Janine Shimomura
Staff Writer
Local TV anchor Ted Chen spoke candid¬
ly in the Creveling Lounge on Sept. 24 to
students and faculty about the complex
issues facing China.
"China's pursuit of wealth and material
success has expanded exponentially.
Pursuit of money motivates people, there is
less poverty but corruption and kickbacks
with government regulation," Chen said.
While it appeared to be a typical guest lec¬
ture, the presentation entitled "China
Today," surprised many in the audience as it
ranged from topics like China's automobile
boom to the fate of journalism in the future.
Chen's presentation detailed his experi¬
ences in Beijing for the 2008 Summer
Olympics for KNBC.
Sent a year before the Olympics, he cov¬
ered issues concerning the region and also
China's preparations for the Games.
The audience was shown a video compi¬
lation of Chen's stories shot within that year.
They watched as Chen biked through
Beijing where there was an increasing
amount of automobiles present.
He described the environmental problems
that the boom was causing and how it was
driven by a desire to climb the social ladder.
"If you can afford to buy a car, you've
ascended to middle class," Chen said.
Also shown were recaps of his Olympics
coverage and a visit to a rural town outside
of Beijing, contrasting the differences
between the two regions.
After the presentation the audience asked
Chen questions. He encouraged a variety in
what they asked.
They probed his knowledge on issues like
Taiwan and China relations, media censor¬
ship in Beijing, and how materialism has
changed the Chinese ethos.
The PCC Asian Faculty and Staff
Continued on page 6
Brian Warouw/Courier
Interim President Dr. Lisa Sugimoto presents local TV anchor Ted Chen with a Certificate
of Recognition and Appreciation from the PCC Asian Faculty and Staff Association on
Sept. 24 in Creveling Lounge.
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Volume 100, Issue 5
" The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915.’
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Rushed budget
leaves many
with questions
Melissa Edis/Courier
Students walk through the Quad, where UCs, CSUs and private institutions set up on Monday to aid those
looking to transfer.
University Day paves way
for students to transfer out
Stephanie Guzman
Staff Writer
About 100 universities, ranging from UCs, CSUs,
and private colleges were there to aid students with
any questions about transferring.
PCC students of different majors gathered around
the quad on Monday for the annual University Day.
"University Day is a opportunity for students to
explore their transfer options," said Dina Chase,
director of outreach and transfer services.
University Day is offered twice a semester at PCC.
Chase said students should take advantage of the
event.
"With the state budget right now students should
prepare early and apply widely," Chase said.
Some of the universities that participated in the
event were UCLA, USC, Arizona State and CSULA.
Kim Koenigsberger, a representative for San Diego
State University said University Day is an advantage
for students.
"It gives them [students] exposure to different uni¬
versities/' Koenigsberger said. "They can get the
answers and it's always helpful when it's a one-on-
one conversation."
Continued on page 6
Genaro Bonilla
Staff Writer
A budget passed in a hurry has
left the Faculty Association as well
as other members of the college
with questions and ready for
answers.
The budget was passed on Sept.
16, a month before it was due.
There is some confusion over the
speedy passage of the budget and
the Faculty Association feels that it
was a rushed decision.
"The Board of Trustees should
never have passed a budget that
they had only looked at for appar¬
ently two or three days," said
Roger Marheine, president of the
Faculty Association. "It seems to
me that the board paid complete
lip service to this idea that we're
concerned about the students, and
to her discredit [Trustee] Beth
Wells Miller moves and then it's a
unanimous move and boom boom
boom it's all done. "
The FA attributes the rushed
passing of the budget to a genera¬
tional rift between the board and
the student body.
"I think the rushed passing of
the budget represents a lack of
respect for the faculty, classifieds
[staff], and students," said Jane
Hallinger, English professor. "I
don't think any of them under¬
stand the ethnic and the language
changes in our classes. They went
to college 30 or 40 years ago.
They're taking away support from
students who need it."
Meanwhile, Van Pelt explained
why the budget was passed on
Sept. 16, not on it's final day Oct. 7.
"With one quarter of the year
gone, we have spent a great deal of
money already, with no ability at
all to view anyone's budget for
funding levels," Van Pelt said.
"That poses a significant control
problem in our spending as we
have no 'measuring stick' to com¬
pare spending against."
A big topic of confusion is how
many sections are really being cut
from the winter intersession as this
has yet to be stated.
"I heard that it was 457 sections
cut," said Marheine. "And eight
percent cuts overall. That's a lot of
sections.''
Marheine attended the meeting
at which the Board of Trustees
voted on the budget as well as the
Academic Senate meeting earlier
in the week that Van Pelt had
addressed them on the budget.
Marheine took meticulous notes.
"The plan is to offer 316 sections
in the winter. Last year's number
was 598," said Van Pelt. That
means 282 sections are to be cut for
Continued on page 6
Local television anchor
tells about trip to China
