OPINION
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Gang wars
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Columbus Day
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Doing it all
Quarterback James Malbrough
leads Lancers to win Page 6
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California
Vol. 74 No. 4
^ COURIER
Thursday
October 10, 1991
High school students lacking in basic skills
after falling behind in
the 1970s. Lamar Al¬
exander, U.S. Secretary
of Education, summa¬
rizing the report, said
that American school-
children know about as
much math, science,
reading and writing as
their parents did at the
same age two decades
‘What we need is general support for education across the
board. Our society is not interested in supporting education
the way it should be supported. I am not talking just about
math and science, but higher education across the board. I
think society should value education more.’
Richard Chamberlain
Math and science department chairperson
you have too many
people. You end
up teaching to the
middle of the class,”
she said.” The high
schools are doing a
good job with as
many students as
they have in classes.
They are absolutely
overworked. I can’t
By Chris Langrehr
Opinion Editor
Technology, financial difficulties and
overcrowded classrooms have contributed
to the low quality of students coming from
high schools according to teachers from the
PCC math and English departments. Most
English and math professors at PCC feel that
the quality of today’s students has declined
in the last 10 to 20 years.
These opinions bring into question a
congressional report mandated by the Na¬
tional Assessment Governing Board which
states that American school children have
improved basic skills such as math, science,
reading and writing abilities during the 1980s
ago.
According to Karen Norris, professor of
English, this study seems false. “The Eng¬
lish skills of students, whether they are ESL
students or native bom Americans, are terri¬
bly low. I have taught for 20 years and the
skills are certainly lower now than when I
began teaching. It is really appalling,” she
said.
Norris feels that the reason for the prob¬
lems in education are that classes contain
too many students. “You can’t teach when
imagine being a high school teacher and
teaching five English classes of about 40
students each,” said Norris. The number of
papers these English teachers have to grade
in order to help students learn to read and
write is overwhelming.
The same appalling situation is also vis¬
ible in student math skills. “I sense that the
students coming out of high schools today
are not as well prepared as they were 20
years ago,” said Richard Chamberlain, mathe¬
matics and computer science chairperson.
“I don’t have any evidence, statistically
or otherwise, to back this up. When I talk to
math professors at all institutions of higher
learning, there is general agreement that this
is the case, he added.
According to Chamberlain most math
professors feel that the education at the high
school level is not what it was 20 years ago.
One of the reasons he stated is that there has
been a lot of pressure on the high schools to
Please see Reading, page 4
The gift of life
Teresa Rochester/The COURIER
Semester blood drive
Student Louis Robinson
braves the needle and
gives blood during the Red
Cross blood drive held
Oct.8 and 9 on campus.
Caduceus club of pre¬
health professions
sponsored the event and
had high hopes to reach its
unit goals. Tuesday turned
out to be disappointing
when the blood drive fell
short by 15 donors.
However Wednesday's
turnout produced 62 pints
of blood.
California Club Pizza on
Los Robles donated pizzas
for blood donors during the
event.
PCC marks
Bill of Rights
bicentennial
□ Series of lectures
will discuss present,
past and future of the
United States
constitution.
By V. WADE CONTRERAS
Staff Writer
PCC has been named a “Bicentennial
Campus” by the Commission on the Bicen¬
tennial of the United States Constitution,
and a special social sciences department
committee has been formed to organize events
to celebrate the Bill of Rights.
A series of guest speakers focusing on
specific aspects of the Bill of Rights are
among the most prominent features of the
celebration. Thomas Plate, editor of the Los
Angeles Times editorial page, spoke on
freedom of the press Sept. 26 to begin the
series. Upcoming topics include the right to
assemble and abortion. The lectures will
culminate in December with a presentation
Please see Celebration, page 4
Unusual series of sexual
related crimes continues
By EDWIN FOLVEN
News Features Editor
An unusual series of sexual related crimes
continued on campus as police reported more
incidents of indecent exposure and sexual
battery during the past week. Campus police
arrested one suspect and are asking for help
in identifying a man who has reportedly
exposed his genitals on at least three sepa¬
rate occasions.
Campus police said a female student
reported that a man in a dark colored BMW
had exposed himself to her while she walked
in Lot 14 last Thursday. Philip Mullendore,
director of campus police and safety, said
the suspect is apparently the same man sus¬
pected of exposing himself and assaulting a
student the first day of the semester. “It
appears to be the same guy. He apparently
calls the student over to the car, asks some
questions and then exposes himself,” said
Mullendore.
A flyer informing students about the
suspect was distributed after the initial inci¬
dents opening day. Police are asking for help
in identifying the suspect. He is described as
a male light skinned black in his 30’s with
curly hair and a muscular build. He was seen
driving a dark colored older modeled BMW
with yellow seat covers.
During prior incidents, the suspect asked
students questions about registration and
parking procedures. He twice exposed him¬
self and grabbed the arm of one student,
slightly injuring her.
Another female student reported that a
man exposed himself as he rode past on a
bicycle while she walked towards campus
on Colorado Boulevard Friday. Mullendore
said a report was taken and the incident was
referred to the Pasadena police department.
Mullendore said patrols have been in¬
creased in the parking lots. “We ask that
students be very cautious and report any
suspicious persons to campus police imme¬
diately.”
Campus police arrested a male juvenile
who reportedly grabbed several female stu¬
dents Friday. The 13-year-old suspect was
charged with sexual battery and released to
his mother pending trial in juvenile court,
said campus police. He was the second per¬
son arrested for physically harassing female
students this semester.
Police are also investigating several thefts
from lockers in the S Building that resulted
in several hundred dollars worth of losses.
Mullendore suggests that nothing of value
be kept in these lockers.
“Its amazing the amount of valuable
property people keep in their lockers.” He
said most thefts occurred in the late after¬
noon when the area is less crowded.
Proposed calendar stirs up debate
By AMOR PADILLA
Editor in Chief
Pasadena City College is considering
the adoption of an early semester system
for the school year 1992-’93. The pro¬
posed calendar would start the Fall se¬
mester on Aug. 17 and end it on Dec.22
while the Spring semester would begin
Jan. 11 and end May 21.
A decision cannot be made until fac¬
ulty, staff and student body have had the
opportunity to react to the plan. The pro¬
posal would need the approval of the
Faculty Senate and the Associated Stu¬
dent Body before it is submitted to the
Board of Trustees for the final decision.
Faculty Senate president Chrystal Wat¬
son stated that they will not come to a
decision until both pros and cons regard¬
ing the change are fully studied.
In a meeting held last Monday, the
Faculty Senate discussed issues concern¬
ing this proposal. The faculty’s strongest
concern is the impact the proposed changes
will have on enrollment numbers and job
security for part-timers.
In the past, colleges that have shifted
calendars, have shown an impact in the
number of students enrolled. Such cases
as Los Angeles Valley College, where
enrollment dropped from 135,000 stu¬
dents to 105,000 over a two year period,
have given some faculty members a pes¬
simistic view of the early semester system.
According to Faculty Senate
СТА
Liai¬
son Edward Ortell, the drop in enrollment
can undoubtedly lead to class cuts and lay¬
offs. The first to be affected would be part-
time instructors.
However, according to Ernestine Moore,
dean of student services, the early semester
will benefit the college because it will align
PCC with most four year institutions. “The
change would greatly facilitate those stu¬
dents planning to transfer to four year uni¬
versities in the Spring,” she said.
Also the calendar is expected to reduce
the number of students dropping-out of classes
after Christmas break. Under the current
schedule, finals and term papers are due in
the weeks following Christmas vacation
period. Many students drop rather than re¬
turn to school after vacation.
Although most faculty support the idea
of ending the semester before Christmas
break, the concerns of enrollment numbers
persist. Watson, stressed the fact that “it is
highly unlikely to experience a drop of more
than 1 000 students. However, the likelihood
of having a reduction is quite possible,” she
said.
The Faculty Senate polled all depart¬
ments last spring when the proposal was
introduced. At that time, the results were 54
percent in favor and 46 percent against.
Now, opinions have changed after ana¬
lyzing the effects of the early semester tran¬
sition. The Senate is collecting further
opinions on which to base its final deci¬
sion.
Business department Faculty Senate
representative Sonia Wurst stressed the
importance of taking into consideration
studies or reports done on the pros and
cons of an early semester system.
According to Moore, other colleges
have already adopted or are in process of
adopting the early semester system.
Neighboring Glendale community col¬
lege reported that the vast majority of its
faculty were in favor of the change. Plans
were set to make the transition for the
’93- ’94 academic year.
Some students planning to transfer to
four year universities felt that the new
calendar will definitely help them make a
smooth transition. Others who were inter¬
viewed supported the idea of ending before
the holidays. However, several students
did not like the idea of beginning school
in the middle of the summer.
Administrative staff and others will
also have a say-so in the decision. Ernest
Neumann, associate dean of counseling,
expressed his concerns regarding em¬
ployees who have young children and
who wish to take a family vacation. The
staffs at PCC such as the cafeteria staff
would have to be hired early,” he said.
Other employees, such as counselors would
also be requested to start in mid August.
i