to this process of
“who gets the best class times,”
and it is called distance learning.
Distance learning is a program
that is already being used on a
limited basis. Here at PCC, stu¬
dents can enroll in instructional tele¬
vision courses and watch their in¬
structor, at a time that is convenient.
Students can sit in their favorite
chair at home, and take television
courses that are aired over local cable
channels.
Students can check out the pro¬
grams from the library, or watch
their classes at a later time in D
building.
This is the beginning of distance
learning, but the program now being
considered reaches more students,
and becomes much more interac¬
tive.
The program could be enlarged
to video systems linking students
and teachers via video camera sys¬
tems, so that teachers could see and
interact with students.
Approximately 30 percent of the
classes available may be offered
thorugh the distance learning pro¬
gram.
Patrick McCallum, executive di¬
rector of the Faculty Association of
California Community Colleges
(FACCC) said there are many pros
and cons to this issue, and the
decision whether it will be used is
far from being decided.
“The Commission on Innova¬
tion, a board of private business
consultants, is looking to distance
learning to bring classes to more
students in California.
“This program could bring
education into the living rooms
of thousands of students that
might not have the advantage of
a local community college to at¬
tend,” McCallum said.
The executive director went
on to say that many instructors
and colleges do not agree with the
commission’s suggestions,”
There was teacher input col¬
lected during the commission’s
study of distance learning, some
say their view s were never imple¬
mented in the commission’s find¬
ings.
There has been little or no
research into the usefulness of
such a program on the commu¬
nity college level. Much more
Please see “DISTANCE,” Page 3
