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Volume 107, Issue 4
The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
February 7, 2013
No intersession ahead
The Calendar Committee reviews the new 2013-14 calendar at a contentious meeting in the C Building on Jan. 31.
Matt Chan
/
Courier
201 3-1 4 calendar excludes winter term
Emily Chang-Chien
Staff Writer
A three-semester calendar for
the 2013-2014 academic year,
excluding any winter interses¬
sion, was presented to the
Calendar Standing Committee
on Jan. 31.
The spring 2014 semester
would start on Jan. 6.
The absence of a winter ses¬
sion on the proposed calendar
ignited passionate discussion
from committee members and
other attendees alike.
"The Board should reconsider
based on the input of faculty and
students," said committee mem¬
ber Cynthia Smith. "There is
overwhelming evidence that
[winter is to the] students'
advantage. We are here for the
students — for them to be suc¬
cessful."
However, Senior Vice
President and committee co¬
chair Robert Bell continually
refocused discussion to the pres¬
ent. "The Board of Trustees ...
made a decision for an academic
calendar at [PCC] which
includes the fall, the spring, and
the summer term — that's where
we are now," he told the com¬
mittee. "The calendar before us
is a Board approved calendar."
"Now, we can talk about the
advocacy of a winter term, but I
don't know if that is the singular
purview of this committee."
Committee co-chair Krista
Walter commented about the
outrage that committee mem
Continued on page 7
Matt Chan/Courier
The Calendar Committee reviewing
the new calendar, which continues
to exclude a Winter session.
Some
Prop. 30
funds in
jeopardy
College may not qual¬
ify for all $6.7 million
in tax measure money
Tiffany Roesler
Staff Writer
Campus officials warned on
Jan. 31 that the school may be
short of enrollment count to
qualify for all of the $6.7 million
Proposition 30 money.
Proposition 30, the ballot
measure that was passed in the
November election, requires the
college to have about 19,900 full
time equivalent students (FTES)
within the 2012-2013 academic
year, according to Senior Vice
President Assistant and
Superintendent of Business &
College Services Bob Miller. The
school is approximately 1,200
students short of making that
number.
"We were able because of our
calendar situation, to quickly
load back additional classes for
the spring," said Miller at the
Budget Resource and Allocation
Standing Committee Meeting on
Jan. 31. "Because we have kind
of a dual summer session oppor¬
tunity before June 30, we have
Continued on page 7
Antonio Gandara
/
Courier.
The north-east corner of Parking Lot 1 is one of the four designated
smoking areas available for staff and students on the 53-acre campus.
Black History Month
celebration kicks off
Change to
smoking
policies
considered
Paul Ochoa
Staff Writer
The Health and Safety com¬
mittee is working toward a pro¬
posal to have the college become
a smoke free campus.
According to Jo Ann Buczko,
coordinator of student health
services and Health and Safety
Committee member, the Board
of Trustees has asked the com¬
mittee to review the current
smoking policy.
"We've been asked by the
Board to look at the current
smoking policy and make rec¬
ommendations," said Buczko.
Buczko says the committee is
leaning toward recommending
the campus become smoke free
because of the ineffectiveness of
the current smoking policy.
"We've tried designated areas
and it's not happening. What we
are looking at now is, do we
want to become a smoke free
campus?" said Buczko.
She also feels, though, that
with any policy, enforcement is
what plays a major role in its
effectiveness. "I think no matter
what policy you have the true
Continued on page 7
Paul Ochoa
Staff Writer
The Black History Month cele¬
bration was kicked off Jan. 29 in
Creveling Lounge with a cele¬
bration of African-American her¬
itage. The event featured speak¬
ers from the PCC community, a
raffle, and a musical perform¬
ance from the upcoming
"Hairspray" production.
The event began with a per¬
formance of the Negro National
Anthem: Lift Every Voice and
Sing, sung by Sandra Collins.
President Mark Rocha and
Senior Vice President Robert Bell
then addressed the crowd on the
significance of Black History
Month.
"I was sitting with my 80-year
old mother [watching the inau¬
guration] and she [burst] into
tears. This nation has come a
long way. February is when we
identify specifically the contribu¬
tions of African Americans, but
we should do that all year," said
Bell.
Rocha commented on the
good job the organizers did put¬
ting it together and the educa¬
tional opportunities it brought.
"I think the program staff and
students have put together is
amazing. The good thing about
Black History month is that it's a
good educational opportunity,"
said Rocha.
Aaron Niainger, fine arts was
glad to see community leaders at
the event interfacing with staff.
Continued on page 2
Competition!
Win a Starbucks
giftcard with a
creative caption
See page 4
Art Gallery
Student's
architectural
work displayed
Page
6»
Softball
Defense and
pitching get
it done
Page
7»
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