Pasadena City College
Doo-Dah
Parade
Pasadena
Shows its
Flair for
Adventure
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Dec. 2, 2004
pcc-courieronline.com
Vol. 90, Issue 12
Gas Pipe Ruptures; Hundreds Evacuated
Photos by Jesus Gomez
/
Courier
PASSING GAS: Hundreds of students were evacuated from the Library and U building when a gas
line was mistakenly severed by construction workers in the new parking structure on Nov. 30.
Annie Carone and
Lamaria Sapp
Staff Writers
Students and faculty on the east side of the campus were forced to
evacuate several buildings around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30 after
construction workers ruptured a main gas line in the new parking
structure.
The four-inch gas pipe that was punctured was not supposed to be
on at the time of the accident. Construction workers were working on
the handicapped parking spaces when one of the workers punctured
the line, according to workers from Katsumura Gas Co.
Lt. Brad Young, acting chief of campus police, said, “Gas didn’t
lead out, it blew out. You could hear it hissing for about 50 yards.” The
gas had to be temporarily shut off to the main buildings in the sur¬
rounding areas.
Twenty cadets and four campus police officers responded and
immediately locked down parking Lot 5 to avoid any combustion or
sparks from cars.
Approximately 500 students and staff were evacuated from the
Shatford Library, the U building and Hutto-Patterson Gym. Officers
and cadets walked through the buildings with gas detectors.
Young said some students were experiencing light-headedness
and nausea because fumes seeped into the ventilation systems of all
the buildings. Paramedics evaluated the students for gas inhalation.
There were no injuries stemming from this rupture.
“Students and faculty members were very cooperative in evacu¬
ating,” Young said. “It went very smoothly, and I was pleased with
how cadets and officers handled the situation as well.”
Finding Thinspiration
■ Pro-eating disorder
websites are providing
people with unhealthy
support networks.
Jessica Pirkl
Managing Editor
Smiling faces peer at you
through sunken eye sockets over
emaciated cheekbones, while skin
hangs from willowy bodies like
drapes. Eating disorders have a new
way to breed, giving at-risk girls,
women and men a way to bond.
These sites often called "thinspira¬
tion" to the users who come to get a
jolt of support from other "pro-ed's."
For those not in the know "pro-ana"
is pro-anorexia, "pro-mia' is pro¬
bulimia and "pro-ed" is pro-eating
disorder.
It’s as easy as logging on and
searching the web for other pro-ana
and pro-mia people. Livejournals
and chatrooms are the new
improved way to bond, share tips or
just vent about their desire to shed
more pounds. To some it is even a
way to- compete. Who can be the
thinnest or have more “willpower”
and go with eating the least or in
some cases not at all?
According to the Eating
Disorders Coalition, over 90 percent
of those afflicted with eating disor¬
ders are adolescents and young
women. It is estimated that around
5 percent of females are anorexic, 3
percent are bulimic and 1 percent of
males are afflicted.
On some sites, where the users
are a bit more bold, people post pic¬
tures of themselves and their
“progress” while fellow users usual¬
ly post words of encouragement.
When one young woman posted her
measurements as 5 feet 11 inches,
tipping the scale at 98 pounds,
another replied that if she, “fasted
on half of a Special
bar a day and
two gallons of water,” she would be
able to lose the extra weight.
It seems water is more of a way
to stave off hunger than actually
keep hydrated. Other posts offered
xenadrine and green tea as a way to
keep up strength while not even hav¬
ing to consume so much as the
Special
bar.
One woman who was posted as
"wish to be thin" said, “All I had
today was 25 calories, can you
believe that? I was so happy that I
didn't eat today, or yesterday." In
reply another posted, "You have just
helped me make it through the day,
and really remember what my goals
are. I don't care what anyone says."
Considering that eating disorders
have the highest mortality rate of
any mental illness, up to 20 percent,
according to the EDC, it is astound¬
ing that these sites are flourishing
with a vengeance. The livechats are
also being used to share tips on how
to eat with the least amount of calo¬
ries necessary to fool families and
Eating Disorders
PAG!
College in High Spirits
Caroline Ikeji
Staff Writer
PCC won the Spirit Award at the annual California
League of Community Colleges Convention, held on
Nov. 18 to 21 in Anaheim. Students, faculty and
administration came together for the event. Pasadena
placed first among 108 colleges.
Colleges were given points based on how many dis¬
plays, banners, posters and artwork each college had,
how much college attire participants were wearing,
and how much each college participated in the con¬
vention.
Members of the administration and the Academic
and Classified Senates gave three presentations, which
also counted toward the award. One was “Hang In,
Hold On, Don’t Let Go,” by the Classified Senate. It
gave relaxation tips that can be used when a person
feels discouraged or stressed. Another, given by the
administration and both Senates, was about the Student
Benefits Index. Both Senates gave another presentation
about how to maintain communication.
PCC was awarded $500, which was given to the col¬
lege’s foundation. Participants received a trophy.
“I’m thrilled,” said Ramona Nale, Classified Senate
president. “I was covered in pins and made a total fool
out of myself, but I loved it. It was wonderful.”
Strident Radio
Returns to PCC
Linda Rapka
Editor-in-Chief
On Thursday, Dec. 9 the campus radio station,
88.9 FM, will celebrate the rebirth of student-run
broadcasting of Pasadena Campus Sounds.
The station will kick off its broadcasting with a
day-long celebration live from the Galloway Plaza
outside the Library. Beginning at noon, DJs will be
broadcasting live on-site at the PCC Radio Club
booth, interviewing students, spinning records and
CDs, and handing out promo goodies.
Radio personality Brad Chambers, morning DJ
for 570 KLAC, will join in the festivities and greet
students, answer questions and give his perspective on
a career in radio.
All members of the campus community are invit¬
ed to get involved in the college’s radio station. Club
members are invited to publicize events and recruit
new members. Teachers are welcome to spread the
word on the air about a new class or alert students of
a course that they may not be aware of. PCC athletes
are encouraged to broadcast sports features, recaps
and game scores. Campus police are invited to keep
the campus aware by announcing up-to-the-minute
news alerts.
Students who have bands are also urged to get
their music on the radio and alert fans about upcom¬
ing gigs.
For more information contact Jeff Rudisill in the
telecommunications department in room Cl 07 or call
(626) 585-7476.
«
Kenny Kimura/ Courier
RICOCHET: A massive crash in Lot 4 kept campus police busy late in the afternoon
on Tuesday, Nov. 30.
Seven Car Pile-up in Parking Structure
Lamaria Sapp
Sports Editor
Campus police took a PCC stu¬
dent into custody after a seven-car
pile-up in the parking structure in Lot
4, area 2 on Tuesday. Officers got the
call around 4:15 p.m.
Officer David Russell Ruetz, the
incident commander, detained
Samuel Juwono, a 19-year-old male.
Juwono was driving a blue Honda
Elantra.
According to PCC police Sgt.
Steven Lester, Juwono was talking
on his cell phone while he was driv¬
ing up the ramp from level one,
attempting a left turn. There was a
white Toyota Canary at the stop sign,
waiting to turn.
Lester said it wasn’t clear if
Juwono was speeding. The sergeant
added that it looked as if Juwono’s
car failed to clear the Canary as he
was turning and clipped the front
right fender. Lester said Juwono acci¬
dentally hit the gas instead of the
brakes, causing his car to ricochet
into five parked cars lined up next to
one another on Juwono’s right side.
Ruetz confiscated Juwono’s
license and took him in for further
questioning. Juwono my be cited
later for a misdemeanor offense.
Lester said that they would treat
Page
Rafael Delgado
/
Courier
FULL OF SPIRIT: (From left) Kathy Mufich,
Kay Dabelow, Gary Potts, Kathryn Bosler,
Ramona Nale, and Hollis Stewart celebrate
the college's win of the Spirit Award.
Students, Faculty
Now in Check
■ Three years in the works, PCC
has adopted a consensual relations
policy to regulate proper conduct
between students and faculty.
the situation as a regular traffic acci¬
dent.
“Before they cleared the scene,
they left notes, telling the other vehi¬
cle owners [who were not present] to
call campus police and that their
vehicle had been involved in a traffic
accident,” Lester said.
The other cars involved were a
green Toyota Tercel, blue Honda
Civic, green Volkswagen Bug, silver
Honda Civic and a white Honda
Accord.
The most seriously damaged vehi-
Stephen Folan
News Writer
Have you ever been involved in a relationship with an
instructor or supervisor at PCC? In a relationship
between students and faculty, it’s difficult to determine
the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable. However,
the latest draft of a new consensual relations policy for
PCC was recently approved by the Academic Senate,
and it is designed to establish official boundaries for rela¬
tionships on the campus.
The consensual relations policy has been in develop¬
ment for over three years. A committee of three faculty
members was established in Spring 2001 to work out a
policy detailing what is allowed or considered unethical
in a consensual relationship.
“It’s taken a long time,” admitted Hugo Schwyzer,
social sciences instructor and one of the committee
members. “I think a lot of people wanted to be sure we
didn’t adopt the policy in haste. We had to carefully
design a policy that would protect students.”
The policy strictly prohibits a relationship between a
Consensual Relations
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