Art and
Science come
together
see page 4
Oktoberfest
is back, oh
yaaaaaa!
see page 5
Volleyball
bows out
at tourney
see page 7
P A S A D E N
А С
I I Y COLLEGE
Courier
Since 1915
VOL. 88 NO. 6
www.pcc-courieronline.com
OCTOBER 3, 2002
Protest Disrupts Accreditation Forum
By Luis Romero
Staff Writer
A crowd of more than 250 faculty,
staff, and students used the visit by the
accreditation team as a chance to under¬
score a divide between the administration
and the faculty over a long-standing pay
dispute on Tuesday.
After repeated attempts to settle con¬
tract disputes with the district, the PCC
chapter of the California Teachers
Association organized a demonstration
that started in the Sculpture Garden and
marched to the Circadian, where the
accreditation team was holding an open
forum.
The group stopped short of entering
the building and pressed close to the floor
and ceiling windows to stare at the com¬
mittee.
Like a similar rally last spring, pick-
eters came prepared with signs that read:
“PCC Trustees: Low pay is a BIG mis¬
take” and “No equity for part-time facul¬
ty = no contract.”
A few students lugged around a giant
puppet of PCC president James Kossler
wearing a crown.
“It’s not so much that the president
wants to win all the time, I think it’s just
that he can’t stand to lose,” said John
Jacobs, president of the
СТА.
The negotiations involve pay raises,
benefits and $ 1.1 million that was ear
marked by the state for part-time faculty.
“They’re taking so long to decide how
to distribute it to us. Meanwhile it’s gain¬
ing interest in the bank,” said Alexis
Moore, a part-timer. “It should just be
distributed over the salary schedule.”
As the gathering traveled into the C
Building and through the main hallway
past the president’s office, protesters
chanted, “Hey, hey Dr.
К/
Pay Our teach¬
ers a normal wage.”
A bullhorn ensured that the shouts
reverberated throughout the building.
PCC is an environment supposedly
devoted to learning and still the district
doesn’t support the part-time teachers
who have to volunteer consultation time
with the students because it’s not part of
their pay, said Carlos Brocatto, a student
involved in the demonstration.
A large portion of the rally consisted
of students, many members of the
Student Union.
The
СТА
received support from the
Mikyl Nutter/Courier
# see PROTEST, page 4
Protesters demonstrated for faculty pay hike last Tuesday.
Online
textbooks
not always
cheaper
By Steve LuKanic
Staff writer
Long lines. High prices. Empty
shelves. Mind-numbing return poli¬
cies.
They’re the stuff of most college
bookstores these days, particularly at
the beginning of every semester
when thousands of students make
the pilgrimage to the likes of PCC’s
bookstore, the Book Mart and
Textmania in search of their required
tomes.
But there is an alternative to
shopping for textbooks, one that stu¬
dents can find right at their finger¬
tips: the online bookstore.
With a few keystrokes, students
can browse a veritable shopping
mall of stores like Amazon,
Half.com, eCampus, Alibris and
Classbook.com, to name a few.
One website, AllBookstores.com,
even allows shoppers to search for a
particular book title and then com¬
pare the price at a variety of different
online stores before clicking on the
store with the best price.
But while the convenience of
Ф
see BOOKS, page 3
PCC student Omid Amirsolaimany answers ques¬
tions from late night talk show host Jay Leno. The
“Tonight Show” made its third visit to PCC last
Thursday morning, filming his infamous
“Jaywalking” segment to be aired in a future show.
Rick Fry
/
Courier
Visiting Team Hears Staff Concerns
By Terrance Parker
Staff Writer
Threats of a possible job action
became a real possibility Tuesday
as the PCC teachers' union disrupt¬
ed a public forum with the visiting
accreditation team.
Faculty members were already
expressing their discontent with
current school practices when
shouts and chants from outside
overwhelmed the small meeting
room.
This year's accreditation team
conducted an open forum in the
Circadian A room Oct. 1 at noon
with several faculty members and
students informing team members
about their own experiences here.
At about 12:20 p.m. the distant
sounds of a crowd of people began
filling the room.
The volume increased over the
next few minutes. Suddenly the
patio north of the Circadian room
filled with people waving signs
and chanting slogans.
The protestors swarmed up
against the windows, as if to over¬
run the room.
The clamor from their voices
drowned out attempts to commu¬
nicate inside. Several demonstra¬
tors started pounding on the glass
windows with signs and sticks.
At this point, Phil Mullendore,
chief of the PCC police depart¬
ment, stepped outside and told the
crowd to step back. He made no
attempt to silence the group.
The demonstrators pulled back
from the windows, but continued
to yell.
Thomas Fallo, president of El
Camino College and chairman of
the visiting team, halted the forum
temporarily and went outside to
speak with the protesters. The
shouting and chanting continued.
After talking with a few people
Fallo re-entered the meeting room
and restarted the open discussion
process.
He expressed hope that the
group outside would designate a
spokesperson and send that person
in to the forum.
Among the participants was
Christine Goudy, a part-time ESL
instructor. She read from a pre¬
pared statement then presented it
to Fallo.
She said that part-timers feel as
if they are not really part of the
PCC community.
For example, during the self-
study process there .was a newslet¬
ter keeping faculty and staff up to
date. The part-time faculty did not
get this newsletter.
Goudy also reported that part-
timers are not allowed to substitute
or get compensated for staff devel¬
opment activities.
She said they must fend for
themselves for early morning or
late evening classes.
"Too many part-time faculty are
paying out of their own pockets for
duplicating," she said. "I was here
at 6:30 yesterday morning to make
copies for my class. The copier
was not working and I couldn't get
in to the faculty workroom. I was
two minutes late for my class."
"I'm full-time in the same divi¬
sion," said Karen Holgerson, ESL
and linguistics professor. "I
absolutely agree with everything
she said."
Joseph Probst, speech profes¬
sor, attended part of the recent
board of trustees retreat. He said
the trustees spoke about a commit¬
ment to student retention and suc¬
cess.
"There have been major demo-
# see FORUM, page 4
Undocumented
Get Tuition Break
By Michelle Constantine
Staff Writer
Moore
More than a 100 nonresident students, who wou
normally pay SI 34 a unit at PCC; are being charged only
S23 a unit because of AB540.
The law was designed to allow children, who are not
in this country legally, to attend college as resident stu¬
dents rather than as nonresident students.
The difference is they must pay the regular Sll per
unit plus a S12 per unit capital outlay fee.
The new law, passed last January, states the “student
must have attended a high school (public or private) in
California for three or more years” and must have graduated or attained
the equivalent prior to the start of the term.”
Students who hold an F (student) visa or a
В
(visitor) visa are not eli¬
gible to be exempt from nonresident fees. The law also states “an alien
student who is without lawful immigration. status must file an affidavit
with the college or university” with the intent of filing “an application to
legalize his or her immigration status.” If they are ineligible to do so
because of age, they are required to file the application as soon as they are
able.
The problem is ensuring that those who take advantage of AB540 meet
the requirements of the law. Most colleges check transcripts and diplo¬
mas, but PCC does not.
The process here merely consists of filling out an application form
where students check a box to indicate residency. Carol Kaser, assistant
director of admissions and records, then evaluates the form. That’s all the
information PCC requires.
According to Kaser, “We are not to ask for any type of verification.
We’re taking students at their word.”
Ernestine Moore, vice president of student services, said, “Colleges
have the option of having students sign an affidavit rather than providing
transcripts. The way we do things is in accordance with guidelines issued
by the chancellor’s office.”
The guidelines state “the law does not specify the manner or type of
verification required except in reference to an affidavit from those without
lawful immigration status. Therefore it is the view of the chancellor’s
office that a district may rely on the student’s self-certification of status.”
Moore said, “We do our best to help students and comply with the law.
If we find that the student did not tell the truth, we go back after the
money.”
Students who are undocumented aliens would not want to advertise
their status and may think that filling out the form to apply under AB540
would expose them to immigration services. Kaser stat¬
ed that students “need to know they can come forward
and sign this form and it is totally confidential.”
At Mt. San Antonio College, students are required to
fill out the application and submit their high school tran-
jscripts, proving they have graduated. According to
I Michael Ostccgh, admissions and records clerk, the stu-
Jdent “also needs to be petitioning to ch'lnge his/her status
Jand show documentation from the INS.”
In addition to completing the application form,
Glendale City College requires students who apply under AB540 to bring
in an official high school transcript along with their diploma to show they
have graduated. Bobbie Strandquist, supervisor of enrollment services
specialists, stated that once students are accepted under AB540, she
encourages them to file an application to legalize their status. Currently,
there are between 100 and 150 students enrolled at GCC under AB540.
Citrus Community College also requires students who apply under
AB540 to submit transcripts along with diplomas.
The AB540 students are not eligible for state and federal financial aid.
Kaser
see AB-540, page 3
4
I