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Pasadena City College
Football Preview:
Summer training has
begun and the players are
bracing for the season.
Page
8»
Volume 102, Issue 1
"The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1 91 5. "
Thursday, July 15, 2010
New president focuses on PCC's future
Janine Shimomura
Editor-in-Chief
New college President Mark
Rocha who began at PCC on July 1
has begun going from division to
division, discussing the challenges
the college has been facing.
One of the college's biggest chal¬
lenges, he said, is its current status
of warning from the Accrediting
Commission for Community and
Junior Colleges. Rocha has called
an open meeting on Tuesday to
address the issues that ACCJC pre¬
sented. A required follow-up
report is due to the ACCJC on
October 15.
The Educational Master Plan
plays a key role in his plans to
address the ACCJC warning. The
EMP will provide clear goals for
the college for the future, tied to
strict deadlines for accomplishing
each part of the plan. Rocha has set
a deadline for the EMP to be com¬
pleted by the end of 2010.
"I want to finish the EMP to
show the community what our
priorities are and allocate our
resources to reflect those priori¬
ties," said Rocha in an interview
this week.
Those two concerns, coupled
with the task of establishing work¬
ing relationships with campus
organizations, are part of Rocha's
fall semester goals.
"Once we get those done, we
can move on to the implementa¬
tion of the EMP and moving the
college into the future," he said.
Rocha had previous experience
with the accreditation process
when he served as the president
for West Los Angeles College.
At WLAC, his contributions to
the students and the community
were described as his strengths.
"He works tirelessly to accom¬
modate everyone," said Rodney
Robinson, the student trustee of
the Los Angeles Community
College District. "Sometimes I
thought he worked too hard trying
to help everyone out."
Community outreach is high on
Rocha's agenda, not just because
it's a key part of his job as superin¬
tendent/president, but also
because he enjoys doing it.
After a six month long search
Rocha was selected as president by
the Board of Trustees in a unani¬
mous decision on June 9.
Rocha joined PCC students and
the community at the college's 5k
run on Saturday, running with his
son and Trustee Geoff Baum. His
calendar is packed with communi¬
ty events over the next few weeks,
including a reception for the new
Pasadena police chief and a com¬
munity outreach event with
Trustee Berlinda Brown.
"I've learned how much this
community truly cares for this col¬
lege," he said.
It's also a way for Rocha to listen
and learn what concerns the com¬
munity has for the college. Rocha
hopes to build a good relationship
with the community so it can sup¬
port the college.
"I'm really looking forward to
developing relationships with
Continued on page 7
Louis Cheung'/Courier
President Mark Rocha has been
interacting with the campus and
community to understand the
college's needs.
A running start
Daniel Lottes/Courier
Participants are off to a sprint at the PCC 5k and kids run benefiting the Community Educational Center on July 10 at
the Rose Bowl. Story and more photos page 4.
New student trustee hopes to have greater impact
Samantha Lai
Staff Writer
As the newly appointed
student trustee for 2010-2011,
communication major Nolan
Pack seeks to not only
improve existing programs
like the Metro I-Pass transit
pass system but also establish
new ones. These changes
include sustainability polices
and an advisory council for
student trustees.
Pack places the improve¬
ment of Metro I-Pass program
as his first priority in a list of
three main goals for the
upcoming academic year.
With the objective to make
low-cost public transit more
accessible to PCC students,
Pack hopes to offer the transit
pass for purchase when stu¬
dents register for parking per¬
mits.
Since creating the first
Sustainability Committee in
Associated Students in sum¬
mer 2009, Pack has been "lay¬
ing the groundwork for a sus¬
tainability movement on cam¬
pus," making environmental
practices his second objective
as student trustee.
Pack explains that while no
major changes will take place
during the summer due to the
smaller student body, he and
members of the Sustainability
Committee plan to bring their
sustainability policies to the
attention of the Board of
Trustees. These policies reflect
Pack's personal concern for
preserving the environment
through energy and water
conservation and other strate¬
gies, and he hopes to bring
Continued on page 7
Danny Reyes/Courier
Student Trustee Nolan Pack
intends to propose new sus¬
tainable options for the cam¬
pus.
Construction
still stalled
on new arts
building
Thomas Poole
Staff Writer
More than a year after construction was set to
begin, plans for PCC's Center for the Arts building are
still awaiting approval from the Division of the State
Architect, according to PCC officials.
"I am extremely frustrated by the DSA delays" said
Richard van Pelt, interim vice president of adminis¬
trative services.
Having already received structural, safety and
accessibility approvals, construction of the Center for
the Arts will remain stalled until the DSA grants final
approval, according to van Pelt.
After approval from the DSA, PCC will begin the
process of construction. This includes advertising for
bids from contractors for two weeks, a month of actu¬
al bidding, cross checking the winning bidder's refer¬
ences, receiving approval from the Board of trustees
and, lastly, demolishing the T and
К
buildings,
according to van Pelt.
The 69,000 square-foot Center for the Arts will
house the Visual Arts & Media Studies and
Performing /Communication Arts divisions. In addi¬
tion to classroom space, the Center for the Arts will
contain a 230-seat recital hall, art gallery and the Black
Box theater - complete with box office and marquee.
Classes once held in buildings T and
К
have been
displaced to other parts of the campus to accommo¬
date the Center's construction.
"We're doing OK in our temporary spaces" said
James Arnwine, Dean of the Performing/
Communication arts division. "It's been a much slow¬
er process than it has been in the past."
Continued on page 7
Smithsonian:
Professor’s
material included
in the Archives of
American Art.
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