PCC Courier, May 10, 1974

Veterans Demand Better Services By Eric W. Epling Staff Writer A spokesman for PCC’s Veterans’ Committee met May 2 with college officials to discuss what he termed a “growing hostility” that he said is festering within the committee’s ranks. Steve Cardwell, meeting first with PCC President Dr. Armen Sarafian and later the same afternoon with I. G. Lewis, dean of student personnel services, cited the lack of official representation and the need fqr ad¬ ditional services aimed at campus veterans as being the crux of the discontent. Cardwell, representing a nine-man committee, said that he sought the meeting because he can “forsee problems brewing,” and that there exists the possibility of demonstrations that he said might involve members of his group. Attending the later meeting with Dean Lewis and Cardwell were E. E. Beauchamp, dean of records; Stuart Silver, ASB president; and Phyllis Jackson, dean of women. In addition to a full time veterans’ representative, the committee is asking for an emergency loan plan that would supply interim funds to veterans Only Western College Selected who, for legitimate reasons, fail to receive a monthly benefit check. According to Dean Lewis, such a loan fund once existed. Sponsored by a campus club, the fund was discon¬ tinued because of a negligible repayment record. A spot check taken as the time of the meeting showed that of the school’s roughly 1700 veterans, eight had of¬ ficial inquiries pending into the disposition of their checks. Of paramount importance to the committee, however, is the creation of a certificated or classified position for a veterans’ representative. Cardwell contends that if the position can be established, it would be the first step toward enhancing the school’s overall veterans’ program. Cardwell added that in addition to handling veterans’ problems and acting as their ombudsman, the position would carry with it the responsibility of orienting veterans to the numerous benefits and services available to them. Before such a position could be created, however, it must first receive the blessing of the school’s budget committee. Further, since the budget for the coming year has been recently mapped, the' funds necessary for such an addition would have to be plumbed from another expenditure. In the hopes of convincing the budget committee to deviate from its ex¬ penditure blueprint, Cardwell is preparing a job description proposal that will be given to the committee for consideration. According to Dean Lewis, it may be difficult to sway the planners. “The budget is tight this year,” he said. “I’m inclined to think that if we could work it out through the VCIP (Veterans’ Cost Instruction Program), it would be a better way to go.” The VCIP is based on the “Cranston Bill,” which was sponsored by Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Ca). The bill made eligible for government funding any college that, between April 1972 and April 1973, could manage to increase by 10 per cent its enrollment of Viet¬ nam and Korean War veterans. According to Dean Lewis, although the bill wasn’t fully funded, it still guaranteed a substantial amount to schools meeting the standard. Emergency Employment Act PCC hired two full-time representa¬ tives under the Emergency Em- PCC CoutueSv VOL. 37, NO. 11 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA MAY 10, 1974 PCC Shares in Computerized Career Plan By Sergio Caponi News Editor PCC was recently selected as one of five institutions across the nation and the only community college in the West, to participate in a computer- based System of Interactive Guidance and Information (SIGI), developed by the Educational Testing Service. The $1.5 million program is designed to help community college students in their career decision-making. According to Ernest Neumann, dean of counseling services, the project is expensive because it requires the purchase of a specific computer. He reported, however, that the college successfully applied for an $88,000 research grant from the Vocational Board Offers Salary Raise to Faculty PCC’s Board of Trustees has offered the faculty of this college a 6.2 per cent across the board salary increase for the 1974-75 fiscal year. Dr. E. Howard Floyd, the board of trustees representative to the faculty concerning salary, informed the Faculty Senate Board and the Cer¬ tificated Employees Council (CEC) of the board’s decision last Friday after it had received and examined both the Faculty Senate’s salary proposal and the CEC’s. Representatives from both groups commented that they were “unhappy with the board’s decision,” and that they would “seek additional increases of at least three pre cent.” Neither proposal named exact figures. The Faculty Senate Board is preparing a letter to be sent to the Board of Trustees expressing its desire for the “additional across the board increase.” In the meantime, the CEC is trying to get the board to “meet and confer” with its representatjves, in hopes of obtaining a more “realistic percentage increase.” “We want to keep this thing out of court,” said one CEC backer, “but if the board continues its slack attitude, we’ll use whatever is necessary to get what’s due us.” According to sources from both groups, the cost of living from March 31, 1973 to March 31, 1974, has risen 8.9 per cent in this area, while salaries have remained the same. By not raising their salaries to keep up with the cost of living, many teachers feel that they are, in effect, losing money with the board’s proposed increase. Education Act, which will make the purchase a reality. The grant required the approval of the State Department of Education, the California Community College Board of Governors, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, and the Pasadena Board of Trustees. It was a step-by-step process which lasted 10 months and climaxed in the trustees’ final “green light” last Thursday. “This means that between now and the end of September, the ad¬ ministration must work on the selection of a specialized staff, par¬ ticipating students, and a research design, so that by early October we’ll be operational,” said Neumann. “It’s the most exciting singular advance in career decision-making that I have ever seen,” he commented. Neumann has been asked to assume the position Of PCC project coordinator. A representative sample of average students from PCC and the in¬ corporated high school districts are to be selected for the project. According to the Educational Elections Scheduled for May 23, 24 Election Commissioner Elisabeth Plyer recently announced the ASB elections schedule, and the different procedures to be followed by can¬ didates. The new offices that voters must decide on are ASB president and vice president, AMS president, AWS president, Sophomore Class president, Athletics president. Senate president, first, and second vice president. Candidates’ applications are due today, in Dorothy Byles’ office in the Campus Center. The blue cards, containing the candidates’ class schedule, number of units, GPA and the teachers’ signa¬ tures, must be returned to Miss Plyer or Mrs. Byles before Tuesday, May 14. The requirements for a candidate running for office are a minimum GPA of 2.2 and 10.5 units. On Thursday, May 16, the candidates will meet in the board room in the Campus Center, after the ASB Board meeting, to decide procedures. Monday, May 20, election publicity may be put out, after the approval of the publicity commissioner. Can¬ didates’ speeches are scheduled for the following Tuesday, May 21, at noon in front of the Library. Elections are scheduled for Thurs¬ day, May 23, and Friday, May 24. No registration is needed. Voters must show their student ID cards before receiving ballots. Special Olympics Held for Retarded Children GIANT LEAP — Carl Luckey lunges in the long jump during the Fourth Annual Pasadena Special Olympic Games, hosted by PCC. “The feeling of fulfilling an ac¬ complishment in any venture is most important to the individual,” said Robert C. Baderian, recreation program supervisor of the Pasadena Department of Recreation. This was the feeling that prevailed Saturday as PCC hosted the 1974 Special Olympic Games. The goal of the Special Olympics program is to create opportunities for sports training and athletic competition for all retarded children. Recent scientific research has shown that physical activities, sports and competitive athletics are a major means of reaching the retarded. It is an area where he can succeed and start building a positive self-image, gaining confidence and self-mastery as well as physical development. The categories of entries ranged from 12 and under to 19 and over. The events included the 50-yard dash, the 220-yard run, the 440-yard run, the 440 relay, and swimming. The Special Olympics Program began with a single meet in 1968 and participation is now worldwide. The Fourth Annual Pasadena Special Olympics program attracted over 200 participants from the San Gabriel Valley. Testing Service, the main purpose of SIGI is to help the student in making an informed and rational career decision by interaction with an easy- to-operate computer bearing some resemblance to a TV set. SIGI consists of four major sub¬ systems: values, information, prediction, and planning. Values In the first section, the student weighs 10 occupational values in ac¬ cordance with their importance to him. The values are high income, prestige, independence, altruism, security, variety, leadership, interest, leisure and early entry. After a preliminary choice, the student plays a “game” with the computer in which he faces a suc¬ cession of conflicting values. He works at an imaginary job with a fictitious title. The job features the occupational values most meaningful to him. During his work, however, the student is confronted with a series of different opportunities, each featuring different values and requiring a definite choice. The student decision to keep his present job or to switch to a different occupation involving a different set of values will indicate whether his original stand was a reliable one, or if he is subconsciously inclined toward certain values which he did not con¬ sider at first. This inconsistency between the student’s original choice and the values he seems to prefer during his “game” will clarify his disposition for a certain activity and his real aspirations. The student may play the game as many times as he wishes. Information and Predictions The information section is composed of two subsections: locate and com¬ pare. Locate helps the student select oc¬ cupations that meet his specifications with respect to his values. The com¬ puter displays occupations which more or less feature the five values he rated highest. In the comparison part, the student can find answers to a great variety of questions about any three given oc¬ cupations simultaneously. He may, for example, ask specific questions about work activities, income, educational requirements, personal satisfactions and conditions of work. He may freely substitute one occupation for another and ask as few or as. many questions as he wishes. New Financial Aid Available for Minorities Two new scholarships were an¬ nounced earlier this week by the office of scholarships and financial aid. One of the scholarships announced is being given by the Pasadena Scholarship Committee for Americans of Mexican descent. To be a recipient of this scholarship a student must be of Mexican descent, a Pasadena area high school graduate, and have completed at least two semesters at PCC by the end of jhe 1973-74 school year. Also a minimum of 12 units per semester with a grade point average of 2.5 or better must have been com¬ pleted. “As of now, there is no time limit to the number of these scholarships to be given,” said Rachel Golde, assistant in the financial aid office. “They will range from $50 to $200.” The other scholarship is being given by the General Electric Foundation. Black, Chicano, Puerto Rican or In¬ dian students are eligible. A possible recipient must be eligible to transfer as a junior with at least 60 units and a grade point average of 2.5 or better by the end of the 1973-74 school year. To be considered, a student must be seriously considering transferring to a university for the 1974-75 school year in order to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The application deadline for both scholarships is May 15. For further information, interested students should contact the office of scholar¬ ships and financial aid in C236. The prediction section works directly with information. The student is encouraged to examine plans for several different occupations and to look at predictions for a variety of curricula. He is free to switch back and forth between the two sections. Planning The final part of the program is planning. Once the student has ten¬ tatively selected an occupation, the computer assists him in planning the steps implemented by his choice. The machine selects the test scores of the student and tells him what his chances are of succeeding in that particular area. The student will decide whether or not he is willing and able to undertake the necessary amount of education. The last step is to select the program of classes at the local college, the beginning of a long journey. A catalog from PCC will appear with all the courses the student should take for his A. A. If PCC’s program in a certain oc¬ cupational area is not as strong as one offered by other schools, the computer is expected to show the colleges with good departments in that specific field. Between the first and last steps, the student may consider alternative programs which will prepare him for a certain career, or he may decide to drop entirely the occupation he originally chose and start all over again with another area. Neumann says the entire process takes a considerable amount of time before a final decision can be reached. However, the student may walk in and out of the computer room, take as much time as he wishes, and start exactly where he left off. PENNIES, NICKELS, DIMES AND DOLLARS-That’s what these students are trying to collect for the OMD Queen Contest. Each department has chosen a representative to campaign for the Queen of the traditional Spring Carnival, to be held May 18. At the end of the two-week contest, all the money contributed is to be used for the OMD Scholarship Fund. The winner’s name is announced the night of the carnival, as she is crowned the 1974 OMD Queen. From left are Celeste Sanders, representing Spartans; Elisabeth Plyler, Adelphi- ans; Sue Bell and Julie Herrick from Handicapped Services; Edie Snow from the Social Science Department; and Roxana Tryon representing the Music Department. Not shown but also competing for the title are Georgi Goodenow, Communication Department; Stephanie Knowles from Circle K; Carol Isley and Linda Foster, Business Department; Teri Tanchek, representing the Veterans. ployment Act (EEA) to recruit new veterans in the hopes of achieving the enrollment increase. By the deadline, however, the school was eight veterans short and failed to qualify for ad¬ ditional funding. Now, instead of receiving well over $100,000 and as much as $200,000 per year, as do several area colleges, PCC is federally endowed with only $4 per veteran. An attempt to have the funding pro rated, so that the college would receive a portion of the money, failed. “I’d like to see the inequities of the Cranston Bill brought to light,” Lewis said. “I’d like to see a set amount , given by the government to each school for each veteran.” He added that 90 per cent of the funding could be used for veterans’ facilities. “The part that I’m particularly disappointed in,” Lewis continued, “is that the VCIP has helped the colleges that didn’t have a good enrollment, and didn’t help the colleges that did.” A total of 82 community colleges in California alone received some type of grant. In addition to the $4 per veteran given to PCC by the government, the school district, by Lewis’ rough estimation, spends in excess of $20,000 per year in support of veterans. The sum includes a full-time, two-woman staff that mans the college's Veterans’ Affairs office; a part-time staff that is taken on during peak enrollment and processing periods; and takes into account man-hours put in by faculty advisers. “I feel that for enrolled veterans we have adequate services,” Lewis said. “It’s as far as orienting them to these services that I feel we’re lacking.” Lewis added that a broader program of veteran scholarships could also be developed, with the help of outside interests. As for what the results might be in regard to references by Cardwell concerning possible demonstrations, Cardwell himself offered an opinion. He said that while that type of action is not a certainty, he’s worried that “a few will ruin things for the majority,” and that he would not like to see that happen. Senators Transfer Book Loan The Student Senate made a final and definitive decision on the ASB Book Loan Tuesday, by unanimously ap¬ proving the transfer of the loan to the Financial Aids office. Senate First Vice President Kathi Manley explained why the book loan committee recommended such a move, saying that the Senate does not have as much time as the Financial Aids office does, to handle the ad¬ ministration of the loan. The book loan commission had been debating in past weeks whether to keep the loan in the hands of the ASB, as it was originally intended, or to let the financial aids people take care of it. It was argued that the transfer was not legally possible, and even if it was, a number of committee members rejected the idea, fearing an increase in bureaucratic procedures. In Tuesday’s meeting, however, Miss Manley said that the transfer is legal, and the office has greater experience in matters of this kind. She added that the computers they are using will speed up the process involved in ap¬ plying for a book loan. She also suggested that the financial aid’s collection agency supposedly will have better control of the funds, and make sure that all the money is recovered later. The Senate reportedly will still be able to decide on the book loan require¬ ments, the students’ eligibility. The Senate is expected to rewrite the ap¬ plications. Further discussion on these items is to continue next week. Students under the Financial Aid and the Veterans’ offices are not eligible for the ASB Book Loan. With another unanimous vote, the Senate also approved $300 grant, drawn from the ASB general fund, to OMD, for its coming festival. It was also announced that the newly written Senate Constitution will be passed out to Senate members starting next Tuesday. The document is to be studied by senators for a week, before taking a vote on it the following Tuesday. Foreign Student Status Changes with Immigration Regulation Revision \ Foreign students planning to work or go home this summer may find a few changes to restrict these ideas. Ben Rude, foreign student adviser at PCC, asks these students to check with him or his secretary, Pam Craven, in 021 this week about the changes. Rude can only issue the applications for summer work, where in the past he could pass out the work forms, ap¬ prove or disapprove them and provide the student with a permit for em¬ ployment. Now approval is done by the U.S. Immigration Service. Proof must be provided to show that there is a need for a job. “Laws governing foreign student education are exactly the same,” stated Rude. Now the work regulations are being strictly interpreted. The reason for this is many veterans and U.S. citizens are being put out of work by our foreign students. Approximately 60,000 foreign students seek summer employment, Rude estimated. This would effect the U.S. work force by .00075 per cent of American citizens out of work. He further stated that $75,000 is spent yearly by these students in Pasadena alone. There is also a tightening in in¬ terpretation of rules for foreign students who plan to go home for the summer. Under the old standards the students planning to study in America had to prove financial security without depending on work for at least one year. Now the time limit has been increased to four years. Students signed up under the old program who leave the country if only for the summer, must refile if they plan to re-enter. They may be asked by the Immigration Service to then prove financial security for four years. The foreign student must now be specific as to the school he plans to attend. No longer can he transfer at his leisure. Also, the course of study must be full time. The American student abroad enjoys much more freedom. In many coun¬ tries he is charged no tuition. And his course of study is planned by him. Rude and others involved w.ith foreign students see this as a way of restricting foreign student population' in this country. Rude also feels these measures tend to lean more and more toward the educating of the upper class.