PCC Courier, March 06, 1981

(- айМтаГ' * ' Щ 4 1 §& ’ j ч / тШЖХ ШтШтШ % Г С, \ '■ ( у . й'-ч V''- >-' С ЩмВ: " * 1 I i ■ dil . 7 & ВИНН: V, Ш ЦЦ щщ Ш&Ш . > • щшж - 1 - ч ; ■Н . . Ipf Ш. 1 Ц > , ' •- й НИХ щ ш, MARCH 6. 1981 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA. CALIFORNIA VOL. 51. NO. 5 Proposed Aid Cuts Put Loans On Ice Cloudy days and rainy nights make the slopes a beautiful sight — photo by Larry Goran By Monique Meindl News Editor Student Financial Aid programs will seriously be affected if the Reagan administration implements proposed budget cuts, according to Gene S. Miller, president of the National Finan¬ cial Aid Association. “Reductions of student aid programs for the ‘truly needy’ will have a devas¬ tating effect not only on the students, but also the economy of the com¬ munities in which they reside,” said Mrs. Miller in a letter to congressional members. The letter, dated March 4, recommends how to “be responsive to necessary budget cuts.” Students Informed Mrs. Miller spoke to the ASB and the Student Senate Thursday to inform BCD Reapportions Media Services' Space Allotment By Mary Jones Staff Writer The Building Campus Development Committee’s approval of a plan to reorganize floor space to be allotted to the telecommunications division in C Building sparked opposition from KPCC radio officials. According to radio station officials, KPCC opera¬ tions will suffer if this plan, which provides expansion for the media ser¬ vices division of the communications department, is implemented. The plan, as presented by Dr. David Ledbetter, dean of Instructional Ser¬ vices, calls for apportioning existing space to provide classroom facilities for telecommunication classes and ac¬ cess between the new classroom and storage areas. To provide this access, part of radio station KPCC’s storage (Room 101) will be turned into a hallway. After the basic plan was presented, Dr. John Gregory, general manager of KPCC, presented his objections to the plan. “We object to this plan because it hasn’t been well thought out and be¬ cause we weren’t included in these plans. For 15 years we’ve been fighting for space; we’re understaffed, under¬ paid and underspaced. With this plan you’re solving their needs, but what about our needs?” S. Chrystal Watson, communications department chairman, said “PCC real¬ ly has one of the unique programs in telecommunications with the growth of cable television. If we had this space available for a classroom, we’d have a much better teacher to student ratio.” Down the line, she said, they might change things around for the better, but right now, this is the best possible solution. Space Needed “We also need more space for our news interns. Right now we have no room for them, but we’re trying to do the best with what we’ve got now,” said Dr. Gregory. He added that his department has no plaee to move re¬ cords and tapes which are now stored in the area where the hallway will be built. During the debate on the plan, John Madden, vice president of adminis¬ trative services, said that both pro¬ grams are growing and that continual¬ ly “fighting over the same scrap of land isn’t going to work. This is only a short-term solution. We should try to find a final solution.” Dr. Ledbetter pointed out that other solutions to the problem, such as build¬ ing a separate building for tele¬ communications or trying to move the entire program, was too expensive. “This is the only thing that can be done without extensive changes,” he said. After further discussion and objec¬ tions by Dr. Gregory, Ms. Watson said that she was giving departmental sup¬ port to Dr. Ledbetter’s plan despite the problems involved. “We work all the time together and I think it’s important that we try to keep this relationship open, but I think this is the best solution,” she said. Building Revisions Director of building services, Leonard Knapp estimated, “The plan will call for air conditioning revisions, lighting revisions, plumbing revisions. It might cost $35,000. That’s a wild guess, it may run more than that.” Superintendent-President. Dr. Rich¬ ard S. Meyers later said that he thought $35,000 was exceedingly high and that if the project cost ran that high the plan would have to go to the Board of Trustees for approval. We’re a long way away from a final decision, Dr. Meyers said. “After years of fighting for this space and finally getting it, now they want to take it away from us to make a ‘bowling alley.’ We feel that we’re being told that while television needs to grow, radio doesn’t— with no thought of our future needs,” said Larry Shirk, KPCC program director. Common Problem “This is just a tempest in a teapot. It’ll blow over,” said Ms. Watson. She talked about how common space prob¬ lems are to their department and that if too much space was involved she wouldn’t take it away from the radio station. But the small amount of space involved in this situation isn’t going to hurt station operations, she said. One of the problems, Dr. Gregory points out, is that radio officials were not asked their opinion on this project before it was presented to the BCD Committee. Watson, however, said Dr. Gregory was consulted and when they received a definite “no” from him, they felt they had no choice but to go to the Committee with the proposals. Robert Miller, media services man¬ ager, said there was “not any great discussion with Dr. Gregory on this issue.” them about the effects the cuts will have on PCC, while the student govern¬ ment will circulate an informational newsletter in an effort to make the student body aware of the significance of the cuts. “We are organizing an area college rally, which we hope to have nationally televised, in which we will inform students about the funds needed to aid student’s financial programs,” said Ed Razor, sophomore class president. Razor feels, however, that Reagan is just in making the cuts because the financial aid programs have been abused. “There is approximately a 30 percent default rate on student loans. We have to put pressure on students to pay back loans, but something has to be done to continue the programs so other students won’t suffer.” “The processing of the Basic Grant Program has stopped,” said Mrs. Miller. This semester, 1,600 PCC stu¬ dents receive these federally funded grants based on need. Under the pro¬ posed budget cuts, fewer students would qualify for the program. Approx¬ imately 1,000 PCC students who could qualify for basic grants will not receive verification of eligibility until June, “which is too late,” as it will affect the admissions decisions of those students. Loans Affected Guaranteed Student Loans will also be affected by the budget cuts. “The government pays the interest now, but the administration proposes to transfer that cost to students,” said Mrs. Miller. “Thousands of students who use the loans , to supplement education costs will suffer.” Middle income fami¬ lies, where parents’ income makes students ineligible for other types of aid will feel the burden, according to Mrs. Miller. The administration also proposed to have a “needs test” given to students to determine eligibility for loan pro¬ grams. “This would slow down the process and rule out many students,” said Mrs. Miller. In addition, it is suggested that the interest rate of the Parent Loan Pro¬ gram be changed from 9 percent to 18 percent, or the standard rate at the time. “This would eliminate the desire of parents to borrow,” said Mrs. Miller. The Work Study Program in which 390 PCC students were employed in the 1979-80 fiscal year may also face cuts. It is expected that the Senate com¬ mittee will vote on Reagan’s proposal in the next two weeks. “Students across the nation should realize the strong voting power that they have,” Razor said. “Students should act quickly and write their congressmen to express their concern about the future of financial aid.” Financial aid information is avail¬ able in the Financial Aid Office in D205. More information on where to write is available in the Student Ac¬ tivities Office in the Campus Center. Business Group Hosts Seminars The Service Corps of Retired Ex¬ ecutives (SCORE) will host 12 free seminars designed to help those in¬ terested in business. The two-hour seminars begin at 9:30 a.m. every Friday in the Campus Center Board Room, starting March 6. Crime prevention is the topic of the first seminar featuring Pasadena po¬ lice officer Ed Curtis as guest speaker. He will discuss how business owners can protect themselves from shop-' Vietnam Vets' Day Slated National Troubleshooter Surveys College Needs Vietnam veteran Ron Ко vie will host the first Vietnam Veterans’ Day, spon¬ sored by the Center for Veterans’ Rights, to be held at the Federal Building in Westwood, March 8. The day will be celebrated in many major cities around the country. The Center for Veteran’s Rights is sponsoring the event and will present speakers including Jon Voight, Francis Ford Coppola, Ed Asner, Robert Walden and Michael Farrell. In addi¬ tion, there will be an afternoon of music by the El Chicano Band, Holly Near and others. The purpose of this gathering is to make people aware of budget cuts which will affect medical compensa¬ tion and other benefits for the veter¬ ans, and ask people to write to Con¬ gress and the President, said Kovic. At present there are 90 outreach centers around the country. If President Re¬ agan does not allow the funding to continue, these centers will have to shut down. According to Ron Bitzer, Center for Veterans’ Rights director, this is a chance to make a statement that there is a need for an additional read¬ justment system. In connection with the event’s theme, “National Delayed Re-entry Program,” the Center for Veterans’ Rights and 15 other Vietnam veteran groups want to begin the move¬ ment to stress the problem of what is still needed for the veterans, not just medals. “On this day we will be wearing green ribbons. It is a symbol that we were in the war together,” said Kovic. —By Anindita Saroso lifting, hold-ups and employee theft, then, he plans to answer questions from the audience. SCORE member Harold Ballam will moderate the pro¬ gram. SCORE also gives free business counseling from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Friday in D209. Anyone in¬ terested in counseling should call the SCORE office for an appointment. “Having SCORE on campus is of real 'value to PCC students. Through SCORE, students make contact with successful business leaders and ask their advice,” said Geoffrey Turnbull, assistant chairman of the business department. SCORE members consist of suc¬ cessful, retired business people who volunteer their time to help businesses either start or move ahead, and they assist college programs, said John Tumpak, SCORE program coordi¬ nator. SCORE is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. “Re¬ tired business people interested in SCORE membership should contact our office on March 6, when we are planning a one-day membership drive,” said Barbara Vint, SCORE deputy coordinator. By Leslie Sheinbaum Contributing Writer Dr. J. Douglas Conner, executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Ad¬ missions Officers, visited the college Feb. 26 and 27 as part of a cross¬ country fact-finding trip to survey the needs and concerns of educational in¬ stitutions. The association, which rep¬ resents 2,000 colleges and universities, consults with federal agencies in¬ terested in higher education. Conner’s role, as head of AACRO, is to provide input as legislation and regulations are being developed at the federal level, particularly in the areas of admissions and records. AACRO also provides member institutions with guidelines to keep requirements and policies consistent and ethical. PCC is one of the few community colleges belonging to the organization. Dr. Irvin G. Lewis, vice president of Student Personnel Services, has pro¬ vided leadership for several subcom¬ mittees of the group. “Through our activities in AACRO, we have become known nationally,” said Dr. Lewis. “It gives us contacts with other colleges and universities and helps us know that our procedures are in tune with four- year colleges.” Financial Crunch According to Conner, financial re¬ sources are the primary concern of administrators across the nation. “Everyone is in a financial crunch,” Conner said. “All institutions face the loss of private funding, a reduced tax base and the probability that the Re¬ agan administration will cut programs at the federal level. I certainly hope that the cuts will be judicious ones, instead of broad cuts to programs that meet students’ needs.” During his nationwide tour of cam¬ puses, Dr. Conner noted advantages of the community college system, partic¬ ularly at PCC. He said students here are well prepared to enter four-year institutions. They have a full range of opportunities to explore. They don’t face pressure to declare a major im¬ mediately. California community col¬ leges, especially PCC, offer “terrific” suport programs such as career coun¬ seling and technical and trade training, according to Dr. Conner. Excellent Programs In contrast to some large univer¬ sities that have been slow in providing for handicapped students, PCC has excellent programs for students with either physical or learning disabilities, he said. Dr. Conner1 commended the administration for working effectively with the community to gain support for these programs. “I thought that the Career Center was fantastic,” said Dr. Conner. The Center has a computerized guidance (Continued on Page 6) Japanese Official Pays Respect To Alma Mater The Honorable Susumu Nikaido, director-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democraic Party and a 1937 alumnus of PCC, presented the col¬ lege with a special gift through Japan’s Los Angeles consul. Consul General Tsuneo Tanaka from the Los Angeles office personally pres¬ ented multiple copies of six books to Superintendent-President Dr. Rich¬ ard S. Meyers, Thursday. On a recent trip through Los Angeles, Nikaido was reminded of his college days at PCC. Reminis¬ cing of those days, he determined to donate his books as an expression of his gratitude to the college. Nikaido, born in Kagoshima, Japan, in 1909, attended PCC (then a junior college) from 1933-37. After obtaining an Associate of Arts degree in business, Nikaido trans¬ ferred to USC and earned a master’s degree in political science and eco¬ nomics. ‘The gift from Nikaido came as a pleasant surprise,” Dr. Meyers said. “We have had outstanding students from Japan for decades,” he added, “but it has not been easy to follow their careers. It was very pleasant for me to find we have such an outstanding graduate.” Nikaido’s positions in Japan’s government include minister of state, director-general of the sci¬ ence and technology agency, chief cabinet secretary. He has also served in various key posts in the Liberal Democratic Party, includ¬ ing deputy secretary-general and secretary-general. The books will be placed in the library, and will be made available to the social services department. “I’m sure it is his hope to awaken an interst in Japan for those stu¬ dents who have only a passing curiosity,” said Tanaka, “and at the same time help to deepen the knowl¬ edge and understanding of Japan and the Japanese people.” PLEASANT SURPRISE — Superintendent- President Dr. Richard S. Meyers, left, receives a gift of books from Japan from Tsuneo Tanaka, Counsul General of the L.A. Office of the Consulate General of Japan. The books were personally delivered by Tanaka for the Honorable Susumu Nikaido, Director-General of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and PCC alumnus. — Courier photo by Eugine Mezereny