PCC Courier, February 14, 2013

Warped Bassist performs at Tour Page 5» Pasadena City College Online edition pccCourier.com Facebook PCC Courier Twitter @pccCourier Volume 107, Issue 5 The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915. February 14, 2013 Fired school official files suit Hutchings seeks over $1 million; claims wrongful termination and sexual harassment Nicholas Saul Editor-in-Chief A high-ranking fired school official has filed suit against the district, the president and the school's legal counsel claiming wrongful termination, defama¬ tion, and sexual harassment. Alfred Hutchings, former facilities supervisor, was fired in June after it was announced that he and former Senior Vice President Richard van Pelt, were being investigated by the Los Angeles District Attorney's office for solicitation of bribes. The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 6 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is seeking damages in excess of $1 million. In documents filed with the court, Hutchings alleges that President Mark Rocha and General Counsel Gail Cooper used the bribery scandal as pre¬ text to fire him in retaliation for his harassment complaint. In a statement provided to the Courier, the District said the lawsuit had been filed "by a for¬ mer employee who was dis¬ charged upon substantial evi¬ dence of serious misconduct. Hutchings' claims are entirely unfounded and they will be vig¬ orously defended. The District will make no further comment on this matter," the statement said. In the lawsuit, Hutchings claims the reasons for his dis¬ missal "were designed to cover- up and conceal [their] retaliatory motives against [Hutchings]." The 'retaliatory motives,' men¬ tioned refer to the allegation that Cooper made numerous, unso¬ licited sexual advances towards Hutchings. The range of Cooper's alleged sexual harassment includes Continued on page 7 'Hairspray:' can't stop the beat 1 • . g : Щ в r i m г Ш _ як тВ .1 Matthew Chan / Courier Lead actors Jessica Young, dance, and David Park, music, practice their song and dance routine for the upcoming musi¬ cal "Hairspray, " inside the Sexson Auditorium on Feb. 8. Story / Page 6 Online classes filled within 36 hours Jonathan Biles Staff Writer On Feb. 4, PCC announ¬ ced that twenty new eight- week, short term, fully online courses were being offered, beginning March 11, but all were filled within 36 hours. No on-campus meetings are required. The classes include English 1A, English 900, Sociology 1, Political Science 1, Health Education 44, and Nutrition 11. Leslie Tirapelle, interim director of distance educa¬ tion, said that PCC's online presence and providing greater access to students is paramount to the school's development. The demand for these classes was so sub¬ stantial that the marketing campaign has been pulled and the Distance Education Committee is planning to lobby for the funding of similar online classes. "We didn't know that the funding for these classes was available until Proposition 30 passed," Tirapelle said. "There was not enough time to get these ready for the beginning of spring semester, so we are starting them now." Continued on page 7 Study abroad programs impacted by new calendar Teresa Mendoza Staff Writer Due to the elimination of the winter intersession, study abroad programs offered by the college have had to be radically rearranged, officials said. The Spanish program to Costa Rica was cancelled and the English program began in snowy Oxford in January instead of the usual March start. According to Instructor Joseph Sierra the program to Costa Rica had been offered every year with the Languages and the Natural Science divisions alternating one year on and one year off. The programs combined the study of Spanish lan¬ guage and Latin American culture and biodiversity. "When winter was can¬ celled, the Spanish program in Costa Rica turned into the summer program in Madrid," said Sierra. Language Instructor Lok- nath Persaud, who is in charge of the Spanish pro¬ gram in Madrid, explained that students would benefit from completing eight units. He added that most of the afternoons and a few of the weekends would be free for students to explore the cul¬ ture and the city. Environmental Science Continued on page 7 New computer system in beta testing stages Christine Michaels News Editor The new Administrative Information System (AIS) Lancerpoint, a product that cost $10.5 million so far and is expected to transform student interac¬ tions with the college, will begin its implementa¬ tion next week, according to officials at the Feb. 6 Board of Trustees meeting. Lancerpoint, the new computer system with which all students will interface with the college, will replace Lancerlink, the 1980s information sys¬ tem that runs on old software. Director of Fiscal Services Joe Simoneschi told the Board the computer system is meeting its mile¬ stones just six months after its launch. "We are at the cusp of integrating the system," he said. The AIS will be used to receive and accept appli¬ cations for the summer and fall terms beginning Feb. 28, according to Dean of Counseling Cynthia Olivo. Olivo also explained beta testing of Lancerpoint will begin in March. "Our plan is to have a smaller mock registration . . . and then a larger mock regis¬ tration with students," she said. "We're working with [Associated Students] President [Simon] Fraser on that." Lancerpoint Project Manager Ted Fause explained the mock registration will help to work out any possible kinks in the system before it is Continued on page 7 Teresa Mendoza / Courier The Board of Trustees and school officials meet to discuss Lancerpoint, the New Administrative Information System in the Creveling Lounge on Feb. 6. Speak out! Do you support the minimum wage being increased to $9? vote at pccCourier.com Right at home Alumnus coaches players to focus on academics Page 8» Squeaker Buzzer-beating three-pointer leads to basketball loss Page 8» Scan to visit pccCourier.com