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VOL. 86 NO. 18
www.pcc-courieronline.com
February 8, 2001
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A Different View
Multi-award winning
columnist, Jon Heller is
listening. This week he
explores the modern
vernacular and wonders
aloud how a four-letter
word can cause so much
trouble. When is a
racist remark not racist?
Heller says never.
> SEE PAGE 2
m
' 4 ' Waiting Game
Once again, campus
clubs are being told to
j wait for their funding.
The ICC says it will be
handing out the much-
needed cash very soon,
but many remember last
semester's fiasco.
SEE PAGE 4
Valentines Help
Are you looking to outdo
your performance last
Feb. 14? The 'Courier'
has enlisted the help of
a so-called romance
expert to make your
Valentine's Day memo¬
rable for your significant
other. Of course, our
'expert' is a New York
City boy who seems to
have a problem with the
nuances of love.
>' SEE PAGE 6__
Teacher pay-raise standoff
enters a brand new phase
By Tim Alves
Editor In Chief
Still locked in a pay-raise stale¬
mate. the college and the the
teacher’s union have concluded
fruitless meetings with a referee
mediator and are now set to call
in a state-appointed fact finder.
“We’ve asked the mediator to
certify us for fact finding,” said
Ed Ortell, business instructor and
chief negotiator for the California
Teacher’s Association
(СТА).
Tom McCarthy was appointed
when the union requested a
mediator late last year. Both sides
met on a somewhat regular basis,
however the informal talks were
halted on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
According to a Jan. 25 letter
sent to McCarthy, Ortell request¬
ed the fact finder saying that “it
appears that both sides are firm in
their point of view regarding key
issues which are still unresolved.”
Although the mediator doesn’t
make any recommendations,
Ortell said McCarthy believed the
two sides are farther apart after
the mediation sessions ended
than before they began.
This is the latest development
in a long and sometime arduous
process that began last April and
has included 100 hours of face-
to-face negotiation, and a string
high-profile faculty and staff
protests.
Not surprisingly, the faculty
and staff, unhappy with the slow
pace of the negotiations, are gear-
Ш-
The Courier
SEE Pay Raise, PAGE 3 Upset over the negotiation empasse, staff and faculty stage another protest outside Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting.
your
health
The Morning
- **
4,
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By Latoya Sturge
Staff Writer
You wake up in a
strange bed one brisk February morn.
Remnants of tequila pulse through
your veins, amplifying every sound in the room
to head-wrenching levels.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. You didn’t have a
date at the start of the evening but apparently found one
as the night progressed, ‘cause there’s a guy next to you.
To top it all off you’ve got no clothes. And even worse,
neither does he. What can you do?
The PCC student health center is an excellent resource
for both information on and procurement of many forms
of contraception. It’s the on-campus place to go if you
need help.
Condoms, five forms of the Pill, counseling and almost
all forms of contraception, including the morning after
pill, are available either at the clinic or through referrals.
For a student like the one above, the morning after pill
may be the answer to at least one of her problems.
However, an impromptu survey of students in the PCC
quad showed that most would be unwilling to take it.
“Most students don’t know the difference between the
morning after pill and RU-486,” said Jo Buczko, the cam¬
pus health nurse.
So here’s the breakdown.
The morning after pill, or more accurately, emergency
v The college’s health center
offers students options for
emergency contraception
V 4
contraception in most cases consists of a series of
four pills, which can either prevent fertilization or
implantation of the egg.
It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) several years ago.
To be successful, emergency contraception must be
used within 72 hours of sexual intercourse; it is most
effective, however, when taken as soon as possible.
In general it is more than 75 percent successful.
A doctor’s visit, consisting of a pregnancy test and some
general health questions, is all that is required for pre¬
scription of the drug.
Possible side effects include nausea, vomiting and
cramps. Women with high risk of stroke are advised
against its use.
On the other hand RU-486, commonly called the abor¬
tion pill, was only recently approved by the FDA.
It is dispensed during the first trimester of pregnancy
and works by impeding the production of progesterone,
which is the primary hormone that sustains the pregnan¬
cy.
Although both require a doctor’s prescription, RU-486
is usually administered under strict doctor supervision as
excessive bleeding is a common consequence of the pro¬
cedure.
Emergency contraception is intended for use when the
primary birth control method is in question, e.g. the con-
see Morning After, page 3
Close call at
DeAnza College
raises concerns
Student planned Columbine-style massacre
By John Kaufeldt
Staff Writer
News reports about a De Anza College student
who had come within hours of carrying out a
Columbine-style attack on his school has PCC stu¬
dents wondering if the same thing could happen
here. A sample of student opinions showed students
feeling safe on campus but realizing there are no
guarantees
“It can happen anywhere, I just hope it doesn’t
happen here,” said one student
Another student said “even though I feel com¬
pletely safe on campus, it would be arrogant to
ignore the possibility.”
The possible massacre at De Anza was averted
when Kelly Bennett, 18, a photo clerk saw photos of
A1 Guzman, 19, posing with his arsenal. Bennett
immediately reported it to police who then arrested
the suspect. Police turned up several pipe bombs
and gun clips when they did a search of his home.
The De Anza student had a plan outlining a mas¬
sacre of students and teachers at the college.
“Columbine and De Anza are horrific aberrations
that should not be ignored, but you should never
assume that it won't happen here," said Philip
Mullendore, director of campus safety.
If a case ever does arise where there is an armed
suspect on campus, the campus police will immedi¬
ately notify the Pasadena police. Campus police will
give the description of the suspect, the weapon
description and the direction that the suspect is
heading, stated Sgt. Brad Young of the campus
police. It usually takes the police about five minutes
to arrive on campus and in that time the cadets will
observe the suspect and report his location. When
the police do arrive, they would setup a rapid
response team that consists of four to five officers.
Their job is to seek out the suspect and eliminate the
>- see Safety, page 4
Black
History
Was Beethoven black?
PCC teacher challenges conventional thinking that the famous composer was white
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Last in a series
, Editors note: This is the final installment in the
‘Courier’s’ look at Black History Month. We thank
all faculty, staff and students in the PCC community
who sent in submissions. The articles presented in
the ‘Courier’ do not necessarily reflect the opinions
of the staff or the editorial board. However, we hope
the articles have fostered some level of understand¬
ing and opened dialogues.
By Kwaku Person-Lynn, Ph.D.
In the 15th and 16th century, written his¬
tory underwent a massive campaign of mis¬
information and deception. With the
European slave trade in full swing, Afrikans
were transported to various parts of the
world and were stripped of every aspect of
humanity, and in most of Western civiliza¬
tion were no longer considered human. This
triggered a wholesale interpretation of histo¬
ry that methodically excluded Afrikans from
any respectful mention, other than a legacy
of slavery. This can result in being taught, or
socialized, from one perspective. In this
instance, historical information tended to
flow strictly from a European perspective.
No judgement of right or wrong is being
made here, only that the breadth was very
narrow in scope.
In an age where history is seriously being
rewritten, new information is coming forth
that is shocking intellectual sensitivities.
What was once considered written in stone
is now melting away with the discovery of
facts that heretofore have been hidden or
omitted; things so different that they are
generally classified as controversial or
unusual.
What is specifically being referred to is
the true identity of Ludwig van Beethoven,
considered Europe’s greatest classical com¬
poser. The direct inference is that Beethoven
was a black man. To be more specific, his
mother was a Moor, that group of Muslim
Africans who conquered parts of Europe —
making Spain their capital — for some 800
years.
In order to make such a substantial state¬
ment, presentation of verifiable evidence is
compulsory. Let’s start with what some of
Beethoven’s contemporaries and biographers
say about his appearance. Frau Fisher, a
close friend of Beethoven, described him
with “blackish-brown complexion.”
Frederick Hertz, German anthropologist,
used these terms to describe him: “Negroid
traits, dark skin, flat, thick nose.”
Emil Ludwig, in his book “Beethoven,”
says: “His face reveals no trace of the
German. He was so dark that people dubbed
him Spagnol [dark-skinned].” Fanny
Giannatasio del Rio, in her book “An
Unrequited Love: An Episode in the Life of
Beethoven,” wrote “His somewhat flat broad
nose and rather wide mouth, his small pierc¬
ing eyes and swarthy [dark] complexion,
pockmarked into the bargain, gave him a
strong resemblance to a mulatto.” C. Czerny
>-see History, PAGE 4
