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Pasadena City College
Track & Field
Team emerges
from Invitational
in top form
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* Volume 103, Issue 4
‘The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1 915."
Thursday, March 17, 2011
March in March
Bao Mang
/
Courier
An estimated 13,000 students from California colleges, including PCC, gather on Monday for a rally in Sacramento for the
", March in March" to protest budget cuts in higher education.
Students protest in state Capitol
PCC group participates in
statewide rally against cuts
Natalie Sehn Weber
Web Editor
A group of PCC students joined thou¬
sands in a protest march to the state's
Capitol on Monday.
An estimated 13,000 students from
community and state colleges across
California participated in the March In
March, an annual event in Sacramento to
promote education.
This year, the demonstrators voiced
objection to recent dramatic cuts to high¬
er education funding.
PCC student Simon Fraser, 23, mathe¬
matics, felt it important that students
participate in state politics.
"We have a responsibility to make our
voices heard in Sacramento and push for
more money for the community college
system," said Fraser.
On a day forecasted to be dry, the
young activists marched to the Capitol's
steps and stood in pouring rain for more
than two hours. Only a few had brought
umbrellas.
AS member and theater major Joseph
Garcia, 22, chose to spend his birthday in
Sacramento, despite the fact that finan¬
cial aid covers his college education.
"It's raining but who cares?" said
Garcia. "I'm here to fight against the
(potential) $40 increase in student fees. A
lot of people can't afford that."
Garcia was referring to a recent recom¬
mendation by the Legislative Analyst's
Office, a nonpartisan fiscal advisory that
monitored the development of the state's
new budget. Gov. Jerry Brown has pro¬
posed a 40 percent increase to student
Continued on page 7
New retirement incentive contract
language has FA members up in arms
Amrah Khan
Managing Editor
Heated words were exchanged at
Tuesday's Academic Senate forum as
administration and faculty argued over new
retirement incentives. At issue was the right
of retirees to return as part-time teachers.
As a large percentage of retirees prefer to
return to PCC to teach on a part-time basis,
many faculty members at the meeting were
perturbed when 40 minutes into the open
forum Lyle Engeldinger, dean of human
resources, said, "If you're going to take the
early retirement incentive, please do so
without the idea that you're going to be
rehired."
Engeldinger added that there would be
opportunities for full-time faculty to apply
for the adjunct positions that would open
up once they retire, but reiterated that with
the poor fiscal state of the college, retirees
should still "take this plan without the guar¬
antee of being rehired."
These words caused an outcry amongst
faculty members in attendance. "That's not
what was said in negotiations," interrupted
Daniel Hamman, coordinator for the learn¬
ing assistance center. "I was there."
Several other faculty members were
shocked at this stance-reversal also, with
Continued on page 7
Art Lemus
/
Courier
PCC President Mark Rocha
speaks at the Friendship
Baptist Church in Pasadena on
Sunday.
New top
executives
on the way
President announces new positions,
faculty group raises questions
Natalie Sehn Weber
Web Editor
Two new vice president positions will be created
and two dean positions will be upgraded to vice pres¬
ident, President Mark Rocha told the College Council
on March 9.
Rocha said the two new positions, a vice president
of legal affairs and compliance and a vice president of
information technology, were necessary and that
upgrading the dean positions was appropriate con¬
sidering the level of work the positions entailed.
Roger Marheine, president of the faculty associa¬
tion, questioned whether the addition of the positions
was a wise choice after the elimination of 300 sections
was announced just last week.
"Is it a good thing to expand the number of vice
presidents, with the salaries that are equivalent to
[those] positions?" asked Marheine.
Marheine questioned how much more money
would be involved in funding the new vice president
positions and if their hiring would send the right mes¬
sage to PCC.
Rocha responded the new positions would be fund¬
ed through savings created by expected retirements
as well as upcoming cuts in administration and staff
positions.
Additionally, he said the vice president of legal
affairs and compliance would replace the expensive
outside legal counsel currently being used.
He said the positions of interim dean of human
resources (currently Lyle Engeldinger) and interim
dean of educational services (currently Bob Miller)
were the positions to be upgraded.
The search will also include the positions of interim
vice president of administrative services, held by
Richard Van Pelt, and interim vice president of stu-
Continued on page 7
President speaks at church
Alexander Volz
Staff Writer
PCC President Mark Rocha spoke at Friendship
Baptist Church in Pasadena on Sunday as part of
PCC's "Super Education Sunday."
Rocha channeled his inner pastor at the pulpit and
said, "I have a congregation too." He then explained
how PCC and the Friendship Baptist Church were
built a year apart from each other saying that the two
establishments' "destinies are yoked."
"Super Education Sunday" is an outreach program
to make African-Americans aware of the academic
programs and support opportunities available at
PCC.
Rocha shared a story about Jackie Robinson's rough
start as a gang member and his time at PCC when it
was Pasadena Junior College.
Continued on page 7
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Opening night
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Gas prices
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