PCC Courier, May 28, 1992

OPINION FEATURES SPORTS Sexism Is media portrayal of women simply exploitation? Page 2 Pasadena City College Pasadena, California Vol. 74 No. 29 COURIER Thursday May 28, 1992 Special election outlines future of AS constitution LI Students’ votes will determine whether the AS constitution should be modified at a special campus election in early June. By CHRIS CATHCART Staff Writer Constitutional reform for the Associated Students (AS) will be decided sometime before finals, according to Alvar Kauti, dean of student services. “We will have a special election, probably on June 10 and 11.” The Students for Constitutional Reform (SCFR) have been collect¬ ing signatures since mid- April, hop¬ ing to gain the number needed to call for a special election. The members of the SFCR were required to collect signatures from five percent of the total student body. They submitted the petitions, with more than 1200 signatures, to Kauti’s office on May 20. Representatives had asked that the general election be postponed, until the proposed constitution was ratified or defeated, but the elections were held this week as scheduled. “According to the current constitution, we have to hold general elections by the end of May ,” said Kauti. By sub¬ mitting their petition on the 20th of May, the SFCR is asking for “the impossible.” “We need to verify the petition’s signatures, then post the Panel explores ways to improve relations with the community By ANISSA VICENTE Features Editor Standing by his belief that educa¬ tion can overcome violence, Dr. Jack Scott, president-superintendent, will moderate a panel made up of local community leaders in order to plan strategies to combat the problems of Southern California’s inner cities. “I am convinced that quality higher education is one important step toward improving living conditions in our society,” Scott said. PCC is in a position to assume a leadership role in developing strategies to meet the needs of the depressed cities in the area. The panel discussion will be held today from noon to 1 p.m. in the Forum. Panelists include Rick Cole, mayor of Pasadena, Shirley Adams, director of the Pasadena-Altadena Urban League and Jerry Oliver, chief of the Pasadena police department. Each will comment on the recent civil unrest in Los Angeles. Com¬ ments and questions will also be en¬ tertained from the audience. Several officers from various cam¬ pus clubs are also invited. The dis¬ cussion could not be open to all students due to space constraints. Sally Huguley, assistant to the president, agrees that the problems that boiled over into violence this month lie in the lack of attention given the issues of massive umem- ployment, lack of decent housing, high crime rates and rising gang ac¬ tivities. “The plans to solve these prob¬ lems will come from the panel,” Huguley said. “You have to start somewhere and this exchange of ideas between faculty and staff will give some helpful suggestions.” Huguley said PCC has a good track record in developing programs and strategies with which the col¬ lege and the community can respond to the needs of the depressed areas in Los Angeles and Pasadena. Huguley mentioned the Mentor Program, Project Leap, Title П1 Grant, La Puente Project and the Curricu¬ lum Integration Project as positive models for future projects. The students, with their club ac¬ tivities, also contribute greatly to the alleviation of the urban problem. “There’s a need to communicate more,” Huguley said. The panel discussion, she said, will hopefully be the start of Southern California’s healing process. proposed document for five days prior to the election. The signatures are being verified as quickly as they can be,” said Kauti. Kauti believes that a special elec¬ tion is important to the students. “In all fairness to the people who signed the petition, we should have the election before the school year ends.” Any petition submitted to the ad¬ ministration is valid for 30 days, so if the election is not held before finals, the SFCR would have to start from the beginning in the Fall. SFCR member Rick Vera is an¬ gered by a lack of communication between his group and Kauti’s of¬ fice. “I waited outside of his office for an hour and 20 minutes,” Vera said. “I couldn’t get him to say when the special election was going to be.” Vera believes that Kauti and Rebecca Cobb, Associated Student adviser, don’t want this constitution passed. “It might put power into the hands of the students,” Vera said. “Students have to find out what is going on around here.” While signatures were being veri¬ fied, the Constitution Review Com¬ mittee (CRC), established by Karen Koch, AS president, worked through the Memorial Day weekend exam¬ ining the SFCR constitution and writ¬ ing recommendations to the AS board. They released their report yesterday calling for a “no” vote on the SFCR constitution. “The idea behind the reformist movement is good,” said Paul Dolk, chairman of the CRC, “but the document is garbage.” The SFCR constitution will be posted around the campus, so that students can see for themselves what the benefits and weaknesses of the document are. Among the changes proposed are reforms to limit the AS executive board to five members, create a Chief Justice, Supreme Court and make the Inter-Club Council a legislative branch of the government. The document also outlines the percentages of the budget that are to be spent for specific activities and groups. Koch has released a synopsis of the findings of the CRC for the gen¬ eral student body. She has accepted the recommendations of the CRC and stated that the SFCR constitution contains too many problems. “I have to believe what I am told by the CRC,” said Koch. “I want a good, solid constitution that will last at least three to five years. I don’t think this is it.” Any ratification of the present constitution or approval of a new document requires a two-thirds ma¬ jority of votes by the associated stu¬ dents. While both sides of the reform issue state that their reasons are important, only an election will be able to decide how students want their government to be run. Vera believes that students will realize that ratification is neccessary once they see the revisions. “Some people have painted a terrible pic¬ ture of us,” he said. “But we set out to make the ASB more efficient. We wrote a document that makes people do their jobs.” Photos by Lupe Montalvo Dr. Willim Goldmann, dean of educational services, cleverly stresses the importance of Proposition 1 53 as he prepares to take a plunge during this year’s Sink-a-Scholar event last Thursday. Sink-a-Scholar program leaves jumpers all wet □ Faculty, staff and students take the plunge to raise scholarship money for the Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society. By AZADOUHIE KALYDJIAN Staff Writer As the weather gels progressively warmer towards the end of the spring semester, people welcome outdoor activities, especially ones involving water. That is proba¬ bly why the Alpha Gamma Sigma (AGS) honor soci¬ ety ’ s Sink-a-Scholar program is so successful each year. Last Thursday, many members of the college com¬ munity took a plunge into the pool to help support AGS members through scholarship money generated from the event. Members raise money by charging $50 to “sink” an administration or community member, $30 for a faculty member and $20 for students. Every year, AGS members scout the campus for people who are willing to jump into the swimming pool fully clothed for a specific amount of money raised in their name. During the ceremony, more than 20 profes¬ sors, students, faculty and administration members participated by comically jumping from the diving boards. This year’s cast of jumpers included DrJack Scott, superintendent-president, and Dr. William Goldmann, dean of educational services. Aside from dressing in outrageous costumes for the jump, each year participants devise unique and innova- Jack Scott, PCC president, takes a flying leap. tive ways to commemorate the event. For this year’s event, one participant raised more than $100 by selling stickers that people applied to his body for $ 1 each. During previous presentations, AGS members have raised more than $2,000. Janice Dwyer, AGS adviser said, “This year we are hoping to put the mark at $1,700.” She added that the event is usually the biggest and most popular fundraiser of the year. Students display their artwork at annual Art Gallery exhibit Two of the aesthetically pleasing exhibits are both made of wood. □ Student artists from campus art classes present their work at the annual gallery exhibit. Aproximately 80 pieces are displayed. Photos by Katrina P. Ten/The COURIER Wall sculptures and pottery are among the exhibits at the gallery. By DANIELLE POTOCIK Staff Writer A variety of paintings, photogra¬ phy, drawings, jewelry, and sculp¬ tures are currently represented at the Art Gallery’s annual student art exhibit. Works by students from several art classes were selected for display by the show’s curator, artist Ramone Munez. He is the assistant chairman of graphics and packaging design at the Art Center of Design in Pasadena. The show began Tuesday and will run through next Wednes¬ day. According to Alex Kritselis, Art Gallery director, approximately 250 pieces were submitted for the show. Only 80 were chosen for display, and 12 of the finest were each given $50 prizes. He added that Munoz unselfishly donated his fee for pre¬ senting the exhibit to the prize money. There are many themes repre¬ sented in the students’ work. One piece is labeled “Gay Bias Y” and displays a condom. Other pieces include serene black and white land¬ scape photographs, silver jewelry, and a jagged, pear shaped, metal bed. Peter B. Parise, gallery atten¬ dant, did not wish to speculate on the artist’s inspiration or meaning of the metal bed, but says he interprets it to have a sexual connotation. Parise thinks there is a lot of strong work represented at the ex¬ hibit and is pleased the students are using different techniques along with new and innovative ideas. “This is the only student show to have wall sculpture, its a good sign,” he said. Mario Pagole, a campus visitor from Mexico and an artist himself, said the artwork represented here is much better than similar works he’d seen in Mexico. He especially en¬ joyed the black and white photogra¬ phy. Student Richard Marchetti was also pleasantly surprised by the contrast of works shown. “I think it’s really nice. I haven’t seen any show like it. Students are working with really different materials and coming up with a good cross-sec¬ tional of works that are both func¬ tional and decorative. Some are decorative and also make an impor¬ tant statement,” he said. All types of people frequent the show, says Parise. The art depart¬ ment also mails invitations to pri¬ vate collectors and museums. Anyone interested in purchasing the artwork is put in contact with the artist to make private arrangements, according to Parise. “They may be for sale, but we’re not pushing it. It’s mainly just a showing.”