VOL. 89, No. 15
March 11, 2004
Cross-Town Rivals May
Meet in the Final Four
PCC Lancers vs. Mt. SAC Mounties?
On this date...
Babe Ruth signed a two-year
CONTRACT WITH THE NEW YORK
Yankees for the sum of
$80,000 in 1930.
Pasadena’s
Biggest
Night Hits
Campus
The Dangers of Parking on Campus
Hudson Hou
Staff Writer
College hour, a long tradition
of PCC campus life, may be elimi¬
nated in the near future. The
board of trustees discussed this
possibility at its March 3 meeting.
Though a vote on the item is
still weeks away, board members
set the stage for what could be a
contentious debate over whether
the college hour does more harm
than good.
At question before the board is
whether to keep or eliminate the
college hour, noon on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, that is used for
clubs and division meetings,
among other activities.
Should the hour be cut, mem¬
bers suggested more sections of
classes in place of club meetings.
Scholar's Option, PCC's highly
regarded program that assists
students with transfers, could
also be affected.
Instructors who usually meet
during college hour with students
taking the Scholar's Option will no
longer have that time to meet.
The board gave no indication
how the time will be replaced
should the college hour be elimi¬
nated.
Board members were divided on
the issue in a debate that was by
turns lively and contentious.
Dr. Jeanette Mann, vice presi¬
dent of the board, ques¬
tioned whether the col¬
lege hour
was neces- See Pa9e
s"ry- Si" Hour Vote
Sounds of Nature
Pasadena City College students
need to increase their awareness
about vehicle theft in the campus
parking facilities. Although PCC
has a parking security presence,
neither the campus cadets nor offi¬
cers can stop all car predators.
"Nowadays, if a person wants to
take your car, they'll take it," said
campus police investigator Steven
Lester. However, Lester said that
cars are usually retrieved after
being reported stolen, and rarely
are they found stripped or burned.
PCC has yet to invest in security
cameras within the parking struc¬
ture, but there are cameras facing
the lots. Security doesn't seem to
be a factor in the prevention of
car thefts.
The last time anyone was
caught in the act of stealing a car
was about 10 years ago. "We
haven't caught anyone in a
while," Lester said. When sus¬
pects are caught, they are arrest¬
ed and charged with penal code
496, which is for stolen property.
The way suspects are usually
caught is when through a traffic
violation, and the car comes up as
a PCC stolen vehicle.
The police rarely catch the sus¬
pect with the car. Cars are usually
stolen for joyrides and
then later abandoned.
Lester said, "Three out
of five cars See page
are recov- _ _ . -
Car Thefts
Photo Illustration by Crystal Samuelian
This student demonstrates one way thieves break into cars. Techniques to safeguard
your car are ignition disablers, steering wheel locks and other warning devices.
ШИ!
4 Jeep Grand Cherokee (1993)
Campus Police Cracks Down on
Handicapped Placard Misuse
Jessica Pirkl
Staff Writer
Every student attending PCC
knows that parking is a problem.
For the special-needs students cur¬
rently enrolled, it is a task that has
been made more difficult by those
who illegally park in handicapped
spots.
According to Dr. Kent
Yamauchi, assistant dean of special
services, more than 880 special-
needs students attend PCC. Of
those, 71 have mobility-access
problems, while others have some
form of physical or mental disabil¬
ity.
Illegal parking isn't the only
problem facing these special-
needs students. The misuse of
drop-off points designated for the
handicapped has also become an
issue. "People don't recognize that
it's a necessity having a drop-off
point for special-needs people.
They just don't take it seriously,"
said Yamauchi. Fines for offenders
are $75 and up.
Parking lots 1-7 all have allot¬
ted handicapped spaces, while
there are two designated drop-off
areas, including one at the front of
the school. But compared
to the number of regular
spots, handicapped-acces¬
sible spaces see page
are limited
and fill up Placard
AS Hopes to Receive New Computers Soon
Diane Garcia
Staff Writer
Since the middle of fall semes¬
ter it has been difficult for mem¬
bers of the Associated Students
board to get anything done on
their computers, mainly because
they have none. The AS was given
five computers at the start of fall
semester but they were all ren¬
dered useless due to viruses or
inaccessible networks.
The board allocated $3,400 out
of its budget for computer
upgrades to replace the comput¬
ers in their office. Dr. Robert Cody,
assistant dean of computer servic¬
es, offered the AS used computers
free of charge and the members
gratefully accepted. The board
planned to use the allocated
funds for a new printer.
Cynthia Gonzalez, AS vice presi¬
dent for internal affairs, said not
having computers makes work diffi¬
cult for board members. Gonzalez
said the AS members use campus
computer labs to type up agendas
but sometimes their agendas are
not circulated on time, leading to
missed meetings. When computers
are unavailable they must hand-
write and photocopy memos which
can cause disorganization and con¬
fusion in the office.
Currently there is only one
working computer in the AS
offices. They cannot use it
because it can only be accessed
through a login name and pass¬
word on the staff network, which
is not available to the AS officers
or other students.
Secretary Brady Blair said his
office is required to have a com¬
puter by the AS constitution but
he has not received one from PCC
since he sent his in for repair last
year on Sept. 23. Instead he must
carry his personal 1 5-pound laptop
to and from school everyday
because his work is not considered
official when a memo is handwrit¬
ten. Instead of and writing
memos Blair has to type up and
send out the memos to various
parts of campus. Blair said his
work would not be considered
official if he does it any other way.
Cody said most of his original
discussions were with Blair and in
them they both agreed the AS
would purchase the needed moni¬
tors. If that is not possible, com¬
puting services is able to provide
17" CRT monitors to go along with
the computers. Cody said a CRT
monitor "is an old style monitor
versus the flat LCD moni¬
tors." Cody also said he
does not want to install
the comput- See page
ers and
monitors Computer
Beware of an over¬
whelming trend of
car thefts in the
parking lots
Lamaria Sapp
Staff Writer
Jaime Lastaneda/Lourier
In the 90-degree heat, this student takes advantage
of the soothing sounds of the flowing water.
Leadership Trip in
Jeopardy of Approval
Hudson Hou
Staff Writer
A student trip to Laguna
Beach, Calif., was was put on hold
pending a decision by the PCC
board of trustees. Board mem¬
bers discussed the issue at their
March 3 meeting.
One question is whether the
trip, made possible by the Inter-
Club Council and Associated
Students, should remain in the
district. Current plans call for
more than 50 students to partici¬
pate.
Dr. Lisa Sugimoto, vice presi¬
dent for students and learning
services, spoke on the importance
of having the leadership activity,
scheduled to take place from April
30 to May 2.
"It's not so much about the trip
as it is about the learning experi¬
ences the students have while they
are engaged in the leadership
activities," she wrote in an email
to questions.
Sugimoto also noted that this
year, as in the past, facilities with¬
in and without the district were
considered.
That the trip this year will not
take place within the district is
decided by what is on the table,
she explained.
The trip could easily have
taken place in the district if facil¬
ities in the area had met expecta¬
tions, Sugimoto said.
What is unique, and peculiar
to Laguna Beach, is that "in this
activity students [will] have a
dorm-like environment where
they learn to work with each
other using their learning leader¬
ship skills in a much more inten¬
sive manner," she wrote.
Student affairs advisor Rebecca
Cobb, who has worked closely with
Sugimoto to plan the trip, also list¬
ed the benefits of a trip that is not
limited to the district.
The student will not be staying
in hotels, which Cobb described as
"sterile."
Instead, the model for the trip
will be the "communal" villas in
Palm Springs, she said.
At Laguna Beach, students will
stay in dorms comparable to those
at the University of California, she
said.
The student trip will A
be a "practical applica-
tion of what see naqe
we are
teaching, CIUD
ТГф
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since 1915.
Board May
End College
Club Hour