OPINION
FEATURES
SPORTS
NEW V-CHIP WILL BLOCK OUT
WORTHWHILE PROGRAMMING
A rating standard for television does not
account for the content or social value of
a program
CHOIRS SOUND OFF IN
WINTER CONCERT
The PCC chamber singers
performed last Friday night
at Holliston Church
SOCCER MAY RETURN
AFTER 14 YEAR ABSENCE
PCC to bring back soccer
pending administrative ^
approval
О
• ANXIOUS STUDENTS TO WAIT ON FINANCIAL AID
Problems in Department of Education delay student aid
By RAY ARMENDARIZ
Courier Staff Writer
The Federal Department of Edu¬
cation is plagued with computer
problems that are delaying the pro¬
cessing of student aid applications.
These problems may keep PCC trans¬
fer students from making enrollment
decisions. Students are now anx¬
iously waiting to hear from colleges
informing them about how much
financial aid they will receive next
fall. The processing delay may
present a barrier for all transferring
students who need to know how much
financial aid they will get before
they commit to a university.
It is not only computer problems
causing delays. Most of the Depart¬
ment of Education was shut down
twice as a result of government fur¬
loughs during the past three months.
The January blizzards also shut down
the department for 21 days. Also,
due to difficulties with a newly-de¬
signed computer system the
department’ s private contractors have
experienced problems in processing
of the applications.
“Transfer students will definitely
be affected,” said Karla Henderson,
assistant dean of scholarships and
financial aid. “The four-year institu¬
tions need to have the information
from the applications now. Students
who plan to go on to four-year insti¬
tutions next year may have some real
problems because of this. The four-
year schools have already indicated
this... I have 59 e-mail messages
about this.”
Because of the delay, the colleges
cannot offer students any financial
aid until they receive the results from
the Free Application for Federal Stu¬
dent Aid forms from the govern¬
ment. The colleges use standard for¬
mulas that determine the amount of
money the student receives. It also
determines how much the student
and his family have to contribute.
“I think it’s just terrible,” said
PCC student Jose Flores. “I just
mailed my UCLA application and
now I am not sure if I’ll be in school
in September.”
In a letter to colleges and univer¬
sities, Richard Riley, a representa¬
tive from the Department of Educa¬
tion, has stated that steps have been
taken to speed up the processing.
The department has implemented
plans to fix technical problems and
increase production. They have set
up supplemental worksites, hired
additional employees, and are cur¬
rently processing applications 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
To respond to concerned appli¬
cants, last week the department in¬
creased its customer support services
by extending hours and increasing
the number of operators onits hotline.
Students who do not hear about
their financial aid awards call (319)
337-5665 or 1-800-433-3243 to find
out the status of their application.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW
CARLOS SANTIESTEBAN
/
THE COURIER
Along with cold winds and heavy rains, the recent storms also brought fresh snow that blanketed the San Gabriel Mountains.
• AUTHORITIES KEY IN ON THOSE WHO USE HANDICAPPED PLACARDS TO GET PARKING
Police crack down on misuse of placards
By ROBERT SANTOS
Courier Staff Writer
The long arm of the law just got a
little longer on the campus of PCC.
In an effort to curb misuse of
disabled person parking stalls by
people who are not disabled, campus
police are stepping up efforts and
increasingly going after those stu¬
dents who park illegally.
“We’re trying to keep the stalls
clear for those who are truly handi¬
capped, and the only way to do that
is through enforcement,” said
Vincent Palermo, supervisor of po¬
lice and safety services. “We have
quite a bit of parking for the handi¬
capped and this is being abused by
students who use their mother’s,
father’s, brother’s, sister’s, aunt’s,
uncle’s, etc., handicapped parking
placards. And right now, we have a
heavy enforcement campaign be¬
cause it’s not fair to the handicapped
when they look for a space to park
in,” added Palermo.
The biggest problem at PCC, ac¬
cording to campus police, is students
who park in any one of the 66 stalls
available for the disabled using plac¬
ards that belong to other people,
mostly relatives and friends. “Usu¬
ally, most of the placards we come in
contact with aren’t stolen, or at least
they’re not reported stolen,” said
John Corrigan, safety officer.
This semester, four arrests have
already been made of people using
placards that did not belong to them.
According to Corrigan, parking offi¬
cer Marjorie Harris, known as
“Hawkeye Harris,” initiates most of
the arrests. “She goes out and she
checks the parking stalls and when
she sees a car that she doesn’t recog¬
nize suddenly having a disabled plac¬
ard, she’ll begin to investigate,”
Corrigan said.
That investigation starts when
officer’s run the six digit number
found on the placard, along with the
car’slicense number, throughaDMV
computer database on campus. “If
thetwo of those correspond, we won’t
bother doing any additional enforce¬
ment,” Corrigan said.
If the numbers do not correspond,
the investigation continues. “As an
Please see PLACARDS, Page 4
• FACULTY SENATE HEARS PROFESSORS'
CONCERNS ABOUT HEALTH RISKS
Tuberculosis:
the fight is on
for student tests
By RACHEL URANGA, Courier Staff Writer
Recent statistics on tuberculosis sparked a serious discussion among
faculty member concerned with their health at last week's Faculty Senate
meeting. Community college teachers cannot receive their paychecks if
they do not show proof of a negative
ТВ
test, but most community colleges
-do not require their students to be — — - — —
Learning
more about
tuberculosis
By IVETTE GRANO
Courier Staff Writer
Turberculosis is a disease that
can be spread from person to person
through the air. It affects the lungs
and other parts of the body such as
the kidney and the spine.
ТВ
is an
airborne germ which is transmitted
when a person with the disease
coughs or sneezes. If a person in¬
hales the
ТВ
germ from the air, they
may become infected.
When the germs are breathed in,
they can then reach the lungs and
can spread to other parts of the bodv.
According to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the
germs then go to sleep in the body
and that is called the
ТВ
infection.
There is a difference between
those who have the
ТВ
infection and
the
ТВ
disease. People who have
the disease are sick from germs that
are active in their bodies, and there
infection can be easily spread to
others. Permanentbody damage can
occur and even death can result from
the disease.
People who just have the infec-
Please see VIRUS, Page 3
screened for
ТВ.
Because of the
nature of the highly infectious air¬
borne virus,
ТВ
testing is required
for all children entering kindergar¬
ten or any student through grade 12
who is entering a new school.
The Los Angeles County Health
Department reported that the highest
incidents of
ТВ
are reported in the
ages 15-34. PCC had one reported
case of
ТВ
in 1993 and two in 1995.
The number of
ТВ
cases reported by
the Pasadena Health District has
nearly doubled. The department at¬
tributes the increase to the rise in the
Please see TUBERCULOSIS, Page 4
FACTS ABOUT T.B.
♦ You can test positive for
ТВ
and not have the
disease
♦ in 1 992, 2, 1 98 cases of
ТВ
were reported in Los
Angeles County, more than
any year in the past 15
years
♦ 15-34 year olds have the
highest number of
ТВ
cases
reported
♦
ТВ
is an airborne germ
which is transmitted when
an infected person coughs
or sneezes
♦ If not treated, it can
cause permanent damage
or death
• BOARD TRIES TO MAKE UP FOR
RECENT CONFLICTS
AS to implement
suggestion boxes
By ARDA HAMALIAN, Courier Staff Wnter
The AS Board, despite well publicized personal
conflicts, is attempting to make a lasting, positive con¬
tribution to PCC by placing suggestion boxes throughout
campus so students can easily express their concerns.
“The suggestion boxes will be a legacy left behind by
this year’s board,” said Roldan Herrera, the current ASB
president. “We are getting durable, sturdy, wood boxes
so they will last for a long time after we’re gone.”
The boxes will be placed at 10 key locations through¬
out the school, such as the library, counseling depart¬
ment, campus center, bookstore, and cafeteria.
Please see BOXES, Page 4
• PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES HELPS STUDENTS GOING THROUGH ROUGH TIMES
Keeping Your Head in Check
By FAVI VALDEZ, Courier Staff Writer
Are you feeling depressed? Do you feel that your
worries about school performance and goals over¬
whelm your life?
The Psychological Services Program is dedicated to
help students through rough times in their lives. Whether
someone is dealing with personal or school related
problems, help is available.
Counseling psychologists and four pre-doctoral in¬
terns are ready to provide assistance. Dr. Richard A.
Beyer one of the psychologists, said, “The purpose of
psychological counseling is to serve student needs.”
Individual and minimal group counseling is avail¬
able. Psychological Services uses a three step process.
Foremost, a person’s problem is heard, problem solving
skills are offered, and finally other solutions are pre¬
Dr. Richard A. Beyer
THE RUNDOWN ON
PSYCHOLIGICAL SERVICES
Hours: Psychological Services
is open Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with
extended hours on Tuesday
until 7p.m.
Most common student
complaints: Depression and
excessive worries
sented to further tackle the problem. Most students only
need three to four one-hour sessions. After then, Beyer
said one is finished with counseling when the words, “I
feel better, I have more control of my life and have
acquired the skills necessary to keep it that way,” are said
by the student. If the student does not feel better after
counseling, a referral will be made to seek outside
services.
Getting counseling is “very easy,” says Beyer. A
standard information sheet must be filled out and then a
scheduled appointment is given. Walk-ins are also
available and follow the same process. No fee is
charged. The mandatory health fee paid it, registration
automatically covers the cost of the counseling.
Depression and excessive worries top of the list of
complaints. Individuals seeking counseling will receive
it as quickly as possible. If the counseling staff finds
itself unable to help with a solution to a problem,
referrals will be given so students can seek outside help
in the community. When there is an emergency, such as
grief, suicide, or a professor referral, students will be
Please see PSYCHOLOGY, Page 4
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