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Swim competes at
Mt. SAC
Invitational
Volume 99, Issue 2
“The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ex-Student's
Murder Trial
Continues
BARBARA BEASER
Staff Writer
The trial continued Wednesday
for former PCC student George
Wood Pigman IV as witnesses for
the defense appeared to testify to his
mental state during the crime.
Pigman was convicted of first-
degree murder on Monday. The sec¬
ond phase of his trial is to determine
if he was insane at the time he killed
his girlfriend, Japanese exchange-
student Eimi Yamada in May 2005.
The defense called forensic psy¬
chiatrist Dr. Gregory Cohen, who
testified Wednesday that Pigman
suffers from Bipolar I Disorder with
psychotic features, and could not
have appreciated the nature of his
actions due to what he phrased as a
“first manic break.”
“The family, particularly on the
father’s side, has a history of acute
mental disorders,” Cohen told the
jury. “An uncle on the father’s side is
being treated for Bipolar Disorder.
There’s a genetic predisposition for
the disorder.”
His defense now has the burden of
proof, trying to convince the same
jury that convicted him of first-
degree murder that he was insane
when he killed Yamada. The stan¬
dard that the jury must use in this
phase is the civil standard of the pre¬
ponderance of evidence, rather than
the criminal standard of beyond a
reasonable doubt.
“That was the guilt phase,” said
Deputy District Attorney Teresa
Sullivan. “The jury convicted him of
willful premeditated deliberate mur¬
der. This is the phase of the trial that
will determine where he serves his
time, at a state hospital or men’s jail.”
Pigman faces the sentence of 25
years to life in prison if the jury finds
that he was sane at the time he com¬
mitted the murder.
“Well, I’m disappointed in that I
don’t believe the jury really grasped
the difference between first and sec¬
ond degree murder,” said Public
Defender Jose Colon, echoing the
closing statements of his co-counsel
Public Defender Darby Williams.
“We’ve always conceded the issue of
guilt. It’s a question of sanity.”
The case was handed over to the
jury on Feb. 19 after closing argu¬
ments. Deputy DA Sullivan stated in
her closing that Pigman’s mental
health had never been called into
question until after his arrest.
Continued on page 3
Campus Computers Create Confusion
Mike rucinski
Multimedia Editor
Finding desired classes and
getting a decent parking spot
were not the only problems
that students and staff faced on
the first day of spring. PCC
students and staff were unable
to access the pasadena.edu
website on computers connect¬
ed to the campus network due
to high traffic and server prob¬
lems.
The shutdown happened at
about 2 p.m. Monday and was
resolved later that evening
around 7 p.m., according to
officials.
Students looking for class¬
room numbers, trying to add
or drop a class, or trying to
search the library database
were without connectivity for
most of Monday. Teachers try¬
ing to adjust their class rosters,
or wanting to gather other
records only accessible on the
school’s network were also out
of luck.
By Tuesday morning, the
majority of computers were
able to connect to the internal
network, according to Dale
Pittman, director of manage¬
ment information services.
The school’s website typical¬
ly gets a lot of hits on the first
week of a new semester, but
never has the website been
offline for such an extended
period.
According to Assistant
Dean of Computing Services
Robert Cody, campus comput¬
ers using PCC’s intranet net¬
work could not access the web¬
site because of DNS (domain
name server) issues.
“The old technology is like
being on a dirt road, and the
new system is like today’s
modem highways,” said Cody,
Continued on page 3
The Pulse Behind the Beat
Jenny Bartlett
/
Courier
Christina Petre, aka DJ Pinke, sorts through potential music to add to her mix at Penny
Lane records on Colorado Boulevard, across the street from PCC. n
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Athletics
Interim Dean
Under Fire
Several faculty members and staff
sign "Vote of No Confidence."
Jeremy Balan
Editor-in-Chief
Beverly Tate
A “Vote of No Confidence” petition regarding Interim
Dean/Athletic Director Beverly Tate, has been signed by
1 1 out of 21 full-time Kinesiology, Health and Athletics
Division staff and faculty.
According to the document, those who signed ques¬
tion Tate’s ability to lead the division. They say her
actions in her 13 months as dean “are contrary to an eth¬
ical, legal, responsible, unbiased, non-prejudicial leader.”
In response to the document, Tate declined to com¬
ment.
“There is no comment,” Tate said. “I haven’t seen the
letter, and I don’t comment on things I haven’t seen.”
According to PCC Faculty Association President
Roger Marheine, the document was sent to multiple sen¬
ior figures on campus, including
himself, PCC President Paulette
Perfumo, Academic Senate
President James Bickley, Vice
President of Instruction Jackie
Jacobs, and Interim Dean of
Human Resources Lyle
Engeldinger.
Bickley declined to comment,
saying it was a personnel matter,
and Perfumo did not return calls or
messages left by the Courier.
Those who signed the document
are: former Dean and Athletic Director Skip Robinson,
Head Men’s Basketball Coach Michael Swanegan, Head
Water Polo and Swim coach Terry Stoddard, Physical
Education Academic Senate Representative Jessie
Moore, Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Gregory
Smith, former Head Basketball Coach and former
Interim Assistant Athletic Director Bill Moore, former
Head Track and Field Coach Jesse Gomez, former Head
Cross Country Coach Grace Apiafi, Athletic Trainers
Rudy Aguilar and Patty Gallego, and Assistant Football
coach and Equipment Manager Terry Tapley.
The document goes on to state, “Her constant
unhealthy activities are disruptive to day-to-day opera¬
tions and have created and continue to perpetuate a hos¬
tile work environment. Her overall unlawful and
inequitable goals are realized and will not be tolerated or
accepted.”
The document has caused great debate in the depart¬
ment between those who signed and Tate’s supporters.
“The division has been very compromised and the
school has been compromised because of the current
leadership,” Jessie Moore said.
“The camaraderie in the division has gone down and
it is affecting the students,” Apiafi said. “We should be
working toward the same goal, to benefit the students.
We need the administrators to look into what can be
done.”
Continued on page 2
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Lancer Life:
News:
Opinion:
щ
What’s in a bag?:
Shuttle Service:
Oscars: Awards are
■t Student reveals
Students are not using
too glamorous and
secret treasures.
free shuttle system.
superficial.
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