VOLUME 110 ISSUE 2
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES ATPCCCOURIER.COM
September 4, 2014
INSIDE:
DUCKS IN
A ROW
Find out why Student
Business Services
collects rubber ducks
from around the world.
PAGE
7»
FAREWELL
ROCHA
The Courier
presents a parting gift
for Ex-President
r Mark Rocha.
PAGE
3»
SPEAK OUT!
Will things get better
for the college now
that Rocha is out of
the picture?
Vote at
PccCourier. com
INTERIM PRESIDENT CHOSEN
Keely Ernst/Courier
Interim President Robert Miller shakes hands with David Douglas after Miller is appointed.
I think PCC will be in good
shape.”
Open session for the meeting
began at 7 p.m., but the item
for interim president was pulled
out of order because the Board
hadn’t decided whom it would
choose for the position, accord¬
ing to Student Trustee Marshall
Lewis.
Miller was appointed as acting
superintendent at the Aug. 20
Board meeting.
The search for an interim
president kicked off after the
retirement of former president
Mark Rocha, whose last day was
Aug. 31.
Human Resources Director
Terri Hampton had emailed a
notice to full time employees
on Aug. 22 giving details about
what the job entitled, what the
minimum qualifications were
and how they could apply for
the position.
The college announced
Rocha’s retirement on Aug. 7.
Rocha will receive $403,826 in a
severance package the District
agreed to. His severance pay¬
ment will equal 1 8 months of
his regular monthly salary.
Miller to take
over as interim
superintendent
Philip McCormick
Editor-in-Chief
After five hours and two
closed sessions, the Board
of Trustees finally appointed
Former Vice President Robert
Miller as interim president of
PCC Wednesday night.
“I feel honored and privileged
and extremely excited for the
college and for our students as
we transition into the next phase
the college’s life,” Miller said.
Miller was appointed after the
Board conducted an in-house
search for the position. Dave
Douglas, Dean of Science and
Mathematics, also applied for
the position. The Board inter¬
viewed Miller and Douglas in the
second closed session before it
made its choice.
“I want to thank both [Miller
and Douglas],” Board President
Anthony Fellow said. “These
were outstanding candidates and
we had some good discussions.
Plans for U Building still at
Christopher Martinez/Courier
The U-Building remains abandoned with notes left by past stu¬
dents on the chalkboard of a hollow classroom.
Hannah Gonzalez and
Philip McCormick
Staff Writers
After two years of not know¬
ing what to do with it, the col¬
lege has finally received funding
from the state to replace the U
Building, but has yet to decide if
it will be demolished, according
to acting Superintendent-Presi¬
dent Robert Miller.
“The answer to if we have
funding is yes and no,” Miller
said.
Once the college receives the
money they then have to decide
how to spend it. The money
from the state, which is roughly
estimated to be $3.5 million, is
being considered for either hir¬
ing a demolition crew, architects,
or a hazardous waste company
to get rid of the asbestos that is
standstill
inside the U building, according
to Miller.
Miller also said that the final
project plan for the U building (a
building that’s estimated to have
cost $54.5 million) was submit¬
ted and approved by the state.
“If there’s a 6.5 earthquake
or higher then the U building
would pancake,” Miller said.
“This means it’s very high on the
state’s list. [It’s] probably in the
top ten.”
The U building was evacuat¬
ed in 2012 after three separate
engineers confirmed that it was
unsafe due to the building’s
inability to last under significant
seismic activity and the asbestos
in the walls. Classes were moved
to the Science Village.
William Foster, theater arts
instructor and member of the
U BUILDING^
New FA president strives to heal old wounds
Matthew Kiewiet
Staff Writer
Dr. Julie Kiotas will look
to improve working relations
between the faculty and admin¬
istration and create an overall
better college environment for
students as the new President of
the Faculty Association.
Kiotas serves as the chief
negotiator for the Faculty As¬
sociation and is known for her
meticulous analyses of adminis¬
trative spending.
“I have a very strong sense
of fairness,” asserts Kiotas. She
hopes to forge a strong working
relationship with the administra¬
tion, as there are “a lot of great
things we can do together.”
The first of those things on
the agenda is a faculty contract
she considers fair. Another
priority is a contract that treats
adjunct faculty commensurate to
what they contribute, she said.
As it is, adjuncts have no job
security and they are extremely
underpaid given their expertise.
This, in turn, also hurts the
students, she said. Some ad¬
junct faculty are forced to work
several jobs, limiting their office
hours to 20 minutes per week.
Not only is Kiotas determined
to make a difference, she clearly
has full support and confidence
from her peers.
“I couldn’t be more pleased
with our current leadership,”
said former FA president Roger
Marheine. “I do know that she
is working diligently as the FA
presidency is quite a daunting
position.”
In order to become president
of the Faculty Association, she
had to be voted in by the mem¬
bers of the association.
Expectations are quite high
now that Mark Rocha, who was
blamed for the rift between the
faculty and the administration, is
now out of the picture. Mar¬
heine said Rocha “was either
unable or unwilling to work with
faculty, staff, and students.”
Marheine said he is “optimis¬
tic that new leadership will bring
a more civil tone, a more
ASSOCIATION ►
Paul Ochoa/Courier
Faculty Association President
Julie Kiotas.