PCC Courier, March 10, 2005

March 10, 2005 Art Night Experience the citywide cultural event in photos Page 6 Vol. 91, Issue 4 Art N ight a Success ■ Citywide event drew thousands to a night of free art and music. Titania Kumeh Staff Writer Pasadena’s boulevards were all abuzz on March 4 as art enthusiasts dressed in their Bohemian-best took part in the city’s biannual Art Night. Themed “Sites And Sounds Surround You,” the event celebrated the beauty in the everyday details of the city, its parts often overlooked in the rush of routine. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., free shuttles provided by the city transported eager crowds to various art venues, making stops at the Norton Simon Museum, the Pasadena Museum of History, the Pacific Asia Museum, the Armory Center for the Arts, the Art Center College of Design, the Pasadena Symphony, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and PCC, all of which opened their doors for free. If the evening was an attempt to blur all boundaries between art and life, it worked. The Norton Simon experience was like entering the cliche, “One man’s trash is another man’s treas¬ ure.” It’s Special Exhibit, “Lost but Found,” featured assemblages, col¬ lages, ready-mades, and sculptures made from ordinary discarded objects and materials. Works by influential 20th century artists like Marcel Duchamp (the mastermind behind Mona Lisa’s mustache), Dadaist Kurt Schwitters, the “wild beast” painter/collagist Henri Matisse, and pop-culture icon Robert Rauschenberg were all on display, and will be until March 28. Entering the Armory on Raymond, jazz was the first sensa¬ tion that hit visitors. Inside a three- piece jazz band played to a room filled with art surveyors, people just looking for a good time, and those who wandered in from the neigh¬ boring Heritage Wine Bar. For the Art Night event, Heritage offered 50 percent off “Wines by the Glass,” and its crowded doors indi¬ cated that not many passed on its offer. The Armory’s exhibit, “AIM VI: Technological Pervasions” Art Night pcc-courieronline.com Lancers Win Again i Steve Carrillo / Courier Semina Henry eludes two El Camino players for a lay up shot. The Lancers move on to the State Championship tournament to be held in San Diego. - See story on page 5 - Jackie Robinson Wins Congressional Medal Stuvmi Grant ' Courier Los Angeles Marathon winner Mark Saina of Kenya won the 20th annual event on March 6 with a time of 2:09:35. Alumna Achieves Marathon Dream Chantal Mullins Staff Writer Most everyone has heard about the L.A. Marathon, but few know what goes on behind the scenes in the days before the actual race. The Emerald. Nuts Quality of Life Expo offered an inside look at the pre-race excitement. Once par¬ ticipants entered the expo, it was evident that Honda was this year’s largest sponsor. A variety of Honda models were prominently displayed at the entrance for all to admire. As marathoners and their guests walked past the exhibits they bounced along to blasting tunes. Everyone Needs To Be Aware of Consumer Fraud Marathoners smiled at one another in anticipation of the race. The event is the largest marathon expo in the world. The buzz of pre-race excitement hummed throughout the entire L.A. Convention Center. Marathoners hurried to get their official T-shirts and were greeted by volunteers inquiring, “Are you going to win?” With a laugh, the marathoners zoomed off to scope out the booths in town for this year’s race. This expo was a marathoner’s paradise; it offered Marathon Rafael Delgado Chief Photographer Would you be paying with cash, check, debit or credit? Everyone will experience this question in some variation. What not every¬ one knows are the implications of each unique transaction and the rights you have as a cus¬ tomer. I want people to know,” said Fabian Villagas, a 19 year-old PCC criminal justice major. He knows consumer rights better than many of the 30,000 PCC students, thanks to his work experience at United Merchant Services. UMS is simply a mediator that allows the smoothest transaction possible between you the customer and the merchant. However, when the rules are bent, they are also here to help those taken advantage. Villagas ran into this problem himself ear¬ lier this semester. He was told by a local fran¬ chise that he would be charged 75 cents for using his debit card. Knowing the rules and laws that govern this field, Villagas exercised his rights as an informed consumer. He hopes everyone else would do the same. “I believe more students should be aware of our rights as consumers and should know some of the rules that can protect us from this type of abuse,” Villagas said. The typical fee charged by a merchant account transfer business like UMS ranges from 25 cents to 35 cents per transaction. These fees add up quickly when millions of transactions occur every day. This fee is charged to the business, not the to the card holder (customer). The merchant takes on the fee in expectation of serving a greater number of potential buyers than those only able to pay by cash. Transferring funds quickly and efficiently is vital. Not everyone walks around with lots of cash. It is simply not a practical mode of operation. Cash is easily lost, misplaced, and often stolen. There is no insurance or safety measure when using greenbacks. Cash is sim¬ ply anonymous and travels from one individ¬ ual to another with no trace of its past trans¬ actions. Therefore, to provide the customer a more reliable method of spending our money, items like the credit card, automated teller machine, and debit card where instituted. Due to such a vast growth in this field, rules, laws, and regulations have been established to protect the customer from abuse. Another example of a practice illegal in some states occurs when one is asked to write a major credit number on a check. It is justifi¬ able to verily the buyers’ identity with multiple sources. However, anything else goes beyond, what the law allows. It is illegal to ask for more information because that could be used to charge for services and goods not rendered or even charge double payments. Once the customers leave, they have no idea who is han¬ dling that bank note. That legal tender con¬ tains such vital information like a credit card number, name, address, and driver license number. The road to fraud is an easy path for one to follow if desired. Other items not allowed by the established Charges Job Developer Courtney Hunter Resigns Suddenly John Avery Staff Writer Surprising her friends and colleagues, S. Courtney Hunter resigned effective March 10 from the career/job placement center, where she has worked as job developer and job location development coordina¬ tor. Hunter will maintain her connection to PCC as an instructor in the business and computer technology division. Because of her resignation, the center has cancelled the career forum intended for March 10, but intends to stay on track for the much larger job fair, scheduled for April 28. Hunter has worked in many ways to help students explore their potential, both here and off campus. Believing that “it is important as a job developer to be active in the broader community,” she has been a vol¬ unteer with John Muir High School in the Move after¬ school workshop. For the last four years she has also helped Women at Work to coordinate their annual Young African-American Women’s Conference, which on Feb. 26 brought more than 350 young women to PCC for a day of career-related panels and workshops. “She’s just phenomenal with students,” said Rebecca Cobb, PCC student affairs adviser, who had planned to work with Hunter later this semester Hunter announced her resignation on March 3, less than one week after the retirement of department secretary Mary R. Richards. The two departures will mean extra work for the remaining staff. “We thought we were all on level ground, but there’s been a little Hunter P AG E _ Caroline Ikeji Opinion Editor PCC alumnus and former Brooklyn Dodgers star Jackie Robinson was honored with the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal on March 2, the highest honor available to a civilian. President Bush presented the award to Robinson’s widow, Rachel, in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, while congressional lead¬ ers and baseball officials looked on. Robinson, who attended PCC from 1937-1939, broke racial barri¬ ers in Major League Baseball by being the first African-American player in 1947. He was also a prominent activist during the nation’s civil rights movement, fighting for abolishment of the “separate but equal” label for African-Americans. He also received numerous death threats. Robinson led the Dodgers to six Courtesy of www.medaloffreedom.com Jackie Robinson as a Los Angeles Dodger, 1948 pennants and a World Series title in 1955. During his remarkable career, he was selected to six All-Star teams and was named National League MVP in 1949 He retired after the 1'956 season and was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He finished his nine-year career witha.311 batting average and 137 home runs. Known for his speed on the basepaths. he also had 197 stolen bases, and is often remem¬ bered for a famous steal of home plate during the 1955 World Series. His uniform number, 42, was retired by Major League Baseball in 1997, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his entrance into the majors. In addition to his performance on the field, Robinson was also renowned for his courage and char¬ acter. He was called “a freedom rider before freedom rides” by civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. His character and maturity was one reason he was selected by the Dodgers to break the color barrier. Robinson will be honored at Dodger Stadium this season in memory of his role in the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers’ first World Series victory.