PCC Courier, November 11, 1993

PASADENA CITY COLLEGE PASADENA, CALIFORNIA VOL. 77 No. 12 COURIER Serving the PCC Community for 75 years THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11, 1993 Lack of forensics budget raises worries □ A $20,000 tentative package is being delayed until Nov. 22. Committee wants information about National competition. By ALFREDO SANTANA Editor in Chief Forensics team members com¬ plained that the lack of a budget for the 1993-94 school year is harming academic projectsthey haveplanned and they are asking for a rapid solution to the problem. Joe Probst, forensics head coach, said his team, which is scheduled to participate in 14 speech and debate tournaments this year, has not re¬ ceived any official notification from the student service fund committee about the $20,000 budget proposal he submitted for approval. “I’ve never received anything in writing,” Probst said. Last month, Probst along with two forensics team members met with Sharifa Johka, AS president, who is also one of the nine members on the committee. They discussed how allocating money to the foren¬ sics team would benefit PCC stu¬ dents. Once the meeting finished, Probst talked to Dr. James Kossler, assis¬ tant superintendent of administra¬ tive services, also acommittee mem¬ ber, to try to hammer out a budget deal. “At the end of the meeting, things were really good,” Probst said. “I perceived that the team’s budget would be passed at that time.” However, Probst specifically fears that without a budget, some students will be unable to participate in the scheduled competition. “It does affects the number of tournaments we may go to,” Probst said. “I cannot tell students how many of them can participate in a tournament if I don ’ t have the money to pay for them.” Alvar Kauti, dean of students ac¬ tivities and member ot the commit¬ tee, said his group has not officially budgeted the forensics team because the students who form part of the committee wanted to know before¬ hand what positive role forensics played in the college. However, the committee raised questions regarding the team’s na¬ tional competition. Nearly $10,000 will be spent solely on that event, which is scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Fla. between March 27 and April 1, 1994. If approved, the budget for that event will cover travel, representation fees, meals, and accommodations. Kauti said the forensics team and its programs are “far away from jeop¬ ardy ’’and added that the early start of classes this fall partially delayed the passage of that budget. On the other hand, Dr. Kossler said the forensics students were fun- neled money to cover all their ex¬ penses, without including the na¬ tional competition. Traditionally, he said, the students’ service committeeapproves funds to keep the forensics team running when the entire budget has not been passed. A meeting is scheduled on Mon¬ day, Nov. 22 to solve the budget problem. Team earns top awards in debate tournament By JULIE A. GRAINGER Staff Writer PCC forensics team members won several awards at the annual PCC Lancer Speech and Debate tournament held last weekend. Of those that won awards, Felita Lewis took first place in the Novice Poetry category, and she placed fourth in Fish Stories. Traci Ukita won second place in Open Radio, and second in Open Duo Interpretation. Ed Edge won first place in Open CEDA debate. He also earned second place in Open Duo Interpretation. Julio Hemanzez won first in CEDA debate. Ken Boswell won second in Novice Radio. Robert Wells won second place in the Novice Radio category and fifth in Nov¬ ice Persuasion. Paul Elphal won the fourth place award in Novice Extemporaneous, and Michelle Sovereign placed fifth in Fish Stories. Students from 11 other col- Please see AWARDS , Page 5 Gas line rupture forces evacuation The Shatford Library was evacuated yesterday when a tractor operator working on the parking lot, next to the library severed a gas line. Students and staff were kept out of the library for an hour and a half until repairs were made. The area surrounding the library was ANITA NARDINE / THE COURIER cordoned off during the emergency by the Pasadena police, and campus security. Ernie Church director of facilities, said that there was no real danger but the students were evacuated just to be on the safe side. Students planning promotional event By JOSE INOSTROZ Staff Writer Nine students in Business 20, an independent study class, will have an opportunity to put their skills to the test this fall when they hold an event to promote new vehicles for General Motors’ Chevy-GEO divi¬ sion under the General Motors In¬ ternship program (GMI). Independent study students will compete against 14 community col¬ leges and universities in California for grants totaling $9,000. Themoney will be divided among the three top place winners in the community col¬ lege and university divisions. According to a promotional flyer, GMI was initially conceptualized as a way for General Motors Corpora¬ tion to gain visibility in and acquire knowledge about the important and elusive college market. The unique aspect of GMI is that it provides the student with the opportunity to gain real-life business experience. They research, design, present, execute, and evaluate their own unique promotion. The project was suggested by Charles T. Harrington, PCC busi¬ ness and marketing instructor, who came to know about GMl through Mark Bowen, marketing manager for Sgro Promo Associates. About 400 surveys were then distributed in classes and to customers at the trol¬ ley snack car. About 200 were returned and tabulated to obtain a profile of how students felt about vehicles. A plan was then devised. The plan is to create a successful automobile promotion. Alex Sue, business instructor along with Harrington, are the students’ advis¬ ers while Bowen serves as liaison between the students and GM’s Chevy & GEO division. The best promotion will be awarded $2,000 as first prize, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third in both higher educa¬ tion divisions. The two winners will then compete for another $2,000. The PCC-GMI team will call its promotion GEO-Rassic Park Adven¬ tures. The name is a play on words using GM’s auto division title and the hit film. They will showcase their event on Dec. 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Quad. The GEO Tracker, Storm, and Prism will be displayed in the Quad. There will be giveaways such as caps and T-shirts as well as key chains with logos of Pasadena Team Chevrolet, co-sponsors of the event. Marketing students Christina Davis, Porsha House, and Andrew Young Please see PROJECT, Page 3 Bookstore faces competition from neighboring store — CARLO BACOR / THE COURIER Zain Azhar , (right) and a friend search for merchandise at the college bookstore. Another store recently opened near campus. □ New store opens near the college as students gear up for book buying. Competition is defined as “friendly.” By DENIS WANG Staff Writer From candy bars to writing uten¬ sils, the PCC bookstore provides al¬ most everything students need dur¬ ing a semester. But it is not the only close source of academic supplies, because another bookstore recently opened its doors across the street. A1 De Ponte, manager of the cam¬ pus bookstore, said that although the store warehouse was expanded seven years ago, the facility, built in 1963 to serve 6500 students, still cannot supply all items for the 26,000 stu¬ dents who attend PCC. However, it continues to sell all the required materials that students may need for their classes. Thebookstore currently orders an average of 500,000 books per year, De Ponte said. For the fall 1993 semester, there were more than 122,000 volumes requested. Students usually purchase books costing any¬ where from $15 to $90. The book¬ store retains 1 0 percent of the profits, while the rest goes into the Associ¬ ated Student fund. The money is then used to sponsor activities on campus such as music groups and athletic events. Overall, the book¬ store has had a good reputation De Ponte said. But now a competitor has sur¬ faced. Located across the street at 1535 E. Colorado Blvd. Bookman and Copy Center is similar to the PCC bookstore in that it sells statio¬ nery, candy, textbooks, and other student supplies. “I feel fine about it,” De Ponte said. “It’s good com¬ petition. Now students won’tbe hurt when we run out of books.” “We’re friendly competitors,” said Bookman employees Bill Gehr and Lee Foster. Since last June, Bookmart, which carries between 1,500 and 2,000 titles, has stocked textbooks used at PCC. Bookmart is also currently trying to stock all the books that the students may need, Gehr said. “Sometimes competitors don’t like each other, but this is not the case,” Gehr said. He and Foster, who have both been De Ponte’s friends for more than 35 years, believe competition will make the PCC bookstore even better. “When there is no competition, you become complacent,” Gehr said, “But when competition oc¬ curs, you’ve got to be on your toes and think of ways to im¬ prove.” Bookmart is a corporation that also operates three other stores. One is located off-campus at Cal State Los Angeles, and the other two are operated under contract on the campuses of Whittier Col¬ lege and Whittier Law School. Gehr and Foster are not the first people to open a private com¬ petitive store across the street from Please see BOOKS, Page 6