PCC Courier, May 04, 1984

PCC COURIER VOL. 57, NO. 10 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MAY 4, 1984 Nurses Hold Open House Monday By Lisa Lowery Assistant News Editor Opening its doors to the public, the campus nursing department offers a rare opportunity to celebrate the second annual National Nurses’ Day by touring the usually off-limits nursing areas. As a team effort, nursing students, faculty, staff and alumni will hold an open house between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday, May 7 in the U Building. President Ronald Reagan last year designated May 6 as National Nurses’ Day. This year Kristine de Quieroz, department chairman, said she hopes the department will become more visible within the community. She said the previous faculty cutbacks and near elimination two years ago are both key factors that contributed to the apparent failing community interest. “People call up and want to get on our waiting list,” de Quieroz stated. Then she said, “We don’t have a waiting list.” All enrollment application are being accepted for all the programs, she added. For Monday’s open house, nursing students will become tourguides for those “who have been curious as to what exactly goes on in there,” said de Queiroz. An hour program also will be held in the Forum at noon to give people a chance to learn about the various nursing programs available at the college. Refreshment will be served by alumni volunteers. Since nursing majors need to take life sciences and math along with degree and certificate requirements, low enrollment indirectly affects the other college departments. Currently about 320 students are enrolled in the small classes (10-12 students per faculty member), de Queiroz said. The faculty are limited to small classes because each student handles “life and death” matters during hands on clinical experience at one of the 20 local hospitals. As well as RN courses, the department offers courses in Licensed Vocational Nursing. And when enough students sign up, training courses are opened for Emergency Medical Technicians. Last year the ratio of graduates who passed the state registered nursing test was 100 percent. This year the ratio slipped slightly to 97 percent, according to de Queiroz. PCC’s nursing department recently received an eight-year honorary award from the National League of Nursing, a well known professional organization. This national recognition is in addition to its program approval by the Board of Registered Nursing. Open house and program information is available at the department office, 578-7225. Students Go to London, See Queen By Christine del Villar Staff Writer Dr. Phyllis Mael’s students didn’t go to London to see the queen, but ended up seeing her anyway. “It was a wonderful serendipity,” said Mael. “A commo¬ tion started while we were visiting Windsor Castle. Our guide told us to stay to see what was going on.” “It was a great treat,” said De¬ borah Rasmussen. “We got to watch the Royal army carefully put them¬ selves in formation. We saw the queen leave her private residence, get into her limo. Then we saw the parade.” Queen Elizabeth, II was greeting the Amir of Bahrain, who was in Britain on a state visit. The group, 13 students, Mael and her husband toured London and the surrounding countryside for 10 days in April. Attending plays in London’s famous West End theater district was the focus of the trip. Several students opted for one unit of Eng¬ lish credit for their experiences. The group saw six plays: “The Real Thing,” “ Venice Preserved,” “ Noises Off,” “ Measure for Meas¬ ure,” “ Merchant of Venice” and “ Guys and Dolls.” “Because of state funding the British are able to produce plays that don’t have to appeal to a large audience. Some of the plays we saw would never make it to the Ameri¬ can stage because they can’t make huge profits,” said David Tindall. “The English people like lavish productions. The costumes and sets were incredible.” “The best part is the cheap prices for theater tickets,” said Mael. “You can get excellent seats for $10. And the houses are smaller, not these gigantic places like the Shubert, but not tiny like our equity waver theaters. Most seat about 200 people. This makes for a much more intimate experience.” The group was amused by British actors attempting American ac¬ cents in the musical “Guys and LONDON THEATER TOUR GROUP— At Windsor Castle, PCC students experience the unexpected. With the Royal Army in formation, the Queen was seen leaving her residence. Dolls.” “One actor used all of the southern accents for his one charac¬ ter,” said Rasmussen. “Some ac¬ tors really hammed it up as Ameri¬ cans.” The group didn’t spend all of its time watching plays, however. “There was enough free time to explore on your own,” said Rasmussen. Helen Hanson, Donald G. Chandler, David Tindall, Lisa Russell and Jane Fuller rented a rowboats to float down the River Avon at Stratford. “For me, that was the highlight of the trip,” said Hanson. They also visited Oxford, Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge. Tour- guide Richard Byron brought Lon¬ don alive for the group “Richard knew the social history, architec¬ ture, and. countryside so well,” said Mael “He took us up a country lane lined with thatched roofed cottages. He made us promise not tell any¬ body the name of the lane, because it was not well known.” The group experienced no serious problems. “We were blessed,” said Rasmussen. But they did have ad¬ vice for anyone contemplating such a trip. “Take fewer things along,” said Fuller. “Stay longer,” was Hanson’s ad¬ vice. “If you decide to go on your own, plan your itinerary,” said Tindall. Mael had never taken a group, abroad. “Experienced colleagues warned me that chances were good we’d have problems. “I was also concerned about the vast age span of the participants (18 to over 60). But, we had a wonderful time together. They were a great group.” ONLY SECOND PLACE — John Horn, Courier editor, re¬ ceives plaque for his entry in a recent statewide journalism competition. Journalism students won 14 top awards, second most of any school in the state. Courier was awarded fifth place for general excellence. See story, page six. — Photo courtesy Ted Soqui Writers' Forum Tomorrow Professional writers will talk about knacks of the craft at the 30th Annual Writers’ Forum Saturday. Three work¬ shop sessions will be held, covering topics from getting started to the how and why of publishing your own book. The conference is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To begin the day, Ross Thomas will give the keynote address. An award¬ winning mystery writer and author of 19 novels, Thomas has written books that have been critically acclaimed and translated into 14 languages. His work¬ shop is scheduled until 10:30 a.m. Creative writing instructor and pub¬ lished author Kay Haugaard will pres¬ ent the topic “Getting Personal for Money: Writing and Selling the Per¬ sonal Essay.” Also instructor-authors Helen H. Jones and Bud Gardner will discuss topics “Getting Started” and “Successful Article Writing,” respec¬ tively, for the second session. Screenwriter Anne Snyder, freelance writer Tom Filer and children’s author Sue Alexander will talk on the subjects regarding their writing fields. Gardner also is featured during the second session in “Selling and Writing a Non¬ fiction Book.” Workshops will also be conducted by Andrew Ettinger of Harlequin Publish¬ ing Corporation, on “Dealing Suc¬ cessfully with Agents, Editors and Pub¬ lishers,” and the how and why of publishing your own book by attorney and author Karen Cutts. Cutts, inspired by a previous writers’ forum, took the writing for publication class at PCC. She recently wrote on how to rent your home and profit from the 1984 Olympics. The book is a product of Cutts’ writing philosophy: the best way to get started is to write about what you know. Her articles on investing have ap¬ peared in Savvy, Fact and Money Maker. She’ll discuss her sucsesses of self-publishing in her workshop. A fee of $30 covers all the sessions including lunch, or $10 per session. Futher information is available by call¬ ing 578-7261. Cinco de Mayo Dance Sponsored by M.ECh.A. By Karen Gury News Editor Campus Cinco de Mayo festivities culminate tomorrow night with the annual ball and coronation of the Queen and her court according to Manuel Lozano, spokesman for M.E.Ch.A (El Movimento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) and activities organizer. This year the club decided to have something other than the usual folk- loric dancers and mariacha bands. Earlier during the week the free speech area in the quad was used by Tribu de la Paz— Tribe of Peace— who played modern Mexican music. Poets recited a series of poems, and mime group Teatro de laRueda performed skits dealing with present social and politi¬ cal issues. Candidates for the Cinco de Mayo Queen compete by selling raffle tickets. The crown goes to the one earning the most money for the schol¬ arship fund. Throughout the year the club raises money for the scholarships that are awarded at the banquet in June. Last year $3,000 was awarded for scholar¬ ships. Tomorrow nights festivities are open to anyone. Tickets may be purchased at the table in the quad or from club members. The festivities begin at 5 p.m. with the coronation scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The dancing continues until 1:30 a.m. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a victory in Mexican history, the defeat of the French May 5. 1862 at Puebla. This victory acted as a source of inspiration to the Mexicans proving that the armies of Napoleon III were not invincile. Study Grants Available To Ashland By Karen Gury News Editor The fifth annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland is for lovers of theater, and for the first time five $350 study grants will be awarded by the English Department to students showing financial need. “Isn’t it won¬ derful! $350 will cover all expenses; transportation, food, everything,” said Dr. Phyllis Mael enthusiastically. “From Page to Performance” offers two options, each carrying transfer credits. English IB, introduction to drama, poetry and short fiction taught by Jill Geare or English 35, major dramatist taught by Mael. Applications for the study grants are due Tuesday, May 8, by 4 p.m. in C217 — the English and foreign language department office. A selection committee comprised of Dr. Rae Ballard, Mael, Jill Geare and Glenn Schoenfeld will review the ap¬ plications and select 10 to 15 candidates who will advance to the next level in the selection process. Candidates chosen to be interviewed will be notified by phone and then a list will be posted in C217 on Friday, May 11. The interviews, lasting no longer than 10 minutes, will begin at noon on Tuesday, May 15. Each candidate must appear at his posted time in order to be eligible. All interviews will be con¬ ducted in the English department lounge, C245. Applicants must be PCC students carrying at least six units majoring in English, theater or a related major. They must have already completed at least six units previously and have a grade point average of 2.5 on courses completed here. In addition applicants must provide a faculty member refer¬ ence from within their major and write a paragraph stating their interest in and motivation for attending “From Page to Performance.” The group of about 40 going to Ashland will be housed in the dormitory on the campus of Southern Oregon State College, about one and one quar¬ ter miles from the theaters. After eating breakfast in the cafeteria, stu¬ dents will attend classes taught in the dormitory lounge by actors, directors and other professionals of the 150- member repertory company. “Ashland is a total immersion in the theater,” said Mael. Ashland, which Mael describes as a charming town setting in a valley in the rolling hillside of Southwestern Ore¬ gon, has three theaters. The outdoor Elizabethan Stage, The Black Swan, and The Angus Bowmer Theater. Seven plays including Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’and Shakespeare’s “Henry VIII” and “Taming of the Shrew” will be per¬ formed. The $230 dollars for the week in¬ cludes seven nights lodging (double occupancy room), seven full break¬ fasts, theater tickets for seven plays, a backstage tour of the three theaters, daily class sessions taught by professionals in the theater, and insur¬ ance. Transportation to and from Ashland is the responsibility of each individual. In the past attendees have arrived by plane, train, bus and automobile; the favorite and most economical is private auto. Car pools cut costs and can be arranged at the orientation meeting and registration June 18, 6 to 8:15 p.m. in C301. Irene and Walter Black enjoyed their trip to Ashland so much two years ago they are returning. “The plays were so well done” said Irene. “I particularily enjoyed seeing ‘Julius Caesar’ per¬ formed with modern touches. It was very dramatic.” Irene also said that the variety of mix in the ages of the tour group, ranging from late teens, early 20’s to senior citizens added to the experience. “When you have that kind of mix of ages you get interesting input in the discussions, ” she said. Applications for “From Page to Per¬ formance” and the study grant are available in C217. Additional informa¬ tion is available from either participat¬ ing faculty members Mael, 578-7428, or Geare, 578-7427. OUTDOOR ELIZABETHAN STAGE— One of three theaters used by the 1 50-member repertory company performing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. This semester, five students will receive $350 Study grants. —Photo Courtesy of Hank Kranzler