OPINION
FEATURES
NEWS FEATURES
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California
Vol. 72 No. 6
71,6 COURIER
Thursday
October 4, 1990
NEWSLINE
100-mile club
Students, faculty, and staff mem¬
bers who are health conscious and
atheletically inclined are encouraged
to participate in the PCC 100-Mile
Club. The club offers members a chance
to improve physical conditioning by
exercising to the equivalent of 100
miles.
It is open to joggers, walkers, hik¬
ers, swimmers, cyclists, and people
using stationary exercise equipment
such as rowers, bicycles, and cross¬
country ski machines. The use of free
weights and aerobics has also been
recendy added to the list of activities.
The club requires runners, walk¬
ers, and hikers to actually travel 100
miles. For the other exercises, a time
conversion table is used to calculate
the 100 miles traveled. For instance,
every three miles cycled counts as one
mile toward the 100. For swimmers,
every four laps counts as one mile.
Other conversions include 16 miles
credit for one hours exercise on a
rowing machine, and 18 miles credit
for every one hour of riding a
stationary exercise bike.
The club was started in March by
Sharon Dzick, a student activities
intern. Dzick created the club to try to
get everyone on campus involved in
an atheletic event, said Robin Johnson,
student activities assistant and current
leader of the program.
Originally, the activities were
limited to walking, jogging, swim¬
ming, and cycling. The additional
activities were added at the end of the
spring semester. Johnson said, ’’many
people who work hard at exercises like
aerobics or weights deserve a chance
to participate. We would like to see
more people get involved.” The club
currently has more than 25 members.
Their is no membership fee and
members are not bound by a specific
time limit to coplete the 100 miles.
They simply record their mileage on
a card provided and turn them in bi¬
monthly at the student activities office
in the campus center. Some people
finish right away. Some who started
last semester still havent finished,
stated Johnson. ’’Some have forgotten
to turn in their mileage cards.”
Upon completion of the 100 miles,
members will be awarded with a deco¬
rative PCC 100-Mile Club T-shirt. The
T-shirts are provided by the student
activities office and were printed by
the silk-screening students at the PCC
print shop. Members are not limited to
100 miles. One member suggested a
500 mile club for the future.
Registration forms and other infor¬
mation is available at the student ac¬
tivities office in the campus center.
- Edwin Folven
Satellite teleconference
A live, interactive teleconference
will take place at the Forum tomorrow
at 10 a.m. This video conference will
provide an opportunity for all mem¬
bers of the campus community to con¬
sider the impact of increasing inci¬
dents of racial harassment and intimi¬
dation on individuals and on the aca¬
demic community. A panel will dis¬
cuss behavior models and legal issues.
The conference hours are from 10 a.m.
to noon. Contact Philip Mullendore at
(818) 578-7484 to register
INDEX
Opinion
2
Editorial
2
Features
3
Sports
News Features
6
5
Prerequisites under evaluation
By BECKY ROUSE
Editor in Chief
As PCC attempts to comply with an
assembly bill passed in 1986 which insists
that community colleges provide services to
improve students chances for success, the
issue of prerequisites becomes more than
just boldfaced type in the course catalog. In
order to comply with the bill, AB-3, colleges
must inform students of their right to chal¬
lenge prerequisites, and for the college to
establish a formal challenge procedure.
The new regulations in AB-3 provide a
way to bypass prerequisite requirements if
certain criteria are met. Prerequisites can be
challenged on the basis of their validity for
the student, if the student has the knowledge
already, and if the prerequisite is discrimi¬
natory against the student. The current pro¬
cedures for challenging prerequisites is to
utilize the testing services offered on cam¬
pus, or to go through the department chair¬
person.
The bill was sponsored by Assembly-
man Robert Campbell, D-Richmond, many
of whose constituents were first generation
college students that got lost in the system,
according to Ernestine Moore, dean of stu¬
dent services. She said that Campbell wanted
to help people who get into a basic skills
track and then can’t get off it. Moore indi¬
cated, however, that the prerequisites are
not meant to hinder a student’ s progress, but
to ensure it. ‘ ‘Prerequisites mean that these
are the skills you need to be successful in this
course,” said Moore, ‘‘the issue is success,
and there is no quick way to achieve it.”
Musical touch
Mike Robbins
/
The COURIER
That magical moment when fingers touch the keys, and music is made.
Concerts are held every Thursday at noon.
Debate team undefeated
By PAMELA WILSON
Special Correspondent
The Lancers boasted the only undefeated
Cross Examination Debate Association
(CEDA) debate team at the PSCFA Warm¬
up tournament last Saturday and Sunday,
earning Mark Woodsmall and Vince Bohanec
the superior certificate in the Junior divi¬
sion. More than 20 schools competed in
debate and individual events at El Camino
Community College, and PCC continued
what coach Crystal Watson calls ‘ ‘a 40 year
winning tradition in forensics.” Therese
Thomas won the only other superior certifi¬
cate for PCC in the Novice Impromptu event
In this event, the speaker draws a choice of
topics from slogans or quotations and is give
seven minutes in which to prepare and speak.
Vince Bohanec also won an excellent
certificate for his performance in Junior
Extemporaneous, in which the speaker draws
a choice of three topics from current affairs
and is given 30 minutes to prepare a five to
seven minute speech. Pamela Wilson re¬
ceived an excellent certificate for Novice
Extemporaneous, as well as for Novice
Persuasion. The Persuasion category involves
a ten minute prepared speech on any topic,
designed to inspire, stimulate, convince, and
or advocate change.
“This is the most enjoyable squad in
years,” said Watson. Nancy Perri, serving
her first year as co-director of PCC forensics
was enthusiastic about the upcoming season
and the 27 member speech and debate team.
“We are very pleased, but we know this is
only the beginning,” said Perri.
Students can percieve prerequisites as a
significant time barrier. A class that is trans¬
ferable in the university system might re¬
quire an additional semester’s worth of work,
or more, in order to meet the prerequisite
needs. Mathematics is an area that causes
students considerable consternation with
regards to the prerequisites issue.
“It is a complicated situation,” said
Richard Chamberlain, chairman of the mathe¬
matics department. “Math prerequisites are
specific knowledge requirements, you can’t
take the class if you don’t know what is
needed. ’ ’ According to Chamberlain, most
of the time questions arise when students
have come in from another school and have
completed a course similar to the prerequi¬
site for the class they wish to take. “I try to
make a judgement on how smart they are,
and their ability to succeed in the class,”
said Chamberlain. “We are not trying to
punish students, or make things difficult for
them. We want them to succeed,” he said.
New restrictions limit the number of times a
failed course can be repeated to once, which
seems to back up both Moore and Chamber¬
lain’s view that prerequisites are an impor¬
tant success factor. Moore said, “students
have rights and can challenge course pre¬
requisites, but the college can still impose
the requirements.
Sometimes students see no connection
between what they are taking and where
they want to go with their education,” she
continued, ‘ ‘and this is where counseling is
important.” Moore suggested that students
utilize the counseling center and develope
an “education plans map” so that they can
clearly see their goals.
PCC, Pacific Bell
team up for classes
By AMOR PADILLA
News Features Editor
With the start of the semester, PCC and
Pacific Bell have engaged in a program that
will offer a group of Pacific Bell employees
an opportunity to obtain an A A degree in
Business Administration and a chance to
transfer to the University of Redlands or the
University of La Verne.
According to Mary Jane Cordon, associate
dean of the office of Economic Develop¬
ment, the program that PCC developed for
this project is called the Accelerated AA
degree program, which promises to cover all
60 units needed for an AA degree in three
years. “It sounds funny,” said Cordon “ to
call it accelerated, but considering that the
employees take one class at a time it is pretty
fast.” The program started Sept. lOand will
end in June 1993.
Cordon explained that since the employ¬
ees work full time, they take only one class
at a time for eight hours a week and every
seven weeks there is a new class.
Pacific Bell approached the college
through it's office of self-directed educa¬
tion. “They believe in education, they want
their employees to be educated,” Cordon
said.
Michael Carey, manager of Pacific Bell’s
self-directed education office explains that
the office is in charge of “supporting and
promoting educational goals of employees.”
The self-directed education program works
in conjunction with community colleges and
PCC was chosen for its high academic stan¬
dards, according to Carey.
What also makes this program unique is
the fact that the college sends the teachers to
the work sites. With approximately 57 stu¬
dents, the Accelerated AA degree program
is being offered in three different Pacific
Bell sites, Foothill, Alhambra and Colorado.
Cordon explained that the classes had to
be put together to create a program that
could be accepted at both the University of
Redlands and the University of La Verne.
After the employees finish with their AA de¬
gree, the universities will also offer an ac¬
celerated BA opportunity. Carey said "our
office gives the employees career options
that will help them get higher positions in
the company.”
“Pacific Bell’s situation is unique among
hi-tech companies because it recognizes the
importance of supporting the educational
ambitions of its employees.” he said.
Besides donating the sites, where the
classes are held, Pacific Bell on Colorado
pays the employees for the hours they put
into study.
As the manager of the office, Carey’s
goals are to break the ground between com¬
munity colleges and big companies, and to
hopefully work out an arrangement for the
programs to be taught at the college campus
instead of at donated sites.
Financial aid service
By KATHLEEN CRAVEN
Assistant editor
PCC receives the largest allocation of
Cal Grant funds to community colleges in
the state, according to a recent report in the
Los Angeles Times. In the 1989-1990 aca¬
demic year, the total number of financial aid
recipients was 722, with awards totaling
$651,985. The financial aid offices pro¬
jected that 653 students will receive $771 ,430
in aid this year.
Karla Henderson, new director of the
financial aid office stated that PCC’s suc¬
cessful program “is the result of good re¬
cruitment, a good rapport with high school
counselors. ’ ’ Henderson cited one area high
school as an example, where all graduating
seniors filled out aid applications, even if
their educational plans at the time did not
include college.
The Student Aid Commission (SAC) is
the gatekeeper of the financial aid system.
SAC sets the criteria of qualification re¬
quirements and uses pre-determined mathe¬
matical formulas to calculate how much
money the student should contribution for
their education, and how much that student
should receive in aid. These figures are
reviewed twice each term, and adjustments
are made annually to the budget, explained
Kim Green, financial aid interviewer and
college work study coordinator. At PCC,
financial aid is awarded via grants, which do
not have to be repaid, and student loans,
which do.
Failure to repay student loans is a trend
that has crisscrossed the nation, but the
default rate for PCC students has been gen¬
erally low. However, a default management
plan was initiated this year based on a 23.6
percent default rate for 1987. ‘ ‘The manage¬
ment plan is required whenever the default
rate exceeds 20 percent on loans,” said
Henderson. The management plan is regu¬
lated by the state Department of Education
for most loans.
A new development in the financial aid
process is the Anti-Drug Abuse Act Certifi¬
cation, which all Pell Grant recipients are
required to sign. Any student who receives
financial aid, and is convicted for a drug
related crime forfeits his or her right to
receive federal funds. According to Hender¬
son, a judge will issue a court order specifi¬
cally mandating that a conviction be re¬
ported to all appropriate agencies which
Please see Aid, Page 6