PCC Courier, April 27, 2000

Thursday, April 27, 2000 Vol. LXXXV, No. 26 The | Wm ■ I Pasadena City College Graduation honors nine valedictorians By Isael Hermosillo /Courier Staff Writer n the year marking the 75th Anniversary of the college it comes as no surprise that the keynote speaker for this year’s commencement cer¬ emony will one of the college’s 75 Most Distinguished Alumni. Dr. Koichi Nishimura chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Solectron was selected by a committee of students, faculty, and administration that began their hunt for a speaker last June. Commencement 2000 will be on Friday, May 19 at 6 p.m. in front of the Mirror Pools. Stephen Johnson Assistant Dean of Student Affairs said, Nishimura was selected as the speaker because of his many accomplishments in the busi¬ ness world. Nishimura has led Solectron from a small region¬ al entry company into the world’s largest and most profitable electronic manufacturers. Under his lead¬ ership Solectron won .the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award twice in 1991 and 1997. Nishmura holds a doctorate in material science and engineering from Stanford University, and mas¬ ter’s and bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from San Jose University. Dr. Koichi Nishimura, one of the 75 most distinguished alumni of the college, was chosen as the keynote speaker. Among the nearly 600 students graduating, nine have qualified as class valedictorians. Chi-Mei Ku, Ketty Citterio, Janet Contreras, Adelaine Foo, John Hake, Paul Maisano, Danielle Kai Newman, Yan Lin Tai and Staley Wong are the top students of the class of 2000. All of the valedictorians will be given the oppor¬ tunity to give a brief speech thanking family, friends and instructors that helped them thorough their time at PCC. But do to time constraints there will only be one valedictorian speech. The valedictorians came together and then decid¬ ed among themselves who would deliver the vale¬ dictorian speech, and they choose Wong to address See GRADUATION on pg 2 ■ The women’s softball team went head-to- head against a squad of former students in the annual Alumni Game. news шшшттяиттишт Sptei Stiiiig <ия— »h r i e f s Photo courtesy of Oscar Chavez Robert DeOcampo, AS president, led graduates during last year's ceremony Gearing up for musical bliss By Gali Raval Courier Staff Writer Strumming their strings and singing their songs, music division students arc gearing up to perform their hearts out. With two concerts scheduled for this weekend, and 10 more planned during May, the college’s music makers will show off all that they have learned this semester. Grooving to their own beats, the percussion class will perform an ensemble tomorrow. Under the direction of Tad Carpenter, these drummers will perform in К 100 at 8 p.m. Directed by Anne Marie Ketchum, the opera/music students adorned in full opera costumes will show off their talents on Saturday night. Harbeson Hall will be trans¬ formed into an opera house for “An evening of Scenes” featuring por¬ tions of The Magic Flute, Falstaff, The Rape of Lucretia and Pirates of Penzance at 8 p.m. A reception with refreshments will be held after the performance. Ticket prices for both weekend concerts are $5 general admission and $3 for students and staff with current PCC IDs. The musicians are not the only ones preparing for events. This semester the college implemented the position of concert coordinator, and Norma Altschuler has been very busy setting up shop. Taking care of all of the time consuming details, from finding suitable venues to mak¬ ing fliers and publicizing upcoming events, Altschuler has had her hands full. “The staff is ecstatic to have me here. I plan out their programs, relieving them of things they should¬ n’t have to do. This position has been needed for a long time, and now it will be on-going,” she said. In addition to the end of the year recitals, the music division provides many free concerts in the quad for students to enjoy. The last quad event for the semester will be on May 2 at noon, featuring the Lancer Jazz Choir. The scheduled events for May are: * “Swing band dance” on See MUSIC on page 2 Credit Charging into financial disaster? By Laura Calderoni Courier Staff Writer Mother always said, “Don’t take candy from strangers.” But how many of us are willing to give our most personal informa¬ tion to a Visa or MasterCard Company, all in exchange for a bag ofM&Ms? You’ve seen them out in the quad every now and then soliciting facul¬ ty and students; credit card compa¬ nies claiming they are offering you a “low” percentage rate for estab¬ lishing credit. Sounds good, eh? Think again. Most people don’t think it matters whether they are turned down repeatedly or not. They just fill out the applications for the free goodies. However, what few realize is that if your application is not approved, it goes See CREDIT on page 2 At Friday's fashion show, many dif¬ ferent gowns will be modeled. A night of elegance On Friday, April 28 at 8 p.m., the Sexson Auditorium will be graced by models robed in silky skirts, black leather as well as other original fashion designs. Come see the latest styles that fashion students have created all year at the 15th annual fash¬ ion show. The 35 models have been trying on the dresses as well as working and learning how they can best show off the over 135 original student designs that include everything from sportswear to delicate wedding dresses. For more information call: (626) 585- 7084. Diversity Forum A Town Hall meeting “Making the Invisible Visible” on diversi¬ ty will be held in the forum on May 2 at 7 p.m. John Jenkins former mayor of Lewiston, Maine, will be the moderator of the meeting. Fencing Anyone? The Fencing Association will give a demonstration in the quad on May l from noon to 1 p.m. Students are invited to join the fun as students demon¬ strate this ancient sport. Running in the Bowl The Community Educational Center is sponsoring its 18th Annual 5K Run/walk on Saturday May 6 at 8 a.m. in the . Rose Bowl. For more informa¬ tion call the run coordinator at (626) 585-3003 or (626) 588- 3031 Richard Fa vela/ The Courier Ray Phillips, vice president of internal affairs points out course obstacles to the rewed-up soapbox racers. A day at the races Two-day event draws attention to campus groups By Tim Alves Courier Staff Writer While the AS general elections were being held near the Campus Center, hundreds of students lined the makeshift obstacle course set up in the quad to cheer on teams of soap box racers whizzing by in their forest green go-carts for the first annual “Pascar” event. The April 26 and 27 event was staged by the current (Associated Students) AS board in an effort to raise its profile on campus and get students enthusiastic about partic¬ ipating in student government. “It was just a coincidence that this event and the elections were planned for the same day, said Robert DeOcampo, outgoing AS president. Ray Lee, Bruce D. Mayhill, Robert DeOcampo made the sleek-looking soapbox go-carts and Veronica Castillo, volunteers from the campus honorary club, O.M.D. Representatives from the major clubs on campus including MEChA, the Supreme Council and the Black Student Alliance jockeyed for pole position in the noontime Pascar 2000 races. “I think this event may be detracting from the elections.” -Robert DeOcampo, Л5 President Drivers and their pushers had to navigate their way through a series of obstacles including a sand trap, water hazard and multi¬ ple “hairpin” turns. “This is pretty cool, but I’m not sure why they’re doing this,” said Carlos Arechiga, student. Arechiga’s confusion about the event was common among the students watching the huffing and puffing racers. “I think this event may be detracting from the elections. But it is my hope that the candidates are reaching out to students, talk¬ ing to people in the crowd and discussing what the AS is, what it does and convincing the students to vote,” said DeOcampo. Daniel Loh, the only candidate for AS president, said he was behind the idea for the Pascar and thought it raised awareness of the existence of the AS and what it does. “This is a great opportunity for more people to get involved with student government,” said Loh. For his part, Arechiga said the day’s events probably would not convince him to vote. Photo courtesy of Oscar Chavez