VOL. 86 NO. 24
www.pcc-courieronline.com
March 29, 2001
Inside
A Different View
Although Spring Break
is only a few days
away, multi-award win¬
ning columnist Jon
Heller decided to go on
vacation a bit early.
Heller, and the 'Courier'
return in two weeks.
Tips from experts
Hundreds of budding
writers descend on
Pasadena City College
for the 47th annual
Writer's Forum.
Attendees got to rub
shoulders and get
advice from prominent
screenwriters, novelists
and poets.
SEE PAGE 2
Softball Wins
PCC's softball team contin¬
ues its winning ways, by
shutting out El Camino
College 6-0. The Lancers
now set their sights on the
SCC playoff race.
SEE PAGE 3
Coming
soo™
Library cameras
PCC's Shatford Library
installs surveillance cam¬
eras to keep an eye on stu¬
dents.
Online Taxes
The 'Courier' takes a look
at filing your income taxes
online. Is it safe? Is it
more convenient? Our
John Kaufeldt brings you an
in-depth report.
College wins discrimination lawsuit
Jury returns with 11-1 verdict in favor of the district in a case pitting an officer against his department
By Vincent D'Orazi
Staff Writer
PCC came out the winner in
a lawsuit that charged the cam¬
pus police department with
racial discrimination.
A jury concluded that college
employees did not “intentionally
discriminate” against campus
police officer Leroy Henderson
based on his race.
Henderson, who has worked
at PCC for over 25 years,
charged that the college had
“instituted an intentional,
oppressive and malicious process
of disparate treatment” against
him.
He also claimed that he had
been “repeatedly subjected to
humiliation and harassment” by
college employees.
The jury of seven women and
five men voted 1 1 to 1 in favor
of the college on Monday at the
Pasadena Municipal Courthouse.
Henderson said that the ver¬
dict was a “big disappointment”
for him.
“Nowadays, a discrimination
case, especially against a big
school, is very hard to prove,
and 1 knew that going in,” said
Henderson.
“This case was tough, because
1 really believe that my client
had been treated ufairly,” said C.
Brent Scott, Henderson’s attor¬
ney, who has handled discrimi¬
nation cases, for the past 18
years.
Scott stated that the jury
could not make the connection
that made racial motivation a
factor in Henderson’s unfair
treatment.
Henderson and Scott were
both unhappy with the way the
judge handled the case.
“Being my first experience
with a lawsuit, I was abhorred to
see a judge be so biased,” said
Henderson.
“They threw out most of the
stuff that would’ve won my case
for me.”
“In 20 years I’ve never had
the type of battle that we had to
get in evidence that this judge
wanted to exclude,” explained
Scott.
“He felt it wasn’t relevant, but
I disagreed strongly. So that’s an
issue we may look at on an
appeal.”
PCC was represented by
Dennis Walsh, of Walsh and
Declues, a firm that specializes
in representing employers in dis¬
crimination and harassment
cases.
Photo Courtesy Bruce Carter
Bruce Carter (left) and an assistant examine whale intestines during last year’s science junket to Baja California.
Students explore
By Lisa Rodriguez
Staff Writer
What better way is there to satisfy your science
requirements than to spend 18 fun-filled days
down south of the border? That is exactly what
the Baja Science Program is inviting students to do
this summer. One group just left for Baja last
Saturday to complete requirements for Biology 14 and Geology 1. But
don’t worry, opportunity still awaits you this summer as the second
trip approaches on July 16 thru Aug. 2.
Now going on its fifth year, Pasadena
City College’s nationally acclaimed pro¬
gram has enabled the Baja Science
Program to create a science curriculum
targeted specifically towards students that
are able to learn better by experiencing
science first hand rather than just by read¬
ing or listening about it in class.
Imagine not having to deal with stuffy
classrooms during the summer but
instead driving down the coast as your
enjoying the panoramic and breathtaking
views that Baja has lots to offer.
While on the trip students will mostly be staying at the field
research stations, but will have the chance to camp out four or five
nights in tents that will be located in desert grounds and on nearby
beaches.
Students will be learning science while they are hiking through the
desert, badlands and mountains, kayaking in tropical waters during
both day and night and snorkeling in the tropical crystalline lagoons.
Photo Courtesy Bruce Carter
see Baja Trip, page 2
“In this case, despite his con¬
stant claims of racial bias, he
presented no evidence to this
jury that his race had anything
to do with any of the decisions
that were made,” said Walsh.
Walsh also said that after the
trial, the jury “was pretty
adamant about the fact that they
just did not see his race as an
issue.”
According to Sherry Hassan,
PCC’s director of business serv¬
ices, “The school is required to
pay for all its legal fees associat¬
ed with defending the college in
any claim against the district.”
She added that this case will
end up costing the school
approximately $60,000.
Philip Mullendore, director of
safety services, who was named
in the lawsuit said, “We are
relieved the case is over, and the
jury’s verdict indicates that there
was no racial discrimination in
our department.”
“I also want to go on record
saying that Officer Henderson
was never arrested.”
On Monday evening,
Henderson returned to work at
PCC, after hearing the verdict
earlier that day.
“Quite naturally, it’s going to
be a very stressful environment,
but I’m just going to come to
work and do my job,” said
Henderson. He also said that he
has no plans to leave PCC any¬
time soon.
Correction: Last week, the
‘Courier’ reported that Leroy
.
fact, he was never arrested. A
criminal uunpiamt was i tied
against him.
Spanish language
newspaper gets
set for April debut
‘El Lancero’ is a student-produced effort
By Mike Cervantes
Staff Writer
Stop the presses, PCC is going
to have another newspaper on
campus. “El Lancero,” the col¬
lege’s first Spanish newspaper,
will be making its debut this
semester after only about a month
of planning.
The idea originated from PCC
student Michael Escobar, who
approached associate professor
Lola Proano-Gomez in his
Spanish 4 class about the possibil¬
ity of this new publication.
Escobar, who is not a native
Spanish speaker, but has taken
Spanish 1-5, will be the editor in
chief.
“It’s taken a few weeks to have
meetings and interviews and
finally having it approved by the
English and Foreign Languages
division. There’s a big community
of Spanish speaking people, and
there’s a need for a newspaper. I’m
really excited about it,” Escobar
said.
Proano-Gomez and instructor
Jennifer Garson-Shapiro will be
the advisers for “El Lancero.”
“Right now we’re recruiting writ¬
ers from our Spanish classes. I’ve
gotten a lot of volunteers. People
are very enthusiastic to write,”
said Garson-Shapiro.
“El Lancero” is going to start
off small. It will consist of four 8
and a half-by-11 pages, with a
projected two issues this semes¬
ter.
About 500 copies will be dis¬
tributed across the campus. The
goal is to make “El Lancero” a
monthly publication and then
apply for a Partnership for
Excellence Grant. As of right now,
the newspaper will be printed in
Duplicating Services.
“This whole thing was started
by a student, that’s very impor¬
tant. This will be good to publish
activities that are happening in
Latin American Issues through
the Arts.
It will help students a lot in
Spanish classes. They’ll have
something other than the text¬
book to read on campus,”
Proano-Gomez said.
The actual content of the paper
will include articles about issues
of the Hispanic world and Latinos
in the United States. Poetry,
restaurant reviews, political car¬
toons and cultural calendars will
make up the rest of “El Lancero.”
Escobar said, “I think it’ll be
very interesting. 1 think a lot of
people would read it regularly. I
hope it will be an institution
when I’m gone. It’s not all about
what kind of talent you have; it’s
if you’re willing to work. I’ve been
talking to people and they’ve been
saying ‘wow, that’s a great idea.’”
Fliers have been posted all
around the campus about the up-
and-coming newspaper. “El
Lancero” is still looking for writ¬
ers, photographers and volun¬
teers to get things started.
“Most people that live in Los
Angeles know someone that
speaks Spanish. It’s rare not to
know anyone that doesn’t read or
speak it,” said Garson-Shapiro.
“This should inspire some stu¬
dents to read in Spanish and
they’ll be able to read things writ¬
ten by their peers. I think that’s
exciting,”
For more information on “El
Lancero” call Proano-Gomez at
(626) 585-7664. Garson-Shapiro
can be reached at (626) 585-
7181.
Photo courtesy CDC
Toddlers enjoy a winter wonderland
at the CDC’s annual “snow day.”
Dashing through the snow at the CDC
By Bethany Johnson
Staff Wrjter
On one of the hottest days of 2001 this month,
while people in Pasadena were slipping on their
sandals and putting away their jackets in antici¬
pation of spring, the kids at PCC’s Child Development
Center (CDC) bundled up in their gloves and coats to
play in the snow.
North Hollywood Ice hauled three large trucks carry¬
ing 13 tons of snow to the CDC on March 13 for Snow
Day. They came in the early morning hours to blow the
snow into the playground with huge ice blowers.
Parents raised $1,200 throughout the semester to pay
for the CDC’s third annual Snow Day. The CDC parent
team, which is involved in decision making, votes each
year on how the money they fundraise will be spent.
“So far it’s always hands down that they love to provide
the snow for the kids,” said Nicki Harmon, the CDC
director.
Various fundraisers and donations helped fund Snow
Day this year. Among them: Target donated a percentage
of what parents charged on their Target charge card,
Noah’s Bagels donated bagels for the CDC to sell, and par¬
ents asked companies to make donations to the CDC.
“All these little pots of money just add up, and as soon
as we hit the mark we get snow,” said Harmon.
Even North Hollywood Ice made a donation, bringing
the kids an extra ton of snow for free.
Throughout the day the children visited the snow one
class at a time. For about an hour, the children threw
snowballs and slid down a snow ramp that was built over
bales of hay. Even the adults joined in.
“Our parents got in the snow, and the teachers slid
down the ramp,” Harmon said. “They loved it too.”
Snow Day was a long time in coming this year. It orig¬
inally had been scheduled two weeks earlier, but rainy
days forced the kids to wait.
“It’s been a long three weeks because we had to cancel
twice,” said Harmon. “The kids saw snow on the moun¬
tains and couldn’t wait to have it here too.”
The children adore Snow Day. Harmon says many of
>► SEE SnOW, PAGE 3
