Hidalgo knows
the way to
San Jose
see page 8
Writer’s Forum
cancelled
see page 3
College President
Responds to
Critics
see page 4
COURIER
VOL. 87 NO. 20 www.pcc-courieronline.com MARCH 14,2002
News
1/J Df]z?f
The PCC Forensics Team
place third amongst com¬
munity colleges at the
Western States Forensic
Tournament. Next up for
the squad is the state
champioship this week¬
end.
COMMENCEMENT 2002
announcements will be
available for purchase at
the PCC bookstore. The
deadline for ordering caps
and gowns is 2:00 p.m.,
Tuesday, April 9.
On Campus
Say
Cheese,
Please
Pasadena
By Andrew Campa
Assistant Sports Editor
Trying to capture the essence
of Pasadena in a photograph, the
Pasadena Sister Cities Committee
is offering a cash prize to anyone
who can present a photo that best
represents the city.
The photo contest titled, “In
and Around Pasadena” began on
the first of February and will run
until April 30.
“We are looking for excellent
amateur photos,” said Alan
Lamson, committee member and
PCC academic senate president.
“Photos of people, places, or
events would all fall under the
qualifications. As long as the
photograph confines to daily life
in and around Pasadena.”
To borrow an old cliche, it has
been said that a picture is worth a
1,000 words. Well, the winner of
this contest would not be too far
off, taking home the jackpot of
$1,000. However, unlike most
sports, coming in second would
# see PHOTO page 4
Faculty, Staff and Students
March for Better Salaries
By Terrance Parker
Staff Writer
Members of the PCC chapter of
the California Teacher’s
Association
(СТА)
staged a protest
rally and march on campus on
Tuesday at noon to draw attention
to contract negotiations over lack
of appropriate faculty compensa¬
tion. The event started at the
Sculpture Garden with the sound
of drum beats and cheers, followed
by remarks by several instructors
and a student. The sign-carrying
group then traveled west into the
quad, stopping at the steps in front
of the CC building. More speakers
and sign waving, then the group
started marching around the cam¬
pus. At one point there were
almost 100 instructors and stu¬
dents participating.
Roger Marheine, assistant pro¬
fessor of English, said that part-
time faculty pay at PCC is among
the lowest in the county, contribut¬
ing to an annual turnover of up to
1/3
of his department alone. James
Riherd, associate professor of
English, said the faculty would
like respect, recognition, and an
open mind from the administration
and board of trustees. He encour¬
aged students to put pressure on
the administration to reach an
agreement with the teachers.
Dr. M. Benson, who teaches
oceanography for the biology
department, said that as a part-
timer she does not get compensat¬
ed for office hours, making it hard
for her several hundred students to
contact her.
Several students joined the
group as it moved around campus,
increasing the size from the 82
marchers who left the quad to 97
as it passed down Colorado
Boulevard. Drivers and passengers
of several cars honked horns and
waved, apparently in support of
the marchers.
However, at least one partici¬
pant was disappointed with the
number of faculty involved. Dan
Meier, assistant professor of
English, said, “Teachers who don’t
appear on the front line have a
moral obligation to give back
whatever teachers on the front line
have negotiated for them.” He said
students should put pressure on the
missing faculty, asking, “Where
are these faculty? They’re going to
benefit from what we get for
them.”
When asked about emphasis on
Mikyl Nutter/Courier
Instructors join in a protest on campus in a demonstration on recent
stall in negotiations with the administration. About 100 participated.
student involvement, John Jacobs,
СТА
president, said that student
body involvement and input is
very important. “Our students in
essence are our bosses,” he said,
referring to the student as a tax¬
payer being the one who actually
pays for the college. He compared
PCC’s situation to Santa Monica
College, noting that the buildings
are older, but adding, “Students
don’t care so much about facilities,
they come for programs and facul¬
ty.”
Jacobs pointed out that there is
currently a 40-50 percent turnover
# see RALLY page 4
File photo.
Paul Browstein Cleft) and Rosa Sanabrid wait in
front of a disabled persons sign.
L Building Turnaround
for the Disabled Only
By John Kaufeldt
Staff Writer
After several complaints by
both handicapped people and
staff, campus police started tick¬
eting anyone who illegally uses,
the handicap drop off zone near
the L building.
Ever since its completion three
years ago, non-handicapped peo¬
ple have used the drop off zone
because it was convenient to do
so.
At first police would just give
warnings but after receiving
numerous complaints from the
staff who work in that area and
people with disabilities, they
started issuing tickets.
“I monitored the area and
determined that there were
enough serious offenses to start
issuing citations,” Sgt. Steven
Lester said.
Tickets range from $70 for
parking in the red zone to $330
for parking in a handicap zone.
The most common violators
are those who are dropping off
their college bound child, a
boyfriend or a girlfriend.
They usually don’t realize that
the handicap drop off zone is only
meant for disabled people, desig¬
nated cabs with handicap stickers
and handicap access vans, Lester
said.
“Unfortunately, about two out
of five citations end in confronta¬
tion,” Lester said. “If a person
Ш
see TICKETS page 4
State Budget May Eliminate Cal WORKs
By Terrance Parker
Staff Writer
If Gov. Gray Davis has his way
with the state budget, as many as 1 35
PCC students working on campus
could find themselves out of a job.
While the proposed budget would
maintain child care support for
CalWORKs recipients, it would
totally eliminate funding for commu¬
nity college employment services
and adult education. CalWORKs
(California Work Opportunity and
Responsibility for Kids) is a program
designed to move people from wel¬
fare into a pennanent job.
One of the ways it does this is by
supporting education and training
programs and by subsidizing
employment for students while they
learn marketable job skills. PCC’s
share of the $65 million state pro¬
gram is $735,000, but 90% of this
would be lost in the new budget.
PCC CalWORKs coordinator
Lana Fields says the department pro¬
vides life skills training in addition to
jobs and child care.
“There are book vouchers, bus
passes, help with counseling, and
mentoring,” she said. “We walk
them through the process. They leam
stress management and how to clean
up credit.”
Tire staff facilitates weekly work¬
shops to help with finding and keep¬
ing a job, developing study and par¬
enting skills, and handling interper¬
sonal conflict and relationships.
CalWORKs students can stop in
during office hours for help with spe¬
cific problems or even just to get
moral support and encouragement
when needed. Fields said more than
1200 students have used the program
since PCC started it in 1998.
One of those 1 200 is nursing stu¬
dent Josie Gonzales, a mother of
two, who is on-track to graduate this
May, thanks to help from the
CalWORKs program.
Gonzalez, 29, has been with the
program since shortly after it started.
While she was getting her pre-requi¬
sites and general education classes
out of the way, it helped her find a
job doing clerical work in PCC’s
Human Resources department.
The program allowed her' to
attend school full time, provided the
job, and provided support for child¬
care. She said the program was veiy
helpful and specifically mentioned
the counseling, help with paperwork,
and the weekly job skills workshops.
She said without the help of the
CalWORKs program, she,
“Probably would not be in the nurs¬
ing program yet. I wouldn’t be going
full time. I’d just be taking a couple
of classes to get my pre-requisites.”
The skills and experience
Gonzales gained through
CalWORKs have already paid off.
Last summer she found a job on her
own as a certified nurse’s aide
(CNA) at Glendale Adventist hospi¬
tal.
One department using
CalWORKs students is the Child
Development Center on Green
Street. Nicki Harmon, director of the
Child Development Center, says she
has had student workers in a variety
of positions, including office work¬
ers, maintenance staff and child care
helpers. She currently has three
CalWORKs students working for
her and said having the extra staff is
very helpful.
Hollis Stewart, Center Technician
at the Instructional Computing
Center in the D building. He has had
Ш
see WORKS page 3
CNN Photo
Tribute of Light
In remembrance of the victims of the Sept.
1 1 tragedy, these two beams of light will
shine nightly through April 13.
(
