The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915 Volume 94, Issue 14
I Courier
‘TWAS THE WEEK BEFORE FINALS, and while some good little PCC students were writing their
papers and checking them twice, Santa made a stop in Creveling Lounge, bringing Christmas cheer
to students in the DSPS. Sleep tight, and rest up for your all-nighters — you know he's ready for his.
Felon
Arrested
at CDC
Christine Chen
Contributing Writer
An Asian male in his early 60s with a no-bail warrant
was taken into custody on Nov. 18 after being seen at the
Child Development Center.
At approximately 2 p.m., Officer Steven Matchan of
the PCC campus police received a call that there was a
suspicious person hanging around the CDC.
Upon arrival, Matchan noticed that the subject was
using the water faucet to wash his clothing, lower groin
and anal area. His clothes were hung on a posted sign and
on the top of the bushes to dry.
Matchan then ran his information and found out that
the suspect had an outstanding no-bail warrant for his
arrest. The subject was arrested for prior offenses, includ¬
ing battery with serious bodily injury, assault with a dead¬
ly weapon and elder abuse.
The subject was then immediately taken into custody at
the Pasadena Police Station for re-booking.
“This shows that you cannot underestimate anyone
you come in contact with. Students need to be aware of
this and be careful at all times. This man was just anoth¬
er transient from downtown Los Angeles, but he had a
no-bail warrant for his arrest and an extensive list of
crimes that he had committed," he said.
Unwelcome Appearance of Bias
Shown in Suit by Instructor
ШП1
John Avery
Web Editor
Visualize a typical Spanish
teacher, and the odds are
Guorong Sun won’t even come
close, yet California’s public poli¬
cy is clear: Sun’s race and age
should not matter.
PCC’s compliance with the Fair
Employment and Housing Act
may be questioned this spring, in a
civil suit for wrongful termination
that Sun has filed in Los Angeles
Superior Court.
The 52-year-old Asian Ameri¬
can is asking for reinstatement at
PCC and damages exceeding
$25,000 in redress for discrimina¬
tion, harassment and, after he
complained, retaliation.
While Sun himself was unavail¬
able for comment, his lawyer,
James Elliott, said, “Mr. Sun
intends vigorously to prosecute
his claims.” Elliott has filed a
complaint expressing these claims
on Sun's behalf.
“Defendant PCC repeatedly
opined that it did not want an
Asian teaching Spanish,” Sun
claims in the complaint, arguing
that his race motivated the col¬
lege's unfavorable employment
decisions.
Sun alleges that while teaching
Spanish at PCC as an adjunct fac¬
ulty member, he was subjected to
racially motivated taunts by the
dean and assistant dean of the lan¬
guage department, being called
“chino,” "Chinese,” “bastard”
and “stupid.”
He argues, “A reasonable person
of Asian descent would conclude
that such an environment was per¬
vasively hostile based on race.”
Sun further argues that while he
received “outstanding perform¬
ance reviews," he was denied pro¬
motions to full-time professor,
“even though he was better quali¬
fied than younger, non-Asian col¬
leagues, who were promoted in
his stead.”
“As a rule, adjunct faculty are
not protected," said Rod Foster,
grievance officer for the PCC
chapter of the California Teachers
Association. “Basically, they are
hired contract to contract.”
The Pasadena Area Communi¬
ty College District has answered
that its action was "based upon a
bona fide seniority system,” and
that Sun "lacked a bona fide occu¬
pational qualification.” Sun
taught Spanish at PCC for nine
years, between 1995 and 2005.
Representing the PACCD,
lawyer Louis Marino said, “We
deny that he was the victim of any
discrimination. He was antagonis¬
tic to some members of the classi¬
fied staff.”
Sun was fired in August 2005,
but Sun claims an allegation that
he "yelled” at an administrative
assistant was “false and pretextu-
al,” and that in fact he was “fired
without cause on account of his
earlier complaints and his race
and age.”
Although lawyers from both
sides have met seeking other reso¬
lution, a jury trial is currently
scheduled to begin on March 14 in
Department 37 of the Stanley
Mosk Courthouse, at 111 N. Hill
St., Los Angeles.
