PCC Courier, February 22, 1985

AS Resolution Acknowledges Council CHRIS COFER, AS PRESIDENT leads, from left to right, Joe Bruna, coordinator of business affairs; James Mares, coordinator of cultural affairs; and Joe Serrato, student trustee. Cofer has been the Subject of much controversy. — Photo by Josh Weidman By Donald G. Chandler II Art Editor The AS board passed a resolution by a vote of 6-0 to recognize the current Supreme Council, chaired by Chris McMorrow, Chief Justice. When asked to respond to the AS resolution McMorrow replied, “after the opinion article Dan Stuart, editor- in-chief wrote (Courier, Feb. 15) Cofer, during a meeting, told me he uncondi¬ tionally acknowledged the Supreme Council as it existed last semester. After reading the resolution I realized the acknowledgement of the council was contingent upon specific condi¬ tions, which contradicted the conversa¬ tion that transpired during that meet¬ ing.” The ten part AS resolution passed by the board contained some questionable verbage. Consequently, an ambiguous statement contained within the docu¬ ment was deleted. The stricken seg¬ ment read as follows: “Be it further resolved: that the additional justice appointed shall serve as an alternate.” Ron Martinez, coordinator of campus activities asked his fellow board mem¬ bers to delete this segment because the five justices had already been ap¬ pointed. This segment specifically related to Cofer’s appointment of Tom Meisen to the Supreme Council, an appointment which was nullified due to lack of a quorum at the beginning of this spring semester. However, Martinez con¬ tended that the entire council of five members was intact from last semester. Thereby voiding any addi¬ tional appointments beyond the current Council members which include: Clark Macy, Debbie Samuel, Jose Rodriguez, Karl Webster and McMorrow. Webster was the last Justice appointed in mid December. According to the AS Constitution, the Supreme Council shall be nominated by the AS president then appointed to the post by a two-thirds executive board On the other hand. Cofer author of the resolution believes at no time did the board take such action. Needless to say, whether McMorrow was officially appointed or not, he was introduced to the board as the new Chief Justice. The board recognized McMorrow, because they set up a box (for mail and other business) and put his name on it. The last questionable segment of the resolution pertains to the term of office The checks and balances of the system at PCC lie in the appointments of justices by the executive board. vote. In the fall semester of ’84 Paul Kelly was nominated and subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Council. However, Jennifer McKinney, student activities adviser deemed Kelly ineligible because of academic deficiencies. Therefore, the AS board introduced McMorrow as the new Chief Justice. Herein lies the second question unanswered in the AS resolution passed on Feb. 19, ‘85. This segment of the resolution stated: “Whereas: the executive board did not vote last semester to confirm the Chief Justice of the Supreme Coun¬ cil.” Yet, Martinez stated, “the board voted and approved McMorrow as the Chief Justice last semester and it should be contained in the minutes.” for the respective justices. Nowhere in the constitution does it spell out the term of office for justices. However be that they’re appointed no earlier than late October or early November, it’s implied that the term parallels the executive board’s tenure. Section four of the resolution states, “therefore be it resolved: that the AS executive board does hereby allow the supreme council which served last semester an additional three weeks from today to address this issue.” The word in question is ‘allow.’ The AS executive board does not ‘allow’ the supreme council to do anything, be¬ cause once appointed the Council be¬ comes a separate entity with different jurisdictions. The model being the Executive Branch of the United States, which similar to PCC’s executive board, ap¬ points the Supreme Court Justices. Thereafter the President of the United States has no jurisdiction over the Supreme Court. On the contrary, the Supreme Court Justices serve a life term and are only accountable to the legislative and executive branches in the case of misconduct. So, the checks and balances of the system at PCC lie in the appointments of justices by the executive board. The old business at hand, $50, $75, was appropriated for punch, paper plates for the 60th Anniversary Party and $350 for 12 large paper roles. Under the presidents report, Chris Cofer, AS president suggested a $200 appropria¬ tion for the CalSAAC convention being hosted by PCC this weekend. The mo¬ tion was struck down because of a Lack of two-thirds board vote. Yet, after the meeting Cofer and Joe Bruna, coordi¬ nator of business affairs allocated $200 from the discretionary fund, which they have sole control over it. Also under old business, Angie Parker, executive vice president put forth before the a proposal to have a celebrity lood alike contest in Sexson or Harbison Hall. Under items of interest not on the agendaa, Joe Serrato, stu¬ dent trustee asked the board whether they had reviewed his historical documentation submitted to the board two months ago pertaining to the Stu¬ dent Fund Association. PCC COURIER ЗЧТО VOL. 60, NO. 2 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 22,1985 Learning Assistance Center Students Aided in Improving Skills By Suzanne Bogosian Special Correspondent “After only eight years at PCC, the Learning Assistance Center has acheived noteworthy status and suc¬ cess,” said Mary McGuire, supervisor of the center. The center houses read¬ ing, writing and mathematics classrooms and laboratories. In ad- diton, free tutoring services for stu¬ dents enrolled in occupational educa¬ tion programs, and equipment for inde¬ pendent academic skills development. The center, located on the third floor of the D Building, services 1,000 stu¬ dents a week. The LAC is a dual- purpose facility for use by students and faculty to enrich academic programs as well as to provide independent and individualized instruction. A few of the general topics available in the LAC are: writing term papers, listening and note-taking, preparing for exams, and reading textbooks. Qualified specialists give seminars on these subjects regu¬ larly throughout the semester. Each semester, 10 student assistants are hired to aid others with the special¬ ized equipment available, including equipment for use by the blind, hearing impaired, and physically handicapped, answer questions on the center’s vari¬ ous functions and provide overall help to students. McGuire said, “Without their tremendous help, the center would be floundering. The student as¬ sistants keep things running smoothly and efficiently, they are a god-send.” hard to match the student’s tempera¬ ment with that of the tutor’s so they can work well together.” Laser technology student Glo Walker said, “Without a tutor, I would have dropped the class and chosen another career. My tutor has helped me out tremendously.” According to Accounting and algebra tutor Art Tipp, tutors enjoy thier jobs. “The student assistants keep things running smoothly and effi¬ ciently, they are a God-send.” —Mary McGuire specifically related to classroom study provide additional assistance for stu¬ dents, for enrichment, remedial or regular class purposes. The French, English ESL, math, reading, and writ¬ ing classes all make use of the facility. When a faculty member schedules a “learning module” with the LAC, stu¬ dents may be asked to complete the assignment during class time or by a specified date. The latter option allows a student to go back on his own time to complete the work when he is free to do so. These labs can also be used for individualized work for those who wish to review or are having trouble with an instructor’s class. RECOGNITION — Dr. Flenry P. Kirk (right) presents former Courier Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Lowery, with the Presidential Award. The award recognized the effort of the Focus staff for the 60th Anniversary issue. Outstanding students who have ex¬ celled in the two year occupational education programs (electronics, ac¬ counting, nursing) are selected upon teacher recommendation, as LAC tutors. Irene Krol, coordinator of the tutoring program, said, “The students must have an A grade in their course and a great deal of patience and under¬ standing before they consider tutoring others in the subject. I try especially “I love it because I am able to arrange my schedule with a student’s so I can best suit him. I find the students very receptive and eager to learn. It’s an exhilarating experience to know I’ve helped someone out, teaching them something they’ll remember for life— hopefully!” There are a number of ways in which the LAC assists faculty members with classes. Learning “modules” or labs System to Aid Redirected Students PCC, UCLA Combine Efforts Six Honored at OMD Tapping By Sister Mary Scully Staff Writer Omicron Mu Delta (OMD), an hon¬ orary service organization, recognized six PCC students with a tapping cere¬ mony and luncheon held in the Board Chambers on Feb. 14. OMD President Lisa Bogen wel¬ comed the new tappees, their guests and faculty honoraries. Congratulated for their outstanding service are Joseph Serrato, Kathy Minges, Angie Parker, Stephen Ortiz, Lorene Rosen and La Crescia Hayes. Serrato is the student trustee on the Board of Trustees. He was reappointed as Business Department Com¬ missioner, and participated on the fi¬ nancial aids scholarship committee. Minges was Editor of Inscape for one year. Inscape is the magazine put out by the English department. Minges was an alternate for Joseph Serrato on the Board of Trustees, and a member of the campus beautification committee. She also was involved in the Flea Market, and teaches Spanish to high school students. Parker was ASB Vice-President and President of ICC, the International Club Council. She worked at KPCC as a radio announcer for the Jazz Show. LaCrescia Hayes helped get donors for Red Cross blood drives. She was a staff member for the Festival of Arts, student representative and secretary for ICC. She worked for one of the area’s 24-hour hotline. Her campus activity has also included leadership in the Baptist Student Union. Lorene Rosen served as news editor for last semester’s Courier. She pres¬ ently acts as the first student editor for AirPlay magazine. Honoraries attending the ceremony and luncheon included A1 Kauti, Joseph Mathias, “Beau” Beauchamp, Ernestine Moore, Frank Way, Chrystal Watson, Elizabeth White, Dordo Byles, Alice Mothershead, Oscar Chavez, Jen¬ nifer McKinney, Pat Menath, Betty Meyer, Kristine de Queiroz and Albert Deponte. By Mark Morel Staff Writer The PCC-UCLA Redirectional Pact has evoked great enthusiasm among the department chairpersons, faculty members and counseling teams of both institutions. The program will give redirected students, turned away when enrollment has reached capacity, the opportunity to complete their first two years of study at a community college chosen by UCLA to participate in this program and enter the university as qualified junior. UCLA seems to feel that the community colleges in Califor¬ nia are qualified to provide courses which parallel those of their own. The pact will only strengthen the interest of those students considering furthering their education in the UC system. Prior to the Thursday faculty meet¬ ing, most department heads were somewhat unsure of the effect of the program, yet all seemed to be very interested in the purpose. According to Ernestine L. Moore, dean of student services, the pact will be a system of guidance between the UCLA admisssion counselors and the PCC students. The involved students will be allowed to participate in UCLA activities. Although many students are academically capable of transfer, they are often not mentally or financially fit to take on the responsibilities of a university. According to many depart¬ ment heads, PCC offers the at¬ mosphere needed for a smooth transi¬ tion to a four year education. With the additional assistance of UCLA faculty and counseling teams, who will provide updated information, students will be assured and confident that the courses they enroll in will both meet UCLA requirements and be educationally ben¬ eficial. According to Moore, interns will be available for information on a regular basis as the program takes effect. Plans to formalize the program won’t necessarily alter the present structure of the PCC curriculum. The move is estimated to increase com¬ munity college enrollment, which has declined recently. “An arrangement of this nature is certain to allow the maintenance if not the advancement of community college standards,” said Moore. Other colleges listed by UCLA in this program include Santa Monica, El Camino, College of the Canyons and four in the Los Angeles Community College District: Harbor, Pierce, Val¬ ley and West Los Angeles. The University of California, Berkeley, has announced a similiar program involving four bay area schools. Student Named Top Writer BIZARRE WEATHER CHANGES — Dan Barth takes a moment to get a tan between classes and riding his unicycle. — Photo by Lydia Dickerson By Joe Holman News Editor Courier special corresspondent Mark Langill was honored recently by the Baseball Writers Association of Amer¬ ica as the top community college sports writer in Southern California for 1985. Langill received two tickets (valued at $40 apiece) to the 28th Annual Baseball Writers Dinner, where he was awarded a $500 scholarship for his efforts. The dinner, which was held under a wing of the Spuce Goose, featured speakers from both the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels and several prominent area sports writers. The sophomore won the award by submitting three stories and a resume which were judged by the BBWAA. His stories featured PHS basketball player Gina Kirkland (who had knee surgery five times), Muir water polo coach Walt Culbertson and a pre-season up¬ date on the PCC softballteam. “I was suprised when I heard when I heard I had won,” Langill said. I entered in the first week of January and I wasn’t notified until three weeks later.” Langill said that the highlight of the evening was receiving his award in front of more than thousand guests. “The podium was elevated and was in front of a pool of water,” said Langill. “But there wasn’t any railing to hold, so I had to watch my step as I made my way to pick up the check. If anyone of the players (sitting at the table along the podium) had decided to get up at the wrong time, the audience would have heard a splash.” After receiving his award, Langill listened to speakers Tommy Lasorda, Gene Mauch, Bobby Grich and Steve Sax. He was also able to meet many of the players. Area writers in atendance were col¬ umnist John Hall of the Register in Orange County, Gordon Verell of the Long Beach Independent Press Tele¬ gram and Ken Gurnick of the Herald Examiner. “I respect Gurnick a lot because every story he writes is the real story. He is not afraid to write the truth,” said Langill.