Serving PCC and the Pasadena community since 1915
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‘Shark Tale’
is a Bottom
Feeder
Page 5
Vol. 90, Issue 7
No Charges Filed Against Lieutenant
Veronica Lid/ Courier
After a six-week-long investigation by the Pasadena Police Dapartment, Lt. Brad Young said he “knew
from the beginning” that no charges would be filed against him by the district attorney regarding the
allegations made by officers of the PCC campus polite department.
■ District Attorney cites
insufficient evidence to
charge Lt. Brad Young for
secretly tape-recording
campus officers.
Linda Rapka
Editor-in-Chief
The Pasadena district attorney’s office
will not file charges against the college’s act¬
ing police chief, Lt. Brad Young, who was
accused by several officers of secretly tape-
recording conversations in their locker
room.
The findings of a weeks-long investiga¬
tion by Detective Rich Cassidy of the
Pasadena Police Department was presented
to Deputy District Attorney John Perlstein
on Oct. 14. Perlstein cited “lack of sufficient
evidence” for the decision to not file
charges.
In addition to lack of sufficient evidence,
Cassidy said that the district attorney’s deci¬
sion was also determined by questioning
whether or not the complaint of a crime was
even valid. He said the district attorney’s
report questioned whether or not there is a
reasonable expectation of privacy in the
officers’ changing room.
Several campus officers initiated the
investigation claiming they found a tape
recorder in Young’s locker last month.
Young has denied all allegations made
against him since they were first made last
month. “I knew the case would be rejected
before anybody else did,” Young said
Tuesday.
“Over the past six weeks, a few employ¬
ees under my direction have lost focus of
this mission,” Young said in an official state¬
ment released Tuesday. “I am committed to
healing our campus police department, the
majority of which remain dedicated to serv¬
ing the campus community.”
Young said that the allegations against
him from a few officers in the department
are a form of retaliation for being recently
disciplined. The officers deny this claim.
The allegation of the secret tape record¬
ings is not the only complaint that has been
filed recently against Young, who is being
considered for the permanent campus police
chief position. On Oct. 6, several disgrun¬
tled officers submitted a vote of no confi¬
dence against Young to the board of
trustees.
Officer Leroy Henderson, president of
the Police Officers Union, told the board
Young
Page 4
English Lab Hurting
for Student Workers
Ernesto Ruiz
Staff .Writer
Student workers have been in short sup¬
ply on campus since the start of the semes¬
ter, and the situation in the writing lab has
illustrated the need for students to fill open
positions. The lab only had five student
workers at the start of the school year.
Those five workers have to deal with 4,000
students who come through the lab each
week. For students enrolled in English
courses 400 through 1A, the English 1000X
lab is mandatory. The lab offers tutoring
sessions and exercises for students on com¬
puters. The lab also offers one-on-one tutor¬
ing for all English students by student tutors
or English professors.
When classes began, Steve Whitney,
writing center coordinator, was a little wor¬
ried. He posted signs and did all he could to
fill vacant positions. Midway through the
semester the number of student workers has
increased to about 1 1 due to help from the
financial aid office and Cal Grant. “Both
offices got some people for us fast. They
came to our rescue. If we did not have the
work study program on campus, it would
have been scary,” Whitney said.
According to Whitney, the center needs
to carry two tutors and four staff assistants
every hour. The lab is open 63 hours each
week. The lab is still in need of about three
to four student workers as soon as possible
to fill the vacant spots during the week.
Typically the hourly wage for working in
the lab is $7.25, but it can change. Students
with an associate or bachelor’s degree may
earn more.
The writing lab employs two types of
workers: students who have received an “A”
in English 1A and work-study students.
Anyone who is interested in applying for
the vacant positions in the lab needs to go to
the financial aid office in the L building to
see if they qualify for state or federal assis¬
tance. If the student qualifies then the state
or federal government will award the stu¬
dent a certain amount of money for that
semester or year, depending on how long
they plan to work. A student also needs to
be enrolled in 12 units to qualify for the job.
Whitney said that student workers
would not experience the sudden money
shortage that many students experienced
last year. “Last year too many students
received work-study awards in March and
April, causing a shortage in money,”
Whitney said. “This year the financial aid
and Cal Grant offices have been more cau¬
tious with awards.”
Whitney wanted students to know that
working in the lab can be a great experience
and that it isn’t too demanding. “At the end
of the semester or year I can even write
them a great referral [for another job or col¬
lege],” he said. “Also, we are very flexible
with the students hours and work to fit with
their availability.”
Students interested need to apply quick¬
ly. Like the writing center, other work-study
programs are also in need of workers
around campus. Other job listings are avail¬
able at the career center in the L building or
students can check them out themselves at
www. monstertrack. com .
Don’t Fall Victim to Credit Card Debt
Photo illustration by Marissa Zamora
More students than ever before are
walking the perilous path toward major
credit card debt.
Lamaria Sapp
Sports Editor
Most college students go into debt
before they graduate because of the
misuse of student credit cards and a
lack of education in money manage¬
ment.
Getting a credit is one of the easi¬
est things college students and teens
can do. It is even easier for someone
without a line of credit or bad credit.
Card companies target teens and stu¬
dents because of the increasing popu¬
lation and their urge to splurge.
In some cases teens can get a cred¬
it card without parents being aware of it.
This may be tempting, but it can set a per¬
son up foryears of problems, ask parents or
an expert to educate you on money man¬
agement so that you don't ruin your credit.
Usually, student credit cards offer a low
credit amount like $500, but the company
will tack on high fees and interest rates.
Students, teens and parents should shop
around for the best deal when applying for
a card. Some people without checking sign¬
up for credit cards charging 22 percent. If
you already have a card, use it only in emer¬
gencies.
Beware, credit card debt can prevent a
person from owning a home or car, renting,
getting employment or simply maintaining
financial freedom. Don’t ruin your financial
reputation!
All credit card holders should
know that when paying off a credit
card, there are two equally important
obligations.
The first is making the monthly
payment. The second is paying off the
cash advance.
It shouldn't take five years or more
to pay a debt as low as $500, but it
usually does. The reason for this is
because as long you have a standing
cash advance balance, a finance
charge up to 19 percent or higher is
being tacked on to the overall bal¬
ance.
Even if a card has expired, the
cash advance doesn't go anywhere.
Pay the advance as soon as possible, so
the money that is put toward paying off the
overall balance will go toward the balance
and not just finance charges.
The cash advance is a separate entity
from the actual bill. Call your credit lender
and ask for the address where you send your
cash advance payments.
Cost of College Highest for Foreign Students
Lamaria Sapp
Sports Editor
Students who come to PCC from
around the globe leave their lifestyles,
language, friends, family, and the com¬
forts of home only to face financial bur¬
dens and instability.
What most students don't realize is
just how much these students have to pay
just to attend PCC. The $15-per-unit
increase in tuition fees over the last two
years may have hit California residents in
the wallet, but it doesn’t compare to the
out-of-pocket expenses that international
students pay every year. International
students become F-l students after they
obtain their visas.
F-l students pay out more than
$15,000 a year to attend PCC, which is
the cost of many universities.
Applying to PCC costs an internation¬
al student a non-refundable $40. Once
accepted, they pay $155 per semester
unit, more than in-state residents and
out-of-state students, and international
students are also required by the U.S.
government to take a full 12 units every
semester and maintain at least a “C”
average.
Resident students and those from out-
of-state can work to pay for college or
Cost of College A
Page 4
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
Yesterday’s downpour caused major
flooding in several areas on campus,
including the parking structure.
The rain overloaded the parking struc¬
ture’s drainage system, causing massive
water spillage. .
A facilities worker endures “soggy
socks” while vacuuming water in the
basement of the T building.
City and county officals respond to the
sidewalk that collapsed at Del Mar
Avenue and Allen Street.
s
