PCC Courier, August 24, 2007

Pasadena City College The Only Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915.” Friday, August, 24 2007 Ready to Serve Your Student Government Here to Help Christian Daly tj News Editor If you feel like the state or U.S. Government is too far * away to get involved with, try PCC’s student govern- ■ ment, the Associated Students, out for size. The A.S. consists of 1 1 student leaders who represent [1 the students of PCC to the administration. Along with [I serving as the student voices, the A.S. plans events and 1 heads committees to ensure students get the most out of ■ their experience at PCC. “The A.S. is the student voice. When the students || have problems and concerns, it is up to us to make them FI known and resolve them,” said Adam Kratt, vice presi- ;-j dent for public relations. Although there is a mix of new and returning mem- j bers, the A.S. is looking for students to fill the positions j for chief justice and student trustee. Since these positions are vacant, the A.S. will be hold¬ ing a special election in the fall semester. The chief justice is in charge reviewing the bylaws and the constitution of the school. The chief justice can also amend the constitution. The student trustee acts as the student voice on the board of trustees. “You can apply for positions and just because you’re not on the student government does not mean you can¬ not come and help,” said Michael Sansosti, president. Jesus Gomez / Courier Students can find the Associated Students in the office of student affairs in T110. The A.S. holds its elections in the Spring semester in May, where all students are eligible to cast their vote for a candidate. To get in contact with the A.S. you can either visit the office in the T Building, room 110, or online at www. pasadena. edu/as. Your Student Representatives. . . Michael Sansosti President Sansosti oversees the A.S. and all the activities the A.S. is involved in. Sansosti chairs all meetings and makes sure the A.S. is functioning and running smoothly. Karina Roman VP. for Campus Activities Roman is the campus activities committee head. She coordinates and assembles events such as home¬ coming and graduation along with other events. Natalie Courtney V.P. for External Affairs Courtney heads the lobby commit¬ tee, which researches and advocates bills to be passed that improve the conditions for community colleges and its students. Ashley Rodriguez V.P. for Internal Affairs Rodriguez ensures that each club is represented in the Interclub Com¬ mittee. Joshua Acevedo V.P. for Student Services Acevedo acts as a liaison and rep¬ resentative for students in offices around campus such as the finan¬ cial aid office. Adam Kratt V.P. for Public Relations Kratt heads the publicity commit¬ tee and notifies the campus about events that the A.S. sponsors. Jordan Nuanez V.P. for Academic Affairs Nuanez is the representative and liaison for students to the academic divisions. He informs students of division events. Vanessa Quiroz V.P. for Cultural Diversity Quiroz is head of the committee for cultural diversity, which creates events to cover different ethnic groups and to make the campus wel¬ come to everyone. The A.S. is accepting applications for the positions of chief justice and student trustee. A special Fall election will be held this semester. Erica Colon V.P. for Business Affairs Colon works with Rodriguez on the I.C.C. and assures that funds are equally distributed in the I.C.C. and A.S. Photos by Rocky Brown, Rickly Lim and Jesus Gomez Jesus Gomez / Courier Campus Police Bring a Peace of Mind Franco Sui Yuan Sports Editor Feeling safe on a college campus has become a concern among stu¬ dents after the massacre at Vir¬ ginia Tech. That’s why at PCC, the campus police provides services and police patrol for students and faculty to ensure their safety. With about 100 cadets hired in the campus police department and an average of 15 working and rotating in each daily shift, safety on campus remains as the top con¬ cern, explained Lt. Brad Young. “We have a lot of cadets and we have them stationed all over the campus. That is probably the best tool we have,” said Young. Students can take advantage at anytime of the campus police services, such as an escort, where students can ask for a cadet to walk you to your car in order to make you and every student on campus, secure. “Nobody can guarantee safety. We have crimes on campus where people have been hurt or their properties have been stolen, but we can ensure anybody’s safety by try¬ ing to do the best we can,” said Young. Besides escort services, the cam¬ pus police also offers basic security services, such as 24-hour and seven-day-a-week police patrol. Campus police also conduct crim¬ inal investigations. Though PCC tries to ensure stu¬ dent safety, students should be aware of their belongings at all times to reduce the rates of minor thefts. “The biggest crime, that we have on this campus and in every campus on every college, is minor thefts,” said Young. In case of an emergency, stu¬ dents can reach the police at the T Building, room 130, by calling 626-585-7484. Safety Tips: • Always be aware of your sur¬ roundings and where your belong¬ ings are. • Keep your valuable possessions with you at all times. • If you see anything strange or “weird” around campus, notify the campus police. • Try to walk through places with many people at any time. PCC Counseling to Keep Students Sane Christine Calvo Contributing Writer If you feel stressed out and are having trouble adjusting to college or life, there are plenty of psycholog¬ ical services to help you get straight¬ ened out. Counseling services found in the L Building, room 108, offers one-on- one psychological counseling where a student can meet with a counselor and discuss anything that has been bothering them. Even people with a lot of friends and family can have difficulties com¬ municating their problems. That is why PCC offers counseling to stu¬ dents on-campus. There are plenty of brochures in the counseling office for self-care if the student doesn’t want to face someone at first. The Psychological Services pro¬ gram helps students face problems with their relationships, their behav¬ iors or their academic life. Students who are enrolled at PCC are eligible, and it is free. If students don’t feel comfortable meeting with a counselor for certain emergencies, there is a list of phone numbers on the PCC website that students can call for cases such as suicide prevention and rape. For more information about emergen¬ cies go to http://pasadena.edu/stu- dentservices/psychservices/emrgn- cy.cfm. Confidentiality is important to the program, especially in emergencies so students shouldn’t be afraid to visit counselors for help every day for severe issues.