PCC Courier, October 12, 2006

The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915 Volume 94, Issue 8 I Pasadena City ) College Ai 12,06 uns Ornish school shooter left no time to negotiate к _ № Mmw Ч>«»кГаШЪ CthiMv- J.M.*,.- i- . „.I 1V.1 l . . . . . ... I. . _ I. . . T§jS§f^, Are they needed on this campus? Don Martirez Editor-In-Chief The recent school shootings across the country have raised PCC community con¬ cerns over the board of trustees’ current gun policy for campus police. Despite a growing trend of campus mass murders, the board’s policy of no guns on campus stands firm. However, some members of the community feel that the policy may need to be reconsid¬ ered in light of the recent shootings. “It’s difficult for people to conceive or believe that the Amish school massacres really happened until they’ve personalized it and imagined what it would be like if they were put in the same situation. Imagine if you were that person inside the classroom with your hands tied behind your back and a gun was pointed at your head, wouldn’t you wish or hope that an armed officer would immediate¬ ly respond to save you?” said campus police officer Steven Matchan. People on campus, for the most part, are split on the issue of allowing the colleges’ police officers to carry guns on campus. Based on a poll conducted by the Courier, 53 out of 100 students believe that campus police officers should be allowed to carry guns. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t let them (campus police officers) carry if it’s to protect us. They are trained and I don’t see what’s keeping them from doing it,” said Kevin Aga- janian, 21, art history major. “I would feel safer if I knew the campus police were more prepared than just having a radio and a badge,” said Alexandra Romero, 19, dance major. “It doesn’t mean that the campus would be safer if the police had guns, what if the police accidentally shoot a student?,” said Mike Jones, 24, kinesiology. In her 32 years of working here at PCC, Glenna Watterson, secretary for the natural sciences division, recalls an incident that hap¬ pened where a gunman came to campus and held two students and a lab tech at gunpoint and robbed them. “Pm not a big gun advocate but I’m not opposed to the campus police officers carrying if they’ve had the proper training. What are they going to do when a crazy person comes to campus with a gun, throw rocks at them?” said Watterson. Dave Douglass, faculty member for over 20 years and in his first year as dean of natural sciences, said, “There are different ways of looking at this issue. We are a college and learning environment, and the presence of guns on campus might make it difficult to Continued on page 2 One-day Permits to Cost $1 More Jesse Sears Staff Writer The price of student daily parking per¬ mits on campus will double from $1 to $2, effective in January. The board of trustees voted 4-1 in favor with one abstaining, though some mem¬ bers of the board expressed concerns with the increase. “I do feel that students will be pushed to avoid coming into the lots, and that means neighborhood impact,” said trustee Beth Wells-Miller. This impact could take the form of more parking tickets given to stu¬ dents or soured relations with neighboring communities because of students crowding residential streets, Wells-Miller explained. “The fee increase is needed to keep the parking lots safe and in good working order because some things have been over¬ looked in the last few years due to budget constraints,” said Peter Benson, transporta¬ tion coordinator for the campus police. Benson stressed that all revenue taken in from the daily permit increase will go directly into providing increased parking safety and related services for the students. Some of these items proposed or already in the works are more cadet patrols within and around the parking structures and lots, improved bike racks to provide more secu¬ rity for those students who bike to school, more portable radios for cadets and cam¬ pus police officers, and two new electric carts to be used to help students and facul¬ ty move heavy loads around campus and for nighttime escort service. A parking decal good for the whole semester will still cost $64. For a student who parks on campus four days per week, it used to cost the same amount to use the daily permits as buying one good for the whole semester. Now it will cost $128 to pay for daily permits four days per week for a semester. It remains to be seen whether this will really provide a lot of additional revenue, because some students may stop buying the daily permits all together. Though the increase carries the approval of the associated students, some students interviewed felt differently. “It is upsetting that they are charging $2 for parking because people without a lot of money can already barely afford to come here with tuition and books being so expensive,” says PCC student Tracey White. “It doesn’t seem like we have enough of Continued on page 3 Library Officials Worry About Thefts Illustration by Rocky Wu Many students leave their belongings unattended. Christine Calvo Staff Writer There are few areas on campus that make a student comfortable enough to read, study and pass the time for a few hours before they have a class. Due to a recent rise of thefts at the library, officials recommend that students take more care for their belongings. Most of the items stolen from stu¬ dents were laptops, wallets, keys, cell phones, and textbooks. "We want them to feel safe," explained Leslie Tirapelle, interim library director. "Students feel that Tm in the library, I'm safe,' and then somebody walks away with their stuff,” she said. Four to five students within the week claimed lost items at the lost & found section located behind the cir¬ culation desk. Out of all the students that come looking for something, it is not often that the students actually find what they have lost. Tirapelle explained that people, who stole text¬ books, go across the street to Book- mart; sell them back for quick cash before the victim can check with the store for their book. Hema Ramachandran, circulation manager for the library, explained that in the previous semester, the campus police and cadets were frequently seen patrolling the building but are not seen often this semester. “We had cadets in the library, but they're short- handed," explained Tirapelle speaking about safety options that the library could take. In response to the short- handed appearance of cadets, Lieu¬ tenant Brad Young explained, “ If [cadets] are assigned to watch the library, the library has to pay for it, Continued on page 3 Men and Women’s Mt. SAC Tuesday Oct. 17 4-8pm W: 4-6 M: in Thursday, Oct. 12 "S • National Coming Out Day Resource Fair Ф in Quad at 10 a.m. and “Mixer in Circadian ^ at 6 p.m. Ы • “Want to Be a Nurse?”; Future Nurses ^ Pizza Party at noon in Cl 64. .5 Friday, Oct. 13 £ • Citywide Art Night from 6 p.m. to 10 q p.m. PCC is one of 14 venues open to the у public free of charge. £Li • “The Lady Cries Murder” in Sexson {Э Auditorium at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 • “The Lady Cries Murder” in Sexson Auditorium at 2p.m. • Football vs. Fullerton College at PCC’s Robinson Stadium starting at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16 • CSU Northridge Representative Visit at 9 a.m. in LI 10 • UC San Diego Representative Visit at 9 a.m. in LI 10 • CSIJLA Representative Visit at 3 p.m. in LI 10.