Svonkin Reelected
Student Trustee Wins in
to Second Term
Landslide
by Keith Gustafson
Editor in Chief
It might be compared to the L.A. Lakers/San Antonio
Spurs blowout or even the infamous Sitting Bull/Custer
massacre. While the PCC Student Trustee election outcome
won’t make the history books, it was just as lopsided as these
historical trouncings.
Scott Svonkin will return to the office of Student Trustee
on May 15 after winning the election held Tuesday and
Wednesday. Svonkin defeated Martin Enriquez-Marquez 308
votes to 152. Fifteen votes were cast for write in candidates.
“I believe the margin was so large because the student
body knows me and knows what I’ve done,” said Svonkin.
“The students that actively participate and know what’s
going on chose to support me so I can continue working on
issues that I’ve been addressing and new issues, so the
college will better serve their needs.”
“I’m really excited that Scott won the election,” said Jim
Mares, AS President. “I endorsed him from the beginning, I
feel he’s done a great job as student trustee and will continue
to improve.”
Presently, Svonkin’s major concern is to get his parking
proposal adopted by the Board of Trustees. According
Svonkin, the Parking Committee, Sub-Committee, the AS
Board and the Faculty Senate have all given some support or
endorsement to the plan. Svonkin plans to finish up his
Student Parking Survey by mid-May and will then present
the results to the Parking Committee which he hopes will
send it to the board with its backing. The Parking Commit¬
tee’s decision will be based on the results of Svonkin’s
survey. “I feel that my proposal is universally accepted by
the student body,” said Svonkin. “They realize that some¬
thing must be done with this parking problem and that a
sinking parking fund is necessary to make any improve¬
ments.”
“In my new term I will try to represent students better,”
said Svonkin. “I want to go to classes, but that just isn’t
enough. The one thing that would really help me better
represent the students is if they come to me and express
their concerns or problems. That way I can make sure the
college is addressing the needs of the students.”
A total of 480 ballots were cast, much less than the 808
tallied in last year’s election. Despite the apathetic turnout,
Svonkin still managed to pull in 10 more votes this year,
while spending less money and campaigning only on the days
of the election.
“I felt as the incumbent that I only needed to campaign the
days of the election,” said Svonkin. “I only spoke with one
class and a half dozen clubs.”
According to Alvar Kauti, dean of student services, this
election was the cleanest election he has seen in 10 years. In
this year’s election several new rules were introduced to
tighten the loopholes. “Dan Stuart (Supreme Council) and
myself sat down and wrote up the new rules,” said Kauti.
“This is the first election that I have not received any
complaints.”
Svonkin will continue to act as the student representative
to the Board of Trustees, introducing current plans and new
programs to the board. “The main responsibility of the
student trustee is to voice the concerns of the students,” said
Svonkin. “I’ve done that this year and will continue.”
PCC
GET "THE KNACK"
COURIER
8 P.M., MAY 9-10
LITTLE THEATER
VOL. 62, NO. 10
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
MAY 2, 1986
Financial Aid Bill Lapses
Awards Cut or Reduced
By John Willis
News Editor
The clock on financial aid for higher
education is running out, Diane
Tsukamaki, president of the Western
Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators (WASFAA) told a press
conference Monday. The Higher
Education Act which provides mone¬
tary support to those attending univer¬
sities and colleges expires September
30. ■
Renewing this bill has not been a
priority of the current administration,
said Congressman William D. Ford (D-
Mich). Therefore it became necessary
to draft a compromise to avert a crisis
in student financial aid. If it passes, the
new bill, H.R. 3700, will provide nearly
$8 billion in federal student aid pro¬
grams.
The money is desperately needed
since the administration has already
cut $215 million from this year’s
budget, in addition to the $154 million
slashed by Gramm-Rudman, said Dr.
A. Dallas Martin, president of the
National Association of Student Finan¬
cial Aid Administrators. Even if Con¬
gress does supply additional funding,
approximately 300,000 students will
have to be dropped from the Pell Grant
program this fall and another 600,000
will receive reduced awards.
It is important to meet the educa¬
tional needs of both young people and
older persons who have lost their jobs
and need retraining, said Ford. “You
carTtfgO back later and' patch up people
who have been damaged.”
The changes in the new bill involve a
shift in authority. There will be a closer
scrutiny of families' ability to pay, but
a larger portion of the decision-making
power is going to be given to financial
aid officers on campus. They have
demonstrated themselves to be
trustworthy with the taxpayers’
money, said Ford.
It is hoped that circumventing the
Department of Education will alleviate
the proliferation of paperwork that has
existed. Every bureaucracy in Wash¬
ington has shown itself to be an
“amateur” next to the Department of
Education when it comes to writing
long and cumbersome legislation.
In response to questions about stu¬
dent fraud and abuse, Ford stated that,
despite charges made by economic
advisor David Stockman and a massive
investigation, no cases of student fraud
or abuse have been discovered. Ford
also claimed that the rate of students
defaulting on loans is five percent
nationally, and that this is largely due
to unemployment or financial dif¬
ficulties, not deliberate non-payment.
Ford also criticized the administra¬
tion for putting its priority on national
defense instead of education. “How
many navies do we need?” he asked.
Ford is the ranking majority mem¬
ber of the House Committee on Educa¬
tion and Labor, which writes virtually
all federal education legislation, and
has been appointed to the National
Commission on Student Financial As¬
sistance.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT-The PCC student chapter of the Laser Institute of America will host a Laser
Technology and Career Exposition May 8 - 10 at the Los Angeles World Trade Center from 10 a.m. until
6. The event will feature exhibits and seminars. The exposition is open to the public and free of charge.
— Courier photo by Steve May
Student Designers Celebrate Fashion at 'Centennial Celebration'
IE'S GOT THE LOOKIStudent Patrice Sumida models student designer Edde
lyon Doyne's latest fashion design. This and other designs will be featured at the
ident Designer Fashion Show on May 9.
a _ Courier Photo bv Mike Luna. Story by Cara Pitts.
The PCC apparel arts department will present its 4th Annual Student
Designer Fashion Show on Friday, May 9, at 8 p.m. in Sexson
Auditorium. In honor of Pasadena’s 100th anniversary, the theme of
this year’s show is “Centennial Fashion Celebration.”
The show will feature introductory historical notes, accompanied by
a display of 100 years of fashion trends, and over 80 contemporary
garments in the following categories: “9 to 5,” sportswear and evening
wear.
Throughout the semester, the apparel arts students have independen¬
tly designed, patterned, constructed and tailored the featured gar¬
ments. The historical costumes from the show’s centennial segment
have been loaned from the costume technician studies division at L.A.
College theater department.
“Although the show is sponsored by apparel arts, it is an in¬
terdisciplinary program involving students from many different areas
on campus such as communications, merchandise management,
graphic arts, sign arts, printing and cosmetology,” said Karlene
Cunningham, apparel arts department head.
PCC students have been selected to model the featured garments.
According to model Patrice Sumida, “participating in the show has
been really fun. I enjoy modeling and working with the designers.”
This production is also “an excellent opportunity for student
designers to display their work for the professional fashion world,”
said Cunningham.
One of the show’s featured designers, Edde Belyon Doyne, who has
studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Trade Tech, and
currently attends PCC, is hoping to receive a positive response to her
fashions in which she has titled “Contemporary Classics.” “There’s a
difference in knowing yourself that you are good and having someone
else tell you that you are good,” Doyne said.
In addition to the May 9 show on campus, selected garments from the
show will be on display in a three dimensional exhibit at the California
Mart Galleria in downtown Los Angeles, May 19-23.
In past years, the fashion show has been held in the Forum which
seats 330. This year, however, the production will be presented in
Sexson Auditorium which has a much greater seating capacity. “We
don’t like to turn away any of our audience,” Cunningham said.
Admission to the fashion show is a $4 donation. Tickets are available
at the student bank or at the door on the night of the event. For more
information, contact Karlene Cunningham in the Art Office at 578-7238.
Instructors Take Gold Crown Awards
By Natalie Shore
Feature Editor
The Pasadena Art Council will officially recognize PCC’s
David Schnabel, art department chairman, and sculpture
instructor Charles Lewis with the Council’s Gold Crown Award
in a formal luncheon to be held May 5 at the Shakespeare Club.
Both instructors received the honor in the “visual arts”
category, one of approximately one dozen categories in which
artists and dedicated local patrons may be honored.
A tradition since 1965, the Gold Crown Award recognizes
overall, life-long achievement. The committee reviews a com¬
posite of the nominee’s career, according to Suzanne Bravender,
PCC art instructor and committee member of the visual arts
category. “We look for high standards of achievement in each
artists’ speciality, the candidate’s background, the level of
maturity of their work, slides, portfolios, etc.”
Schnabel’s and Lewis’ respective overall accomplishments
in painting and sculpture earned them their place among past
Gold Crown recipients. They bring the total of honored PCC art
faculty members to seven.
“The judges were unanimous,” said Bravender, who
expressed “total delight” at the honors paid to her PCC
colleagues.
The honor is particularly timely for Schnabel who retires
this spring after 19 years of teaching, the last eight of which he
served as art department chair. “The timing is nice. It’s a ‘cap,’
if you will.”
Schnabel, who has served on the council’s awards commit¬
tee in the past, pointedout that the honor is usually awarded to
artists who have long since established themselves and earned
the respect of the art world. “The award is a recognition of
recognition,” said Schnabel, “it is singular, separate, and
unique in terms of the kinds of awards usually given in our
field.”
Candidates for the Gold Crown are representative of the art
community of the greater San Gabriel Valley, according to
Nancy Carter, council member. “Anyone may nominate, not
just Council members, but they must submit a complete
portfolio in support of their nominee.”
While awarding the Gold Crown is an annual event, the
outcome does not conform to a standard number of persons
recognized or awards given. “The committee reserves the right
not to give the award because the council seeks to maintain a
standard of excellence. As a result, the number of recipients and
the categories of award vary from year to year,” explained
Carter. In addition to the category of visual arts, the council
also recognizes excellence in the areas of performing artists,
performing youth, writing, music, patrons of the art, education,
community and business support of the arts.
The Pasadena Arts Council is a private, non-profit or¬
ganization dedicated to support of community arts. The or¬
ganization intends to exhibit selected works of Schnabel and
Lewis in their Plaza Pasadena gallery sometime this spring.
