PCC Courier, July 19, 2012

Killing Ex-student gets 11 years Page 2» Pasadena City College Online edition pccCourier.com Facebook PCC Courier Twitter @pccCourier Volume 106, Issue 1 The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915. July 19, 2012 Photography teacher has need for speed Yvonne Najera / Courier Photography instructor Roland Percey takes off his helmet after a successful run on the El Mirage race track in Mojave on Sunday. Below: Percey runs diagnostic tests on his modified Corvette before taking it to the starting line. Instructor hits 182 m.p.h. in racecar Nicholas Saul Editor-in-Chief Over in the barren desert of El Mirage Lake, where entire bodies of water are left dry and the sun's omnipresence scorches all forms of moisture, there is life. Once a month the Southern California Timing Association hosts speed tests in this desert playground where some of the world's fastest drivers and most intu¬ itive car engineers look to break land speed records. The dried-up lake bed creates a solid, and perfectly flat landscape that stretches for miles. A perfect venue for those that like to test the limits of how fast a person can go. One such person is PCC photography Instructor Roland Percey. Percey drives a customized and suped-up vehicle known as a gas mod¬ ified sports car. Percey' s vehicle-of- choice? A 2002 Chevy Corvette, which at 3300 pounds has over 830 horse¬ power. "Everything's custom. Actually the only thing 'Corvette' about this, is its body/' Percey said. Percey, has been teaching photogra¬ phy at PCC since 1995, and racing since the 1970s. On Sunday, he looked to improve his personal record of 209 m.p.h. — which is a feat that must be completed within one and a third miles. "I don't want us to go less than 200," said Crew Chief Rick Haynes. "The car can go 200, but what will the driver do?" he jokingly added. Continued on page 8 Job cuts, furloughs weighed by Board Aim is to save $10.5 million Nicholas Zebrowski Managing Editor Staff reductions and elimination of the winter session were among the options scheduled to be considered on Wednesday evening by the Board of Trustees as they weighed $10.5 million in possible budget cuts. Also on the table was a 10-day furlough for non¬ faculty to be scheduled for 2013, if Gov. Jerry Brown's tax increase measure on the November ballot fails. The options scheduled for discussion were pre¬ sented in a report from an ad-hoc subcommittee of the Board that drew up its recommendations July 9. Under the heading "Actions we are able to take now," the first item is a "reduction in force of hourly temporary unclassified workers of 50 per¬ cent." This implies that at least some would lose their jobs. The action is said to save an estimated $3 million. Also, a reduction in the number of class sections by eliminating another 578 of them during 2012-13 would account for another $3 million in estimated savings. "By law the Board has to adopt a new budget by the Sept. 5 meeting... so there is not much time," said President Mark Rocha, ad hoc subcommittee member. "These are recommendations from the subcom¬ mittee to be discussed [by the Board] and the com¬ mittee put them on the agenda," said Rocha. "The budget situation is absolutely terrible... [the Board has] some very difficult decisions [to make]." Also scheduled for Board consideration was a 2012-13 hiring plan for 41 positions, seven of which Continued on page 7 Designated smoking areas to get makeover Blair Wells / Courier One of the few designated smoking areas presently on campus which is located between Shatford Library and the U Building. Emily Chang-Chien Contributing Writer The dismal three areas desig¬ nated for smokers on campus are about to get a facelift. Immediate plans to upgrade the smoking sites were discussed Tuesday by the reconstituted Health and Safety Committee. According to committee Co¬ chair Dr. Kent Yamauchi, the committee aims to revamp these smoking areas and "leave some¬ thing to desire, if you are a smoker, in terms of making it a comfortable place." Facilities Service Supervisor Sarah Flores will be temporarily upgrading these areas and mak¬ ing them as aesthetically pleas¬ ing as possible, she said. Each area will be made uniform, given trash receptacles, potted plants, graded terrain; excess cigarette butt cans will be removed, and foreign plants will be weeded. Flores explained that these plans will suffice "until some¬ thing more permanent comes up." She estimated that these modifications will be completed by Aug. 24, just in time for Welcome Day. Permanent upgrades are still in the planning stages. In the long term, the committee aims to remedy these rough spots by planting vegetation, as well as building overhead shade to make the areas attractive, and most of all comfortable. The committee hopes to turn this project into a community effort. "[We hope] to have a col¬ laborative or cooperative arrangement with PCC's con¬ struction department [and botany classes]... which will also allow the students in [these] par¬ ticular programs to contribute to the campus," Yamauchi said. In the meantime, the commit¬ tee is working to raise awareness of district policy that prohibits outdoor smoking on District owned property, except in desig¬ nated areas. Continued on page 7 Employment of former CEC dean comes to an end Christine Michaels Staff Writer The now former Community Education Center Dean Richard Hodge did not have his employ¬ ment contract renewed as of June 30. General Counsel Gail Cooper announced Hodge was put on administrative leave on Feb. 21 by the Board of Trustees, accord¬ ing to the meeting's minutes. Cooper would not respond to inquiries asking about the nature of Hodge's contract expiring. According to CEC Instructor Danny Hamman, the adminis¬ tration sent an email to the CEC explaining Hodge was on administrative leave, and Vice President of Educational Services Robert Miller would be aiding in the "day to day opera- Continued on page 7