Men’s Soccer
Lancers take
a beating.
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Volume 104, Issue 9
Pasadena City College
The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
Online edition
pccCourier.com
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November 3, 2011
Budget
blasted at
candidate's
forum
Natalie Sehn Weber
Online Editor
Despite differences in profes¬
sional backgrounds, most Board of
Trustee candidates agreed: the
state of California's education
budget is dire, and local outreach,
use of technological advancements
and tapping local resources are the
solution.
Civil discourse between the four
incumbents and three challengers
dominated the well-attended
Candidates Forum, held in the
Creveling Lounge on Oct. 26. The
Board of Trustees election will be
held on Tuesday.
The incumbents included
Trustee Jeannette Mann, Area 2,
President William Thompson,
Area 4, Board Clerk John Martin,
Area 6, and Trustee Linda Wah,
Area 5, who is unopposed.
The challengers attending were
Brian Fuller, running in Area 2;
M.A.C. "Maestro" Enriquez-
Marquez, running in Area 4; and
Chris Cofer, running in Area 6.
Candidates' passionate opinions
came to the forefront when Simon
Fraser, the chief justice of the
Supreme Council for Associated
Students, asked their positions on
rising tuition fees.
The current per-unit fee of $36
will increase the $46 in 2012,
according to vice president of
administrative services, which fol¬
lows an increase from $26 to $36
that was implemented in July.
"[The State] legislature uses
community colleges as a cash
cow," Mann said.
In reality, she said, the money
raised by increasing tuition did not
go to the colleges but went into the
state's general fund, instead.
"[It's] absolutely reprehensible
to tax students in a disproportion¬
ate way," Mann said.
Fuller, Mann's opponent, agreed
and called the state's budget
"bogus." He said the tuition
increase was a direct result of
California's poor fiscal manage¬
ment.
Both he and Wah said that con¬
tributions from local community
resources would be required to
reduce the impact rising tuition
costs would have on students.
Thomson said that PCC's
Foundation would have to find
ways in the future to raise money
in order to offer more scholarships.
Asked what about the problem
of expensive textbooks, candi-
Continued on page 7
Daniel Nerio
/
Courier
PCC student Brandon Hammerli, left, and TVR instructor Jeff Rudisill
protest in support of Occupy Pasadena on Wednesday.
PCC protesters join new
local Occupy movement
Jessi Alva
Staff Writer
PCC students and local residents
gathered on the comer of Lake
Avenue and Colorado Boulevard
on Wednesday evening in solidari¬
ty with Occupy Oakland and to
condemn the Oakland Police
Department's violence against Iraq
War veteran Scott Olsen.
This was the first action that the
new Pasadena branch of the
Occupy movement has taken.
Esteban Gil, a PCC student, alerted
the Courier to a statement from
the Occupy Pasadena
Communications committee that
announced the formation of
Occupy Pasadena.
PCC students, Marcus Soto and
Julia Wilson stood along side oth¬
ers in front of the Bank of America
and Chase branches. Jeff Rudisill,
radio operations instructor at PCC
said, "It's past time for a change
and I need to be a part of it." He
has been following the Occupy
movement since it started in Los
Angeles on Oct. 3. "Its not gonna
happen on its own."
Pablo Oliva of Pasadena said he
Survey reveals
realignment
controversy
Faculty points to lack of clarity
Sara Medina
Editor-in-Chief
Over 90 percent of faculty in the
Social Sciences division do not
believe the administration has
done a good job of making reasons
for a proposed realignment clear,
according to a survey conducted
within the division.
Ninety one percent disagreed
that PCC's administration has
made an adequate attempt to
explain why realignment is neces¬
sary, the survey found.
"It's a fair part of the process,"
PCC President Mark Rocha said of
the survey. "If you want democra¬
cy, you need to give and take."
Social Sciences Professor
Michelle Ireland said the survey
was merely a result of many not
knowing what was going on.
"A few of us got together and
asked the faculty what they want¬
ed to know," she said. "We wanted
to put our finger on the pulse of
what faculty were thinking about
what was going on in front of their
eyes."
Two division deans and four
other instructors did not respond
to repeated attempts to reach them
for comment.
The survey sought responses to
33 questions focusing on realign¬
ment and how Social Sciences fac¬
ulty members feel about the
process in which realignment has
been discussed. Thirty-three out of
38 full-time tenured and non-
tenured faculty members from the
division responded to the survey,
which was conducted last week
and presented to the Planning and
Priorities Committee on Monday.
Though the administration has
been touting a policy of trans¬
parency, another notable result of
the survey focused on the lack of
perceived transparency in the
restructuring of teaching divi-
Continued on page 7
sent a message to many news
organizations on Monday about
the formation of Occupy Pasadena.
He mentioned in his email that the
first action would be the event on
Wednesday.
PCC ESL teacher Shannon
Maraghy has been posting blog
entries to encourage fellow teach¬
ers to join the movement. She has
been spent five nights at Occupy
Los Angeles and feels that more
can be done.
About 20 people came out in
support of the Occupy movement.
Students and spectators spoke out
against corporate greed and the
police brutalities that happened in
the Occupy Oakland protests.
"Although I would like to see
more of bank and corporate greed
discussed here, today is for
Oakland," said Soto, PCC sociology
major.
He heard about this protest
because he is on the Occupy Los
Angeles mailing list. "I'm hoping to
get more involved in Occupy
Pasadena. Its great that the move¬
ment is getting closer to home,"
Continued on page 6
Smokers gonna smoke
Erika Cox,
22, philos¬
ophy,
enjoys a
smoke
break
behind the
R Building,
despite
PCCs rules
against it.
Story
/
Page 3
Courier
Pile Photo
Speak out!
What do you think
of PCC's
realignment plan?
vote at
pccCourier.com
Boo!
PCCs Halloween has
both tricks and treats.
Page
6»
The TV biz
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Hollywood Renaissance
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J 1
man Sheldon Bull shares
his secrets.
Page
2»
Society of Motion Picture
and Television Engineers
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