PCC Courier, February 10, 2000

Pasadena City College ишшшшш Paae 6 И Flip over to the photo gallei^y page, and dissolve into a white wonderland of soft snowy bliss. . .indulge yourself! Stolen identity? ШЯШШШШШШШШШШШШШШЯШвЯШШвЯШЯЯШШШЯШЯШШШШШвШЯШШШШШШ Social Security error stirs student fears By Tim Alves Courier Staff Writer A printing error on a college-produced tax form has resulted in thousands, possi¬ bly tens of thousands of students being mailed personal information, including Social Security numbers of other students, raising fears the mix up could result in identity theft. “I’m pretty upset, it took me a while to deal with it. It’s very disturbing. Someone has my name, address and Social Security number. Someone can ruin my life with all that stuff,” said Donovan Lopez. “It’s extremely embarrassing when something like this happens,” said Dale Pittman, director of management informa¬ tion services whose department was responsible for printing the erroneous 1098-T forms. Educational institutions are required by the federal government to print the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax form 1 098-T, complete with name, address and Social Security number. Colleges must mail the 1098-T to all students enrolled in a minimum of 12 units during the course of a calendar year. “We don’t know how many were incorrectly printed. We just don’t know. But it is large enough to concern me. That’s why we’re going ahead and reprinting another 31,000, which should be done and sent out in about a week’s time,” said Rod Fleeman, vice president of administrative services. “They should be concerned. I’m con¬ cerned. Nobody knows you by your name, they just know you by your Social Security number. That number is more important than anything, how could they let something like this happen,” said Maria Gonzalez. The printing error has been traced to a fairly new, high-speed printer that pro¬ duces the registration forms mailed to stu¬ dents at the beginning of semesters and the mid-term progress reports. “We break the 31,000 names down into 10 files, so it’s easier to manage, and we’re finding errors sprinkled throughout all 10 runs. We don’t know if the errors are in one percent, two percent or 20 per¬ cent of the total number printed,” said Pittman. “It’s my understanding that at some point or several points the forms slipped. So what you get is your name printed on the - See SSN on Page 3 , Tuitlor, “foment PRESORTED FIRST CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PASADENA. CA PERMIT NO. 1794 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Cashier L1 1 3 Pasadena City College 1570 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91106-2003 ог 3 0 03 2.-7^2.713 Photo Illustration by Fred Ortega / The Courier Thousands of student's personal information, including Social Security numbers, were printed incorrectly and mailed to the wrong person, raising fears of identity theft and financial ruin. Student leaders sharpen skills V.P. for Instruction 4 By Jon Heller Courier Staff Writer Four weeks past the halfway point of the 1999-2000 school year and the report card grade for the AS is. ..busy. The Associated Students (AS) is the student elected, student- run governing body on campus, comprised of a president, eight vice-presidents, and three other members. Operating with an overall budget of $108,000, taken from student fees and bookstore and cafeteria sales, money is allocated to the 12 AS offices through open discussion and negotiation as part of weekly meetings in the student center. The 1 2 board members represent the colleges 28,000 students, and team¬ work is required to successfully plan, organize and execute the large number of events and activities that take place each year. “Carrying out programs and using leadership skills to the benefit of all students is the goal of AS,” said Stephen Johnson, dean of stu¬ dent services and AS adviser. “This board has shown a good level of leadership and they’re getting the job done.” The events and programs put on by the AS have been diverse, such as the PCC 75th Anniversary, The Holiday Angels Giving Tree, Turkey Night and various quad activities. “The combined efforts of the board and the student clubs during Louis Astroga / The Courier Every Wednesday, the AS makes decisions that effect every student. the anniversary celebration was extraordinary,” said Johnson. “And the quality of the effort benefited the institution.” Turkey Night especially stands out for Alex Flores, vice-president for campus activities. “We wanted to provide a holiday activity for night-time students and for those who may not have had a place to go,” said Flores. The event attracted and fed over 300 students. As the chairperson for activities, he helped put on eight first week of See BOARD on Page 2 Are trustees out of loop? By Audrey Allen Courier Staff Writer After Joyce Black abruptly resigned from her role as vice presi¬ dent of instruction, it created a vacancy that top administrators called an emergency situation. In a hurry to bring in a interim vice presi¬ dent of instruction, normal hiring practices were skirted over, and as a result, the board of trustees felt that they were not consulted until after the deal was done. Black officially retired on Dec. 31,1 999, and at the beginning of the spring semester, there was an interim already sitting behind the desk of the vice president of instruction. Dr. Sam Schauerman, former president of El Camino College, was apparently offered the job before he submitted a resume or was hired by the board. Board members were surprised over this new development, since they were not informed about the interim position and knew nothing of Schauerman ’s credentials. Questions regarding who hired Schauerman , how long he would be the interim and when would the position be filled permantly, have not been answered. Schauerman said that when he was offered the position, his initial response was, “I’d rather be playing golf.” He was in fact on the golf course when Rod Fleeman, vice president of administrative services, asked him to come to the college. While “golf¬ ing, in a setting of fruit trees and gar¬ dens at Schauerman ’s Pauma Valley home, Fleeman told him of the “sud¬ den retirement and an emergency sit¬ uation.” Both Fleeman and James Kossler, president of the college, had worked with Schauerman. “Kossler gave him a strong recommendation,” added Fleeman. However, the board didn’t discuss who Schauerman was until he was hired at the Jan. 1 9 meeting. “I haven’t seen any kind of docu¬ ment as to what his qualifications are,” said Jeanette Mann, board pres¬ ident. “I put it on the agenda [as an item to be discussed] with Kossler,” continued Mann, saying that while she knew that Schauerman would fill the position, other trustees did not. “The board didn’t know he was hired until after the fact. We weren’t consulted, or given advance notice. The board didn’t appreciate being ignorant as to who the interim for the position would be. While the board says that they knew almost nothing regarding the details of Schauerman ’s employ¬ ment, he, feels his employment was made clear from the start. “I was asked to come here .with the understanding that there was going to be a search that would find a permanent vice president for instruction around July 1,” he said. Wells-Miller felt surprised when she found out that there was a date set for when he would leave. Rich McKee, assistant professor of physical sciences, who has been in a legal battle with the college, and has filed several lawsuits alleging Brown Act violations by the board, says there is a “lack of communica¬ tion” among the people who run the college. “Nobody knew anything about the interim filler, nobody knew he would be hired until after he was already in the position,” he said. This lack of discussion about Schauerman, raised concerns of the communication between not only the board and the president, but also within the board itself. “I feel that there are some things they leave me out of in the board. Part of it is my fault, maybe I should ask more questions,” said Luyani Fong, the student trustee. Fong says he briefly met the interim, “but I haven’t really talked to him. I hear he is really qualified.” Officer files suit against campus police An African American 18-year veteran of campus police , claims bias By Fred Ortega and Gali Raval Courier Staff Writers In a case that mirrors height¬ ened racial tensions evident in police departments across the country, a campus police officer has filed a lawsuit against the col¬ lege alleging he was discriminated against by fellow officers and his superiors. The suit, filed last month on behalf of Leroy D. Henderson by attorney C. Brent Scott, claims that the officer has been the target of constant harassment because of his race. An African American and 1 8- year veteran of the campus police, Henderson is seeking an unspeci¬ fied amount of money in compen¬ sation for the. unfair treatment, which he claims ranged from defamation of character to false accusations of theft. Court documents served on the college last week named several members of the campus police as having taken part in the alleged discrimination, including Chief Philip Mullendore and Officer John Corrigan, as well as retired Sgt. Vincent Palermo. “His rights have been greatly compromised... especially given the many years he has worked for the college,” said Scott, a civil rights lawyer from San Clemente, in an interview with the Pasadena Star News last week. Mullendore had no comment on the case, saying only that the college’s legal counsel handles all claims against the district. “This is a matter for the courts,” he said. “Statements will be made under oath in a court of law.” Corrigan was unavailable for comment. Mullendore did confirm that Henderson was sworn in as a cam¬ pus police officer in October of 1982, and that the college had employed him as a security guard for some years before that. Henderson has not lost his job and is expected to stay with the college regardless of the outcome of his suit. Most of the administration is following Mullendore ’s lead and remaining tight-lipped about the See "SUIT on Page. 3 The story of a Quilt: Find out how a visiting guest artist weaves her colors into a blanket of beauty! SEE NEWS PG. 4 Are they‘hooped out?’ The Lancers’ famous 12- game winning streak, was out of luck with LACC. SEE SPORTS PG. 8 I