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Pasadena City College
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Volume 104, Issue 6
The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
October 6, 2011
Rain, rain go away
Gabriela Castillo
/
Courier
First storm of
season arrives
Above, 21-year-old film major
Martin Pacheco shelters from the
rain as he arrives on campus from
east Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Right, students going to class, try
to stay dry with umbrellas during
the first big rain of the season.
According to weather.com 0.87
inches of rain fell at PCC.
Daniel Nerio
/
Courier
Top priority to
be given to
transfer students
Those nearly finished to register first
Judy Lim
Staff Writer
Students within 18 units of fin¬
ishing their transfer requirements
will get first priority in class regis¬
tration, said PCC President Mark
at a news conference with Courier
staff members on Sept. 29.
"We're pulling out the records of
any student within 18 units of fin¬
ishing their requirements. Those,
in our view, should be given first
priority. Now, if you're in the mid¬
dle, that's a bit of a challenge," he
said. "More sections will be added.
"We're working harder than
ever to try to improve programs so
students can identify a goal
and... [then] transfer as quickly as
possible," he continued.
Rocha said that the plan was to
"take resources from classes that
are less in demand and move them
into an area that is in more
demand" such as science and
math, as a way of giving students
more of an opportunity to get
much needed classes.
Citing his experience as an
English teacher alongside his role
as president of PCC, he said,
"[There is] a big difference
between sitting in an office and
thinking you know it all, but
something else to teach a class. I
can't fix everything in one day, but
it helps me to find out what stu¬
dents need in order to achieve
their goals."
Rocha also said that the experi¬
ence of teaching has made him
realize that the difficulty in regis¬
tration is not just getting the class¬
es needed, but the attempt of rear¬
ranging the class schedules so that
the times do not clash.
"I've got a solution, but not
everyone is happy because it's
change," he said, referring back to
his State of College address on
Sept. 28. "We need to realign with¬
out injuring faculty.
"We may take some resources
from classes less in demand and
move them to more in demand
classes," he added.
"I've learned from my students
at the street level," he added.
Rocha said that the two major
academic things being worked on
to improve the programs are that
students can identify a goal and
meet it to transfer as quickly as
possible; and to improve service to
basic skills students to get them to
a college level.
In this year's budget, he said
PCC went from $120 million to
$112 million, factoring in the possi¬
ble $2 million cut in state funds in
January if state revenues fall below
projections.
Should the trigger cut not be
pulled next year, the $2 million
won't be swept aside and kept, but
"it's possible that it'll go towards
places that could generate more
revenue," he said, "as well as hir¬
ing more instructors."
There will be triple the number
of incoming seniors from various
high schools around Pasadena
next year due to the success of a
Continued on page 7
PCC in top tier for veteran resources
Neil Protacio
Staff Writer
For a second year in a row, PCC has
been recognized in the G.I. Jobs maga¬
zine's 2012 Top Military-Friendly
Schools.
In a survey comprised of 124 commu¬
nity colleges, universities, and trade
institutes, PCC made the top 6 percent in
California, boasting positive praise in
veteran student peer reviews.
"It's wonderful that more and more
students see that we're here and are uti¬
lizing our services/' said Veterans
Coordinator Patricia D' Orange-Martin.
"We're rightly so being recognized as
one of the leading community college for
veteran resources," said President Mark
Rocha during a news conference with
journalism students on Sept. 29.
The Veterans Resource Center has
played the main role in providing veter¬
ans with services and resources, raking
in a 3.9 score out of a possible 4.0 in peer
reviews. The center offers counseling,
workshops, computer labs with special¬
ized software for traumatic brain injury
and post-traumatic stress disorder dis¬
abilities, guest speakers, and also veteran
representatives. In addition, the school
gives returning service members priority
registration and awards scholarships.
"It's nice to know that whatever
financing goes into this is actually work¬
ing," said Juan Hernandez, a 29-year-old
business major who served as an airman
for four years.
Lisa Castaneda, 23, felt at home after
serving five years off the coast of Dubai
as an aviation Boatswain's mate.
"I was really happy with how helpful
[the veterans resource center] was," she
said. "I went to school on a ship and it
was great to come here. I didn't feel like I
was alone. I think it's really awesome
that we're in the top 6 percent. I mean
Continued on page 7
- WT
RESOURCE
1
Carol Caiandra,
founding mem¬
ber of the
Veterans Club,
right, talks
with Urte
Barker, a vol¬
unteer mentor
in front of the
Veterans
Resource
Center on
Sept. 20.
Ben Kong
/
Courier
> •
Speak out!
Should transfer students
who are almost done get
priority registration?
vote at
pccCourier.com
First atomic bomb
Photographs from
Manhattan Project
exhibited at Art Gallery
Page
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Early learning
Morning tutors available
in Social Science
Learning Center
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