Reorganization Plan Cuts Costs
By Michael Collins
Staff Writer
Under the department re¬
organization plan which took ef¬
fect July 1, six departments on
campus were condensed to three.
The life science department and
allied health department were
combined, the foreign language
and English departments were
combined, and the men’s and
women’s physical education de¬
partments were also combined.
Last spring the board of trustees
proposed a major department re¬
organization that would reduce the
15 departments to nine. However,
the proposal was disapproved. The
board decided instead to re¬
organize the 15 departments into
12.
Steven A. Cerra, vice president
for instruction, said “I think in all
fairness, it was a way to save
money. The board tried to take an
action which would have as min¬
imal a negative effect on depart¬
ment structure as possible. There
is no relationship between the re¬
organization and class cuts.”
The reorganization only affects
management. Reorganization was
not responsible for classes which
were cut or combined or teacher
layoffs.
The reorganization saves the
college money by reducing the
number of department chair-
"T his trend is happening
everywhere in
management, it is a way
to cut costs. "
— CERRA
persons and eliminating other ad¬
ministrative positions When ad¬
ministrative positions were left
open because persons retired or
returned to the classroom volun¬
tarily, those positions were
eliminated and the workloads
given to other administrators.
For example, Manuel Perez, di¬
rector of instruction-extended day,
off-site supervisor and summer
intersession, is retiring. Instead of
hiring someone else to fill his
position, the position is being
eliminated and his workload will
be divided by the assistant dean of
occupational education and the co¬
ordinator of continuing education
and community services.
‘‘What this (reorganization) is
really going to mean is more work
for several people. This trend is
happening everywhere in manage¬
ment. It is a way to cut costs. If
fiscal needs improve there will be
less of this,” said Cerra.
The situation is slightly dif¬
ferent in the physical education
department. In that reorganization
the men’s and women’s physical
education departments were com¬
bined and renamed the physical
education department. The chair¬
man for the men’s physical educa¬
tion became chairman of the new
department and the women’s phys¬
ical education chairman became
assistant.
VOL. 56, NO. 3
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
JULY 29, 1983
HOOPSTERS
IN ACTION
See Page 4
PCC
Library Staff Cut with Budget
Students Receive Less Service
By Denni Young
Opinion Editor
The library is minus three li¬
brarians after budget cuts. Only
one librarian was actually laid off,
one was reassigned to the English
department and the head librarian,
William K. Grainger, retired.
One classifed position, that of
the head librarian’s secretary, was
eliminated. William I. Weitzel, li¬
brarian, foresees a significant re¬
duction in student help. The final
decision will be made after the
school’s budget is set in August.
The board was bound by law to
determine layoffs on the basis of
seniority. According to Steven A.
Cerra, vice president of instruc¬
tion, the board attempted to retain
a good quality staff.
The library presently has one
part time and three full time li¬
brarians. “The cuts resulted in
service reduction. Three and one
third can’t do as much as six and
one third did,” said Weitzel. “Stu¬
dents will not get as much service
as they are used to getting. They
will have to do more for them¬
selves.”
The librarians are presently on
call. They have to split their time
between helping students and
doing the “behind the scenes
jobs.” Weitzel fears students will
not receive help and not get assign¬
ments done correctly or done at
all.
There will also be a reduction in
the quality of library help. Accord¬
ing to Weitzel every librarian can¬
not know everything, but each
librarian is knowledgable in a spe¬
cific area. If one librarian cannot
help a student another one can.
Now with fewer librarians this is
less likely.
Many jobs in the library are not
done as well as before or not done
at all. A major job not being done
is cataloging. “It is a specialized
job, doubly so because of the com¬
puter tie in,” said Weitzel. The
library buys books that are not
being used. “In order for the books
to be used they must be shelved,
but they have to be cataloged
first,” said Weitzel.-
The library recently installed an
automated circulation system. The
two librarians most knowl¬
edgeable about the system are no
longer on the staff. One was trans¬
ferred to the English department
and the other was laid off. The
circulation staff was taught the
rudimentary skills of operating the
system. They can register and
check books in and out, but they
cannot use the system to its full
potential. “This is a major con¬
cern. Although the future lies in
computers, we have come to a
hault,” said Cerra.
The head librarian retired, and
the board has not authorized the
refilling of the position. “We need
a leader, someone to direct the
activities of the team," said
Weitzel.
“The board is looking for the
most cost efficient way to cover all
services,” said Cerra. At this point
the board is looking to the adminis¬
tration to make suggestions. “You
cannot take $3.8 million out of the
budget and expect nodamage.”
LOOKING FOR HELP — Due to the recently reduced number of
librarians, students will not get as much help as they have been
accustomed to getting. —Courier photo by Duane Valjalo
Newsbriefs
Foreign Student Orientation
A week-long orientation for new foreign students begins August 1 at
8 a.m. to help them with English and math placement testing and with
programming.
Many begin summer school, the second week of August concentrat¬
ing on English. Since most are coming to PCC directly from overseas,
the orientation is designed to prepare them for the fall and accustom
them to classes conducted in English and to PCC’s educational process.
More information may be obtained through Wally Calvert, foreign
student adviser, 578-7334.
The Russians are Coming
A world candidates’ semifinal chess match will be held at PCC
August 5. Despite an announcement from the Soviet Union’s news agency
that the Russians will not play in the United States, they are expected to
show up. “If Mr. Kasparov is not present ... he forfeits the match,” said
Tim Redman, president of the U.S. chess federation.
ISSU Sponsors Flea Market
Instructional Support Services Unit (ISSU) sponsors a flea market
sale in September. The money raised will be donated to the PCC
Foundation and earmarked for use by ISSU. Items for the flea market
may be given to Alice Mothershead in C221.
Anti-Klan Program
An anti-Klan program scheduled for July 29, 7:30 p.m. at the Page
One bookstore, 450 E. Colorado, will feature a movie and speakers from
the Center for Black Survival and the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee.
Additional information obtained at 827-0505.
PCC Feels Financial Burdens
Students Pay Materials Fees
By Lisa Spears
Staff Writer
With the state continuing to
pull its purse strings ever
tighter, Pasadena City College
has been forced to construct al¬
ternate forms of income to keep
the school financially afloat. As a
result, PCC will begin to charge
class materials fees in the fall.
The fees encompass only those
materials which “are consumed
by, become the possession of, or
are taken away from the
classroom by the student,” said
Steven A. Cerra, vice president
for instruction. Examples in¬
clude paper handouts and
chemicals used in laboratory
classes. The college will continue
to pay for student use of all
equipment.
The fees will be determined
based on the amount of material
distributed in a given class, and
will be evaluated by each individ¬
ual instructor, said Cerra. The
fees will be listed in the fall class
schedule.
Competition in the cost of simi¬
lar classes is hoped to be avoided
as much as possible. However,
some teachers simply hand out
more materials; therefore, their
classes will be slightly more ex¬
pensive than those keeping hand¬
outs to a minimum. Adminis¬
trators cannot give an average
cost for courses, but according to
Section 78930 of the Education
Code “fees for instructional ma¬
terials shall be established so as
not to exceed the actual cost to
the district in providing such
materials." The cost must cor¬
respond to the value of the mate¬
rial the individual student re¬
ceives and will be honestly and
fairly assessed.
The fees are not being charged
in an attempt to balance the
district budget. In fact, they will
only generate between $400,000
and $500,000, which is hardly a
major contribution. “We do not
want to prevent students from
getting an education. We are
trying to be fair, but we just can’t
absorb the cost any more,” said
Cerra. The $231 million that Gov.
George Deukmejian pulled from
the state budget this year is
taking its toll and “it hurts”
everybody.
The “more involved (the
classes are), the higher the fee,”
said Cerra. Class materials fees
will hit hardest students involved
in the vocational/technical
classes, such as those included in
the allied health and nursing pro¬
grams.
According to Cerra, the mate¬
rials fees will be kept to a min¬
imum. However, because of the
fiscal situation, future fees will
increase proportionately with in¬
flation.