PCC Courier, December 14, 1979

Demonstration Draws Protesters Students Object to 'Corporate P.R.' By Tricia Chryst Contributing Writer Protest greeted the “drive for con¬ servation” caravan presented by At¬ lantic Richfield Company in the Free Speech Area last week. Individual stu¬ dents carried signs expressing their objection to the Arco-sponsored pro¬ gram which demonstrated fuel con¬ servation techniques for motorists. Protesting students stated that Arco did not belong on campus and had no right to use education to “cloak over” a public relations campaign. Although the speakers at the demon¬ stration did not recommend the use of Arco products, available literature did. As Arco representatives presented their program, protesting students walked among the audience and around the Free Speech Area carrying signs I Jl 11 I I. II ..■‘■■и— — r reading: “Who profits???,” “Arco is a four letter word,” “Public Relations is not Education,” among others. Campus sponsorship was another controversial aspect of the demonstra¬ tion. The Alliance for Survival was originally scheduled to sponsor the program but withdrew when a majori¬ ty of members expressed opposition. The ASB was eventually named as sponsor but several members of the ASB Board said they were not aware of a decision to sponsor the demonstra¬ tion. Alvar Kauti and Phyllis Jackson, Deans of Student Activities, indicated that they understood there had been a consensus, by the Board to sponsor the project. Asked which Board members had supported the decision, Kauti said, “Derek (Coleman) was one, but I don’t recall the names of the others.” At first ASB President Derek Col¬ eman denied knowing anything about it and said the signature on the permit was not his. He later said, “I forgot I agreed to sponsor them.” Asked if he knew that Arco was presenting the program, he replied, “I don’t re¬ member.” “I never heard about it, said Susan Limmer, Associated Women Student President. “I think he (Derek) should have said something to us. It really aggravates me that he didn’t inform us.” ASB Vice President Charlotte Hutchins said, “I never would have supported that oil company’s coming on campus, and as far as I know no general consensus (of the Board) was taken.” However, the ASB Constitution does not require the president to ask for the Board’s consensus in this matter. Attendance by PCC students at the demonstration was light. The Free Speech Area was crowded early in the morning when approximately 80 stu¬ dents arrived from Baldwin Park High School. Official representation from Arco and the City of Pasadena, including Vice Mayor Jo Heckman and City Manager Donald McIntyre, also at¬ tended the demonstration in the morn¬ ing. They made no comment on the presence of the protesters. Many of the high school students said they did not understand why students were protesting; others indicated their approval of the protest. i 11 " . i-i - - - - - « - - - - - VOL. 48. NO. 16 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA DECEMBER 1 4, 1 979 t ' . . — . I II I. 'I . . . . Ml I . . I. II. Trustees Move To Hire Law Firm To Suggest Action on Courier Policy By Dan Hutson Editor-in-Chief In a step to reappraise the Courier’s governing policy, the Board of Trustees voted 5-1 to hire a law firm to suggest possible action in the matter. Agreeing that there were certain “grey areas” in the present policy, the Board requested the firm of Latham and Watkins of Los Angeles to examine the policy and past Board action on the subject at a cost of $85 per hour, not to exceed $5,000. New trustees Gary B. Adams and John Martin joined Roger Gertmenian, David S. Hannah and Warren Weber in passing the motion, with Walter T. Shatford casting the sole dissenting vote. Dr. Richard Green was absent. Both Adams and Weber stressed they did not anticipate any litigation resulting from the decision. Weber expressed concern about writing a poli¬ cy “that meets the needs of both students and the Board,” stating he felt the present policy doesn’t meet that Bidding Open 'til Jan. 1 6 Solar House For Sale Sealed bids for PCC’s three bedroom solar house will be accepted until Jan. 16. This is the second time the house has been put up for sale. The house was first sold in the summer of 1978. The buyer, Kirsten Finlay, was forced to withdraw her bid due to a series of financial misun¬ derstandings. Director of Purchasing Robert Burns urged prospective buyers to “figure all costs” before making a bid on the house. “The buyer is going to have to arrange for someone to dig trenches, pour concrete for the foundation, move the house, lower the house onto the foundation, hook up the utilities, and plaster any breaks that may have occurred during the move,” said Burns. The buyer would incur the additional expenses of building a garage, a drive¬ way and landscaping. “A general con¬ tractor can handle all of the arrange¬ ments for an additional charge,” said Burns. He also pointed out that the house will not fit under freeway overpasses. “The buyer will have to figure a route over obstacles such as the freeway, not, under them,” he said. “The house should face south for maximum solar exposure,” said Burns. “That eliminates three-fourths of the lot properties. The buyer could take the panels off the house, but that would be another cost to consider.” Mrs. Finlay’s major difficulties stemmed from the fact that she not ' only had to take out a loan to buy the house but also had to buy a lot for the house. The current bid form states that any bid may be rejected if the bidder cannot provide “proof of ownership or availability of adequate real property on which to relocate the house.” Burns told the Courier in a Septem¬ ber 1978 interview that “Mrs. Finlay had too many things to arrange in too short a time. First, she had to arrange a home loan after she found out her bid had been accepted. Then she had to arrange financing' for the lot, the foun¬ dation, and moving, all within a few months.” Correction In an article in last week’s issue concerning negotiations between the California Teachers Association and the Pasadena Area Community College Dis¬ trict, Dr. Stanley Hutchinson was incorrectly identified as СТА president. Dr. Hutchinson is a former СТА President. Dr. Gary Woods is the current presi¬ dent. The Courier apologizes for any confusion caused by the error. The home is available for public inspection on an appointment basis only. When a bid is accepted, the purchaser must place a $10,000 deposit on the house. Full payment is required by Feb. 22, and the house must be moved from the campus by May 10. Another model home currently under construction will be put up for sale next May. need. Gertmenian, however, said he was confident the Board would win if a case was taken to court. Shatford argued that the move is “something we can’t afford,” especial¬ ly if litigation arose. He also cited two previous legal opinions the Board had received earlier this semester that declared an earlier policy revision to be unconstitutional. Gertmenian replied that cost wasn’t an overriding factor, and if it was, the Board could probably save “$30,000 or maybe $130,000” by shutting down the Courier. Faculty Senate President Kay Dabelow said she thought it struck faculty as “pathetic to spend money this way” in light of the current finan¬ cial situation facing community col¬ leges. . The decision was the latest in a series of Board moves concerning Courier policy. The issue came up last May when the Courier ran an editorial critical of Gertmenian’s position on the issue of student trustee. Gertmenian asked the Board in Sep¬ tember to revise the policy to force the paper to run rebuttals submitted in response to any “political editorial.” After receiving legal opinions from County Counsel and a private attorney that viewed the change as “too restric¬ tive,” the Board reversed its decision in October. — Courier photo by Judith Gordon PROTEST — One of the dozen or so sign-carrying students takes advan¬ tage of a handy bench during protest against Arco's presence on campus. Spare and Briscoe End Service As Board of Trustees Members By Laura Carlos Staff Writer Charles F. Briscoe and Robert Spare, retiring Board of Trustee mem¬ bers, were presented with honorary plaques in recognition of outstanding services to the college and community at the Dec. 6 Board meeting. Spare Cites Accomplishments “There are a number of things I carried the ball on,” said Robert Spare. We set up a curriculum commit¬ tee where the public was heavily repre¬ sented. “The committee is a commit- No Longer Able To Meet on Campus Club Charters Revoked by ICC By Gary Klein Contributing Writer The Inter-Club Council has revoked the charters of between 35 and 40 campus clubs and organizations for failing to send representatives to ICC meetings at its Dec. 6 meeting. This is the first time the ICC has exercised such authority in PCC’s his¬ tory. ' ICC meets, about every two weeks to discuss what the various clubs and organizations have planned for the future. When a club is granted a chart¬ er, it automatically becomes a mem¬ ber of the ICC and is required to send at least one representative to each meet¬ ing. “We need more support in the ICC,” said President Shannon Nishi. “The group is not getting the respect it deserves.” All clubs that have not sent at least one member to any ICC meetings had their charters revoked. Those clubs will have an opportunity to reapply for active status which takes two weeks. Until then, the groups are forbidden to use the campus facilities or to hold any meetings on campus. “This type of action is perfectly legal,” said Miss Nishi. “It’s a power given to the ICC, and this is the first, and hopefully the last, time we will have to exercise it.” Advisers of clubs that have seldom participated in ICC functions will re¬ ceive letters of warning. At this time, however, it is not known what action is forthcoming for charterless clubs with events already scheduled in the near future. tee of citizens and a very good cross- section of people the college is sup¬ posed to be serving .”’ The drop date change was another of Spare’s initial actions on the Board. “It’s something I had been trying to accomplish since the beginning of the Board. It’s incredible to me that stu¬ dents were able to drop the course just before finals.” One of Spare’s recent actions was initiating a move to hire legal council for the Board to give advice on the Courier Policy. “I felt the need to hire someone who is not associated with the field of education and has expertise in the field of law. I think we hired excellent attorneys.” Another of his accomplishments was the introduction of soccer to PCC. Spare was elected to the Board in 1975 and served as Board president in 1977-78. Briscoe Reviews Term “These last years have been the most rewarding period of my career,” Briscoe told the audience. “I don’t intend to lose contacts that I’ve made here, and any time you think I can do anything to help the school I’ll come running.” Briscoe has served on the Board for five years. He was elected to serve as president of the Board in April 1978 and has made numerous contributions to the college during his term in office. Reviewing the accomplishments during his term in office, Briscoe cited the creation of smaller parking stalls to provide space for more vehicles on campus and the establishment of a “No Smoking” area in the cafeteria. “People who smoke should have regard for the second-hand smokers. That is why I took a strong stand on a “No Smoking” area in the cafeteria,” said Briscoe. “I don’t see why there should be smoking in an eating area.” Briscoe also cited his participation in the investigation of complaints by students and teachers of vibrations in the upper floor of U Building. “We have at least made a good start and can see daylight on this alleged vibration in U Building. It wasn’t a vibration. It was an acoustical sound which galve a very low frequency but with considerable energy,” said Briscoe. “We’ve mitigated the situation, and if there is still some residue it can be accomplished now with reasonable ex¬ penditure.” One major accomplishment which both Briscoe and Spare seem agreed on was the selection of Superintendent- President Richard S. Meyers. “He is an outstanding young man who will serve the college admirably,” said Briscoe. “He will be one they will want to keep around as long as they can.” Briscoe also spoke about one prac¬ tice he would like to see changed in coming years. He strongly opposed the endorsement of trustee candidates by special interest groups on campus. “It’s pre-paid bribery,” Briscoe said. “Teachers and employees should realize that trustee areas elect repre¬ sentatives. Those representatives should be free to run the school in the way that their constituents would want them to run it and not as any special interest group would like them to.” Briscoe plans to keep busy after retiring. His plans include traveling all over eastern Europe, visiting the Holy Land and devoting more time to the ham radio he operates in his home. Folklorico de las Rosas Gets ASB Loan for Dance Program FLOOD DAMAGE— Water soaked library books dry out after faulty heating and air conditioning pipes flooded main floor bookshelves. -Courier photo by Gwen Johnson A $340 loan for the Folklorico de las Rosas was approved by the ASB Ex¬ ecutive Board at its Dec. 6 meeting. The Folklorico, a Mexican dance troupe, will use the funds to sponsor a dance program featuring the group on Friday, Dec. 14 in Sexson Auditorium. Members of the dance group’s board of directors originally approached the ASB Board asking for a grant rather than a loan. ‘What I am proposing is sort of psychological,” said Rafael Sorcini, spokesman for the group. “No¬ body likes the idea of a loan hanging over his head.” However, this proposal met opposi¬ tion from the ASB Board. “We present¬ ly have approximately $3,624, and up¬ coming expenses that we know about add up to $3,400,” said Michael Fis¬ cher, finance commissioner. “To be quite honest with you, we can’t afford it.” “If they need this money right now, we should give them a loan,” said Inter Club Council President Shannon Nishi. “Depending on how much money we have, maybe we can give them a certain portion of the money. I think we should support them, but we really aren’t in that good a financial state right now,” she added. “I’m all for a loan,” said Fischer. “As for a grant or half a grant, I’m a little concerned.” Associated Women Students Presi¬ dent Susan Limmer made a motion to loan $340 to the Folklorico and to have the group report on the profits from the show at the Dec. 20 meeting. Based on the report, the Board will make a decision on how much money the Folk¬ lorico will receive as a grant. In other business, Assemblies Com¬ missioner Richard Franklin told the Board that he is working on plans to sponsor a concert featuring the band Hiroshima. The concert would be held sometime next semester.