PCC Courier, June 26, 2003

Feature: We’ll miss you! V.R leaves PCC after 32 years See Page 4 THE COURIER WILL BE ON HIATUS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 18 This way to your now Lancer football team See Page 6 Have a happy and safe summer vacation Courier SHATTORD LIBRARY MAY 2006 1 570 E. Colorado Bivd. A 91106 VOL. 89 NO. 1 www.pcc-courieronIine.com June 26, 2003 Students Must Pay More In 2004 Terrance Parker Copy Editor Budget-conscious students have expressed concern about a proposal to raise the per-unit instruction fee at California community colleges. Those who have already registered for Fall 2003 have been relieved to still pay only $1 1 per unit. However, that relief may soon turn to shock. Gov. Gray Davis and various legislators have suggested figures ranging from $ 1 5 per unit up to $26 per unit. As the Courier went to press, the state government seems to have settled on $18 per unit. However, the legislature once again missed the June 15 budget deadline, so the official fee remains $11 for now. Peter Hardash, PCC vice presi¬ dent of administrative services, said that California might not have a budget until October. The college fiscal year starts July 1 , so PCC will be using a tentative budget until the administration knows exactly what to expect from the state. According to Dr. James Kossler, PCC president, Sacramento is using the $18 fig¬ ure in its plans for the community colleges’ next fiscal year. “The state is going to cut our monthly apportionments to reflect a • see TUITION, page 3 Trustees Scolded For Rushing to Judgment Mitchell Wright Editor-in-Chief The college confidential employees presented a letter to the board of trustees on June 4, scold¬ ing the members for acting too quickly against police chief Philip Mullendore and Lt. Bradley Young who were placed on paid leave pending an investigation on charges of police brutality. They wrote that the board should have waited until there was enough evidence to prove the offi¬ cers were at fault before relieving them of their duties. The confidential blamed the board for taking the word of a few “agitated students” before waiting for the facts to be presented. In addition, Alan Lamson, pres¬ ident of the academic senate, expressed his concerns about the board’s rush to judgment. John Martin, board president, stopped Lamson’s presentation because he felt uncomfortable with how Lamson was addressing the subject. Martin said it sounded too much like Lamson was speaking for the entire faculty instead of just giving his own opinion. Martin thought it best if Lamson stood at the podium to read his statement as if it were being made during public comment section. Lamson complied and finished his prepared speech. Since Mullendore and Young were escorted off campus on Wednesday, . May 21, to start paid leaves, PCC’s police department has been short-handed. The board ordered the two offi¬ cers to stay away from the campus after students Victor Mendoza, • see INVESTIGATION, page 3 h Awarding Volunteers Priscilla Moreno Managing Editor A Pasadena City College alumna and PCC instructor were honored with awards for community service by the Hillsides Treatment Center on May 3 1 . Elaine Wong and Hugo Schwyzer were presented with “Children Stand for Children” hon¬ ors. Hillsides has been providing housing and treatment to at risk chil¬ dren and their families for 90 years. This year’s banquet was the first ever, but the organization plans to make this an annual event. A representative for Hillsides, Marisol Barrios-Jordan, said the event was a “great opportunity for children and youth to be recognized for the work that they do.” Wong, who now attends UC, Irvine, is part of a campus club known as the “Alternative Spring Break Group.” This organization spent three days during spring break serving the community. The nine-member group was given the award for “Imagination.” The group visited places such as the “Ronald McDonald House,” Wong “Human Options;” “Door of Hope” in Pasadena, as well as the Hillsides center. They cooked, re-painted fur¬ niture and painted a couple of apart¬ ments. Wong said that it was the first time the group served the commu¬ nity. “I loved it,” said Wong about the experience of helping those in need. She said that she loves doing com¬ munity service and thinks that everyone in college , “should at least try it once.” Schwyzer is a PCC instructor in the social sciences division. He has been involved with the All Saints Church since 1999. Schwyzer and Mimi Orth from the All Saints Church in Pasadena received the “Compassion” award. Both Schwyzer and Orth spent time with community youths by hosting a 30-hour fast, sleepover, activities and prepared meals for the homeless. He said, “Giving meals to the homeless was a very moving experi¬ ence.” The awards ceremony was held at the Hillsides complex in Pasadena. Recipients and participants were given prizes from organizations such as Target Stores and The Los Angeles Clippers. David Arenas/Courier A front shovel digs out the boundary of the new parking structure’s foundation. Seventy- five thousand cubic yards of dirt has to be hauled away before construction begins. Parking Madness Hits New parking construction and tow-away zones to affect students this fall Jaynita Carney Sports Editor Parking spots started to disap¬ pear on June 1 as construction of the new parking structure began in Lot 5. Construction has started as planned for the parking structure funded by Measure P bond money. Right now there is a big hole where 400 parking spots once stood. The construction has taken all but a few of the student spaces away from the summer session students. A fence was placed around the premises to keep them out. “Parking is not a problem for the summer session,” said Richard Van Pelt, director of facilities and engineering. “There are more than enough spots open for students. If you go to the fifth level of Lot 3, the parking structure, you will find a lot of open spaces at any given time of the day.” This may be true for the sum¬ mer session, but it will be a differ¬ ent story come fall. Because of the magnitude of this project, con¬ struction will take until September 2004. The plans for the parking structure call for one of the levels to be underground. To accommodate the under¬ ground floor, the hole will meas¬ ure 22 feet deep in the northwest comer, 17 feet deep in the north¬ east comer, 12 feet deep in the southwest corner and 7 feet deep in the southeast. This means that 75,000 cubic yards of dirt must be hailed away. • see PARKING, page 3 Priscilla Moreno Managing Editor And students thought their parking woes only involved the extensive construction of the new parking structure going on in Lot 5. Well, think again! The Pasadena city council unanimously approved an amend¬ ment to restrict the parking around the new Lake and Allen Avenue Gold Line stations at its June 16 meeting. What does this mean for stu¬ dents at PCC? In order to park in and around those neighborhoods, special parking permits will be required. This will allow residents to park their cars in front of their houses. Students who were used to parking in the neighborhoods, especially around Allen Avenue, will have their cars towed away. Tow-away signs have already been posted throughout the area. The railway is set to open to the public on July 26. Students who live near the train route will now have an alternative way to get to school. However, for those who have to continue commuting by car, this might prove to be dif¬ ficult due to the lack of- parking spaces. The city is currently in negoti¬ ations with the Lake Avenue Congressional Church to allow riders to use the church’s large parking lot for a “Park and Ride.” Because parking on campus will be very limited, students may be forced to look for other options besides fighting over the few spaces that will be left on campus. Public Transportation Changes to Begin Next Month Rita Vega-Acevedo Staff Writer Public transportation officials announced radical changes to bus services, including the possibility of a strike, just as officials began preparations for the celebrated opening of the Gold Line rail sys¬ tem next month. The Gold Line is scheduled to begin operating trains from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena on July 26. The Allen station will be the closest one to PCC and will be served by the campus shuttle and a new MTA bus line #686. This station is east of the cam¬ pus and is about a mile away from the college. On the western end, the Lake station is two miles away from PCC, and like the Allen station, it is built on the median of the 210 freeway. To make the rail system more successful, planners are fine-tun¬ ing existing bus services. Radical changes to enhance the light rail include the _ elimination of MTA bus lines #401,483, 188 and a portion of line 489. PCC chief Philip Mullendore, who is in charge of — transportation on campus, recently said that many students depended on line #401 to get to the college. “I think the cancellation will hurt students,” he said. A lot of stu- The Gold Line is scheduled to begin operating trains from downtown Los police Angeles to Pasadena on July 26. dents love the convenience of hav¬ ing a bus stop right next to the campus. The bus service originates in downtown Los Angeles, goes north on the Pasadena freeway and ulti¬ mately runs along Colorado _ Boulevard and north on Allen. The MTA is eliminating the 401 line and the other routes to avoid service dupli¬ cation along the Gold Line corridor. The transit agency is also facing budget cuts and is looking for ways to make service more efficient. The latest moves to eliminate service are controversial because light rail lines seldom mimic every stop that was previously served by a bus. Additionally, the MTA is mak¬ ing modifications to routes #177, 181,256, 260, 264, and 361. A new shuttle line #687 will be changed to replace part of route #260. For students who want to go to the Sierra Madre Villa. station to the east, bus lines 266, 267 and 268 will make minor changes to serve this station. To further complicate the proposed changes, MTA bus and train drivers have voted to authorize a strike If their union and management can not negoti¬ ate a new contract by midnight on June 30. • see GOLD LINE, page