IIMCAR To Protest ESL Survey
By Andre’ Coleman
News Editor
A controversy is brewing on campus
of astronomical proportions, at last
Thursday’s INCAR (International
Committee Against Racism) meeting
it was revealed that the group plans to
protest the findings of a recent opinion
survey conducted by the Spoken Eng¬
lish Proficiency Committee.
The committee, which is headed by
communications department chairman
Michael Bloebaum was formed at the
request to of Dr. David Ledbetter,
Assistant Superintendent of Educa¬
tional Services, to assess the status of
spoken English among PCC students.
Under Ledbetter’s charge, the commit¬
tee was asked to investigate growing
concerns expressed by campus instruc¬
tors local four-year colleges and uni¬
versities that some graduating students
demonstrate inadequate speaking abili¬
ties.
The committee decided that the best
way to accomplish this was to survey
departmental representatives and
members of the Faculty Senate. The
survey askedone question: To what
extent do you think that student defi-
ciencies-in speaking, hearing and com¬
prehending English are a problem in
the classes you teach?
Of the 121 responses the committee
received the results indicated that 10
percent believed a severe problem ex¬
ists, over 60 percent of the instructors
polled belived a significant problem
exists, 28 percent concluded a slight
problem exists and two percent in¬
dicated they did not see a problem.
But, it’s not the results of the survey
that angers members of INCAR.
The members of the committee feel
that the question was loaded, and de¬
signed to bring negative responses.
After the Courier ran a story on the
survey a flier INCAR published a flier
which said “Such a “survey’’ is de¬
signed to generate the right answer; it
is a thinly disguised effort to engineer a
reaction from faculty against foreign
students.
A point that members of the commit¬
tee strongly disagree with. Committee
member and speech instructor
Dr. William Logan had not read the
Courier article or the INCAR flyer, but
had this to say when asked about
INCAR’s reaction to the survey. “Ob¬
viously there are proficiency problems,
or we wouldn't have sent out the
survey. Some of the speech teachers
were having problems and wanted to
find out to what extent.”
Logan was surprised when told of
INCAR’s allegations of racism
motivating the committee’s activity.
“Nobody’s trying to discriminate. I’m
black, and I certainly would be the last
to engage in any kind of discrimina¬
tion.”
Logan found INCAR’s accusations
particularly inappropriate given the
English department’s existing program
that requires all ESL students to take
or test out of prerequisite courses in
written English prior to enrolling in the
EnglishlA/lb series courses. “How can
they call us racists when other depart¬
ment are doing the same thing?”
Commenting that the survey ques¬
tion as posed was not unreasonable at
all, Logan concluded that the ultimate
goal to separate the different levels of
skills to so the speech department can
help foreign students, Americans and
teachers.”
It is not known how INCAR plans to
protest the survey, but at its Jan. 8
meeting the group discussed several
possibilities which included a rally, the
forming of an INCAR Committee to
investigate the survey, passing out
protest material in several foreign
languages and picketing the com¬
munications office.
The Courier has learned that
Bloebaum plans to meet with the group
today at noon in C308.
COURIER
VOL. 63, NO. 18
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
JANUARY 15, 1987
America’s
Newest
Super Hero !
Page3
School Closed
Monday Jan. 1 9
King's Birthday
South Coast
Conference
Opens !
Page 4
Poet Salutes King
PCC students will have the chance to
see a world class poet today.
Michael S. Harper will be reading
selections by Dr. Martin Luther King at
10:30 a.m. in the forum.
Harper, who graduated from Cal
State L.A. and was recently nominated
the Inscape poet of the year, currently
serves as the Director of Creative
Writing at Brown University.
After the readings, the film Amazing
Grace which highlights King’s memo¬
rable speeches will be shown.
A small reception will be held after
the film, and refreshments will be
provided by the Black Student Union.
Theater in London
If you enjoy traveling, different cul¬
tures and the beauty and dignity of
royalty then here’s an opportunity for
you.
PCC’s Theatre in London program
offers students the chance to study
theater in London, England. The $1294
price tag students includes roundtrip
APEX airfare, airport hotel transfers,
hotel rooms complete with bath, full
breakfast daily one diner in Stratford
and five theater tickets.
During the nine day experience stu¬
dents will spend seven days in London,
one night in Strafford-Upon-Avon with
a stop in Oxford and a full day ex¬
cursion for touring the beautiful english
countryside.
Interested students should contact
Jane Hallinger in the English Dept.
Forensics Captures Awards
By Natalie Shore
Staff Writer
An old nursery rhyme warns the
Christmas season fattens geese. A new
PCC tradition says it replenishes the
silverware in the Forensics team’s
trophy cabinet.
Basking in all their glory, team
members posed for the Courier camera
with an overflowing collection of 48
cups, trophies and goblets from the
California Swing forensics tournament
held at USC and UCLA Dec 29-31 and
Jan. 2-4.
“It’s really outstanding how many
times they’ve brought back trophies,”
said President Casey who participated
in the photo session. “We’re all so
proud of them.”
Battling against 78 schools at USC
and 89 schools at UCLA, PCC’s 25
member team competed in following
categories: extemporary speaking,
oral interpretation, persuasive speech,
expository/informative speaking, im-
promtu speech, after-dinner speaking,
radio reporting, duo-intrepretaion,
communication analysis, one-on-one
and team debates and poetry reading.
Ranked by their coaches, students
competed with either junior or cham¬
pion standing. Each participated in at
least three events.
Seasoned performers Betty Wang,
Joe Botana, Susan Stevens, Timothy
Todd and Beata Hopkins led the pack to
uncontested victory in both tourna¬
ments. Between the two competitions,
PCC cleaned up in dramatic interpreta¬
tion, radio speaking, duo-interpreta¬
tion, debate and their specialty,
reader’s theater.
Cumulative points entitled PCC to
the UCLA sweepstakes trophy. Pasa¬
dena triumphed over all other two-year
and four-year schools including Baylor,
USC, Harvard and UC Berkeley.
USC grouped two-year and four-year
schools separately and as the only two
year-school that competed, PCC had no
trouble claiming the sweepstakes vic¬
tory.
“It’s simply the rules USC goes by,”
explained Team Director Anthony
Georgilas. “If they didn’t make the
distinction, PCC would have come in
second overall, beating second place
Harvard and Northwestern and
Darmouth who tied for third place in
overall points. We would have come in
second only to first place Baylor Uni¬
versity of Texas.”
They also collected USC’s coveted
D.H. Miller Award for total cumulative
pointsfor the 1986 making coaches
Georgilas, Chrystal Watson, Patrick
Brown and Carol Norheim even
prouder. The team opens the post¬
holiday season tournament circuit with
a competition at Cypress College fol¬
lowed by the Governor’s Cup in Sacra¬
mento.
Entering the Mime Zone
By Natalie Shore
Staff Writer
This weekend PCC’s Prime Time
Mimes offer the campus community a
rare opportunity to spend a quiet eve¬
ning out on the town. The troupe invites
allto attend their final performances of
Mothers Against Mimes and 27 other
vignettes.
Part of the theater arts department,
the advanced mime students will spend
a mostly slapstick and occaisonally
serious evening poking fun at a house¬
hold favorite known as the television.
The hour and 15 minute show includes •
such original skits as Mime Vice. Pen¬
nies from Heaven. William Tell and
Junior, and Mime Court with Judge
McWhopper.
The entire show was written and
produced by mime students. Instructor
Jan Schwartz directed the production.
Beginning mime students provided
technical support.
The show culminates the entire
semester’s course work. The theater
arts department has brought the eve¬
ning of mime to the campus for two
years.
Performer Carry Hoagland guaran¬
tees the audience will enjoy a show that
“humorously shows what’s going on in
your heart without having to say it.
There is one serious piece that touches
your heart.”
Hoagland, an enthusiastic second
semester mime student, believes the
evening will educate as well as enter¬
tain. “People will learn that mimes are
not clowns but silent actors or ac¬
tresses, more versatile than a clown.”
Hoagland added that the theater set¬
ting allows the audience to enjoy the
more dramatic side of mime due to
lighting and sound effects.
Final performances run Jan 16-18 in
the C Building’s Little Theater. The 8
p.m. shows Friday and Saturday eve¬
nings are followed by a 2 p.m. Sunday
matinee.
General admission is $3. Students
and seniors pay $2, and children under
12 pay one dollar. The show’s T.V.
Guide program is available at the door.
After 61 Years,
First Woman
President
The Forensics Team participated in the recent California Swing
Forensics Tournament. The team captured 48 awards overall. A
reception was held for the team in Superintendent Casey's office
last week. —Courier photo by Lolita Parker Jr.
board,” she said.
Miele found herself running against
three-term incumbent Roger Gertme-
nian in her 1983 election to the Board of
Trustees. She edged ahead in the race
by only two votes. Gertmenian de¬
manded a recount and the tally was
even with each candidate receiving
2,592 votes.
In her effort to regain the lead, Miele
said she rallied women’s groups and
others for support during the subse¬
quent runoff election and won the elec¬
tion with an impressive 63 percent of
the vote.
Also on Dec. 4, Dr. Jeannette Mann
took over Miele’s former post as vice
president and Dr. Richard Green was
selected as the board clerk.
Miele plans to add a new dimension
to ongoing programs as well as com¬
pleting those projects currently in the
planning stages. The strategeic plan¬
ning processheaded by Dr. William
Goldman is one of her priorities.
“We found our policies were out¬
dated. The strategic planning process
is basically a review of external factors
such as population, trends in society
and job markets. We then neutralize
these factors in terms of what we offer,
what courses have gone down in enroll¬
ment, what courses are being offered
and do these match the job market. We
then come up with a plan. The strategic
planning process focuses on the trends
of society,” said Miele.
Miele also plans to begin an overhaul
of the philosophy and mission of the
college which she considers the first
step in a new direction. This plan would
match the needs of a changing society.
When asked what she liked most
about PCC, Miele said, “The people
and the loyalty. We may not agree all
the time but there’s a lot of caring. We
have a great tradition and history.”
By Catherine F. Reynolds
Opinion Editor
The PCC Board of Trustees elected
Susanna Miele as its president on Dec.
4, The election of the three-year board
member accomplished a long-awaited
milestone as she became the first
female president in 61 years.
Miele is an active community volun¬
teer and is a founder of the Pasadena
Commission on the Status of Women.
She is also President of the Board of
Haven House, a shelter for battered
women and has been active in local
elections.
Miele, formerly vice president, mod¬
estly views her achievement as simply
taking her turn.
“Frankly, it tends to be rotational. In
essence, it is my turn. The biggest
milestone was being elected to the
Susanna Miele
Trustees Elect