- Title
- PCC Courier, October 25, 1974
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- Date of Creation
- 25 October 1974
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- Description
- Student newspaper published and edited for the Associated Student Body of Pasadena City College weekly during the college year by the journalism students.
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PCC Courier, October 25, 1974
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Report Called for by Trustees
Student Assistants Role Studied
By Eric \V. Epling
Editor-in-chief
A total of 22,803 hours of w ork was completed at PCC by 229 student assistants
during the fall and spring semesters of 1973-74. For their work, the assistants were
paid a combined total of $(17, (149.
The figures were released in a report prepared by Ur. Stanley Gunstream.
vice president for instruction and continuing education, with the aid of PCC's
departmental heads. The study was called lor by the PCC Board of Trustees to
help capsulate the extent to which student assistants are used at the school.
The report was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the types of
work which, while once done by the instructors themselves, are now handled by
assistants.
It was the feeling of trustees J. Kay Kisser and Koger Gertmenian that
perhaps too many job responsibilities normally reserved for teachers were being
placed on the shoulders of assistants.
Used to Free Instructors
The report showed, for the most part, that student assistants are being used in
areas where their employment will help to free instructors from time-consuming
and menial tasks. Once freed from such, the instructor is able to more fully
concentrate on more important facets of his job.
For example, the Department of English was responsible for 720 hours
worked by assistants, and involved mostly reading and evaluating student
papers.
"Most of our assistants are graduates with B.A. degrees,” Woodrow Ohlsen,
department chairman, said. ‘‘But a student could be doing it because we would
choose a student who is competent.” Ohlsen added that of the department's 15
assistants, only two are PCC students.
"We need the help desperately,” Ohlsen said. "Without it, the teachers would
have to cut down on the amount of writing the students do.”
Assistance Formula
For every 10 students over 100 that are taught by each teacher, one hour of
reader assistance time is given each week for a period of 16 weeks. So, for
example, if a teacher has 150 students, he is entitled to five hours of assistance
each week.
Headers, according to Ohlsen, parry a substantial amount of the workload
that would normally be aimed at instructors.
"Some do want to read their own papers,” Ohlsen said. But, he added, the
teacher who does want to avail himself of reader services does not necessarily
short-change his students. “The teacher has to get together with the reader and
arrive at a just method of grading."
In other departments, for example Communications, where the highest
number of student assistant hours, 5376, were chalked up, the role of student
assistants is quite different.
Equipment Instruction
Most, according to department chairman Dr. Harold Salisbury, are involved
with instructing in the use of equipment, providing security lor material and
supplies, and assisting students with lab procedures. Assisting in clerical tasks is
another area in which students are used as assistants.
Students, however, are not used to grade or evaluate assignments or to help
teach a class. Instead, their employment, according to Dr. Salisbury, alleviates
the workload on the teachers and allows the instructor more time to do these
things himself.
In the Life Sciences Department, headed by Dr. John Babel, duties of the
student assistants include the preparation of examinations. However, only trusted
assistants, who are under both oath and close supervision, are allowed this job.
Emphasis on Lab Techniques
Otherwise, student assistants in the life sciences perform much the same type
of duties as do those in Communications, but with more emphasis on laboratory
techniques.
According to Dr. Babel, this leaves instructors free to keep abreast of ad¬
vances in the biological, biochemical and medical fields, by allowing them more
time to be spent reading research journals.
In the Social Sciences Department, the grading of tests and exam preparation
is left to the teachers. There, students, in addition to other duties, serve as
"errand runners,” according to the department report prepared by Kalph
Hallman. They deliver and return materials, such as assignment sheets, to and
from duplicating services, and prepare reading lists or bibliographies in the
library. ;
In summation, the report presents a picture of teachers which, if not for the
aid of student assistants, would be substantially more burdened than they are
now.
Gunstream Named to
Biological Committee
PCC CotVu&v
VOL. 38, NO. 5 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA OCTOBER 25, 1974
Handicapped Students Make Use
of New Van to Attend Classes
By Dave Moore
Managing Editor
Stanley E. Gunstream, vice
president for instruction and con¬
tinuing education, was recently re¬
appointed to the education committee
of the American Institute of Biological
Sciences (AIBS). The AIBS is a
national committee made up of
biologists nationwide which discusses
biological teaching methods and
curriculum.
Dr. Gunstream is the only returning
member of the education committee,
which he served on from 1971 through
1974. Appointment is made upon
recommendation by the AIBS staff.
The committee meets twice a year at
a three-day session, but is constantly
working independently between
meetings. According to , Dr. Gun¬
stream, the committee’s purpose is to
give “direction and guidance” to the
biological curriculum across the
nation.
Dr. Gunstream said that the current
thrust of the committee is to provide
new, pragmatic biological curriculum
for the non-biology major. The com-
DR. STAN GUNSTREAM
. . . education committee
Causing people to smile is con¬
sidered by many a subtle business, an
art in itself, and satirist-author Dr.
Richard Armour will attempt to prove
it at the fourth program of the Tuesday
Evening Forum series Tuesday at 7:30
p.m. in Sexson Auditorium.
Author of more than 45 books, Dr.
Armour has contributed almost 6000
pieces of light verse and prose to 150
magazines in the United States and
England. His byline has appeared
from time to time in Readers’ Digest,
and his weekly syndicated features are
used by more than 300 newspapers
across the nation.
Dr. Armour gained national
popularity with his book, “It All
Started with Columbus,” a satire on
the history of the United States which
critics hailed as “a classic of
American humor."
His lectures usually combine
learning and laughter no matter what
DR. RICHARD ARMOUR
. . . renowned humorist
mittee will try to set up model courses
for the non-biology major.
“Enough attention has not been
given the non-major,” said Dr. Gun¬
stream. “He needs it because it relates
to being a citizen in modern life in
many ways, such as genetics, energy
problems, and population control.”
Another area of concern of the
committee is an ongoing “Project
Biotech,” in which the committee is
forming a collection of instructional
modules. “The modules are ‘how-to’
packages made up from a multi-media
approach, using such instructional
methods as films, slides, and
booklets,” Dr. Gunstream said.
“At the present time there are about
50 modules,” said Dr. Gunstream.
“They will be marketed within the
year. They are made by biologists
around the country. If the committee
accepts the idea, the biologist is paid
$500 for his efforts.” The funding for
such projects comes from the National
Science Foundation.
In past years, some of the
achievements of the committee have
been the Biological Sciences
Curriculum Study (BSCS) and the
Commission on Undergraduate
Education in Biological Sciences
(CUEBS).
The BSCS study resulted in the
formation of three different ap¬
proaches in high school biology. These
were molecular, cellular, and
ecological. “This was done because we
found out that college students were ill-
prepared,” said Dr. Gunstream.
The CUEBS study resulted in the
formation. of curriculum models on the
college level, built on BSCS ex¬
perience. According to Dr. Gun¬
stream, this was done because of the
need to improve undergraduate
education. Both the BSCS and the
CUEBS were funded by the National
Science Foundation.
Gunstream sees the main charge of
the committee now as picking up the
ball and moving on farther, mainly
focusing on pragmatic courses for the
liberal arts major which will be useful
in modern society.
the topic, but it is Dr. Armour’s opinion
that humor is a tough field to work in.
“1 think it is as hard to make people
laugh as it is to make them cry,” he
said, “and it is more important.
“I mean ‘laugh’ in a deep, satisfying
way. I’m not speaking of a belly laugh,
but a lot of brain laugh,” he pointed
out. Expressing his opinion on how to
amuse readers and listeners, Dr.
Armour commented, “Someone once
said that laughter is feeling good all
over and showing it in one place. I
don’t think you have to show it.
“Some of the best, most lasting
humor brings not a laugh but a smile,
or no response at all in either the belly
muscles or the facial muscles," Dr.
Armour specified. “What I’m trying
for is a sense of pleasure, a recognition
of human imperfections which the
writer and the reader share.
"So, in iny playful way, I am
working toward understanding.
Perhaps it’s on a low level, but it is on
the level, at least,” he added.
After receiving his doctorate from
Harvard, Dr. Armour was active in
research fellowships in Europe. He has
taught English and American History
at the University of Texas, North¬
western University, Wells College,
University of Freiburg (Germany),
University of Hawaii, Scripps College
and Claremont Graduate School.
He has lectured at more than 200
colleges and universities in Europe
and Asia as an American specialist for
the State Department.
Dr. Armour served in the Army in
both World War II and the Korean
War, and was discharged with the rank
of colonel.
CALTECH SHOW
Don Ellis, a leader in modern big-
band jazz, will appear at Caltech's
Beckman Auditorium Saturday at S
p.m. in one performance only.
Discount tickets are available for $2
w ith PCC student ID.
Some of the transportation problems
affecting PCC handicapped students
have come to an end as the college
recently purchased a specially
equipped van with a hydraulic lift and
wheelchair brackets.
The purchase was endorsed last year
by the Board of Trustees, after a series
of debates.
“Many wheelchairs may be folded
and placed in cars,” said Fran
Baldwin, coordinator of the handi¬
capped students at the college. “But
that’s almost, if not totally impossible
The administration of justice
division of the Engineering and
Technology Department has a unique
police training program and teaching
staff that is perhaps unsurpassed by
any other community college in
Southern California.
“Right now PCC has a police
academy at the Civil Defense Center in
Eaton Canyon, where nine different
agencies in the San Gabriel Valley
send their recruits for training,” said
Vincent Hughes, coordinator for the
administration of justice division.
Hughes, a law school graduate and
retired FBI agent after 29 years of
service, came to PCC in 1969.
The agencies trained include Ar¬
cadia, Burbank, Monrovia, Pasadena.
San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra
Madre, South Pasadena and the L.A.
County Marshals.
with the motorized models. They’re
just too big. And not too many families
can afford the large private vehicles
necessary to transport this equip¬
ment.”
But transportation problems are not
limited to those confined to wheel¬
chairs.
“There are some students,” Ms.
Baldwin continued, “who wear braces
but cannot ride in regular buses. Their
braces do not permit them to navigate
the steep bus steps— and they can’t
always find a ride to school.
Recruits receive basic training in
specialized courses, plus training
required of peace officers under the
new state law calling for minimum
training.
This fall semester marks the first
time in PCC history that a woman has
taught administration of justice.
Sgt. Winona Franz from the Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department
is teaching juvenile law and
procedure. An expert on the subject of
juvenile activities and sex crimes, Sgt.
Franz has been seen on television in
connection with lectures at the
Sheriff's Academy regarding rape
assaults.
Also on the teaching staff is Judge
Warren Ettinger, who is the head of
the municipal court judges in the
Pasadena courts.
Judge Ettinger teaches courses in
court systems with Mike Montoya,
head deputy district attorney of
The PCC vehicle, which cost $10,000,
went into operation this fall. It nor¬
mally serves eight students daily.
During the bus strike that number rose
to 12.
“We’re still working on some minor
repairs,” said Ms. Baldwin, “and it
needs a paint job . . . but the van has
already proved to be invaluable.”
Some of the stories surrounding the
students' experiences sound like pages
out of fairy tales.
A young quadraplegic (limited, if
any, use of all four limbs) had been
transported to and from school by her
mother. Her mother is now facing
surgery and the strain of lifting the girl
in and out of the motorized wheelchair,
plus trying to load and unload the
heavy vehicle from the family wagon,
is too much for her. If not for the van,
the student would have to drop out of
school.
A woman who had suffered a stroke
found it impossible to ride public
transportation and due to paralysis
could not drive. She burst into tears
when she was told she could receive a
ride to school each day.
A cerebral palsy victim who is able
to use public transportation found
himself stranded during the bus strike.
It had taken him 10 years to work up
the courage to attend college. He was
ready to quit. The PCC van provided
the transportation he needed— and
possibly a new future.
“I’ve found out that my body is in
worse shape than my mind is,” he
said. “I used to think that my mind
wasn’t so good.”
“He needed to attend classes
regularly to overcome his fear,” said
Ms. Baldwin. “I think he would have
lost his nerve during the bus strike if
he hadn't had transportation to
school.”
Seven members of the forensics
team won superior ratings at their first
major tournament, the El Camino
Warm Up, last Saturday.
The winners and their categories
were: Judy Daughrty, expository;
Barbara Mitchell, communication
analysis; Louise Houssen, expository;
Harris Fontaine, oral interpretive;
Steve Hentsch and Stan Swantek,
impromptu speaking and Debbie
Pillon, persuasive speaking.
Fontaine and Hentsch, doing double
Pasadena, who teaches in the day and
evenings.
Sgt. Frank McPherson of the
Pasadena Police Department, teaches
introduction to administration of
justice, replacing John L. Sullivan,
who retired in July. Sgt. McPherson
works on the robbery detail.
Teaching the same course is the
chief training officer of the South
Pasadena Police Department, Lt. Bill
Reese.
Also another first in the history of
PCC is Lt. Gerald Conner and Sgt. Ron
Rutherford of the Los Angeles Police
Department and the L.A. County
Sheriff's respectively, who are the first
Black officers to teach community
relations. Lt. Conner heads the team
unit for the southwest portion of Los
Angeles.
All instructors teaching ad¬
ministration of justice are experts in
their field, with a considerable amount
of experience in law enforcement.
Approximately 150 handicapped
students are currently enrolled at
PCC.
“Many of our handicapped students
are able to operate automobiles and
can handle their own transportation,”
continued Ms. Baldwin. “But I know
for a fact that if we did not have the
facilities to transport the students that
we do, they would not be attending
college. Education holds so much
hope— it would be a shame if it were
denied these people simply because
they couldn’t get to the campus.”
A former Air Force medic, Edwin
Haines, drives the bus. But he’s more
than a bus driver. He also serves as a
helper and counselor.
Haines’ day may run from 6 a. m. to 5
p.m.— or later. Not only does he
transport the students to and from the
campus, but he takes them to physical
therapy sessions, travels to wheelchair
repair shops and to specialized handi¬
capped equipment shops.
“The benefits that this bus can bring
to the students, the college and the
community cannot be counted,” Ms.
Baldwin said. “I’m getting phone calls
every day from people who need trans¬
portation. I only hope we’ll be able to
accommodate everyone in the district
who calls.”
According to Ms. Baldwin, few— if
any— vans such as the one purchased
by PCC exist for the handicapped in
the Los Angeles area. A national
organization for the handicapped had
to close its local chapter because its
members had no way to get to the
meetings. Ms. Baldwin sees a growing
need for city governments to accept
more responsibility for handicapped
persons.
“It’s a real problem for everyone,”
she concluded. "People have to be
educated to become useful members in
their communities.”
duty, also won excellent ratings in
other events.
Crystal Watson and Joe Probst,
faculty advisers to the team, were
judges in events not involving PCC
students.
The group’s debate teams are en¬
tered in the Cal State Los Angeles Fall
Forensics Tourney today and
tomorrow.
Probst said the club is still actively
seeking new members. “It’s not too
late as we have tournaments through¬
out the year,” he said.
Types of speeches are divided into
three categories: debate, memorized
or improvised.
In debate, there are either two on a
team , Oxford style, or one against one,
the Lincoln-Douglas style. The subject
being debated this year is “Resolved:
The powers of the presidency should be
significantly curtailed.”
Memorized works are speeches
written by the speaker either of an
original nature or an analysis of
already published works. This allows
for a wide range of topics. Belly
dancing and pizza were the topics
chosen by Ms. Houssen and Ms.
Daughrty for their expository (in¬
formative) talks.
An example of an analysis speech
was Ms. Mitchell’s presentation of a
speech by Winston Churchill.
All extemporaneous talks are on
international, political and economic
affairs that have appeared in
publications within the last 90 days.
Contestants are given half an hour to
prepare their talks. Impromptu
speakers have less time to prepare,
but may give shorter speeches on
topics of a cultural, social or
educational nature which have been in
the news 90 days prior to the contest.
Writer Richard Armour
Set for Tuesday Lecture
By Sergio Caponi
Assistant Managing Editor
—Courier Photo by Jeremy Ketelsen
GETTING A LIFT— The handicapped van provides an invaluable aid to
the school’s handicapped students. Diane Hill is assisted into the
van by Ed Haines, using a special lift device. The- motorized wheel¬
chair weiahs 300 Dounds.
Judge, Attorney, Police Officers Give Expert
Instruction in Administration of Justice
By Rob Wagner
Staff Writer
Speakers Win Superior
Ratings at El Camino