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Pasadena City College
Softball Falls to
Long Beach
After Golden
West
Tournament Win
Page
3»
Volume 99, Issue 3
“The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Adam Senate
/
Courier
Students pack the quad during University Day on Wednesday. Many students had their questions answered
concerning transferring, financial aid and housing by university representatives.
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Student Assaulted in Parking Lot
Police still seeking suspect in altercation over disputed parking space
Allan Santiago
News Editor
Campus police are searching for a
PCC student suspected in connection
with the beating of another student in
Lot 5 over a disputed parking space,
according to a police flier.
James Dai, 21, reportedly parked
his vehicle on the southeast comer of
Lot 5 on the fifth level at about 12:55
p.m. on March 2. The suspect parked
directly behind Dai and confronted
Dai through the passenger-side win¬
dow “claiming he was waiting first for
the parking space.”
The man then stood near Dai’s car
for a minute until Dai decided to step
out of his car.
“I did not do anything to provoke
him on the matter, and politely told
him the misunderstanding that we
both had,” said Dai, in a message to
the Courier. “Nevertheless, he was
pressing for a fight, and immediately
Jesus Gomez
/
Courier
James Dai is helped by paramedics after being allegedly assaulted on
March 2 in Lot 5. Police are still seeking the suspect involved.
and ruthlessly slammed my own car
door on me with a great force ...”
said Dai.
The police report indicates that
upon slamming the car doorframe
on Dai’s face, and Dai making his
way out of the car, the man then hit
him with closed fists six to seven
times.
Continued on page 4
Impact of Budget Cuts Limited at PCC
Jarred Tan
Contributing Writer
Despite mid-year state budget cuts,
PCC officials say the negative impact
on services will be minimal because
of the college’s large reserves.
About $45 million is to be cut from
community colleges statewide, the
smallest part of education to be hit by
the revised budget from Sacramento.
This cut will cause PCC to lose about
$2.5 million for the 2008-09 fiscal
year, said Mark Zacovic, interim
dean of administrative services.
Zacovic said he expects PCC man¬
agement to be conservative and real¬
istic, when planning budgets for the
next fiscal year, but said enrollment
will remain open and he encourages
students to plan ahead.
“We will continue to be an institu¬
tion of open enrollment and open
access,” he said. “In times like this,
students will have to be persistent and
responsible in putting together an
academic program that works for
them.”
Continued on page 4
Former Student
Found Insane
in Murder Trial
Barbara Beaser
Assistant News Editor
Former PCC student George
Wood Pigman IV will return to
court March 30 and likely be sen¬
tenced to a state mental hospital for
the duration of his sentence or until
a hearing that proves his sanity has
been restored.
Pigman, convicted of first-degree
murder Feb. 23, was subsequently
found to have been insane at the
time he killed his girlfriend,
Japanese exchange student Eimi
Yamada in May 2005.
The trial lasted about six weeks
and consisted of two parts, the guilt
phase, where the jury found him to
be guilty of first-degree
murder, and the sanity
phase. In the sanity phase
the jury found Friday that
Pigman suffered from an
acute mental disease or
defect, causing him to not
understand the nature and
quality of his act.
"The jury did a good
job," said Public Defender
Jose Colon. "They thought about it."
In the time between now and
March 30, Pigman will be evaluated
by a Community Program Director,
according to Pasadena Superior
Court Judge Lisa B. Lench. That
evaluation will determine where
Pigman will be sent and how to pro¬
ceed with his treatment.
Asked about the verdict, Deputy
District Attorney Teresa Sullivan
said she was "very disappointed.”
The defense called numerous doc¬
tors in the sanity phase who testified
that Pigman suffered from Bipolar I
disorder with psychotic features.
Bipolar disorder qualifies as a
legal insanity defense. A full-blown
personality disorder does not — and
would disqualify — an individual
from using a legal insanity defense.
The prosecution challenged that
diagnosis, calling several doctors
who told the jury Pigman had a
Mixed-Personality disorder, com¬
bining features from Narcissistic
Personality disorder and Anti-Social
Personality disorder.
The standard the jury used in the
sanity phase was the civil standard,
which is a preponderance of evi¬
dence.
Pigman will not be walking free
any time soon, according to Colon,
stressing that the restoration of his
sanity is the determining factor in
whether Pigman is released from
custody.
"George has a serious mental ill¬
ness," Colon said. "It has to be fully
controlled before anybody would
consider restoration. The possibility
exists, but the probability does not."
A restoration of sanity hearing
could go on for weeks, according to
Colon.
Detective Joseph Sheehy, who ini¬
tially investigated the murder, was
disappointed.
"First [the jury found] him guilty
of first-degree murder,
then they find him insane?
It doesn't fit," Sheehy said.
Pigman sat without
moving while the verdict
was read. His parents
thanked Colon outside of
the courtroom after
Pigman was taken back
into custody.
Yamada's family was
not in court, having gone back to
Japan several weeks earlier.
In the guilt phase Deputy DA
Sullivan called witnesses including
the arresting police officers, blood
splatter and DNA experts, and
Yamada’s neighbors and friends.
Continued on page 4
Guest Commentary:
Faculty President
Supports Athletic
Interim Dean Tate
I was disheartened to learn of the
“Vote of No Confidence’ orchestrat¬
ed by some members of the Division
of Kinesiology, Health & Athletics
(KH&A) against Interim Dean
Beverly Tate. I have known Beverly
Tate for over fifteen years. She has
always been one of the most innova¬
tive, resourceful, intelligent, and
humane voices on campus. As a
long time campus leader and an
excellent teacher in the English
Division, she has tirelessly advocat¬
ed for student success by promoting
Continued on page 5
George Pigman
Opinion:
Steroids:
Drugs have ruined
the game of baseball.
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Scene:
Facilities Workers:
Hidden heroes on the
campus.
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Lancer Life:
Cell Phones:
Students use a
variety of devices.
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