Thursday, May 4
The
Pasadena City College
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■ Things go from
bad to worse for
the Lancer base¬
ball team who
have dropped
eight of its last 10
games. The
squad is hoping
for a stong finish
out the season.
Ill
Proposed ‘boost?’
College
may pull in
big bucks
An extra $560 million could be in store for
106 community colleges , including PCC
By Tim Alves
Courier Staff Writer
Signaling the increasing
power of community colleges
with lawmakers, the State
Assembly and Senate have pro¬
posed doubling Gov. Gray Davis’
tentative budget allotment for
two-year schools. The political
one-up-manship could translate
into a huge windfall for two-year
public institutions across
California.
Incoming Assembly Speaker
Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman
Oaks) is backing a plan to give
the state’s 106 community col¬
leges an extra $560 million on
top of its $3.9 billion budget. If
approved, it would be one of the
largest single boosts since 1990,
and it underscores the clout com¬
munity colleges are wielding in
Sacramento.
“I think the state now views
community colleges as the col¬
lege of the people. We have the
largest majority of students mak¬
ing the transition from education
into the workforce,” said Rod
Fleeman, vice president of
administrative services.
The Assembly and Senate
backed plan would more than
double the $267.1 million the
governor proposed for two-year
state colleges in early January.
The new spending levels, would
set aside $144.5 million for
growth, $95 million Partnership
for Excellence, $80 million for
the hiring of full-time instructors
and expand part-time faculty
benefits and $28 million for stu¬
dent outreach programs.
When spending for education,
the legislators have overlooked
the community college system.
However, rallying support for
two-year colleges may be getting
easier because more and more
lawmakers themselves have
come through the community
college system or had direct ties
to it, much like Assemblyman
Jack Scott, former PCC presi¬
dent.
“Over the last 10 years, K-12,
CSUs and Ucs received the bulk
of the budget increases, while
community colleges were kept at
either the same funding levels or
actually received less than the
previous year,” said Fleeman.
If approved during the sum¬
mer budget talks, the financial
windfall would also benefit pro¬
grams such as Extended
Opportunity Programs and
Services (EOPS) abd the
Disables Student Programs and
Services. Another $103.1 million
would be set aside for a cost-of-
living adjustment and $10 mil¬
lion for maintenance and upkeep.
“With these numbers, PCC
can expect about 2 percent of any
approved amount,” said Fleeman.
For instance, the $80 million for
Partnership for Excellence would
amount to $1.6 million for PCC.
Since the budget relies largely
on the tax dollars collected,
Davis proposed a conservative
budget in early January not
knowing just how much would
roll into the state’s coffers.
The governor’s office and the
Department of Finance are plan¬
ning to take another look at the
numbers and are expected to
release their “May Revision”
later this month.
By law, a final budget must be
approved by the legislature by
July 1.
Town hall meeting
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Packed house
discusses
diversity
By Mike Cervantes
Courier Staff Writer
The community town hall meeting on diversity
started off with an unexpected incident at the Forum
on Tuesday night. Even before the meeting started a
piece of safety glass from the control room fell on
top of two people, which delayed the beginning even
more. The 7 p.m. start was actually more like 7:30.
The Committee for Inclusion’s theme for the
meeting was the invisibility that minorities face
everyday, a direct reference to Ralph Ellison’s clas¬
sic novel, the “Invisible Man.” Everyone attending
was given a button that said “I Am Visible.”
A standing room only crowd packed the Forum to
listen to the various speakers vent on issues ranging
from gays to students to ethnic minorities.
Sociology professor Milton Brown welcomed the
audience to not only hear what the speakers had to
say, but to contribute to the discussion as well.
English professor Mel Donalson followed by
introducing the moderator for the evening, John
Jenkins, the former mayor of Lewiston, Maine,
being senator from Maine from 1997-99.
A team of panelists spoke on their own particular
racial issues.
Professor Glenn Kitayama was first to speak on
Photos by Richard Fa vela
/
The Courier
problems Asian Americans face. His argument was
based on stereotyping a person of any race before
even meeting them. “Race is thrown at you and
there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said.
He brought up the topic of race traitors, people
identifying with a race not of their own. Kitayama’s
examples included Latinos working in Chinatown.
Although they are working in a foreign environ¬
ment, they don’t deserve to be called race traitors by
their own culture.
PCC student Ericka Krumpl spoke next about
issues on campus pertaining to students themselves.
She said that 36 percent of students enrolled at PCC
are Latino, but less than 6 percent transfer out. The
Pasadena Unified School District has a 30 percent
African American population, but at PCC that figure
is only 7 percent.
Counselor James Aragon added to that during the
open microphone session. “My concern is whether
the college .faculty is representative of the student
population on campus.”
A returning PCC student, Hrair Sarkissian, spoke
See Meeting on Page 6
$5000-
Students
will be
honored
for films
By Laura Calderoni
Courier Staff Writer
PCC student filmmakers will be
honored for their cinematography,
screenplays and directing at the sixth
annual James Bridges Spring Film
Festival Awards this Friday at 7 p.m.
in the Forum. A total of $5000 will
be distributed to the winners.
“The films are inventive, creative,
and amazing,” said Mark Wallace,
director of public relations.
The ceremony will be divided
into two parts; the first half will rec¬
ognize the works of beginning stu¬
dent filmmakers and the second part
will be honoring the winners who
will receive their endowment award
checks that same evening.
Participating students have sub¬
mitted their films for award consid¬
eration through instructor Mike
Zingale. First place winners will
each receive $1000.
The awards for- second place best
screenplay and best direction are
$700 each and best cinematography
winners will each receive $600.
Jack Larson, internationally
renowned poet, playwright, actor
and film producer and an alumnus of
Pasadena Junior College, founded
the James Bridges Film Awards in
1995 with an initial gift of $5000.
The awards honor the memory of his
life-long friend and associate.
Bridges and Larson worked
together throughout the 1970s and
the 1980s creating several popular
films, including The Paper Chase
(1973), Urban Cowboy (1980) and
Bright Lights, Big City (1988).
Throughout his career, Larson has
earned credits as an actor (famous
for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen in
the Superman series), writer, director
and producer.
The Film Festival is free and the
public is invited. Doors open at 7
p.m.
The Forum is located near the
northeast comer of campus and is
wheelchair accessible. For more
infonnation call the public relations
office at (626) 585-7315.
AS President says, Goodbye
DeOcampo bows out;
moves on to UCLA
By Gali Raval
Courier Staff Writer
After two years of leading the
student body, Robert DeOcampo,
associated students (AS) president,
is ready to move oh.
In 1998, nobody was running
for student body president, so
DeOcampo thought he would take
on the job and try to make a differ¬
ence. He quickly slid into office
and started to work. The following
• year, he was reelected to a second
term.
“This has been the most trying,
yet rewarding time of my life,’ he
said. “I came into office at a time
when people were angry with the
AS. My board and I stopped the
internal fighting and brought the
AS to its potential.”
“I’ve dealt with two entirely dif¬
ferent boards and have accom¬
plished a lot. When I first came to
office, my job was to make the AS
all that is could possibly be. I led
through encouragement and moti¬
vation, and it was reciprocated.
We [the 1998-2000 A.S. boards]
checked our personalities and egos
at the door, and brought the board
back together. 1 made sure they
were tactful and well informed on
all issues,” said DeOcampo.
Attempting to reinstate unity
within the board, DeOcampo
encouraged the members to plan
quad events, and get involved in
the “Holiday Angels,” a program
where people donate Christmas
gifts for children of low income
parents. Celebrating the college’s
75th anniversary and homecoming,
the AS held a carnival, complete
with clowns and rides, striving to
boost school spirit. The final affair
that the board planned was
“Pascar”, a soapbox derby. Pitting
clubs against each other, the quad
was transfonned into a track with
obstacles for the race.
In addition, the computer cafe, a
lab filled with computers specifi¬
cally designed for students to use,
See DeOcampo on page 5
The History of PCC is best told
by the students who have
struggled since 1915 to put out
a weekly newspaper.
The Courier , once called the
Chronicle, has been in
publication for 85 years. The
college which is celebrating its
75th Anniversary is ten years
younger than its newspaper.
A Special Issue of the Courier,
to be published next week,
looks back decade by decade at
the development of the paper,
the college and the “boys” that
never gave up, as they tapped
away at tivo typewriters and
published the five cent copy of
‘Chron.’
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