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Homecoming
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Lancers Win
Conference
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VOL. 87 N0.13
www.pcc-courieronline.com
NOVEMBER 29, 2001
Bill Enables Undocumented
Students To Pay In-State Fees
Coaches
Misuse
Facilities
On Campus
Latino-
Chicano
Culture on
the Rise
By Marcela Toledo-Villegas
Staff Writer
Although a controversy exists
over -whether to call them
Hispanics, Latinos or Chicanos —
these people who in some way are
related to the Spanish language
have become a dominating pres¬
ence in California. The 2000
United States Census shows that
they are the largest of the minorities
in the state. PCC reflecting the
statewide trend lists Hispanics as
its largest student population with
36.5 percent.
The current AS President,
Angela Ortiz, is the first Chicana
and woman elected to this impor¬
tant position in several decades. It
is normal to see her surrounded by
people from “La Raza” during cul¬
tural events, especially those relat¬
ed to Mexican traditions.
According to a previous Courier
article, Ortiz’s office shows her
love and respect for her cultural
heritage.
Actually, parts of the Campus
Center building have been
changed. Now, around the AS
offices, one can usually smell
incense burning or hear country
Mexican music called “corridos.”
In fact, this is the first time that
many heard that kind of music at
PCC.
M.E.Ch.A (Movimiento
Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan) is
example of the Spanish national
association. M.E.Ch.A “strives for
higher education grounded in histo¬
ry, and provides a forum for creat¬
ing and developing cultural, politi¬
cal, social consciousness and
understanding that will prepare
members to become the future
leaders of their community,”
according to a flyer advertising the
group. This cultural club It has also
had a growing influence at PCC. It
has become more visible. Who can
forget the scary and fun festivities
of Dia de los Muertos? Most of
M.E.Ch.A’s meetings in the CC
lounge have lots of people attend¬
ing.
Another organization that is not
new to PCC is Latin American
Issues and the Arts (L.A.I.A). This
group invites students to “celebrate
and learn about Latin American
culture, arts and issues.”
Presentations in Spanish are
becoming more common as well.
Two of the most prominent were
the 1992 Noble Peace Prize laure¬
ate, Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchu
Turn, and Estela Carlotto from the
Argentinean foundation “Abuelas
de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers
of May Square).” Their speeches
were given in Spanish and were
translated simultaneously into
English. Both of them talked about
Latin American issues.
Latino professors and their proj¬
ects are receiving more recognition
and support. Lola Proano-Gomez,
Spanish instructor who has worked
at PCC since 1 994, received a grant
of $24,000 from the National
Endowment for the Humanities to
finance an anthology of the Latin
American theater in the language of
Miguel de Cervantes.
# see LATINO, page 3
By Doris Valenzuela
Staff Writer
Undocumented students now
have the opportunity to go to a
community college and pay $11 a
unit rather then $130 for out of
state tuition. Students will now be
able to enroll as residents if they
are aware of the requirements of
the new law AB-540. Cal State
universities and community col¬
leges are not well informed about
the specifics of the Assembly Bill
540. The AB-540, which will not
become law until Jan. 1, 2002
leaves students enrolling for spring
semester in a bind. Most schools
started registration in Nov. Many
offices at community colleges and
Cal States are still confused about
the bill and some don’t even know
it has passed.
Gov. Gray Davis signed the bill
into law a month later than was
expected. The bill went through
many revisions to make sure it was
written in a language simple
enough to avoid misunderstand¬
ings. However, the misinterpreta-
By Bethany Johnson
Managing Editor
Despite some faculty fears that
PCC would not participate in a
state program to help augment
part-time teachers’ salaries, col¬
lege President Dr. James Kossler
did sign and return the request
form to receive the state funds.
“There was never any question
that we would request the funds,”
said Kossler. “We have said all
along that it makes sense to pay all
faculty the same for the same
work. However, we have also said
that that goal will never be possi¬
ble with our current funding allo¬
cations.”
At the end of February, PCC
will receive over $ 1 million as part
of the program to compensate
part-timers for their work.
Approximately $57 million will be
divided among the California
community colleges that return
their requests for the money to the
Chancellor’s office by Dec. 3.
The college sees the $1 million
as a one-time only allocation while
part-timers and union officials
believe the money should be used
tions couldn’t be avoided because
some schools have not yet
received official word about
requirements of the new law.
Calls to different Cal State uni¬
versities show that workers don’t
have the right information about
the AB-540. An employee at Cal
State Northridge say the bill hasn’t
been signed and asked students for
proves of things that aren’t in the
bill. They also discourage students
from applying by telling them that
they must be in the process of
legalization to be eligible for the
resident tuition.
But Cal State LA had a different
response. Receptionist in admis¬
sions said, “If students want to reg¬
ister for the winter semester they
would have to pay out-of-state
tuition and their money might be
refunded later.”
As far as community colleges
are concerned, PCC received the
guidelines of the AB-540 yester¬
day. Admission personnel will be
going over the guidelines to help
students that are trying to enroll
for the spring semester.
as a regular salary increase.
The
СТА
and other state unions
are hopeful that the funding will
continue, according to Peter
Hardash, vice president of admin¬
istrative services. “The fact of the
matter is it’s one-time funds right
now,” he said. “We cannot com¬
mit to it on an ongoing basis.”
Kossler said that the money
cannot be applied to on-going
salary schedules because the state
isn’t going to continue providing
the funding. “The state made what
was to have been an initial pay¬
ment in a multi-year plan to even¬
tually provide enough money to
equalize faculty pay,” he said.
“Unfortunately they did not pro¬
vide the funding in an on-going
manner. Further, there is now seri¬
ous doubt that the effort will be
funded in the coming year because
of the state’s fiscal condition.”
According to Hardash, the state
Chancellor’s office has suggested
that colleges rewrite their salary
schedules. Then, if the money is
discontinued or there is partial
funding, this year’s money can
either be prorated or the college
Assembly Bill 540 will allow
undocumented students to apply to
any community college or Cal
State university and pay in state
tuition. It requires students to file
an official declaration stating that
the student has filed or will file an
application to legalize their status
as soon as they become eligible for
it.
The first version of the bill
allowed undocumented students
not only pay in-state tuition, but
also made them be eligible for
financial aid. But financial aid
was stricken from the final ver¬
sion. AB-540 only applies to
Community Colleges and Cal
State universities.
Ana Chaidez the Leader of
Wise-Up, a youth led project
founded by undocumented stu¬
dents strongly supported the new
law. She said, “The next challenge
for students are UC Regents.
These students should also be able
to go to the University of
California and pay resident tuition.
Paying in-state-tuition is a big help
even if financial aid is not given.”
can revert back to the current
salary schedule.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Hardash.
“But when you provide one-time
money for something that’s ongo¬
ing, that’s what happens. And the
expectation is that if the state
doesn’t continue funding the fol¬
lowing year, then we have to make
reductions in our budget of $1.1
million, and that hurts, especially
with the economy right now.”
The college already has to find
room in the budget for the growth
in faculty salaries according to
current salary schedules, said
Hardash. Adding another state
program for which the college
could have to come up with fund¬
ing creates what he calls a “quag¬
mire to figure out.”
According to
СТА
board mem¬
ber Preston Rose, part-timers are
currently paid only for the hours
they spend in the classroom teach¬
ing; they are not paid for prepara¬
tion time or office hours. Rose
said that part-timers currently earn
47 percent of what full-time facul¬
ty members make for the same
work.
By Kevin Awakuni
Staff Writer
The $20 million gym that was
paid for by taxpayers’ money may
have become a source of extra
income for some coaches in the
athletic department, according to
police reports obtained by the
Courier. Campus police said they
shut down one unauthorized bas¬
ketball tournament being held in
the gymnasium on July 14, and
that this was just one of several
clinics that were held this year.
Many of the clinic participants
range from young children through
teenage athletes. Others target
those players looking to try and
play professionally. Coaches also
hold tournaments for different
community and school groups.
According to one police offi¬
cial, clinics like this one have been
going on for years, with coaches
and assistant coaches misusing
their access to the athletic facili¬
ties. The coaches allegedly take
payments in exchange for letting
athletic groups and high school
teams use the gym facilities with¬
out securing the necessary permis¬
sion of the college.
One of the men who attended
the July 14 tournament was quoted
in the report as saying, “It’s a
shame that [the police] have to do
this.. I paid a lot of money, and
came a long way for this.”
One basketball coach from
Blair High School in Pasadena said
that their girl’s team participated in
a tournament at PCC with several
other schools in the area. They
paid $250-$260 to participate. The
coach also said that he worked a
camp two years ago for the USC
“Most people in the unions and
in the academic senate are saying
the money should be put toward
salaries,” said Marheine. “Part-
time salaries are not anywhere
near what full-time salaries are per
hour.”
There is a one third turnover
rate of part-timers in the English
division, according to Marheine,
because many of them can’t live
on what they make at PCC. Some
of them even work at two campus¬
es. “They leave the profession, or
they leave this college because
they get paid more at Glendale or
in the L.A. District,” he said.
“When they look around at the
colleges, they think, ‘PCC’s a
nice place and the students are the
best, but I can’t afford to stay
here.’”
Ultimately, the distribution of
the money will be determined
through the collective bargaining
system. The request form for the
money required that a specific
definition of parity between full-
and part-time faculty be reached.
Rose said that the Faculty
Association of California
women’s basketball team and that
USC paid somewhere between
S150-S200 to attend.
Basketball coach Rocky Moore
and assistant coach Tony Lenard
are both named in the report.
Moore was quoted as saying, “I’m
head basketball coach. I can be in
here anytime I want.” However,
according to the police, Moore did
not have authorized use of the
facility and had 35-50 people in the
gym for the tournament.
Coach Lenard denied ever hav¬
ing been at the event, saying that
he was in Irvine at the time for a
basketball camp. However, Moore
said that Lenard was indeed pres¬
ent, and the police report noted that
he was in the gym at the time of the
incident.
Attempts to close down the
tournament were met with resist¬
ance by coach Moore. He said that
he was conducting a basketball
practice and that “he could use the
gym for practice any time he felt
like it.” Officer Nicholas
Hoekstra, who was in charge of the
investigation, told coach Moore
that he was not authorized to use
the gym and that he must leave.
Coach Moore responded by saying
that Athletic Director Skip
Robinson had given him permis¬
sion and that “he was not going to
leave the gym for any reason.”
Eventually the gym was cleared
out, but not before coach Moore
said, “We’re going else where
today, but we’ll be back in here
soon.”
Coach Moore told the Courier
yesterday that he did have the gym
reserved for that day, and that “it
was a very humiliating experi-
Community CQlleges has calculat¬
ed parity at 88 percent, but the col¬
lege will negotiate its own defini¬
tion of parity with the
СТА.
“You don’t just take the money
and divvy it up,” said Hardash.
“Part of the legislation was that
parity had to be defined. That is
part of what the president here had
to certify. We have to negotiate
and define parity and then decide
how to distribute these funds to the
part-time faculty.”
Roger Marheine,
СТА
Negotiator
see CLINICS, page 3
Program To Compensate Part-Timers