Track Continues
March
To State Finals
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May 6 Is the
Last Day To
Drop a Class
Intercultural
Communications
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COURIER
VOL. 66, NO. 9
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
APRIL 21,1 988
Student Constitution Revised by A.S.
By Sean DuPont
Associate News Editor
Accusations, last minute changes,
power plays and fights for political
careers sprung up this week at several
official and unofficial meetings of the
AS Board as it went through its own
version of a Constitutional Convention.
After several months of work, no
fewer than five drafts had been worked
on with the latest draft being
scrutinized at a special 7 a.m. AS
Board meeting yesterday.
According to its authors, the changes
were intended to avoid election prob¬
lems like those that occured last year
involving Brendan O’Brien, Lance Ob-
erholtzer and Jose Rodriguez for the
office of AS president. But the crux of
the current debate concerned questions
of eligibility for the office of president
and when such requirements should be.
A subclause in the proposed docu¬
ment calls for candidates for the of¬
fices of president and vice president to
have completed 18 units by the time of
theelection. This, coupled with another
clause that would move elections of
those offices to late spring instead of
early fall, sparked a heated debate
among the five members present.
“It’s no secret that this subclause
will make David (Santana, current co¬
ordinator of external affairs and ex¬
pected candidate for president) in¬
eligible,” said Rodriguez, the current
president. “I don’t think this is fair to
him or other students who have made
plans to run for office. We should make
an exception for this year with this
subclause.” Santana would have ful¬
filled the requirements had the election
been held in fall as had been the case.
Rodriguez also threatened to with¬
hold his support for the document when
it comes before the student body for
approval early next month. The docu¬
ment must get a two-thirds approval
vote to be ratified.
In a decision that would determine
Santana’s political career at PCC, the
board cast three yes votes and two
abstentions to provide a clause that
would delay the controversial clause
until 1989.
With that, Santana sighed in relief
and broadly smiled at his victory.
According to sources close to the
board, both Santana and Greg
McLemore plan to run for the presi¬
dent’s office. McLemore is the current
vice president.
Also included in the document are
changes in succession rules, the role of
the supreme council, eligibility checks
and procedures for expenditures. An
additional meeting had been called for
this morning at 7 a.m. to clear up
succession rules.
Chris Cofer, special coordinator of
the constitutional rewrite and 1984-85
AS president, said that Rodriguez
asked him in February to rewite the
constitution. “He told me that it needed
more specifics, more clarity and more
strength in some areas.”
For his work in rewriting the con¬
stitution, Cofer has received an $800
stipend from the board. “I’ve put in at
least 100 hours of work since being
approached in February.”
If a final draft is completed this
week, a special ratification vote will be
held the first week of May.
Springtime
The time of the year that
is best known for its
renewal and beauty is
expressed here.
Springtime exhibits both
rain and shine. In the
top photo, luminous
clouds hover over the
quad as a springtime
storm ceases. In the
bottom photo, Mt.
Wilson stands against
the sky which is
brilliantly vivid.
Courier/Bryant Hammer
Trustee Election Forthcoming
By Sally Blake
News Editor
The position of student trustee will
soon be open and any qualified students
may apply. Applications are now avail¬
able in the Campus Center. According
to Connie Hurston, student activities
adviser, the deadline to turn them in is
noon, on Tuesday, May 3.
Anyone applying for the student
trustee position must be a legal resi¬
dent of the Pasadena Area Community
College District and enrolled in 10 or
more units. He must have earned a
cumulative grade point average of 2.5
or above in all previous college units
attempted, and must be in good stand¬
ing at the college. The student may not
be on academic, progress, or dis¬
ciplinary probation.
The student trustee is the only stu¬
dent to sit on the Board of Trustees. He
acts as a liaison between the students
and the Board.
The term of office is from June 1,
1988 to May 31, 1989.
Number of PCC Students
Transferring Increases
The whole value system of higher education
seems to have changed nationwide in the last
five years.
By Coleen Meyers
Editor-in-Chief
The number of PCC students who
transfer to four year universities has
increased by 10 percent according to a
recent California Postsecondary of
Education Commission report.
PCC is above average and ranks
sixth in the state for community col¬
leges which transfer students.
Last year 1404 students transferred
and 1554 students are expected to trans¬
fer this year in California if that rate
continues. The schools that most stu¬
dents transfer to are Cal State LA, Cal
State Pomona and UCLA.
This increases is due to “an overall
climate of individual student attention
and matriculation and campus pro¬
grams which give intensive counseling
in terms of planning students’ pro¬
grams,” said Dr. Jack Scott, super¬
intendent/president .
More emphasis has been placed on
programs such as the Transfer Alliance
with UCLA which redirects students to
attend PCC.
There is no one reason for the in¬
crease according to Neuman. “Four
year colleges are recruiting with
greater emphasis than they have in the
past. Everybody is looking for good
students. They know we produce good
students.”
PCC also attracts more transfer
students than thay have in the past,
Neuman believes. “We do things like
give honors entrance awards to every
new student that averages a 3.5 GPA.”
“The whole value system of higher
education seems to have changed na¬
tionwide in the last five years. There
are more students with majors in the
life and physical sciences and engineer¬
ing. It may be the sign of the times,”
said Neuman.
Verification Forms Could Save
A Lot of Unforeseen Problems
By Sally Blake
News Editor
Students who think that they dropped
a class in February should confirm it
when they receive course verification
forms in the mail.
According to Ernestine Moore, dean
of student services, the purpose of the
forms is for students to check their
current status. Unfortunately, Moore
said, “many students do not take a
second look at the form. We believe it
is very helpful because the information
can be corrected now, while it cannot
be corrected later.”
With the forms, students are able to
ensure that they are enrolled in the
classes they think they are enrolled in.
For example, students are able to find
out if the class they dropped is off their
record.
“We want students to see if they are
enrolled in the classes they want to be
enrolled in before the last day to drop
arrives,” said Moore. “If they are no
longer attending a class, or are still not
registered for a class, this is the time
to correct it.”
Students are also able to check if the
major declared on the form is still their
desired goal. Also, they can check their
academic standing.
The form will tell students where to
go to correct any mistakes because all
problems are not handled by the same
departments.
Forensics Wins National Bronze ;
Places in Top Ten of All Schools
By Sean DuPont
Associate News Editor
The forensics team captured two
bronze metals and learned that it was
one of the top ten teams in the country
at the weeklong Phi Rho Pi Nationals
held over spring break, according to
the Anthony Georgilas, director of the
program.
Jose Rodriguez, compeating in the
prose competition, won the third place
bronze award while Daniel Hurst
struck bronze for his extemporaneous
speaking skills.
The competition, held in Minne¬
apolis, Minnesota, brought together
more than 40 community colleges from
across the country. Georgilas said that
the team’s overall program, entitled
“From Adam to Atom; From Antrobus
to Anthropus” had seven win ballots
and five loss ballots at the competition.
The coach said that the score was one
win shy of qualifying for the semifinals.
Also competing in the events were
Lori Harvey, Roy Kokayacuhk, Diane
Lettman, Matt Oberholtzer, Sonja
O’Daniel and James Sollenbarger.
Catagories included duet acting,
reader’s theater, dramatic interpreta¬
tion, impromptu speaking and poetry
reading.
Rodriguez won his award for his
reading of “Death of Manolete” by
Barnaby Conrad. Hurst’s third place in
extemporaneous came after he spoke
on a variety of subjects assigned only
30 minutes before taking the stage.
“These students are right up there
with the best,” said Georgilas. “It’s
like the Olympics; you either peak or
you don’t.”
The Minneapolis competition earned
the team 17.5 sweepstakes points,
bringing their overall total to 498
points. Georgilas said that the year-end
total places the PCC team in the top ten
community colleges in the nation.
“I’m proud of these kids,” Georgilas
said. “They were not only ambassadors
of PCC but also ambassadors of the city
of Pasadena.”
Tony Georgilas