PCC Courier, January 21, 1993

Pasadena City College Pasadena, California Vol. 74 No. 16 COURIER Thursday January- 21, 1993 Dean denies hiring policy unfair By ANISSA VICENTE Editor in Chief A new hiring policy about the ethnic composition of community college fac¬ ulty is raising questions of possible cases of reverse discrimination and added work for hiring committees. In an effort to fill the need for affirma¬ tive action, the state Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1725 of the California Education Code this year. AB 1725 re¬ quires all 107 community college faculties to demographically reflect the ethnic composition of their adult population by the year 2005. Patricia Mollica, dean of human re¬ sources and the college’s affirmative ac¬ tion officer, said PCC will be judged col¬ lectively with other community colleges. “We each have to show that we’re making progress toward diversifying our faculty,” she said. But the new legislation has raised ques¬ tions about the importance of ethnic diver¬ sity versus the value of hiring the best quali¬ fied teacher regardless of race. “They’ve changed the way we look at qualifications,” said Joseph Probst, profes¬ sor of communications. Probst attended two meetings for faculty representatives about AB 1 725. The new law may force commu¬ nity colleges' to hire not the best, but the most appropriate candidate. “It’s going to be a very difficult balancing act for the hiring committees to deal with.” But Mollica said it would be her respon¬ sibility to make sure that the pool of appli¬ cants is representative of the student popula¬ tion. One way the college is trying to do this is by sending job advertisements to a larger market. Currently, PCC sends ads to all four- year schools and 700 other institutions, including colleges where traditionally under repre¬ sented groups attend. If the pool is still not ethnically representative, Mollica may de¬ cide to re-advertise. “If that doesn’t work, we’ve done our best and we go forward,” she said. Mollica said that although this more in¬ tensive applicant search may delay the proc¬ ess, the hiring committees will not have ad¬ ditional work. The new law requires that job require¬ ments include “a sensitivity to and under¬ standing of the diverse academic, socio¬ economic, cultural, physical and ethnic backgrounds of community college students.” Another section of the new law states that “when a particular candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for the job is also a member of a historically under represented group, this membership may be taken into account as one factor in the final selection process.” However, Mollica said the new law aims more at balancing the faculty composition dominated by white males since the begin- Please see “POLICY,” page 3 Just the Facts... PCC faculty and student ethnic composition 62.5% White 29.6% Latino 15.4% Black 27% White 12.4% Latino 26.4% Asian or 5.1% Asian or J®!?®!!® Pacific Islander Pacific Islander UoU0U0 9.1% Black 1% Filipino PH 3.8% Filipino 0.9% American uHiH Indianor Alaskan jllll Jit I i 3.5% Other 0.6% American native Indian From the offices of public relations and personnel 1 992. Margin of error about 20 out of 820 employees. Infographic by Anissa C. Vicente Morning mishap Photo by ERNESTO RICO/ The COURIER Blame it on the rain A student on the way to school didn’t quite get there Friday morning when his car skidded into the sidewalk on the corner of Hill and Green. The record-breaking winter storm that made Pasadena’s streets slick and wet, did not help matters much when the student attempted to make a left turn on Hill Street from Green Street. No one was injured. Health officials see rise in center’s use □ Despite a rise in cold and flu cases on campus, health officials say they cannot blame the recent wet and rainy weather . By MERISSA GOODRICH Staff Writer People who have been feeling sick, or are suffering from a cold or flu should know that they are not alone. The Student Health Center has reported a noticeable increase in the number of students coming in with colds and flu. However, they hesitate to blame the increase on the intense rain and cold weather that lashed Southern California the past two weeks. “The weather doesn’t really make people sicker,” the official said. “There’s no way that we can find out if the weather really causes all these flu cases. No one has ever been able to connect weather and health.” The Health Center has both doc¬ tors and registered nurses to care for students who need medical atten¬ tion . The exams are free of charge. Laboratory tests that require off- campus analysis are offered at a reduced rate. While the center doesn’t do a complete physical for students, it can treat individual ailments. The attending physician also pcrscribcs medication. The Health Center offers other services to students, such as blood pressure checks, hearing and vision screenings, breast and pelvic exami¬ nations, lab tests, and counseling. The Center also gives immuniza¬ tions and performs minor surgical procedures. The program is supported mainly by the PCC health fee that students payatthetimeof registration. While this fee has recently increased from S5 to $7.50 during a regular semes¬ ter, it remains a more than reason¬ able price for full health care, a college health official said. At reduced rates, PCC also offers voluntary 24-hour insurance cover¬ age for non-college related accidents or for medical expenses. Students can pick up applications for this insurance at the Health Center. The Health Center is located in the Cl 27 and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and at night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Students can call (818)578-7244 and make an appointment or they can just walk in and see the doctor or nurse on duty. Dean invited to inauguration □ Dean of educational services is honored for his father’s pioneering work in labor unions. By ANISSA VICENTE Editor in Chief William E. Goldmann was work¬ ing when he received an invitation to Bill Clinton’s inauguration. But Goldmann, dean of educa¬ tional services, following in the footsteps of his father William, would rather be working. There are things to be done, commitments to be kept. It is , after al I , because of the elder Goldmann’s lifelong work. as a un¬ ion organizer and Dcmocratic Party leader that his son was invited to Washington. And it is precisely because of his father’s belief in the importance of work that Goldmann didn’t go. “My father lived in an era of great idealism, of fighting the noble fight for working men’s rights,” he said. The elder of two sons, Goldmann remembers accompanying his father to many union meetings. “I remem¬ ber going with him to organize a Chrysler strike to get drinking foun¬ tains,” he said, as well as the darker days when their home was bombed, their possessions trashed and repu¬ tations attacked. The elder Goldmann remained untiring in his efforts to fight for equal rights, equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, and help¬ ing free trade unionism around the world. With the United Auto Work¬ ers (UAW), Goldmann assisted Tom Mboya, Kenyan trade union leader and Lech Walesa, leader of the Soli¬ darity movement in Poland of which he is now president. .'. - Goldmann has established a $500 scholarship to be given twice a year to a female student majoring in his- ‘He lived in an era of great idealism, fighting the noble fight for working men.’ William E. Goldmann, dean of instructional sendees on his father tory. ■ It is the son’s way of honoring his father Wil¬ liam, who died in Nov. 1991 at the age of 85. It also honors his mother Lillie Mae and his step¬ mother Pauline, a union organizer William mar¬ ried in 1965 a year after Lillie’s death and who continues to be a politi¬ cal activist for the Demo¬ cratic Party. “ It is for my parents, ”” ” ^ “ William and Lillie, that this scholarship is lovingly dedi¬ cated... in honor of Pauline’s love for my father, and for her steadfast amd determined efforts for gender equity at the workplace,” Goldmann said. The scholarship, which has been awarded for the first time last year, also symbolizes Goldmann’s own stake in education, mirroring what he said is his father’s greatest strength: commitment. That is why the inauguration of America’s 42nd presi¬ dent went without Bill Goldmann. “I’m sure my father would understand why I’m doing this,” he said. Goldmann, after all, has work to do. Lancer speech tournament set By ANISSA VICENTE Editor in Chief PCC will hold the Lancer Invitational, its annual speech tournament on Friday, Jan. 29 through Sunday, Jan. 31 . Four-year and two-year colleges will compete in the tournament, one of the largest such competition in the West Coast, Anthony Georgilas, professor of commu¬ nications, said. Organizers hope more than 30 to 40 colleges will attend, including the Uni¬ versity of California Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University. About 50 PCC students will compete in the event. “All students should come and observe,” Georgilas said. The tour¬ nament is a good opportunity to see ex¬ cellent examples of public speaking. The tournament, which began in 1973, is hosted by the PCC forensics team. The col¬ lege team was formed in 1923 and remains one of the most ac¬ tive teams in the area. The team has had a great sea¬ son, winning top honors in the fall championships at Mt. San An¬ tonio College last month. Approximately 41 colleges competed in the champion¬ ships. In 1991, the team ranked third among 45 schools in the sweepstakes division of the Ml. San Antonio tourna¬ ment. Tom Miller and Anthony Georgilas serve as coaches for the team. PCC Forensics 4 A