OPINION
Incoming AS officers promise hope for
PCC student body
Bad precedents set by previous /AS presidents
need to be avoided in the future if PCC is to be
acknowledged as a top flight community college. .
FEATURES
PCC art instructor retires after 28
years of service.
Douglas Bond pursued both academic and profes¬
sional art during his distinguished career. Stu¬
dents and faculty will miss him.
л
SPORTS
The Courier announces the winner of its annual
sports awards
The best teams, coaches, games, male and female athletes are
honored for their achievements this year.
6&7
The
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
VOL. 82, NO. 28
EL
http://www.geocities.com/ ~ pccnewscourier
THURSDAY
May 8, 1997
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Building
the scene
of robbery
By YUSEF ROBB
Courier Staff Writer
Thirteen hours after a student’s screams echoed
through the hallways ofK Building, the PCC Police and
Safety Sendees arrested Vinson Horace Champ on sus¬
picion of robbery and booked him into the Pasadena jail
where he remained at press time.
According to police reports, the incident occurred last
night in room IB of the building in a sound proof booth
that is used for practicing the piano.
A 29-year-old female student was in the room at about
9:30 p.rn. when a man came up behind her and said “I
only want your money; don’t turn around.” He then told
her to lie down on her stomach. After the suspect asked
the victim how much money she had, she gave the man
$30 from her wallet.
The man then placed a black knit ski mask over her
head and said, “I have a condom. It depends on how
you act; it might take a short time or it might take a half-
hour.” The victim then began yelling for help which
caused the suspect to flee.
Two students walking in the first floor hallway of the
К
building heard the victim yelling "He tried to rape me!
He took my purse!”
One of the students observed the man leaving the
building. He chased the suspect while his companion
helped to the victim and then informed a police cadet in
lot 5 of the incident.
The other student then spotted the suspect on Del Mar
Bivd. and followed him to his car, a late model BMW. He
got the license number which he turned over to police.
When the police ran the plate it returned as not on file.
But when investigators switched two of the numbers, the
plate came back as a 1995 BMW.
Records indicated Champ’s residence as being in
Stockton, but also showed that he had been served a
restraining order by the Hollywood division of the LAPD.
The LAPD provided campus police with an address in
Hollywood which is where he was arrested by officers
John Corrigan and Ralph Evans at 10:30 a.m. yesterday.
Philip Mullendore, director of police and safety ser¬
vices said that campus police are following up the case
and will then turn it over to the district attorney. Champ
should be arraigned today. Champ is not a PCC student
“We don’t know what his connection [with PCC] is”
Mullendore said.
Fernandez takes
over presidency
■ He will become the third AS president this
year, following Poindexter and Bushnell. He
started out the year as vice president of
academic affairs and later moved on to become
the executive vice president.
The Pasadena
constructed the
MICHAEL ARNOLD
/
THE COURIER
Art Alliance has commissioned this art piece that is being
Quad, entitled ‘The Wave.’ See story on page 8.
By DANIEL ARCHULETA
Courier Staff Writer
The Associated Student Board’s
woes continue. Ben Bushnell has
been removed as the president and
current executive vice president,
Frank Fernandez, will succeed him
for the remaining weeks of this year.
Stephen Johnson, assistant dean
of student affairs refused to com¬
ment on the reason why Bushnell
was removed. He instead said only
Bushnell should comment on the
situation.
Fernandez thinks that Bushnell
has dropped below the nine units
required to be a on the AS.
This year’s board relinquishes
power to next year’s on May 31, but
in the time remaining, Fernandez
said there is still unfinished business
to take care of.
“We have to see what’s left and
allocate the funds appropriately,”
Fernandez said of the task at hand.
This will be the third AS presi¬
dent this year. Forrest Poindexter
was initially elected to the post, but
he submitted a letter of resignation
March 5 . He claimed that he was the
victim of "constant attacks” by the
faculty. Bushnell, who was next in
order of succession as executive vice
president, assumed that position and
has served in that capacity until this
week. Along with his presidential
duties, Fernandez will continue do¬
ing the work of vice president of
academic affairs until the end of the
year.
Fernandez said that the only sub¬
stantial event remaining in the year
to be funded by the AS is the annual
“Relaxation Week.”
The event is being organized by
student affairs intern Bob Cagle. He
has requested $13,000 for the fes¬
tivities that will include aroma, mu¬
sic, and massage therapy. Fernandez
is also concerned with leaving funds
for next year’s board. This year they
were left $25,000 by the previous
board.
“We have to make sure we leave
some money for next year.”
As to the performance of this AS
board, Fernandez said that despite
the troublesthey have endured, " this
board was a transition on the way to
a better, more involved AS next
year.”
Students need to be
aware that the final
exam schedule has
been revised again.
Turn to page 10.
Commencement ceremony to
honor graduates and Robinson
Cafeteria burglary part of
baffling series of incidents
By DANIEL ARCHULETA
Courier Staff Writer
A theft of $900 from a cafeteria
safe has both campus police and the
cafeteria’s management at a loss for
answers.
Police speculate the theft occurred
sometime between the evening of
April 23 and the early morning hours
of April 24.
Sgt. Vince Palermo said that some¬
body accessed the safe by "means
unknown” and took an estimated
$900 of the $10,000 that was kept
there.
“We have some information, but
it isn’t enough to report at this point."
Palermo said.
Albert Pastrana , assistant direc¬
tor of dining sendees, said that this
incident is just one of many recent
odd occurrences that has manage¬
ment puzzled.
He said that a day after the theft,
the cafeteria security system was
tampered with and disarmed. Cam¬
pus facilities had to repair the sys¬
tem. Pastrana added that an entirely
new system will be installed to
heighten security.
Just one day after the alarm tam¬
pering incident, a camera that over¬
looks the receiving dock area was
turned away from the entrance way.
The door showed evidence of an
attempted forced entry.
"It’s been pretty odd,” Pastrana
said. But he concedes that the theft
itself may not have been a criminal
act.
He said that sometimes shortages
arc attributed to missing receipts,
Pastrana said, “There are a lot of
possibilities.”
“What surprises us is why wasn't
all of the money taken; there was a
whole bundle in there.”
Due to the nature of the recent
events, Pastrana theorizes whoever
is responsible has a “knowledge” of
the cafeteria and the security system.
“We think that somebody is setting
up the place,” he said.
Campus police stated that em¬
ployee involvement hasn’ tbeen ruled
out as a possibility at this point.
Palermo said that crime is rare in
the cdfeteria. He said that the last
significant incident happened nearly
two years ago when $2000 was sto¬
len.
He added that food services will
now have daily armored car cash
pick-ups to ensure that the safe will
never hold that much money at one
time again.
Officer John Corrigan has been
assigned as the case’s lead investiga¬
tor.
By CHERYL CASTILLO
Courier Staff Writer
To the familiar sound of “Pomp
and Circumstance,” approximately
1.151 students will prepare to re¬
ceive their diplomas at the annual
commencement ceremony on Fri¬
day, May 23.
Beginning at 6 p.m. near the Mir¬
ror Pools, this year’s commence¬
ment marks 72 years of graduation
ceremonies. As part of tradition, the
faculty will form two lines as they
file into the area, they will stop, and
applaud the graduates as they march
between the rows. According to Ste¬
phen Johnson, assistant dean of stu¬
dent affairs, this is tire best part of the
event, along with the students re¬
ceiving their degrees.
Scheduled to run approximately
one hour and 45 minutes, the cer¬
emony will include an acknowledg¬
ment of the anniversary1 of Jackie
Robinson’s start with the Brooklyn
Dodgers and his attendance at PCC.
Robinson was a four-sport athlete
here in 1939.
First on the list of speakers will be
Tommy Hawkins, vice president of
communications for the Los Ange¬
les Dodgers. Focusing on Robinson.
Hawkins will discuss succeeding in
life, being first, and what it means to
be first.
“The students will appreciate what
he has to say. It should be very
interesting,” commented Johnson,
who has helped coordinate com¬
mencement for the past three years.
Before becoming a renowned ra¬
dio sportscaster and public speaker,
Hawkins played professional bas¬
ketball for the Los Angeles Lakers.
This year’s commencement will
honor two valedictorians : Angeliquc
BurzynskiandLinhYenLam, both
earned 4.0 grade point averages. Lam
will be giving tlie valedictory speech.
Burzynski finished her course
work at PCC at the end offall semes¬
ter 1996 and currently attends Cal
State Northridge. She hopes to earn
her bachelor’s and master’s degrees
in child development from CSUN
and then transfer to UCLA to earn
her doctorate in developmental pa¬
thology.
Lam hopes to continue her stud¬
ies to complete a doctorate degree in
English literature. She has been ac¬
cepted for admission to UCLA and
also has applications pending at UC
Berkeley, Stanford, and Amherst.
William Del Rosario, chosen by
Omicron Mu Delta, PCC’s 70-vcar-
old honor’s society, will be giving
the student address at commence¬
ment. It is a tradition for OMD to
choose a speaker for this event.
The ceremony will end with the
long-awaited handing out of the di¬
plomas. This year approximately 670
students will be receiving their As¬
sociate in Arts degree and 481 will
be receiving their Associate in Sci¬
ence degree.
Graduates will have their names
read by Chrystal Watson, associate
professor of speech, and Katie Pe¬
ters, teacher specialist in speech pa¬
thology and disabled services. Then
the blue-gowned graduates will re¬
ceive their diplomas from either Dr.
James Kossler, president of PCC, or
Warren Weber, president of the
Board of Trustees.
Music for commencement will be
provided by the Lancer Concert
Band, directed by Dr. James
Arnwhine, and the PCC Gospel
Choir, under the direction of Betty
Griffin-Keller.
Family and friends are welcome
to join in the excitement of the event.
There will be 3,750 chairs set up to
accommodate guests. Seating is on a
first-come, first-served basis.
At the conclusion of the event, a
reception with refreshments will be
held in the Quad.
JUDY ■ WANG
/
THE COURIER
Dock area doorshows evidence
of attempted forced entry.
SINK A SCHOLAR
Alpha Gamma Sigma’s 10th Annual Sink a Scholar fund-raiser was a
huge success, raising over $1300. All of the money will go toward
AGS student scholarships. Twenty-six faculty members donated their
time and their bodies for the event, offering to jump into the pool in
return for donations. The uninvited student who jumped into the
pool unclothed had no association with the organization
t
