PCC Courier, December 06, 2001

Ray Bradbury Promotes New Play see page 5 L.A. Sends Angels to East Coast see page 6 21 Lancers Named All- Americans see page 8 Ф '1 P A S A D E N A С О ■ ЕГ • /71 СГ ; Cm Vjl Cm COURIER Since l£)l 5 VOL. 87 NO. 14 www.pcc-courieronline.com тШтшжжттттжтжжттжжшжжжшжжштшшяж шшшшт DECEMBER 6, 2001 On Campus Health Center Welcomes New HIV Counselor Cheaters Sometimes Prosper By Angela Faranda Courier Correspondent The Student Health Center at PCC has a new HIV counselor. He will work with the 1 0 to 14 students a week who come into the center for testing. The state office of AIDS requires any agency doing HIV/AIDS testing to have a certi¬ fied staff, so PCC brought in Paul Langlotz to help. Langlotz comes from a vast background in HIV / AIDS activism and education. He is California State certified to admin¬ ister HIV tests and offer counseling to students before tests are adminis¬ tered and after receiving results. Langlotz decided to become an AIDS activist in the early 80s when his friends began dying from the disease. He comes most recently from AIDS Project Central Coast, where he was the director. There he worked in HIV and AIDS educa¬ tion, prevention, testing programs, counseling, and needle exchange programs. He also monitored pub¬ lic policy at AIDS Project Central Coast. Langlotz worked at ACTUP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) L.A. for five years doing educational and media campaigns and designing protests. With all of his experience # see COUNSELOR, page 4 111 illii тШШЩш *ii I л щ Illii Цш ■n llMUl Photo Illustration by Michelle Falerne/Courier Students can pay a stand-in several hundred dollars to pass their class. By Hsing Hua Cheng Staff Writer While many students are study¬ ing hard to pass their finals, others are sitting back and relaxing because they know that somebody else will be taking the test for them. Jason, currently a junior at USC, is a computer science major. Who earns his living by being a substitute student at PCC. Because he is good in math, students hire him to take and pass their classes. Not only does he take course for PCC students, but he also takes them for those attending East Los Angeles College, Mt. San Antonio College, Glendale Community College and Los Angeles City College. Jason said he started his busi¬ ness when he was in high school. A friend of his was attending col¬ lege at the time and gave him the idea. One day they were just talk¬ ing about how pathetic those stu¬ dents are who are still taking basic algebra or geometry in community colleges. In high school, Jason had earned A grades in mathematics and many other subjects. So when he learned about all these students having trouble passing math, he thought it was a joke. But after¬ ward, he started thinking: “What if I offer to take classes for those col¬ lege students for a fair price?” He said he knew it would work because community college teach¬ ers seldom check attendance. “I don’t even need to be present in class all the time. This idea made me a fortune,” said Jason. He charges SI 500 for passing a four-unit class with an A. For a grade of B, the price is $1200. If the client just wants to pass the course, it’s $800. After Jason makes a deal with his client, he attends class from the first day. Because the student buying the # see CHEATING, page 4 Board of Trustees Approves $150 Million Bond Measure for Ballot By Kellie Keenan Staff Writer The PCC board of trustees voted on Nov. 28 to put a $150 million bond measure on the bal¬ lot to pay for new buildings and renovations to existing facilities. The board voted 6-1 in favor of the bond issue. The voters within the PCC district will be asked to approve the general obligation bond package on the March 5 Primary Election ballot. If approved, construction on some of the new buildings authorized could begin as early as the fall of 2002. College Considers Options for Shortening Semesters Calendar Option 1 m 1 6-week semesters # 6-week winter break/ intersession #Two 5-week summer ses¬ sions Calendar Option 2 # 16-week semesters # 8-week winter break/ intersession #One 8-week summer ses¬ sion By Latoya Sturge Associate Editor PCC’s decade-long discussion about shortening semesters continues. In the latest chapter, faculty groups contem¬ plate the pro and cons of moving to a 16- week calendar. At present PCC offers two 18-week semesters and two six-week summer ses¬ sions. Karen Carlisi, English professor and vice president of PCC’s chapter of the California Teachers Association (СТА), called the current calendar “a model for immature learners,” a remnant of the ele¬ mentary and secondary education sys¬ tems. Two options are currently under con¬ sideration. Common to both options is a two-week reduction in the length of the semester and proportionally extra time added to each class peiod. In the first model, a six-week winter intersession would be added during the early months of the calendar year, and each summer session would be shortened by one week to accommodate. The benefits of this model include extended winter break for students who do not choose to attend school during the intersession. There are concerns that summer sessions would become too intensive because of the compressed schedule. A second model is also being looked at. In this option, there would also be a winter intersession, but it would instead be eight weeks long. This would, however, eliminate one of the summer sessions Several area colleges have calendars with shorter semesters. Santa Monica, for example, has used the first model cal¬ endar for several years with positive results. Nearby Glendale College (GCC) recently transitioned to a compressed cal¬ endar. Semesters there are 15 weeks in length. Mike Allen, instructor at Glendale community college describes reactions there as mixed. He said that both stu¬ dents and teachers realize that they are working harder. “You may hear more grumbling because there’s been no payoff yet. People haven’t seen the extra free time.” Allen also asserted that one of the major reasons for converting to the com¬ pressed calendar was monetary benefit to the college. “Something that is driving it is that it’s a money maker,” Allen said. With the extra winter session, the col¬ lege has the opportunity to pull in a sig¬ nificant amount in additional tuition fees. Decisions on any changes in the school calendar will ultimately be negoti¬ ated between the СТА and the adminis¬ tration. Classified unions on campus also have concerns about the compressed schedule. Faculty will be surveyed over the next few weeks to determine their prefer¬ ences. Students need not be concerned because any changes will not go into effect until the 2002-2003 school year. The $150 million in general obligation bonds would be paid back over a 30-year period by property owners, both residential and commercial. Music Division professor Robert Eaton spoke on behalf of the proposal, citing antiquated facilities, lack of sound proofing for classrooms, and lack of ade¬ quate classroom space to meet enrollment demands. “Sound leakage is a major problem for students trying to practice their instruments, especially for brass and percussion, he said. Jason Spohr of the Engineering and Technology Division also spoke forcefully of the need for renovations to exist¬ ing structures. “The Industrial Arts building is in dire need of repair and renovation,” he told trustees. “I urge you to give a positive vote on the issue.”. Before they voted on the measure, trustees heard a report on a voter survey, and some trustees spoke of the results of private surveys they had con¬ ducted in their districts. One survey of 40,000 likely voters asked whether they would be likely to vote for or against the bond measure. Over 3900 residents returned the question¬ naire. According to the results of the survey, 85 percent of respon¬ dents rated PCC as doing a good job of educating students and 86 percent would assign a “high pri¬ ority” to renovating old and out¬ moded buildings. Among respondents to the mailed survey, 64 percent think new parking facilities are need¬ ed, and 76 percent thought addi¬ tional classrooms are necessary. Despite these positive results on the mailed survey, several trustees voiced concern over the difficulty of selling the bond measure to the voters. Board president Luther Renfro said there is a need for unity and teamwork among the trustees “and the entire campus commu¬ nity” if the bond measure is to win approval on March 5. Queen of the Roses By Erikson Erise Staff Writer The annual tradition of cele¬ brating the Tournament of Roses would not be complete without the selection a queen to preside over the festivities. Each year, the crown is awarded to an individual who exemplifies impressive quali¬ ties including public speaking abil¬ ity, poise, academic achievement, community involvement, and per¬ sonality. Caroline Hsu, a 17-year- old resident of San Marino, has proven her worthiness and will reign over the 2002 Tournament of Roses as the 84th Rose Queen. “When you’re little, everyone wants to be a princess,” said Hsu, whose fascination with the Royal Court began when she was a child. Her interest intensified when she knew people who were trying out. Her older sister tried out four years ago and some friends even more recently. “I thought maybe I could be like them,” she said. Hsu was one of more than 900 young women who were part of a month-long process of on-going interviews. Despite the nerve wracking atmosphere that enveloped the tryouts, and the anticipation of waiting for an acceptance letter, Hsu said she had fun through it all. She made a lot of new friends at the same time. The announcement of her title, which took place on Oct. 23, left her in a state of shock and amaze¬ ment. And at that point, her dream of becoming royalty was realized. As a member of the Royal Court, Hsu will participate in over a hundred community and media events. In order to be presentable to the public at those events, she, and the other princesses, must undergo special training. PCC’s ’ professor of speech, Joseph Probst, has taken on the task of transform¬ ing the girls into refined represen¬ tatives of the Tournament of Roses. “I’ve done a lot of neat things in my life and this is way up on the list,” said Probst. The classes, which sometimes last three to four hours each day, concentrate on improving performance and cere¬ monial speaking and gestures. Hsu said she has learned a lot of things in Probst’s classes. His teachings have already aided her in recent events, including a visit to the Cultural Centers in Cal Poly Pomona and an annual luncheon held at the Lake View Room in Alhambra. Because of her title, some peo¬ ple treat her royally while others see her as herself. “You feel like royalty,” she said, describing the # see QUEEN, page 3 1111 Erikson Erise/Courier Queen Caroline Hsu.