PCC Courier, April 22, 2004

1 V i f>, Next Stop. Conference Championships Both Lancer aquatic teams to compete for championship A Night in the Park to Help Others Local film festival to help the fight against cancer Pasadena City College The Co ser? PAS HAS BEEN D THE NITIES On this date in 1986 The artist Formally known as “the artist Formally known as Prince” RELEASED THE SONG "KlSS. " Vol. 89, No. 21 April 22, 2004 Over 7,000 Books Overdue at Library Ina Siem Opinion Editor Shatford Library has set a record. Over the years almost 7,200 books have been overdue or lost. Caroline Bordinaro, public services librarian, said, "The number is huge and sounds as if it is way out of pro¬ portion, but these numbers have been adding up for 20 years." As of April 9, a total of 7,173 books had not been returned. The report shows books that are overdue from three days to 20 years ago. Already for this year, 883 books are overdue. Bordinaro said that it is normal that people check books out and not * return them on time. James Tong, 23, business major, is one of the people who owes the library a couple of books. He said that they are too heavy to carry them around campus to return them. Sandra Rice, 20, art major, agrees with Tong. "I return the library books only when I don't have to bring my art tools to class¬ es," she said. "I often forget the day that I have to return it because the due card falls out of the book when I use it." When books are overdue, the library sends a letter every week to the patron stating the item informa¬ tion, when it was due, and who to contact for answers to questions. Once the book is 44 days overdue, the computer system will switch the item to the lost status. The patron then receives a letter stating that the book is considered lost in the system and also detailing how much it is to pay for a replace¬ ment and the processing of the item. Tong and Rice were surprised that a financial hold would be placed on their record because of the overdue books. That could prevent them from transacting any business with the college. Bordinaro said that if a student has $50 or more in fines, replacement costs or any other charges, that could delay obtaining transcripts and records or registering for classes until all materials and Library See page Kenny Kimura/Courier The empty spaces could be filled if all the overdue books were returned to the library. Student Protest Leads to One Arrest Diane Garcia Staff Writer Nearly 30 students were arguing with men holding a sign that said "Homosexuality is Sin" on Wednesday in the Quad. Members of Paznaz, Pasadena Nazarene Church, hold street min¬ istries and outreach programs and this was one of them, church mem¬ ber Sevag Konyalian said. Knoyalian said none of them were students at PCC, but they were holding the sign because Wednesday was The National Day of Silence for homosexual and bisexual people. Knoyalian said they are educating people on "why [homosexuality] is a sin, and why God created a man and a woman." Kenny Kimura/Courier Students were cuffed and one was arrested after snatching a sign away from pro¬ testers. The sign, which angered some students, read, "Homosexuality is a Sin." The demonstration by church members escalated when a PCC student apparently grabbed the sign and ran off with it, leading to a brief chase that ended on the north lawn of the D building. The students were chased by members of Paznaz, and they were chased by PCC Police. Investigator Steven Lester said Officers Chen and Ruetz conducted an on-site investigation that concluded student Richard Hitichin had Protest See page Professor Files Lawsuit Against College Board Linda Rapka Entertainment Editor Professor Richard McKee slapped a lawsuit against the PCC board of trustees in response to a settlement with two campus police officers. In February the board voted to pay nearly $1,500 in attorney fees to former Police Chief Philip Mullendore and Lt. Brad Young resulting from an investigation to determine if the officers used excessive force on student demonstrators during an anti-war protest on March 20, 2003. McKee contends that this pay¬ off was "hidden" within a con¬ sent item reserved for routine purchases on the Feb. 18 board meeting agenda. "The board has quite a history of trying to secret¬ ly authorize things that are embarrassing to itself," McKee said. "I decided it was finally time to take them to court. The lawsuit argues that fail¬ ing to give adequate notice to the agenda item violates the Brown Act, a state law that requires business items to be clearly posted for the sake of public awareness. "The pubic would certainly not think to look there if they wanted to speak to it, and that bothers me," commented Beth Wells- Miller, board Law Suit See page Suspected Rapist Arrested on Campus Jessica Pirkl Staff Writer Alleged rape suspect and PCC student, Daniel Gomez, was lured away from his English class Wednesday morning and arrested by PCC campus police. Gomez was then transported to a waiting police cruiser until LAPD arrived to remove and book the suspect. The arresting officers took nec¬ essary precautions and followed special protocol when arresting Gomez, said Lt. Brad Young. Young also made it clear that there are specific tactics in mak¬ ing this type of arrest, tactics that according to Young are taught and practiced to ensure success. The officers were well informed of Gomez's schedule, enabling them to execute their plan with no surprises. Officers also had to take neces¬ sary steps to keep Gomez's teacher aware of the impending plan. It was Gomez's teacher that was the key in luring the alleged suspect into the hall where offi¬ cers were waiting. ''The class never knew what was going on," Young said. " It is done that way to make See page sure things go smooth- Rape Sandra Loh to Join KPCC Staff in the Summer Linda Rapka Entertainment Editor Having recently gained notoriety for broad¬ casting a profanity on her former radio show, humorist author Sandra Tsing Loh will return to the airwaves on KPCC 89.3 FM, based on campus, in June as a regular weekly commentator. The radio personality found herself in hot water after saying the f-word during her weekly radio show, "The Loh Life," on KCRW 89.9 FM, based at Santa Monica City College. This incident occurred during the media fren¬ zy concerning on-air indecency after Janet Jackson's bare-breasted Super Bowl perform¬ ance. KCRW's general manager, Ruth Seymour, promptly fired Loh. Loh claims that she never intended for the word to air, maintaining that her engineer for¬ got to bleep out the obscenity. Although KCRW offered Loh her job back in March, she refused, calling the station "tainted." She signed on with KPCC for a full-time slot on March 23, expanding her relation¬ ship with the station. For nearly 10 years she has provided monthly commentary on KPCC's national business program, "Marketplace." "I love KPCC," Loh happily stated. "It has a great atmosphere and great people. It's a great station." "We're thrilled to have someone of Sandra's caliber join the KPCC family," remarked Bill Davis, president and CEO of Southern California Public Radio, in a recently issued statement. "While she's made a lot of peo¬ ple laugh over the years, her essays have considerable depth and insight as ^ee Pa9e well. So, we're Loh pleased that we'll be Sandra Loh Terrorist Fears Do Not Stop Study Abroad Priscilla Moreno Managing Editor Safety is a top priority for facul¬ ty and students thinking of travel¬ ing abroad. Despite the recent terrorist bombings in Spain, the summer study-abroad trip to Madrid will continue as planned along with seven other trips scheduled in the study-abroad program. The summer trip will depart from Los Angeles on June 26 where students will study Spanish at the Don Quixote Institute of Madrid. Overseeing the program is PCC professor Barbara Padron-Leon of the foreign languages division. She said that the planning for the trip is going well. "We have 16 students. Of course we worry about terrorism everywhere but no one has cancelled. We have three new students who have joined us this [last] week." According to Reuters, on April 16, the Spanish police arrested three more suspects w/ho may have some connection with the March 11 train bombings in Madrid. Inocente Soria Valderrama was also arrested on April 16 in Chatellerault, France, for allegedly making bombs for the armed Basque separatist group ETA. Also arrested in Spain were an Egyptian and a Saudi national. Padron-Leon has friends and associates in Madrid and See page has been in contact Abroad Ulmer Services Offered for Hearing-Impaired Stephen Folan Staff Writer The New Media Center provides counseling and various useful serv¬ ices for deaf students at PCC, both in and out of the classroom. Roughly 50 students currently benefit from the center's resources, which is located in the basement of the library on cam¬ pus. The center is funded by the state and district. "We provide vocational coun¬ seling, as well as services used in class," said Lilly Crisman, teacher specialist for the hearing impaired. Services provided range from volunteer and professional staff who help students with problems to arranging things so that all media on campus See page have an alternative SGrVICGS )