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The Summer
of Culture
English division now accepting
applications for Ashland trip
Badminton Smiles
for the Birdie
PboTo Essay
Lancers on their way to
the top of the conference
Art Night Lights Up
Campus
Campus Scholars Program
Attracts More Students
Hudson Hou
Staff Writer
Most PCC students know that
they want to transfer, but what
they might not know is that PCC
offers one of the state's most high¬
ly regarded transfer programs.
With applications far exceeding
spots at the University of California
and the Cal States, students know that
getting in will only get harder. The
increasing competition may explain
why more students are turning to
PCC's Scholars Program, a widely
respected, if little-known, program
that assists students who intend to
transfer to four-year universities.
Founded in the mid-1980s in a
partnership with UCLA, the Scholars
Program as part of the state-wide
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) was
formed to encourage more student
transfers from community colleges,
said Joseph Sierra, Scholars Program
coordinator.
The Scholars Program takes two
years on average to complete, and
those students who successfully
complete it receive different levels
of consideration from the various
participating colleges, he added.
For UC Riverside, students are
guaranteed admissions upon com¬
pletion of the Scholars Program.
For UCLA, students are guaran¬
teed what Sierra described as "pri¬
ority consideration."
"The priority status has helped
us a lot. We have pretty much a 95
percent acceptance rate," he said.
In the fall of 2002, for example,
609 PCC students applied for trans¬
fer to UCLA. Of those 609 students,
40 of 41 scholars applicants were
accepted, a 97 percent acceptance
rate, compared to 233 of 568 non¬
scholars accepted, a 41 percent
acceptance rate. Sierra said.
Fie is careful to note, however,
that in spite of the program's suc¬
cess "the student is never given a
guarantee [of admissions] by UCLA
or any of the colleges."
Funded through allocations in the
college's budget and Partnership For
Excellence (PFE) grants, the Scholars
Program was designed to be inclusive
rather than exclusive, Sierra said.
At other colleges, students in the
Flonors Program, comparable to
PCC's Scholars Program, take classes
apart from other students, said
Sierra.
PCC wanted the Scholars
Program to be inclusive and to pre¬
vent, what Sierra
described as a "brain
drain."
To that see page
end, the pro¬
gram, has Scholars
Jaime Castaneda/Courier
Head Coach Joe Peron goes over strategy during a thirty-second time out at the
women's basketball championship game on March 13. See the related story on page 7.
Crystal Samuelian
Photo Editor
More than 10,000 community
college students from all over
California descended on the
Capitol building in Sacramento on
Monday. A swarm of students were
there to protest Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's proposed budg¬
et and to lobby legislators to freeze
tuition at $18 per unit.
While about 45 PCC students
joined the thousands rallying out¬
side, a smaller contingent invaded
the inner halls of the legislature to
lobby members of the state assem¬
bly in person. Despite heightened
security and a very visible California
Highway Patrol presence, attitudes
within the Capitol building were
very positive if not altogether sup¬
portive of the students' position.
Secretary of Education and for¬
mer Los Angeles mayor Richard
Riordan supports the governor's
proposed budget, which would
impose a $26-per-unit fee on com¬
munity college students beginning
in the fall semester.
"I don't think it's the problem
people say," Riordan explained.
"We've been losing money from
Pell grants," he added. California
community college students have
not been receiving the maximum
amount of federal funding they
could get through Pell grants
because their cost of education is
low compared to other states. At
the proposed fee level, they would
be eligible for the full amount.
PCC's lobbyists weren't solely
concerned with the per-
unit cost and admission
problems. They also cov¬
ered steep See page
fee hikes . . .
Lobby
Jessica Pirkl
Staff Writer
Kenny Kimura/Courier
PCC students and faculty march to the state capital to protest a community college fee increase of 44 percent pro¬
posed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. They were among 109 other campuses who attended the Monday event
Acclaimed Artist to Visit Campus
Priscilla Moreno
Managing Editor
PCC students get your portfo¬
lios ready! World-renowned,
multi-talented artist Michael C.
McMillen will share his expertise
with students on campus next
week. The latest participant in the
college's "Artist-in-Residence"
program will work in the gallery,
talk to classes and lecture during
his week-long visit from March 22
to the 26.
Los Angeles-born, McMillen has
been working in the art community
since he attended UCLA. He started
as a science major, but realized he
could contribute more to the art
world with inter¬
esting creations.
He has used those
scientific influ¬
ences for work on
films such as
"Blade Runner"
and "Close
Encounters of the
Third Kind."
McMillen will
begin his residen¬
cy at PCC with a
welcome in the art
gallery beginning at 9 a.m. He will
give a public lecture at 7 p.m. in
the forum, followed by a recep¬
tion and exhibition opening in the
art gallery. At that time he will dis¬
cuss his installation
"Silent Film." Which
he describes as, "a
stream of conscious¬
ness filmstrip."
During the
remainder of the
week, McMillen will
be working in sever¬
al art classes, such as
advanced drawing,
art history and in
the sculpture lab.
On Tuesday,
March 23, he will review student
portfolios in R125 from 1:30 p.m.
to 3 p.m. When the artist isn't in a
classroom or lecture setting, he
will be working in the art gallery.
The week will end with
McMillen presenting a piece of his
artwork to the campus in the art
gallery at 2:15 p.m. on Friday.
All the events for the week are
free and open to the public,
including class lectures and les¬
sons.
For those who are interested in
seeing Michael C. McMillen at
work, the art gallery hours are
Monday though Friday, noon to 4
p.m. Evenings it is open Monday
through Thursday from 6 p.m.
until 8 p.m.
A schedule of artist-in-resi-
dence activities will be available in
the art gallery. His gallery exhibit
will run through April 23.
The day began well before dawn
for the 52 PCC students and advisers
who were ready to march, rally and
lobby in Sacramento on Monday,
March 15. It was planes, trains and
automobiles for the group ready to
take on the Capitol.
The group had one goal in mind,
to be heard by the California legisla¬
tive powers. Working in conjunction
with thousands of other like-minded
California college students and
instructors, it came to march to
protest the governor's proposed
budget.
The proposals will negatively
affect all California college students,
especially, and most noticeably, the
109 community colleges and their
students.
The march began at Raly field,
and through dust and scorching
heat the diligent protesters made
their way to the Capitol steps chant¬
ing and cheering the whole way.
"What do we want? Education.
When do we want it? NOW!" could
be heard amidst the hoots, honks
and hollers from passersby.
The voices in the crowd were
strong, including the voice of Henry
Selva, 18-year-old PCC student and
protester. "I am here like many to let
the nation know that we are not
afraid to speak our minds, to let them
know what the students want."
There was a feeling of solidarity as
university and community college stu¬
dents alike joined in the rally, all
marching side by side.
It was a vision that mir¬
rored the California Student f
Association of Community
Colleges 5ee page
mantras for
the day; PCC Rally
Making PCC History in San Diego
The Courier has been
SERVING THE PCC AND
Pasadena community
since 1915.
Voi. 89, No. 18 March 18, 2004
California Community College Students
Voice Their Opinions in Sacramento
PCC Lobby
Committee
Fights to Keep
Tuition Down
Thousands Hock
to Sacramento
to Protest the
Governor's
Budget Plans
/