PCC Courier, March 01, 1974

ЩИЦЦЯ i - : и у ! ms < - Й𹧠т^т ... Ч . Vr Trustees Delay Van Discussion to March ■ i 1 itA .4 s —Courier Photo by Rosemary Weiner TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS— Bill Griffen is assisted into his car by Ed Haines. Handicapped students such as Griffen are presently forced to find their own transportation to and from school. If the proposal for a varl were approved, Griffen would be one of those students benefiting from the new program. By Bernie Horner Editor-in-Chief The Board of Trustees for the second time debated the purchase of a van to help the severely handicapped students get to school. A vote of 4 to 3 postponed the decision to the next meeting, scheduled for March 7. “The money is there and budgeted,” said Francisca Baldwin, teacher- coordinator of the program for the handicapped on campus in her report to the board. “It comes exclusively out of the VEA funds that are to be used for handicapped students. If not spent by June 30, the funds have to be returned to the state.” Board member J. Ray Risser stated, “All of us are in favor of the program, but the questions raised still need to be answered.” These questions concern the money to be spent. The van alone costs $10,394. The Van Debated Basically a Chevrolet step van with a 12-foot bed, the proposed vehicle would be equipped to transport four students in wheelchairs and four who are barely ambulatory, unable to use public transportation. The van would have an electric wheelchir lift, facilitating the moving of the heavy chairs some of the students need to get around. Incapable of moving their arms, the students are forced to use big batteries to power their wheelchairs, which brings the weight up to 300 pounds. Inside the van, the chairs would be fastened into place with bolted down bars to prevent movement. Four bucket-type seats would accommodate the ambulatory students. . Suggestion: School Bus One objection to the purchase of the van was raised by the president of the board, Roger Gertmenian, who felt the size of the proposed van might be too limiting. “Maybe we should think about getting a larger vehicle. School buses should be pretty cheap soon.” According to Mrs. Baldwin, Chaffey College made an attempt to convert a school bus for this kind of use. Not only did the bus keep breaking down because of too much strain on the engine, but also the modifications proved to be expensive. The con¬ version of the doors to accommodate wheelchairs alone costs $1500 to $2000, the necessary air conditioning $1200. The lack of insulation in these buses would put so much strain on the air conditioning and the motor, that continuous repairs would have to be expected. Mrs. Baldwin’s information came from Roger Stark of Motorette Corp., Tarzana. The company specializes in modifying vans for wheelchair use and has just recently received orders from Santa Ana College, San Diego State University and San Diego City College, for such vehicles. Number of Users Charles F. Eckels said during the meeting, “We need to also consider the PCC CouKi&V fact that there is a big area to be covered.” The Pasadena Area Community College District reaches from La Canada to Arcadia, from Altadena to Temple City. Mrs. Baldwin, however, does not see a mounting demand for the use of the van as a realistic prediction for the future. “I do not expect a big influx of handicapped students. Like others, they will come to get their education and leave when they graduate. “Right now I have six students that would benefit from the use of the van, two each from Pasadena and Altadena, one from Rosemead and one from Glendale, eight miles away.” PCC’s Program Excellent One handicapped student, a 1968 graduate now attending Cal State Dominguez Hills, pointed out to the board that "This college has more facilities than others for the handi¬ capped; elevators, ramps make it easier tor us to get around on campus, once we’re here. “However, the students who would be using the van in order to get to school are those so severely disabled that there is no other way. If you, the trustees, don’t provide us with the opportunity to get a higher education, we won’t be able to be trained for jobs.” “I am asking your permission to add one more component to our program for the handicapped, the van,” said Mrs. Baldwin. “The strain on the families of these young people is un¬ believable; the mother of one of our students is walking on crutches right now because she has pushed her daughter’s 300-pound wheelchair in and out of a van six times a week for two years. “Most of these students could be attending classes five days a week, just like other students, if they only had a reliable way to get to school. Because of transportation problems, they now can carry only partial loads and it takes them on the average of three years to complete a two-year program.” Pros and Cons “I am very impressed,” stated Robert J. Considine, “and I have a strong feeling that handicapped students who are given the opportunity to proceed and achieve will ultimately succeed. An average amount of $416 per student per semester, excluding the amortization of the vehicle, seems to me to be money well spent; especially when compared to the dropout from school that we are willing to give $500 per month to.” Dr. Richard H. Green added, “Even if amortized over the first year, it is a worthwhile program. Eventually these people will be working, doing favors to the taxpayers.” All handicapped students who would be involved in the program are presently receiving aid for the totally disabled. Their checks from the state range in amount from $165 to $283. “We need to be sure that the program is the best it can possibly be,” was Gertmenian’s comment when voting for a postponement on the decision. Melvin Burt added that he was not against the program, but had not been provided with an exact breakdown of the cost involved. “Also, all alternate methods, such as renting or leasing, should be looked into.” Risser remarked that he felt a fine job was being done with the handi¬ capped students at PCC, “but we do have to consider our responsibilities to the taxpayers.” VOL. 37, NO. 2 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MARCH 1, 1974 Senate Limits Board Nominations Spending; Ratified Forensics Students Win; New Tournuments in Sight By Toni Stuart Staff Writer Following heated debate, the Student Senate this week defeated a proposal to limit ASB Board spending to $150 without Senate approval and thereby gave ASB President Stuart Silver a vote of confidence. The student representatives also voted upon two resignations, 11 nominations, a paper drive and a change of meeting place. In addition Senate President Andre Latreille issued a “call to duty” for students to serve on the Curriculum Committee and for instructors to encourage the selection of senators from their nine a.m. classes. The ASB Board voted to limit the funds it could commit without Senate approval to $200 or less when it revised the financial code. But when the revision came to the Senate for ratifi¬ cation, resigning Senate President Latreille called for a ,$50 spending limit, since otherwise “the ASB could $200. you to death.” By approving the ASB-revised financial code the Senate also ratified without discussion a revision which added the faculty adviser to the commission that drafts the student body budget at the beginning of each semester, along with the com¬ missioner of finance and the ASB president. Outgoing and Incoming Latreille and Senate First Vice President Elizabeth Phyler both resigned from their posts “for per¬ sonal reasons.” Scott Petersen was nominated and ratified as first vice president so that he could succeed Latreille. The Senate also ratified the nominations of Bill Kup'ferer to the Grievance Committee, Terry Collier and Robert Champion to the Food Service Commission, Larry O’Brien and Kathy Manley to the Curriculum Committee. Donald Hartshron and Peter van der Pas were ratified as members of the Parking Committee. The new president of AWS is Debbie Penman. Tania Horton was ratified as Sophomore Class president and Betsy Woodford as president of the Inter- Club Council. Documentary To Feature Wild Alaska: Stresses Contrast With Civilization By Sergio Caponi News Editor Scientist and explorer Dr. Theodore Walker will present the film, “Wild and Tamed Alaska,” at the Tuesday Evening Forum March 5 at 7:30 in Sexson Auditorium. Taking nearly a year to film, “Wild and Tamed Alaska” is a two-part documentary stressing the contrast Councils Plan New Activities for Springtime A beach picnic and a renaissance fair are proposed as class activities for the spring semester by the PCC Fresh¬ man and Sophomore Class Councils. Joe Fisbeck, Freshman Class president, and his council have begun to plan the picnic for all PCC students for Saturday, May 11 at Huntington Beach. The Freshman Class will provide the firewood and soft drinks. Picnickers are expected to bring their own food. The Freshman Class officially challenged the sophomores to com¬ petitive sporting events on the beach — probably football and volleyball. Sophomore Class President Tania Horton accepted the challenge for her The Sophomore Class also plans a renaissance fair on the campus mall April 20, Ms. Horton announced. She hopes the entire fine arts department will participate. Sophomores who are interested in helping with the fair and serving on the class council should fill out applications with Dorothy Byles in the Campus Center. As president, Ms. Horton was only ratified this week: she has not set a time yet for the meeting of the class council. Meetings of the Freshman Class Council are set for the first Thursday of the month at noon in the Campus Center. All freshmen are welcome. between the civilized and uncivilized parts of that region. The first part features the different populated areas, primarily in the southeast portion of the state. Dr. Walker shows a glimpse of the people living there, their activities, their industries and their relationship with the wilderness surrounding them. Ecological Cycle The wild Alaska portion of the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, documents Dr. Walker’s seven-month isolation, around Lake Eva, as he studied the total cycle of life in, on and around the lake. Critics called it “an engrossing story of how each element in the environ¬ ment is interdependent on others and how they fit into the overall ecological well-being of the area.” They also considered it “an inspiring story of a modern man, accostomed to the comforts of an affluent society, coping and adjusting to a totally different way of life, and, in the process, gaining a deeper appreciation and respect for nature.” After becoming well acquainted with the variety of animals and the vegeta¬ tion in the lake area, Dr. Walker reached the conclusion that “humans must reasonably conserve the wilder¬ ness if they are to survive in the tamed portions.” Oceans and Lakes A native of Montana, Dr. Walker has an M.A. in biology from the University of Oklahoma. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he decided to specialize in oceanography. At¬ tending the University of Wisconsin, he received his Ph.D. in limnology (the study of lakes) in 1948. He spent the next 21 years with USC’s Scripps Institution of Oceanog¬ raphy as a research marine biologist specializing in sensory orientations in fish and the study of the California gray whale. Planned Action Rubin Flores, president of the Ecology Club, reported that his club was donating the use of the Ecology Center to the Student Senate for a special two-week paper drive to begin Monday, March 4. Funds raised will be contributed to the Dean Eikenbery fund to help pay the medical bills for his daughter’s stroke. The Student Curriculum Committee, if members can be found to serve on it, will prepare recommendations for curriculum changes to be presented to the administration’s Curriculum Committee by student representatives O’Brien and Ms. Manley. Students interested in serving should see Dorothy Byles in the Campus Center. The ASB Board changed its meeting place back again to the board room in the Campus Center. The meeting was to have been held in the Board of Trustees chambers in the C Building. The ASB will continue to meet in the Campus Center. A series of recent awards received by PCC’s varsity forensics team makes its members look ahead to the annual Santa Rosa Tournament and a debate competition at Fullerton with anticipation and confidence. Participants scheduled to go to Santa Rosa Junior College March 2 through 10 are Margaret Duncan, Kim Thomas and Millie Crisp. All will take part in the oral interpretation division, and Ms. Thomas will also participate in the readers’ theater division. The team will compete with 30 California colleges for the various awards. Jim Sayer and Matthew Brand- stetter are representing the college at the Fullerton Tournament this weekend. Superior ratings in extemporaneous speaking and oral interpretation were awarded to two PCC students during a recent weekend trip to Riverside. Sayer received superior ratings in the final competition in extemporane¬ ous speaking, while novice Ms. Thomas ranked third and received a superior rating for her efforts in oral interpretation. The invitational speech tournament took place at Riverside City College, and the varsity forensics team com¬ peted with students from other colleges in persuasive speaking, oral interpretation, debate, impromptu and extemporaneous speaking. Miss Duncan, Barbara Mitchell and Brandstetter also participated in the Riverside competition. Recently at the Northridge Tourna¬ ment, Brandstetter and Sayers competed in oxford debate. They won a trophy for second place in the finals after six rounds of preliminaries. Individually Brandstetter won first and Sayers third for speaker awards. They were among 50 other contestants. Miss Thomas received a first place award in the rounds of novice division for oral interpretation. Once a con¬ testant wins an award in the novice division he is no longer eligible to compete in that special class. Tom Carter placed first in humerous interpretation and was a finalist in oral interpretation. Last year he partici¬ pated in national tournaments with two other PCC students, and rated third in readers’ theater. ‘I AM I, DON QUIXOTE ...” Tickets for “Man of La Mancha” are now for sale at the College Bank. The production will run in Sexson Auditorium March 29, 30; April 5,6 at 8:15 p.m. Tickets cost $2.50 and all seats are reserved. From Micronesia to PCC Visiting Students Take Printing Class; Learn New Technology in 18 Weeks New Course Offers Variety in Communication Skills Advanced Manual Communication, Speech 101, is a new class offered by the Communication Department, giving deaf students and their in¬ terpreters a chance to learn different types of manual communication such as "Ameslan” and “English Version.” Ameslan is the most extensively used American sign language and uses gestures for words rather than in¬ dividual letters. English Version, also called “Signed English” or “Siglish” translates speech into an alphabet formed with the hands. Many of the nine interpreters for the deaf students on campus already were familiar with sign language before they came to PCC, through family or friends. They take turns ac¬ companying each of 19 deaf students to various classes sometimes just to translate, sometimes enrolled themselves as well. While the manual communication classes are designed to train in¬ terpreters, many deaf students are also enrolled, so they can learn a more exact way of communication than lip- reading. “The advanced students help as interpreters for the beginners and the deaf in their classes,” said Lucy Miller, coordinator of the Hearing Impaired Program. Persons interested in learning the basic manual communication for the deaf may enroll in a non-credit class meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays in A112 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. By Dianne Dixon Fine Arts Editor Culture shock. That is what iwo PCC students may be going through right now according to Walter Bennett, assistant professor of Engineering and printing technology. He is partially responsible for Manuel Silander and Danny Camacho being here from Micronesia to take an 18-week course in printing techniques and management. It is Silander’s first trip to the U.S. and Camacho’s second. Both work in printing in their homeland. Camacho is assistant superintendent of printing in Saipan, and Silander is the supervisor of a printing plant on the island of Truck. According to Bennett, their home¬ land lifestyle is vastly different from that in the United States. The main island is 28 miles long and eight miles wide and there is little urban development. The homes have broad, sweeping roofs with air spaces around the sides but no glass windows. Food, • other than a limited number of vegetables, chicken and pork, is all flown in from America. Much of the land is still jungle. People find their entertainment mostly in parties and social gatherings. “Micronesia is a beautiful place and the people are beautiful as well,” says Bennett, who spent eight weeks of his sabbatical leave there. He taught printing techniques and became interested in the land and its people. When the eight-week course ended, Bennett was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the House of Representatives of Jicronesia. It was because of Bennett's course that the program now in effect at PCC was instituted. Two students per. semester will be enrolled here. During the summer session, jour¬ nalists, designers and artists are included. This exchange program is unique to PCC and is funded by the federal government. It covers current trends and techniques in printing technology and carries 17 units of credit. m 3K 4 —Courier Photo by Luaine Scheliga MICRONESIAN IMPORTS— Manuel Silander and Danny Camacho, here for 18 weeks of printing instruction, appear to be enjoying their stay. Walter Bennett, assistant professor of Engineering and Technology, is responsible for bringing them to PCC. The program is funded by the federal government. g