PCC Courier, July 24, 1974

KPCS Given Green Light for Expansion By Eric W. Epling Editor-in-Chief PCC's radio station. KPCS. has been given the green light for future expansion. The station has been awarded a Corporation of Public Broadcasting grant that will bring an additional $25,000 next year alone, and $43,000 over the next two years, into its operational outlay. KPCS is one of some 15 radio stations nationwide to receive a СРВ grant, which is designed to encourage expansion of public radio into previously ignored areas. To qualify for the grant. KPCS was required to submit to СРВ a package outlining why the station was deserving of such a grant, as well as proposing various ideas for expansion. Three-Year Program The proposal made to the СРВ. which was backed unanimously by the school's Board of Trustees, calls lor a three-year expansion schedule which will see the station operating 18 hours a day. 365 days per year by 1976. The plan also calls "for the SUMMER EDITION PCC CcmfrleSi Vol. 1, No. 2 Pasadena City College, Pasadena, California July24,1974 Campus Changes Underway College Beautification Plans Wall, Trees, Lights, More Beautification plans, prompted bv a series of requests and or¬ dinances from the City ot Pasadena, are now well underway in areas of the campus. A parking lot retaining wall is under construction which will enclose the parking area bordered by Del Mar Blvd.. Bonnie St.. Colorado Blvd. and Sierra Bonita Ave. This is only one of the stages in the beautification process, which grew out of requests made by the city in 1961. "The college was aware of a city ordinance that required a three- and-a-half-foot retaining wall around parking areas such as ours." said Art Garr, facilities planner at PCC. "The ordinance also outlined the regulations for trees per square foot and lighting and water conditions. "With the completion of the new Paramedical Sciences Building and the rerouting of traffic through the campus area, we may now proceed with the beautification plans,” he said. Among the other steps to be taken will be the planting of trees. Ac¬ cording to Garr. there will be at least one tree for every 10 parking Bible Course Set to Teach, Not Preach A misconception as to what is being taught in the "Literature of the Bible" class at PCC has led the instructors to seek a means of advertising in order to set the record straight. The problem, as H. Woodrow Ohlsen, chairman of the English Department, sees it, is that the course is believed to be religious in context. "Literature of the Bible,” said Ohlsen, "does not emphasize religion, it emphasizes literature. "Students are invited to express their opinions,” said Ohlsen, however the instructors "take no stand on any theological issue.” It is Ohlsen's opinion that students today, looking for a rounded education, are robbed of just that. Ohlsen claims that for years only Greek literature has been taught in the schools. "A student ought to know what ancient Hebrews thought as well as what ancient Greeks thought." The study of the ancient Hebrews is included in the course. "Literature of the Bible is some of the most interesting and thought provoking literature in our culture," said Ohlsen. The prophets, for example, were such realists that what they had to say about Israel and their situation in their time is “applicable to our own current situations." The class is offered both fall and spring semesters, offering three units of credit. It covers both the Old and New Testaments, starting with the origins of the Hebrew religion through the establishment of the Christian religion. The class is still open for the fall semester. Instructors Ohlsen and Karen Norris invite Christian and non-Christian students to enroll in this literature course. spaces. A sprinkler system is also being installed to insure proper maintenance of planting and land¬ scaping. "This again is in keeping with the city code," says Garr, “and we feel it will add a great deal of beauty to the campus. We plan to plant trees which are approximately five years old, thus giving us maximum growth potential and beauty.” The closure of Sierra Bonita Ave. from Francisca St. to Del Mar Blvd. gave the college added room for a mall area and additional parking spaces. The same rule of one tree Dr. Armen Sarafian, president of PCC, will soon be traveling each month to Alaska in his newly ap¬ pointed role as Special Consultant on Higher Education to the Alaska legislature. Dr. Sarafian's primary misson in Alaska will be to act as adviser during the establishment of a commission on postsecondary education, which will be similar to a California commission of the same kind. During his trips, Dr. Sarafian will have counseling periods with legislators on proposed actions affecting higher education, as well as providing “expert" testimony at public hearings and private meetings involving all higher education matters. He will also counsel, with particular emphasis, Paul Menke To Minister to Campus PCC will have a full-time campus minister beginning next fall. The Rev. Paul F. Menke. a native Southern Californian, was selected to fill the post over five other ap¬ plicants. Father Menke was hired after the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena, representing 41 area churches, applied to the Catholic archbishop of campus ministry in regard to obtaining a minister for the school. Ordained in 1966, Father Menke spent two years at Irenaeus Church in Cypress as an associate pastor. For the past five years he served as associate pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Father Menke attended St. John’s College and Seminary in Camarillo prior to being ordained. LIBRARY HOURS The PCC Library will be open for student use both summer sessions. During the first session, the Library will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Library will be open during the second session from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 5:30 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. for every 10 spaces will be followed there. "Of course we could not overlook proper lighting,” said Garr. "Provisions are being made to include lighting fixtures that meet not only the city codes, but the needs of our students as well.” The contract for the . entire project, including resurfacing of the mall and the east parking lot, bills the college for $412,329. The funding is coming from a special fund which has been held in reserve, according to Garr. It will not come out of the 1974-75 budget. on budgetary problems en¬ countered in education. Dr. Sarafian was chosen to the post primarily because of his “diversity of experience.” ac¬ cording to Mildred Banfield. House majority leader and chairman of Alaska's Interim Committee on Higher Education of the Legislative Council in Juneau, the state capital. Dr. Sarafian was selected as first choice by the committee from a list of other educators. DR. SARAFIAN Parking Permits Going On Sale September 10 Parking permits for the fall semester will go on sale Sept. 10 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. The $20 permits are good for both day and evening parking while $5 night permits are effective from 2:30 p.m. on. Special laminated, movable car pool permits are available for groups of two or more people. Applications may be picked up at the Security-Parking office in the Campus Center and are offered on a first come, first served basis. Sarafian Appointed as Consultant to Alaska station's staff to be bolstered to five full-time employees. If this blueprint for operation is accomplished, it will mean that in the program's third year, and in each year thereafter] the station will receive S17.000 from СРВ on an annual basis. It will also mean that KPCS will have achieved the status of being a fully qualified public radio station. What the grant means to the listeners of KPCS. according to Dr. John Gregory, station manager since 1963, is enhanced coverage of all areas. Enhanced Programming "Our emphasis is on serving the San Gabriel Valley." Dr. Gregory said, "and we intend to broadcast the news of the Valley.” Versatile programming, ac¬ cented by expanded news coverage is also in the offing. "I believe a station is here to serve the people." Dr. Gregory said. "You don't serve them by playing music 24 hours a day." KPCS. which began in 1957 with 250 watts, now operates at 89.3 on the FM dial, and is powered by 3850 watts. The station broadcasts into an area containing 1.6 million potential listeners. New programming plans include the possibility of broadcasting live from the Pasadena City Council meetings, school and community college board meetings, and presenting interviews with can¬ didates of all political persuasions, and special programming lor senior citizens. Additionally, a special program presenting the news in a magazine format will bejtiireil in the hopes of reaching, and helping to inform, blind listeners. LIE YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS ONE! — Lisa Lawrence, right, instructor of psychology at PCC, practices using a polygraph machine on Peggy Fina, a student here. The machine is used durirlg experiments conducted by the psychology section of the Social Sciences Department. Biofeedback Testing Proves Effective Teaching Method By Jeri McIntyre Fine Arts Editor Four biofeedback machines owned by the psychology section of the Social Sciences Department are not only proving to be valuable teaching tools, but they might also be used this fall in a campus psychology research project. The machines are an alpha unit, a galvanic skin response (GSR I unit, a polygraph and a muscle feedback machine. The alpha machine, measuring a particular type of brain wave, is the “glamor” machine of the four, because of the surge of publicity in recent years about research into the so-called “alpha state" of relaxation. Yet on this campus, the college's alpha machine has proven to be the most disappointing of the four. Its malfunctions have prompted Lisa Lawrence and Jean Volckmann, the two psychology instructors who use the machines, to consider replacing it. The problem with replacement is the expense involved. "Alpha machines are expensive," said Mrs. Lawrence. “You can't buy a good one for less than several hundred dollars.” Mrs. Lawrence added a note of caution to consumers who might be considering buying one of the popularly advertised alpha units. "Many alpha machines are just a big rip-off. The inexpensive ones are measuring something, but we’re not sure what." Mrs. Volckmann and Mrs. Lawrence have had good success using the other three machines, however, in the psychology courses they teach. Mrs. Lawrence said that the units are valuable "enrich¬ ments" in her introductory psychology class, where she uses them to demonstrate the way machines can measure physiological manisfestations of emotions. The GSR unit measures physiological changes in the skin surface, while the polygraph, known commonly as a lie detector, measures not only GSR but also respiration and blood pressure. The muscle feedback unit provides a measure of muscle tension. Mrs. Lawrence is also hoping to use the machines in projects in the psychology research lab. She has designed one experiment into control of test anxiety in students, which she plans to implement here at pcc: According to Mrs. Lawrence, her study would use the GSR unit to determine levels of anxiety in students serving as subjects. The machine’s feedback would enable subjects to recognize their anxiety levels and would teach them to control their anxiety by training them to control the machine in¬ dication of it. Mrs. Lawrence is fascinated by studies of “states of con¬ sciousness." She said the altered states about which so much has been written lately, such as the “alpha state,” are actually emotional states everyone has experienced at one time or another. “It's the mild euphoria We’ve all felt at times when we have had a good day. We just didn’t recognize it or know how to prolong it," she said. The biofeedback machines help subjects not only to recognize such a relaxed state, but also trains them to control it. There's nothing "mysterious" about how the machines do this, she added, "They simply amplify the signals the body gives off, and force us to notice them." Mrs. Lawrence confesses she is fascinated by the popular interest in biofeedback training and equipment. "I think the fad is part of our interest in ‘instant' everything. We have instant coffee, so why not instant health?” she said. "Who wants to be a yoga for 30 years ot take Transcendental Meditation for as much as it costs, when you can rent a machine and get that kind of training instantly?”