The Independent Student Voice of PCC, Serving Pasadena Since 1915 Volume 94, Issue 9
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Suspect In
Microwave
Fire Ruins
Lunch for
Students
Don Martirez
Editor-In-Chief
Any student or faculty member who uses
the microwave inside the CC building cafe¬
teria will have to eat cold food until new
replacement microwaves are purchased.
The last working microwave was
destroyed when a bag of popcorn cooked
for too long had caught on fire.
The flaming ball of popcorn short-cir¬
cuited the wiring and deprived the approx¬
imate 100 students-a-day who use the
microwave to warm their food.
Eyewitnesses believe that the suspect
was a transient male who deliberately set
the bag of popcorn on fire.
“There were four microwaves at the
beginning of the semester, but people just
don’t know how to take care of them,” said
Charles Siri, general manager of 1-8 Food
Service at PCC. “It seems like every year
this happens; some people are sticking foil
inside, or they’re just not keeping the
microwaves clean, I don’t understand why
people don’t clean up their mess, especial¬
ly if they plan to use the microwaves
again” he said.
Campus police are currently investigat¬
ing the case, but they don’t believe their
suspect is a student. An eyewitness stated
that a male who smelled of alcohol
became aggravated after a food service
cashier was unable make the man’s request
to change the channel on the cafeteria tv.
The suspect allegedly set his popcorn on
fire, threw it at the cashier and fled.
“This sucks, I don’t want to eat my food
cold. Who the hell is dumb enough to leave
a bag of popcorn in the microwave for that
long anyway?” said PCC student James
Arredondo, a business major.
“The microwaves we have are the indus¬
trial type, which is designed to be used
often and are more powerful than the ones
people are used to using at home. That’s
why we have signs that tell students to heat
their food with less time,” said
Ту
Yu,
director of food and beverage services.
“We use more powerful microwaves so
that students don’t have to wait as long in
line to heat up their food- there is a method
to our madness,” he said.
The new microwaves should be arriving
within the next couple weeks.
Former President Bill Clinton addressed a crowd of 5,000 at UCLA’s sculpture garden the morning of Friday, Oct. 13.
If passed, the measure will provide funding for new cleaner energy sources. A photo gallery of the event can be seen
online at www.pcc-courieronline.com.
Rafael Delgado
/
Courier
Requirements for Math
and English Toughened
Nathan Solis
Ellipsis Editor
Students having difficulties
completing their math or English
requirements should hurry up and
finish them before Fall 2009 when
standards are going to become
more demanding. In order to
graduate with an associates of arts
degree, students will soon have to
complete more difficult classes
and will not be allowed to take
easier courses that in the past ful¬
filled the math or English require¬
ments.
The Board of Governors for
California Community Colleges
(BOGCC) passed Title 5, the pro¬
posal that would raise math and
English requirements for all Cali¬
fornia community colleges.
Students will be expected to
complete an English course on
level with 1A or higher. In the
math department, students will
have to complete courses like 125
at PCC or higher.
Amy Ulmer, Dean of the Eng¬
lish division at PCC, understands
that Title 5’s changes are going to
be necessary and support transfer¬
ring students in their education.
Ulmer said, “We have to prepare
students, because it’s a very diffi¬
cult world.” A difficult world
where children at younger ages
are being taught advanced mathe¬
matics.
Ulmer’s concerns are shared by
Title 5’s vision for future genera¬
tions. Carole Bogue-Feinour, Vice
Chancellor of academic affair
said, “failure to act [now] will
leave California and the nation
with a surfeit of lower-skilled
workers in low-wage jobs.”
With the new degree of prepa¬
ration, supporters of Title 5 hope
it will smooth the transition
between community colleges and
CSU and UC’s around the state.
The current framework for high
school requirements are too simi¬
lar to the requirements that are
currently demanded from com¬
munity colleges, and it is consid¬
ered “a significant mismatch that
doesn’t fulfill the public’s expecta¬
tions for those who earn an associ¬
ate degree,” according to Title 5.
Jeanie Nishime, Associate dean
of Counseling, understands that
some students will struggle. “It
might be two more classes that
students will have to take for their
AS or AA degree.” The change to
the requirements will affect all
California community colleges,
but some students think that if
they can’t pass a class here at PCC
they can take another class at
another college, because the
courses are easier.
“If students can’t pass courses
here we sometimes send them to
other colleges, because the policy
doesn’t allow them to repeat class¬
es more than three times,” said
Nishime, “but we don’t often don’t
offer that option to students.”
The associate’s of arts degree
currently has a wide selection of
classes that meet the minimum
requirements for math and Eng¬
lish, but these will soon be below
the minimum requirements. Eng¬
lish 1A or higher will become the
minimum standard. Math 125 or
higher will become the standard in
Fall 2008.
Some students can’t believe that
this change would take place
while they are still somewhat
struggling with their current cur¬
riculum.
“Some people jump into higher
math classes when they arrive
here at PCC,” said student Nidia
Granados, “I had to work really
hard to get to trigonometry.”
However, some student put off
their math and English require¬
ments until their last semester.
While students may not agree
entirely with the new require¬
ments, some feel that they are nec¬
essary.
Student Daniel Cruz can see the
lack of proper English when he
talks to people in conversations.
I help my nieces and nephews
with their math homework some¬
times and it’s getting a lot harder for
them to do. Math is getting hard
earlier in school said Granados.
Dr. Sabah Alquaddoomi, Inter¬
im Dean of Mathematics, hopes
that the success of this semester,
where classed were filled to 107
percent efficiency, with 6,725 stu¬
dents enrolled the first day, will
carry on.
Continued on page 3
II ,,
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Cq1
The Pasadena
community unites
in a weekend
celebration of art.
See page 6
Thursday, Oct. 12
•A group advocating for a presi¬
dential candidate were reported
disturbing the peace in the C build¬
ing by acting aggressively while
handing out literature.
•Two black Honda Civics were
reported stolen within the same
hour from Lots 4 and 5.
•A female student reported harass¬
ment after two males approached
her at the GM building. The stu¬
dent was asked to sign something
and give them her home address,
the males then posed sexual ques¬
tions directed to her.
Friday, Oct. 13
•Two people were taken into custody
and one car was impounded after the
paramedics and Pasadena PD were
called to respond to a fight that broke
out in Lot 5 after a football game. One
victim was treated for wounds.
Sunday, Oct. 15
•A student was treated at Hunting-
ton Memorial Hospital after being
assaulted in one of the parking lots.
Tuesday, Oct. 17
•A bald headed male was seen
walking away with a student’s lap¬
top from the library. The student
informed police that the suspect
took his unattended laptop from
his workspace.