VOLUME 111 ISSUE 5
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM
February 26, 2015
Courier
SERVING PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
FOR 100 YEARS
EDITORIAL
Students should have
more say on
commencement
speaker choices
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Students blamed for commencement debacle
Kristen Luna
Managing Editor
After he was chastised for his
handling of the commencement
controversy last year, Board
Member Anthony Fellow now
insists that students have had too
much input in the selection of
the school’s graduation speaker.
Last year, the school weath¬
ered a scandal when commence¬
ment speaker Dustin Lance
Black was invited, disinvited and
then re-invited to speak at last
year’s ceremony. At last week’s
board meeting, Fellow blamed
too much student input for the
incident, which made national
headlines.
“We ran into problems last
year because the students had
too big of a voice and it was
very problematic,” Fellow said.
“I got the brunt of it and I love
Mr. Black more than anybody,
I am a fan of his. But I got the
brunt of it in the press, that it
was my fault.”
Student Trustee Marshall
Lewis was quick to disagree and
sided with the students.
“I don’t think the issue was
that students had too big of a
voice, 1 mean it is their com¬
mencement after all,” Lewis said.
“I’m from a university and the
president never asked students
who is going to be the com¬
mencement [speaker],” replied
Fellow. “It is the president.”
To which Lewis countered,
“With all due respect, this is not
a university.”
“I know, but it should start
acting like it sometimes,” said
Fellow.
Board Member Linda Wah
was supportive of letting the
superintendent take the lead but
also agreed that the students
should have a say in the decision.
“We should pick someone
who resonates with the stu¬
dents,” Wah said. “I walked out
one year and I heard students
felt very disenfranchised and
disengaged and I do not think
that’s what we want.”
Student Trustee Marshall
Lewis acknowledged that the
Kristen Luna/Courier
Board member Anthony Fellow speaking about the list of commmencement speakers present¬
ed to the board at their meeting on Feb. 1 8 in the Creveling Lounge.
policy calls for the committee
to announce a suggestion to the
superintendent. The superinten¬
dent then makes a suggestion to
the board that the board votes
on based on the review.
“I think we’re getting ahead
of ourselves,” Lewis said. “This
is about students so although
we may love all these people and
wish this upon them to speak for
us but I thial*the student voice
is what we should be listening to.
It is their graduation.”
Board Member Ross Selvidge
addressed his disapproval for not
being able to solicit any possible
suggestions to the committee
and questioned whether board
COMMENCEMENT page 2
Creator of accreditation report resigns
File Photo
Matthew Jordan
Philip McCormick
Editor-in-Chief
Matthew Jordan, one of the
creators of the school’s accredi¬
tation report, suddenly resigned
from his position as the interim
dean of instructional support
at a crucial time during the ac¬
creditation process, according to
school officials.
Jordan resigned his position
after getting a job as the dean of
academic affairs at Los Angeles
Valley College, according to PCC
President Robert Miller.
Academic Senate President
Eduardo Cairo said that Jordan’s
exit couldn’t have come at a
worse time, since the accredita¬
tion visit team from the state is
coming next week.
“That the accreditation liaison
officer leaves right as our ac¬
creditation visit team is arriving
is bad timing,” Cairo said. “We
were told by planning and prior¬
ities committee chair, Stephanie
Fleming, on Monday. . . there
was no other explanation as to
why he had left until the Council
on Academic and Profession¬
al Matters (CAPM) meeting
Wednesday.”
Miller said that the announce¬
ment at the planning and
priorities committee meeting
was a mistake and apologized
for that “misstep.” He also said
suddenly
that the reason they were trying
to keep it quiet until the CAPM
meeting was because Jordan
had asked that it not be publicly
announced.
“1 believe that he was fearful
that people would contact LA
Valley and perhaps speak of him
in ill ways,” Miller said. “I made
the determination to respect
his wishes... I had planned
to tell [the senate’s executive
JORDAN page 2 ►
Calendar Committee to propose academic calendar with winter
Keely Damara
Staff Writer
Despite discord among committee
members, student groups and faculty over
the proposed reinstatement of winter
intersession — culminating in the Associated
Students formally agreeing to support win¬
ter and voting to censure English professor
Roger Marheine — the Calendar Committee
will submit an academic calendar including
a winter term to the College Council.
The calendar meeting last Thursday
afternoon was moved to a third-floor class¬
room in the C budding from a meeting
room downstairs to make room for the
students and faculty present for public
comment.
Student Trustee Marshall Lewis said that
English professor and Faculty Association
member Roger Marheine approached
members of the Associated Students in the
hallway before the meeting, aggressively
pointed his finger in their faces and asked
each if they were “for or against winter.”
“He was very loud and hostile,”
WINTER page 3 ►
Photo Illustration by Daniel Valencia
Students work with
lighting on the set
of a TVR course
Snowboarding, ski,
and music enthusiasts
gather at the Rose
Bowl
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