Sports Feature
Champion swimmer doesn’t let
his disability get in the way
The Courier has been
SERVING PCC AND THE
PASADENA COMMUNITIES
SINCE 1915.
On this date in 1871
Jesse James and his gang robbed
the Obocock bank in Corydon, Iowa.
They stole $15,000.
VOL. 89, No. 27
June 3, 2004
Student Use
of Drugs
Below U.S.
Average
Linda Rapka
Entertainment Editor
They toke blunts. They roll on Ecstasy.
Some even snort cocaine. Although a
national survey shows that drug use among
college students is on the decline, several
students at PCC revealed that they have no
intention of stopping the party.
"Kyle," a 21 -year-old PCC student, uses
marijuana and Ecstasy on a regular basis. He
also uses mushrooms on occasion. "I first
tried drugs my junior year [in high school],"
he said. "I got high almost every other day
before. Now I've calmed down a bit."
He said he does drugs because "it's fun, a
social thing." Kyle said it is "pretty easy" to
get drugs; he even has his own dealer.
"Almost everyone I know does drugs,"
he said. Kyle does not see himself as an
addict. "I enjoy it but I don't need it," he
said. "I know my limits."
An informal survey of 226 PCC students
conducted by the Courier showed that 30.5
percent use drugs on a regular basis. In an
average-sized classroom holding 30 stu¬
dents, one could expect that 10 classmates
smoke pot, three eat hallucinogenic mush¬
rooms and two use cocaine and Ecstasy.
These statistics are lower than the
national average. A government survey con¬
ducted by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse published in 2002 revealed that 37
percent of college students habitually used
illicit drugs. It also found that the most used
drug was marijuana, followed by ampheta¬
mines, Ecstasy, cocaine and LSD.
"Nate," a 23-year-old former PCC stu¬
Photo Illustration by Jim Comeau
What's your favorite drug? A survey conducted by the Courier reveals that marijuana, crystal meth
and hallucinogenic mushrooms are the drugs of choice for PCC students.
dent, stated that getting drugs is "as easy
as going to the grocery store and buying
them." He has "various dealers" for
almost any type of drug imaginable.
Lately, his drugs of choice have been mar¬
ijuana and cocaine, but he also does crys¬
tal methamphetamine and mushrooms
fairly often.
Nate is unsure about why he still uses
drugs. "It's part addiction, and part that I
enjoy it still," he said. "It's a social kind of
thing. Everyone uses them as a social
thing."
He used to boast that he would do
drugs "anytime, anywhere." But some¬
thing recently happened to chang£ his
mind. One weekend he snorted several
lines of cocaine and smoked a few hits of
crystal methamphetamine, or speed.
Three days later, he woke up with a fever,
severe pain in his chest and unbearable
tension in all his muscles.
"The doctor told me, 'You're crazy to
do two stimulants at once like that.' He
said that's probably what's causing short¬
ness of breath, borderline high blood
pressure and muscle fatigue."
Although Nate has done these drugs
at the same time in the past, he thinks the
side effects finally hit him now because of
all the build-up of chemicals in his body.
He has been doing drugs at least once a
month for 10 years. This experience
proved a harsh wake-up call. "I thought I
was dying," he said. "I don't think I'm
going there for a while, if ever."
Some long-term side effects of speed
include reduced resistance to infection,
emotional disturbance, aggressive behav¬
ior for no apparent reason and withdraw¬
al, according to www.drugaware.com.au.
Long-term cocaine use causes these same
symptoms, in addition to restlessness, loss
of appetite and paranoia.
Prolonged marijuana use can cause
motivational changes, including loss of
energy, drive and inability to concentrate.
It can also lead to a decreased sex drive
and lowered sperm count or irregular
menstrual cycles. It can also cause prob¬
lems with concentration and memory.
The site also states that long¬
term use of Ecstasy can lead to
psychosis as well as
emotional prob- See Pa9e
lems, including
panic attacks and
8
Drugs
Student
Election
Turnout
Keeps
Dropping
by Courier staff
Two years ago 1,205 students
turned out to vote in the
Associated Students elections.
Last year, the first with online
voting, saw the turnout drop to
952.
This year it fell again, with
only 683 students going online to
vote for their 2004-2005 student
officers.
In addition to the 1 1 AS offices,
there was a constitutional amend¬
ment on the ballot.
The proposed amendment
required approval from two-thirds
of those voting in order to pass. It
easily achieved that, gaining 502
'yes' votes against 74 'no' votes, or
87 percent.
The changes to the constitu¬
tion will be in two clauses, which
change the starting and ending
dates of officers' terms. The old
wording had each term run from
June 1 to the following May 31.
The new amendment will have
the terms end seven calendar days
following the official last day of
the spring semester with the new
terms starting the next day.
This will affect the executive
board, the chief justice
and members of the
supreme council.
David See page
Kong won
the AS presi-
8
Elections
Parking Structure Almost Done
With the academic year over, students hope to find parking relief next semester
Project L.E.A.P. May
Be Closing Its Doors
Kelly Carrasco
Staff Writer
Almost a year after construc¬
tion began, PCC's long-awaited
parking structure is scheduled for
completion on Aug. 30, just in
time for the fall 2004 semester.
The fourth floor of the five-floor
parking structure was finished on
May 20. The fifth and final floor is
currently under way. Crews hope
to complete that phase in the next
five weeks.
Despite a four-day delay in con¬
struction due to a steel strike, the
structure will be ready on time,
said Jack Schulman, director of the
Measure P program.
In hopes of easing the infa¬
mous parking problems at PCC,
the structure will hold a total of
2,004 spaces. Each floor will hold
approximately 400 spaces. Half of
the first floor spaces will be
reserved for PCC staff members.
Staff parking access will be on the
first floor while the student
entrance will be separate to avoid
unnecessary parking jams.
Elevators are located on the north¬
west and southwest sides of the
structure.
"With the addition of this park¬
ing structure, we'll have 15 acres
of parking; 38 acres in total. I
think it will have an all-around
beneficial effect, " said Richard
Van Pelt, director of facilities and
engineering services.
Schulman is usually on-site as
overseer. He is present to solve
any problems that may arise.
"This parking structure is for [the
students'] benefit and to alleviate
parking congestion," he said. He
added that students will gain from
knowing alternate routes to vari¬
ous lots. It will result in less traffic
and students will get to class in
less time.
"If you've been around PCC for
a while, you know that parking
has been a problem. Hopefully
this will allow the students to con¬
centrate on studies rather than
parking spaces," said Peter
Hardash, vice president of admin¬
istrative services.
The new parking structure, like
Lot 4, uses a post-tension tech¬
nique. This technique allows for
less concrete to be used in the
structure itself. Five inches of con¬
crete are used on the floors rather
than the 12 inches that would be
used otherwise. Cables run
though the floors of the structure
giving it a springy quality which
can be felt walking across the
floor. The cables are tightened as
the construction goes on. The
concrete is poured only after the
cables are tightened. The
allowance of motion in the struc¬
ture makes the lot more earth¬
quake safe.
Resident's fears that the park¬
ing structure will
be unsightly and
obtrusive have
proven to be
unfounded. The
new structure is
actually three
feet shorter than
the already-
established Lot 4.
The first floor of
the structure will
be naturally ven¬
tilated and light¬
ed. This will save
on both electrici¬
ty and equipment
costs.
Students at
PCC are relieved
with the arrival
of the new struc¬
ture.
"I think it's
more conven¬
ient," said Shawn
Howell, 37, psy¬
chology major.
"Students can
avoid getting
tickets and being
late to class."
While happ;
about the relief in
Workers put
the fifth floor
‘ture schedule
congestion, stu¬
dents have a realistic viewpoint
about the structure, "it will save
time and we won't be late for the
first day of class," said Amy Syed,
Crystal Samuelian/Courier
the finishing touches on
of the new parking struc-
d to open on Aug. 30.
39, child development major. "I've
seen them build structures at my
other colleges, and it won't get rid
of the problem completely."
Terrance Parker
Copy Editor
The only mentoring program
for students on the Pasadena City
College campus may be closing its
doors for good at the end of this
month.
Project L.E.A.P., jointly spon¬
sored by PCC and the Pasadena
Mental Health Association since
1989, will be ending soon unless
a new funding source can be
found.
Students who were on academ¬
ic probation were the primary
focus when the program started
because these were the students
viewed as most at-risk of dropping
out of school.
It also reaches out to under¬
represented social-economic
groups such as minority members,
but the door to CC 213 is really
open to anyone.
As program coordinator Sandra
Hill said, most students in the pro¬
gram are disadvantaged in some
way, "but it's really for all stu¬
dents."
Hill gave some examples to
show that a low GPA isn't the only
thing placing a student at risk.
"There was a mother of a small
child living in a homeless shelter,"
she said. "Another student was liv¬
ing in his car."
What makes Project L.E.A.P.
unique is the mentoring relation¬
ships it fosters. PCC faculty and
staff members volunteer their time
to meet weekly one-on-one with a
student.
As trust grows through these
meetings the students receive sup¬
port, encouragement, guidance
and advice from their individual
mentors.
"Some students show up who
just need someone to talk to," Hill
said.
The office door can be closed or
left open during the discussion,
whichever one makes the student
feel more comfortable.
Many students know they need
help in some area, but have no
idea where to turn. Hill tries to
refer them to the right resources.
"Some students aren't aware of
the math hotline," she said. "Some
don't know about tutors."
Hill talks with students about
the importance of meeting with
their instructors during the
instructors' office hours. "That's
what they're getting paid to be
there for," she said, "to talk to
the students."
Unfortunately, the Pasadena
Mental Health Association did not
get the grant from the city of
Pasadena to continue funding the
program.
If Hill would have
known earlier last year
that the see page
money
wouldn't be LEAP
