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VOL. 53. NO. 4
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 12, 1982
1
Parking Fee Increase Debated
By Debbie Gehlken
News Editor
The ceiling on parking fees charged
at community colleges will be lifted if
state Assembly Bill 2394 is ratified.
According to section 72247 of the
Education Code, “the amount of the
toll that may be charged is presently
limited to $20 per semester or $40 per
regular school year.”
If the proposed changes in the
Education Code are approved, “the
governing board of a community col¬
lege district may require of students
and employees of the district, the
payment of a toll, in an amount to be
fixed by the board, for parking serv¬
ices.” x
AB 2394 was authored by As¬
semblyman William H. Ivers at the
request of Superintendent-President
Dr. Richard S. Meyers. Ivers said,
“Meyers wrote me a letter requsting
that a bill be presented.”
Meyers said, “Although our interest
is what started it,” the bill had the
support of other community colleges.
Yet, the existence of AB 2394 was
met with surprise when Student
Trustee Joe Krovoza brought it to the
attention of the Board of Trustees at
last week’s meeting. The Board was
unaware of the bill and the concensus
was “we (PCC) have not officially
endorsed 2394.” Further discussion was
delayed until the Board members were
completely apprised of the details.
Krovoza stated that Meyers’ request
to have the bill authored without prior
Board approval was a “blatant attempt
to circumvent the Board of Trustees.”
“All employees, students and faculty
are required to go through college
governance processes,” Krovoza said,
“and the issue should at east come
through the Board.”
Gary Adams, Board president, said,
“We have expected the administration
to represent the college in the best way
it can. Administrators do not come
before us with everything.” Adams did
not want to make any further comment
before the Board meets to discuss the
matter.
“I have no apologies,” Meyers said.
“As a professional educator I sup¬
port certain concepts that I feel are
best for the field and I don’t always
check every item with the Board. This
is one of those items I feel is in the best
State and Local Funding Inadequate
Spending Frozen for Fiscal 1982
A unanimous resolution directing
“the Supertintendent-President to in¬
voke an expenditure freeze for the
remainder of the 1981-82 fiscal year”
was passed by the Board of Trustees
last week.
The freeze was proposed to offset
inadequate state and local funding. Dr.
Richard S. Meyers, superintendent-
president, warned that funding would
not be able to cover the proposed $41.3
million expenditures in 1982-83.
In addition, Meyers said restrictive
fall and spring class offerings would
result, although not directly caused by
the freeze. He said there are “classes
we can’t afford any more.”
However, Meyers stated that the
freeze “will not ruin the academic
integrity of courses already in
progress.”
According to the resolution, the
freeze is subject to the following excep¬
tions :
• Replacement of personnel
absolutely necessary to the in¬
structional process of campus
health and safety.
• Equipment and supply expen¬
ditures essential to the instuc-
tional process, campus health and
safety, and the efficiency of the
institution.
• Equipment and supplies which
currently are being processed, or
ordered as of March 3, 1982.
• Expenditures of categorical
funds.
The resolution further states “that
the Superintendent-President, with the
assistance of his Cabinet, be delegated
the responsibility for determining
those items which are to be excepted
from this expenditure freeze.”
Before the final votes on the resolu¬
tion were cast, Trustee Joseph Sargis
voiced concern that this is a “selective
freeze at this point.” He further stated
he was unsure of the total effectiveness
of a freeze and felt the exceptions
would be merely a discretionary mat¬
ter.
In response to Sargis’ comments,
Steven Cerra, vice president of instruc¬
tion, said “to whatever degree the
freeze helps the college, it would still
be beneficial.”
Bonnie James, vice president of busi¬
ness services, stated that “those things
that are absolutely necessary to keep
offices running” will not be affected.
As the discussion ensued, Trustee
Walter Shatford said “we do have a
budgetary crisis used to override nor¬
mal checking before we take an ac¬
tion.” Shatford went on to say “we
have to do some bailing in our leaky
boat so we can stay afloat.”
“I hope that the board will not be
using the occasion to be unduly dic¬
tatorial,” said Shatford.
— Debbie Gehlken
interest of community colleges.”
Meyers said, the bill was initiated
because the parking operation is no
longer self-sufficient and, “It. would
give the Board the option to stop deficit
funding.” Dr. Bonnie James, vice pres¬
ident of business services, was un¬
available for comment on the exact
amount of deficit the parking facility at
PCC now faces.
James did, however, appear before
the Assembly Education Committee to
present documentation on cost and
deficit figures. Ivers said, “I reviewed
the information that Dr. James gave
me, but I was not satisfied that there
was a sufficient breakdown and I
wanted more documentation on costs.”
Parking fees at community colleges
have not been increased in 10 years,
and according to Meyers the costs have
skyrocketed. Maintenance and security
costs have dwindled the revenue to the
point that “we are taking money out of
the general fund,” said Meyers.
PCC was also the initiator of the bill
that set the $20 ceiling on parking fees
10 years ago. Meyers said, he was
“carrying on PCC’s tradition of a great
interest in parking fees and the rights
of the Board.”
Meyers also stressed the need for
more local control in setting the fees.
“The college board should have the
oportunity to decide based on the needs
of its district.”
AB 2394, as it reads now, would leave
the amount charged to the discretion of
individual boards. Ivers said that a
“cap” should be placed on the fees so
as not to exceed $30 per semester.
Meyers said that would only create the
need for further legislation when the
$30 fee could no longer support the
facility.
According to Ivers the bill has tem¬
porarily been “put over, and I will not
continue until such a time as sufficient
documentation is produced.” Ivers also
said, “It was my understanding that at
some time this issue had come before
the Board.”
“I will go ahead if the Board is
supportive, if the charges for parking
are in line and documentation is up to
par.”
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Two ASB Members
Expelled From Office
Campus Funding On Ice
ASB Vice President Paul Kelly and
AMS President Brian Blair were re¬
moved from office due to an un¬
precedented decision by the Supreme
Council.
According to the constitution, in or¬
der for a person to be qualified for ASB
he must have a “grade point average of
at least 2.2 in IOV2 units attempted
during the semester of candidacy.”
The Supreme Council interpreted this
to mean a GPA and attempted units in
the preceding semester of candidacy.
Kelly and Blair had nine units in the
preceding semester of candidacy,
rendering them unqualified to be in
office, according to the Supreme Coun¬
cil decision.
Both former members were told that
they were qualified to run in the elec¬
tion two days after ASB applications
were due. However, one day before the
election, they were informed that they
were not qualified to run, due to the
Supreme Council decision.
ASB President John McTeague said
that the candidate’s units, according to
the constitution, should be counted for
the semester running, and not the
preceding semester. “We worked so
hard ... on student government . . .
and a decision like this really upsets us.
There shouldn’t be room for this de¬
cision, it’s all clear-cut in the constitu¬
tion.”
— Courier photo by Lynn Shepoddl
Former ASB President Barry
McGowan said that a decision like this
would eliminate freshmen due to units
and GPA, and handicapped and night
students would be excluded from gov¬
ernment because of a lack of units.
Bob Carroll, sophomore class presi¬
dent, said that a decision of this nature
could not be rendered because the
constitution is an “archaic document.
“I’m really appalled that this decision
was made,” said Carroll.
Carroll, McTeague, and McGowan
all agree that the constitution was not
interpreted according to the way it was
written.
Blair said that he was upset that “a
handful of students could change what
the majority of the students voted for.
This is wrong.” Kelly could not be
reached for comment.
No member of the Supreme Council
could be reached for comment regard¬
ing this decision.
The two vacancies now on the ASB
will be filled by appointment, and will
have to be ratified by the Student
Senate. McTeague will make the neces¬
sary appointments.
This decision will affect all future
elections as to who is qualified to run
for an office.
“This (decision) has set us back on
our plans for this year,” said
McTeague. “Just about everything will
have to be redone. — Doug Brown
State Financial Department Seeks To Drop Student Handicapped Services
By Valerie Provines
Opinion Editor
The State of California Department
of Finance would like to make budget
cuts that would mean drastic elimina¬
tions of handicapped programs. Chuck
Havard guidance facilitor for the physi¬
cally handicapped and blind, said thet
the first things to be eliminated, should
these cuts occur, are the two vans that
'Mainstreaming' Program Threatened by Budget Cuts in Sacramento
drive 10-12 mobility limited students to
PCC.
“My feeling is that for some of the
students that come on the van, they
have their first experience of other
people “making it” . . . fitting into the
normal world, successfully making a
regular high school, for example, and
be given the same privileges to learn as
anyone else.
“Some people can only handle a little
fitting in.
“They’re also trying to cut out all
special classes, which would mean the
bit of mainstream — some people can adapted physical education class we
handle a lot.” He said that the earlier have (PE 31).” This is a stretching-
people have been mainstreamed, the
better. Then they don’t have trouble (Continued on Page 6)
living. And somehow getting the
message that they can do the same
thing. They have a chance to earn a
living, to do well in something they
like,” said Havard.
“They have no other way of getting
here.”
The students are from surrounding
areas, such as La Canada, Monrovia,
Temple City, South Pasadena, and are
now able to attend classes because of
the vans. The vans are available only to
students who have no relative or other
person capable of transporting the stu¬
dent to his classes.
“It’s expensive,” Havard said. It
coss about $30,000 a year to transport
these students, most of whom are in
wheelchairs.
“It’s real crucial because most of the
students are taking occupational educa¬
tion classes. Our whole focus is to get
people the training they need to go out
and earn a living. And the ones that
take awhile (pre-vocational) just
haven’t had a lot emphasis put on what
they want to do.”
Some of the students are around 40
and have been injured and need to be
retrained. Others (younger people)
have been in a “handicapped” school
and need an adult education atom-
sphere. “Mainstream, which started in
the mid-70s, basically states that every
student has a right to a public educa¬
tion in the least restricted environ-
mWhat this means is that a student BUDGET CUTS — Two handicapped programs may be (far left) will be eliminated along with PE 31 (above).
with a disability has a right to attend a completely eliminated if proposed budget cuts are and an exercise class for handicapped students.
6 approved. The handicapped van transportation service —Courier photos by Eddie Mundo and Virginia Moore
S
