Questions Arise On Reorganization
By John Pierce
Production Manager
The Council of Department Chairpersons will
accept a proposed departmental reorganization
only "it it is for the betterment of the school,’’
said council spokesperson Dr. Stanley Gun-
stream, Life Science department chairperson.
However, Steven Cerra, vice president of
instruction believes that the time has come to
find efficient ways of managing education.
"We're going from a time of wealth to a time
ot austerity and we must adjust the administra¬
tion to this. This means more work for less
people,” said Cerra. "We must consolidate and
save. It doesn’t mean it will be better, but it will
be different and still be effective.”
The departmental reorganization, if accepted
by the Board of Trustees, will change 15
departments into nine divisions beginning in the
fall. According to Cerra, such a conversion
would save the college $300,000.
At last week’s Board meeting, Gunstream
told the trustees that the reorganization would
weaken lines of communication between the
administration and faculty. He questioned how
it would save $300,000.
Gunstream also complained about removing
secretarial positions and increasing workloads.
‘‘If each division has one leader and one
secretary as proposed, the operation of some
divisions will come to a screeching halt,” he
said.
“The current departmental organization of
the instructional program has served this col¬
lege well. The instructional departments are
the last vestiges of collegiality on cam¬
pus— perhaps the only positive interaction of
management and faculty remaining,” Gun¬
stream said.
“This fact is also noted in the Carvell Report,
‘With some exceptions, departments appear to
be where the strongest communications and
facuity/administrator working contacts occur.’
With so many impending lay offs and resultant
changes, the college needs stability . . . How
many major changes can we assimilate at one
time?” said Gunstream.
“I’m no antagonist of the departmental struc¬
ture. It has been here long and worked well,”
said Cerra. “But we’re at a point where it might
be best to all concerned to find a more cost
effective way to do things.”
Cerra said other community colleges, such as
those cited bv Gunstream, have faced the same
budget dilemmas and survived. These colleges
are Mt. San Antonio, Santa Ana, Long Beach
and Los Angeles Harbor. They all operate on a
divisional format with a minimum of six
division heads and approximately 30 “depart¬
ment heads.”
Gunstream said this operation weakened the
lines of communication between administration
and faculty by adding another barrier between
them.
However, Cerra said that the division heads
were equivalent to department chairpersons
and that department heads were actually cur¬
riculum coordinators who only gather informa¬
tion— they do not supervise.
“In the last four or five years the administra¬
tion has been reduced— just check the front of
the catalog,” said Cerra. “Management has
been decreasing, not increasing, and there have
been savings made.
“We’re asking the line administrators (de¬
partment chairpersons) to accept the same
consolidation we’ve been taking,” said Cerra.
“It’s harder for them because they represent
education,” but cuts have to happen some¬
where.
A “decentralized setup” requires “backup. If
we can cut the front line, we can cut the
support,” said Cerra. “This reorganization is
being done not out of preference, but of neces¬
sity. It means a less personalized administra¬
tion— we just can’t afford more adminis¬
trators.”
Cerra stressed what he believes to be the
need for PCC to “anticipate the future by
understanding the present,” so as to avoid the
fear of change brought on by complacency.
PCC
LAST DAY
TO WITHDRAW
I
VOL. 55. NO. 1 1
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
MAY 6, 1983
NURSE'S DAY — Pasadena Mayor Loretta
Glickman presents Kristine DeQueiroz, chair-
CCs Fight for AB 851
Crisis Conference Set
By Mark Blocker
News Editor
A task force headed by Dr. Robert
Wright, professor of communications,
is planning a statewide conference of
community colleges to discuss ways
of alleviating the financial crisis in
the 108 college system and to start a
movement for passage of Assembly
Bill 851.
Tentatively scheduled for June 8 in
Sacramento, the California Com-
"We want each college
to send a delegation of
seven people. ..."
munity College Crisis Conference is
the brainchild of Wright, who took it
before the Faculty Senate, which
voted to support it and assigned a task
force to assist Wright in planning.
AB 851 is what the community
colleges deem as the best scenario for
the system. It calls for no tuition, a 6
percent cost of living increase, 2 to 2.5
percent increase growth with $10 mil¬
lion in equalization.
It would cost the state $150 million,
plus $110 million to offset the general
fund deficit. It wouid ultimately re¬
quire additional taxes. According to
the Faculty Senate publication “Sen¬
ate Gram” it will pass only with
“massive and concerted effort.”
The conference appears to also
have the blessing of the administra¬
tion and Board of Trustees, except for
interim Superintendent-President Dr.
Stuart E. Marsee, who is currently
working with a statewide coalition to
gain support from the state legisla¬
ture.
Support seems good, as Wright
reported that the conference has
backing from state community col¬
lege chancellor Gerald C. Hayward,
who agreed to make his office the
focal point of the conference.
Dr. Ernest F. Neumann, dean of
admissions, is also working in the
task force, he met with Hayward
earlier this week to firm up support
for the conference.
Wright says the conference will
have a tight format, at the request of
Hayward. It will open with a keynote
address by “a prominent legislator”
before breaking into workshops to
discuss ways to improve state support
for the community college system. .
“We want each college to send a
delegation of around seven people.
This would hopefully include an ad¬
ministrator, a trustee, the Faculty
Senate president, a collective
bargaining representive, one out¬
standing alumni, a member of the
student government and a community
leader who could be from outside the
college,” said Wright.
“The community college system is
a sleeping giant. If you ask every
family in the state whether or not a
member of the household has at¬
tended a community college at some
time, odds are the answer will be
‘yes.’ If we organized those who’ve
used our facilities, we would have
tremendous support with the tax¬
payers,” said Wright.
Wright says the conference will
hope to bring media attention to the
community college system’s prob-
"lf we're organized we
could have tremendous
support with taxpayers. "
lem, which will in turn alert the
public.
Regarding Marsee’s preference to
work with the coalition in lieu of the
conference: “we have no intention of
undermining or working around the
coalition. We have invited its mem¬
bers to attend and give us their
input.”
The coalition is a group of eight
community college organizations
working in unison as a lobbyist in
Sacramento. Wright said Marsee felt
the conference could upset certain
negotiations currently going on be¬
tween the system and the state.
Though the organization is prima¬
rily in the hands of PCC this year,
Wright said he hopes the foundations
will be laid at the initial conference
for a bigger conference next year to
be organized by representatives from
the entire system.
,
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Sii»I8ll
person of the nursing department, a document
proclaiming today "National Nurse's Day."
Shortfall Boosts
To $3.8 Million
By Sharon Ching
and Stephen Williams
The previously projected $3.5 million shortfall increased to $3.8 million due to
a decline in average daily attendance (ADA), according to Dr. Bonnie R. James,
vice president *of business services.
“Courses were cut last fall by the Board of Trustees in an attempt to balance
this years budget,” said James. After this was done, the state of California said
it would not pay for certain additional courses, known as the “hit list.”
“We did not anticipate the ‘hit list,’” said James. The elimination of these
courses plus business classes that were moved to fee status for this semester
lowered ADA to 13,712. This cost the college $505,000 income. If PCC did not have
any courses on the “hit list,” the state could have paid for 14,100 ADA. “We cut
expense, but also ADA,” said James.
When referring to this semester’s expenditures, James said, “there has been
some success with the freeze” on this semester’s budget. However, because the
loss of income, this year’s ending balance will be close to previous projections,
because the expenditures overshadow the freeze.
There will be approximately $376,000 less income next year than first
projected. This change resulted from using this year’s ADA figure as a base to
determine next year’s income. The projected expenditures were lowered and will
continue to be lowered as the Board makes reductions, said James.
The money to fund community colleges comes from two sources, the
governors budget and a legislative bill. “We’re in the process of writing another
bill (SB851) that will help fund us,” said James. “What happens to the bill after
it is written, lies in the hands of the state legislature. The state can do anything
it wants, it has the money. They too have a deficit.”
Report Tells Board of Drop in Attendance
Student Retention Declines 13.2 Percent
By Denni Young
Staff Writer
A report on student retention rates was recently
submitted to the Board of Trustees by Henry P. Kirk,
vice president of student personnel. The report
included an overall 13.2 perecent drop in student
attendance between census periods.
“This drop results in a significant lose in potential
ADA (average daily attendance) income to the
district,” said Kirk. Overall retention for the 1982-83
school year was 72.3 percent.
The school is funded based on the number of
students enrolled in a class. Instead of taking
attendance daily the college has two census period
per year, the first at the end of three weeks, the oth’er
at the end of 10 weeks. Based on this average the
school receives funding.
“If students would like to help the college, they
should stay in class, ’’said Kirk. He is aware that
some students have to drop if they are not up to the
level of the class or do not meet attendance require¬
ment.
“Although student withdrawals between the last
census and the end of the semester has little financial
impact, it does affect the student who has put in so
much time into the course,” said Kirk.
Student withdrawal is also expensive in terms of
human energy, Kirk said. The students who
withdraws is holding a position that could have been
occupied by someone who would have finished the
course.
“This college is not free. Every full-time student is
on a $1,850 scholarship. The tax payers are tired of
paying the bill only to find that the student has
dropped the class,” said Kirk.
Community colleges are generally critized for high
drop levels. “Students at community colleges are too
casual about drops,” said Kirk. According to him,
they quit when things get tough. He feels this is a
dangerous habit for students are forming there life
patterns.
Kirk said that students should be very careful when
choosing classes. They should make sure they meet
the prerequisite of the course. “When a student drops
a class he has failed to achieve a goal. This displeases
both the student and the college,” said Kirk.
Kirk hopes to increase student retention by making
students and staff aware of the potential money lost.
MEChA Vandalized,
Over $500 Damage
By Sharon Ching
Assistant News Editor
A recent MEChA vandalism resulted in approximately
$565 damage, according to Eddie Barraza, former MEChA
president.
“We received permission to use that AS office temporarily
for one week. Twodays after moving in, Luis Perez, MEChA
president, opened the door and all our things were gone,”
said Barraza.
Finally after inquiring around the Campus Center,
MEChA’s belongings were found scattered in the women’s
restroom, leaving everything damaged if not destroyed.
“Many of the things that were destroyed had great
historical and sentimental value,” said Barraza. The
wrecked items included posters, paintings, photographs and
various cardboard works.
But according to MEChA members the greatest loss was
the Aztec sun calendar. This handmade ceramic calendar
was created in 1969. It had a value of about $500.
A thorough investigation is now in progress. Dr. Enrique
Orozco, director of MEChA, pointed out that the Student
Code of Conduct states that vandalism is punishable by
“expulsion.” The regulation/code which best describes the
situation is number 6 under Standards of Student Conduct,
“Theft or intentional damage to property of the college or
that of a member of the college community . . .”
If the guilty party is caught, Barraza said, “We have
intentions of pressing charges, while staying within the legal
realm.”
Because of differences with other clubs and the college
budget, MEChA has not had their own clubroom since last
May. Barraza believes not having an official meeting place
has effected MEChA’s membership. “In the beginning we
had 45 to 50 members, now we have 30.”
As of last week, MEChA is currently using half of the ASB
workroom to organize and prepare for their various meet¬
ings and events. When asked if this would be MEChA’s
permanent meeting place, Barraza said regardless of all the
room’s disadvantages he hopes so.
/
OLE!- — Students celebrate the 1867 overthrow of Napoleon Ill's French provincial government
dominating Mexico. — Courier photo by Jeff Yoshimura