PCC Courier, October 08, 1998

THURSDAY OCTOBER 8, 1 998 - VOL. 84 Big Shot mm SHOTS: PHOTOS Till THI STORY OF THI TOOOHIST GAME OH EARTH Радев Trends two тт он thi euHRiHT mm FUCK WHATORIAMS MAY COME РадеЗ iwww.pcc-» ^ .coin I IN-DEPTH NEWS Tech Support U ndermanned Computer staff lacks the necessary resources to maintain various campus equipment By ANAMARIA GONAZALGZ Staff Writer Beneath what appears to be a healthy number of computers on campus for this technological age, the college is combating a technology “support crisis.” There is a total of 850 computers on campus, yet fewer than seven staff members are employed to trou¬ bleshoot the five 286’s, forty-three 386’s, one hundred twenty-seven 486’s, 529 Macs, and 12 other com¬ puters. The college is, hands down, no where near the national average of one support staff member for every 900 students. The college averages one support staff member for each 2,900 students. That’s 2,000 more students per each support staff member than the nation¬ al average. There are now 31 places on campus equipped with computers, but only a handful of faculty mem¬ bers who actually can help fix those systems. The college’s staff to support instructional technology includes two lab technicians, one instructional pro¬ ject development specialist, one fac¬ ulty support technician, and shared responsibility for the positions of repair technician, network manager, programmer, clerical, and manage¬ ment. The support crisis is not a new problem. “The campus has been warned for years that the crisis was coming, but for a variety of reasons the campus has been in denial,” said Dr. Bob Cody, assistant dean of the instructional computing center, in a letter sent to various administrators on campus. Cody stated that the only way a solution to the problem is going to be found is through planning and prioritizing. The reading lab in the D Building provides an example of how a lack of support staff for computers hurts stu- | extra coverage Read what students have to say on this topic in this week’s Sound Off, page 2 dents. “Only four out of 12 comput¬ ers can be used by students in the Reading Lab. Eight haven’t even been set up yet or are missing parts like sound cards, said Inger Moen, director of the Reading Center. “One or more computer programs is an integral component of the reading courses. The computer problems deprive students of essential lab hours.” The computer support crisis has already been given much attention. A “technology management retreat” in February was dedicated to addressing the different aspects of the problem and possible solutions. Recently, there have also been weekly meetings of a technology advisory group, whose members include Cody, Dale COMPUTE, page 4 Ш&ШВШШ1 ви&штем R5 IT STRMDS BRSED ОП THE RUBBERS, THE RHTIO OF ТЕЕНП1С1ЯП5 TO COOPUTERS RPPEHRS R BIT UnBRLRnCED. THERE RRE JUST SEVER STRFFERS FOR THE 850 RRCHIRES USED OR OR OPUS ЕКЭНЭЕ H2(2 УУЙУУУ УУУУУУ УУУУУУ yyyyyy 12(2(2(2(2(2 УУУУУУ S® El El У (SI El El El El El El УУУУУУ ииы\иы\и (2 (2(2(2 (2 (2 (2(212(2(2(2 УУУУУУ (21=10 computers ^й^й ^й^й '-'ЙиксЬг | quotable “The campus has been warned that the crisis was coming , but for a variety of reasons the campus has been in denial, ” Dr. Bob Cody assistant dean of the instructional computing ELECTION '98 Separated By Issues Fong and Boxer represent different views in senate race By ERICK RUIZ Staff Writer The two candidates who are vying to repre¬ sent California in the United States Senate dif¬ fer on how they’ll lead the golden state into the next century. Sen. Barbara Boxer, the incumbent democ¬ rat, and state Treasurer Matt Fong, republican, have very different views on the issues. These two candidates are polar opposites on key matters. Like in the gubernatorial race, education provides an important parameter. Boxer authored the Computer Donation Incentive act of 1996, providing an increased tax deduction for companies that donate new computers to elementary and secondary schools. It was signed into law as part of the 1997 balanced budget agreement. She opposed Proposition 209 (anti-affirmative action) and Proposition 227(anti-bilingual education). Boxer introduced the After School Education and Safety Act of 1997 to provide a safe learning environment for children during the after school hours when most crimes that are committed, by and against juveniles, take place. Like other legislation, it’s languishing in congress while politics takes center stage. ELECTION, page 4 POLICE BEAT Del Mar Stabbing Little is known about incident that took place near campus By ROGER CHENG Sta ff Writer A pedestrian walking near the campus was stabbed and robbed on Tuesday by three unidenti¬ fied black males who are still at large. The victim, a 44-year old man, was on the cor¬ ner of Hill and Del Mar Avenues when the three men attacked him, one brandishing either an ice pick or a filed down screw driver. He was then stabbed repeatedly with the weapon in the chest area. The assailants took off after the assault in a late 80s beige Chrysler LeBaron. The victim managed to make his way onto PCC, where the campus police phoned for an ambulance and the Pasadena Police Department. At 10:03 a.m., two squad cars and a helicopter responded to the call. The officer in charge was Lieutenant Sean Robinson, who made sure that the victim was sent off to the hospital and then began the search. The PPD searched the surrounding area for the suspects’ vehicle but found nothing substantial. “[The policcj checked the area out, but by the time they got the report, it was already five to 10 min¬ utes old,” said Lieutenant Richard Sandoval, PDD watch commander. The paramedics responded and took the victim to the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Fortunately, his injuries were not that severe. He was admitted at 10:25 a.m. and discharged later that day at 1 :42 p.m. Along with the wounds, the robbers took a ring, two money orders, a watch and $400 in cash. Asked about PCC involvement, Campus Investigator John Corrigan responded, “It hap¬ pened off campus, we have nothing to do with any outside incidents.” The PDD is still investigating its limited leads, but is pessimistic about the results. They were also unable to specify any more information about the man. The victim himself was unable to be reached for comment. ' ‘ .' Iv ■ •■;«ВД8к* * I nut. . I . -isr Я - BOBBY LEE / COURIER Cheerleaders get the crowd Into It during a big win for the football squad. INVESTIGATION: PART 1 OF 2 Is Our Campus Diverse? Survey determines if there is a problem or not By LUIS E. REYES Staff Writer BREAKDOWN: Nationwide, this college is con¬ sidered to have some of the strongest academic curricula. The alumni, such as baseball legend Jackie Robinson and Nobel Prize laureate Bruce R. Merrifield, are part of its legacy. The finished campus facilities are state of the art. Crime is significantly below the national on-campus aver¬ age. The student body is one of the largest in the country, and one of the most diverse. Diverse? According to a recent semi-offi¬ cial questionnaire based on students’ perspectives on social relations, “stu¬ dents are cliquish.” Of the 237 students surveyed, 62 percent agreed that there is discrimi¬ nation on campus, but some groups face it more than others. Meanwhile, 16 percent concluded that groups stayed segregated at the college. Also in the survey, 66 said that students exclusively associate with people of their own race and social interests. What this does, according to some teachers and many students, is create an innovative type of isolation and even segregation. “What we see on campus today is a model of segregation that we fought so hard years ago,” said English professor Daniel Meier. Many instructors and students blame ethnic clubs such as Black Student Alliance and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, for creating an atmosphere that goes beyond the celebration of heritage and into segregation. Psychologists explain this type of group polarization in two ways. It is either based on accepting evi¬ dence about reality or an influence based on a person’s desire to be accepted by others. Here’s what 237 people had to say | Ethnicity: Black 32 Asian 33 Latino 96 White 33 Other 2-7 Are you... Liberal 158 Conservative T9 What is the ethnicity of your friends? Black 3<S Asian 58 Latino 103 White 41 Other 25 “I grew up around here, so I got more used to it. None of us have any¬ thing against each other. We go to class together, we sometimes do our work together. Diversity is fine,” said Anthony Ng, business management major. “Everyone has his own little group. People are more comfortable around their own people. There’s По problem, so I see nothing wrong with that,” said Sean Harris, social sci¬ ences major. “We probably made these friends DIVERSITY, page 4 What’s on the Web? www.pcc-courieronline.com ilfFWiXESIIW, ; MEWS EXTRAS z OUR UEB SITE HRS ВЕЕП REAPED TO STRB С0ПРЕТ1Т1УЕ 111 ■ SORE OF THE STORIES RND INFO THRT TODRB'S HIGH TECH UORLD. THE FRONT PRGE OF OUR SITE UILL ! JUST DOESN'T FIT 111 THE PRPER IS NOU SPORT R PIEU LOOK. 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