PCC Courier, June 29, 1979

Gun Seized SCORING A SHEEPSKIN— Over 400 students participated in the hour and a half long graduation ceremony by the mirror pools. The newest PCC alumni later attended an hour long reception. PCC COIHIE4 JUNE 29, 1979 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA V0L.48. NO. 1 Officers Arrest Nine youths were apprehended by PCC security officers after one of the youths pointed a gun at a student fleeing from a Chinese Club dance June 16. One of the suspects apprehended has been charged with carrying a con¬ cealed firearm and has been bound over for a hearing. The eight others have been released from custody. The trouble began around 1 a.m. when security officers noticed a group of similarily clad youths entering the dance at random without paying, hands tucked in their black jackets. An un¬ identified student at the dance ap¬ proached Security Officer Simon Hair¬ ston to warn him that the gang was planning to shoot a student at the dance. Fifteen minutes later, Officer Jim Ransom spotted one of the gang mem¬ bers passing a gun to someone in the dark. A student, suspected as being the intended victim, fled through the north exit after he was informed of what was going on by another student. As a second student fled through the north exit, the youth with the gun pointed it at him. Ransom grabbed his hand, pointing the gun towards the floor. The youth was detained by other officers as he fled outside until Pasadena police of¬ ficers arrived. “We had notified the P.P.D. when we first became aware of the situ¬ ation," said Officer Santiago Claudio, one of the officers who detained the suspect. When the gun was spotted, Security called in a Code Three situ¬ ation to the Pasadena police. Eight suspects fled the dance by car east on Colorado, but police stopped them a few blocks away. Two handguns and ammunition were found in the car, a light gray Mercury Cougar that had been leased earlier that day in North Hollywood. PCC security officers carry weapons only during the late evening shift, but some think it is time to change this policy. “Quite a few other community colleges and universities have security police who do carry guns," according to Claudio. “We (security officers) and the students at the dance came pretty close to a serious, even fatal incident." Professor Wins Grant, - Attends History Seminar History professor Kennon Miedema has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is now attending an eight-week seminar at the University of Arkansas at Fayet¬ teville. According to Dr. John H. Snyder, assistant chairman of the Social Sci¬ ence Department, “Miedema is one of only 12 community college history in¬ structors in the country to receive this grant." In his special research project Miedema will try to determine wheth¬ er a connection existed between the Progressive Era and the Craftsmen Movement, a movement which Dr. Snyder describes as a “. . . reaction against excessive technology, elimina¬ tion of individual skills and making men automatons." Miedema is very familiar with the Craftsmen Movement. The home which he and his wife have been restor¬ ing for seven years was featured on the recent tour of Craftsmen Homes dur¬ ing the Pasadena Festival of Arts. Miedema teaches a course which he developed entitled “Technology and Crafts in America.” During his 1977-78 sabbatical he toured the U.S. studying the country’s crafts. Less Hours Slated for Counselors Shorter hours are in effect for the Counseling Center ths summer, and all counseling will be held in D217. According to Dean Ernestine Moore, the center will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. August 13, the center will return to a normal schedule: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Freeman Chambers, enrolled in summer session only: “No, not really. Yes I am. I have a tenden¬ cy to try to block it out. It’s too threatening to worry about; I’d just as soon block it out.” Jose Fierro, business adminis¬ tration major: “No. If it fell on my house I would treat it as some sort of unusual event in my life. It wouldn’t bother me.” Edard Hayes, business admin¬ istration: "I’m not worried at all. I work with NASA on the Venus Project. It’s a conversation that goes on quite a lot. It's quite unlikely it would fall on a major city like Los Angeles." Eight New Chinese Will Attend in Fall “Since the cultural revolution, their school system is very different from any of the schools we know. Most of them were accepted without a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) because there are no English testing services in china.” Usually all foreign students at PCC are required to take a. TOEFL. They must have strong ties to their home countries to insure their return home after completion of their studies, but, “We had to bend over backwards a little to get representation," explained Rude. The reasons these students gave in their applications for studying in the United States were much the same as any other student’s, but Rude believes the major motivation is due to future emphasis on an American education as the two countries develop a closer relationship. “Furthermore, they have more stu¬ dying opportunities here than they would have in their home country." This group, composed of male and female students from all over the People’s Republic of China, is the first to ever attend an American community college, said Rude. The group is expected to arrive in July before the four week orientation program for foreign students begins. Feed it to Pfeiffer Question asked in the Campus Center: Are you worried about Skylab falling on you? Security Center Dffers Safety Pointers Parking Stickers Provide Car Protection All students who drive to school during the summer session are being urged by the Security Office to take precautions to protect their automo¬ biles. One such precautionary measure is for all students parking on campus to obtain a free parking sticker. A new sticker is needed only by those whose cars do not retain one from the pre¬ vious semester. Security Officer Marjorie Harris ex¬ plained that the purpose of the sticker is to insure each automobile a readily identifiable number. In the event of an emergency, the owner of the car can be traced through school records and notified. ^ "A lot of problems can arise," says Ms. Harris. "The car could be leaking gas or have some other emergency. We had an accident just the other day when the horn became stuck on a car in the lot.” Any student without a sticker may obtain one from the Security Office, CC108-A. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The Security Office also urges stu¬ dents attending night classes to park on campus. A drastic reduction in thefts and “unfortunate incidents" has been reported due to improved lighting and a "beefed-up” security force which have been financed through past park¬ ing fees. For those declining to park on cam¬ pus. Ralph Riddle, director of security and parking services, offers the follow¬ ing "security tips”: Lock your car at all times. Park in a well-lighted area. When returning to your car, look inside before entering to make certain it is unoccupied. Whenever possible, have someone accompany you when returning to your car. Avoid shortcuts— do not walk in al¬ leys and stay away from heavy brush and hedges. Do not offer or accept rides from strangers. If you believe you’re being followed by another car, drive to an open ser¬ vice station or shopping area and call the police. TAKING THE PLUNGE — The swimming pool cent fee for those under 17 years of age. All you is now open to the public from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. people over 1 7 can swim for 60 cents. These water frolickers took advantage of the 30_ By Katrin Wegelius Fine Arts Editor Eight more students from the Peo¬ ple's Republic of China have been accepted by PCC for studies during the fall semester. The first student from Red China to attend PCC was 25-year- old Anyang Feng, Peking, who was accepted last April for English Studies. “We had some trouble estimating the proficiency in English of these students since they have no trans¬ latable transcripts from their schools,” explained Ben Rude, director of the English for Foreign students Program. Jean Ornelas, secretarial sci¬ ence major: “What’s Skylab? No, I’m not worried; I didn't even know it was falling." George Richard, studying busi¬ ness at Cal Poly, Pomona: “Yeah, I am worried. They should take care of it, do something about it. They should put it back in space or blow it up before it comes down.” Alan Reinholtz, undeclared ma¬ jor: “I like the idea of people selling T-shirts with bull's eyes on them because the government always misses its mark."