PCC Courier, September 17, 1987

Lancer Football Kicks Off 1 Another Season Page 3 1 Bicentennial Issue Enclosed Courthouse Gets Legal Look Page 4 COURIER VOL. 65. NO. 3 PASADENA CITY COLLEGE. PASADENA. CALIFORNIA SEPTEMBER 17. 1987 Dr. Scott Tackles New Challenge Courier/Jennifer Landis Dr. Jack Scott gives a personable welcome to all incoming students. Hiring Policy Guidelines Set By Sally Blake Staff Writer The PCC Board of Trustees in re¬ sponse to recent changes in federal and state laws have updated PCC's af¬ firmative action program. The re¬ vision, according to Dr. Vernon Halcromb, affirmative action officer, reflects changes concerning hiring practices and sexual harassment. Although the document spans 45 pages, “the policy can be summed up in a statement that covers only three paragraphs," said Halcromb. “The re¬ mainder of the document contains guidelines for implementation.” The policy reads that “the Pasadena Area Community College District will provide equal employment op¬ portunities to all applicants and em¬ ployees based upon job-related criteria without reference to age, color, dis¬ ability. marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or disabled veteran’s or Vietnam-era veteran’s status.” The adoption of the resolution closely follows the selection of Dr. Jack Scott as president of the college. A choice that elicited charges from the NAACP of racial discrimination. The final selection came down to Dr. Scott , then president of Cypress College, and Dr. Bonnie James, former assistant super¬ intendent, administrative services. The NAACP implied that Dr. James was not selected because he was a black man. The Board did not accept the charges brought by the NAACP, ac¬ cording to Board of Trustees member, Jeanette Mann. “The Affirmative Action Program was not amended because of these charges,” said Mann. “The formula¬ tion of this policy was started over a year ago.” During the public discussion preced¬ ing the Boards’ unanimous adoption of the resolution, Oscar Palmer, a mem¬ ber of the City Affirmative Action Task Force Subcommittee of the Board of Directors, cautioned the board that he had seen several organizations adopt such measures, and that “it is im¬ perative for the President of the Col¬ lege to follow the policies and attain results.” The program's goals are not limited to the hiring of minorities. It also contains revisions pertaining to the college’s policy on dealing with sexual harassment. The stated goal of the policy is to provide “a workplace free of sexual harassment and intimidation.” Included is a section on how to go about submitting a complaint. To file a grievance a person starts with the affirmative action officer, who then confers with the Chairperson of the Staff Review and Recommendation Committee. Within eight days the proc¬ ess should be completed. Since the college already has an affirmative action policy, the question arises as to what the advantages are in implementing a new program. According to Halcromb there are two advantages. It is a more finite policy that reflects the district's at¬ titude toward affirmative action. The second is an extensive outline defining how to make affirmative action a reality. “Something needed to be done, "said Halcromb. “Our employee pool must be reflective of the workforce.” “We’re not in as bad financial shape as some other schools. Only because we are conservative in spending our money.” He added, “We would like to spend a great deal more money.” —Superintendent-President, Dr. Jack Scott By Paul Allen Editor-in-Chief When Dr. Jack Scott was appointed by the Board of Trustees as PCC’s new Superintendent-President April 8 re¬ placing Dr. John Casey, he realized some changes needed to be made to improve this campus. Scott said at the time: “One of the first things I want to do when I arrive at PCC is to get to know the staff and to listen to their ideas and suggestions. I think the first thing to do is to listen, to understand the institution, and to make those decisions that would be in the best interest of the students’ educa¬ tion.” After evaluating the ideas of his staff and using his knowledge of the campus, Scott has set goals, (call them projects if you will) both long and short term, to make PCC more unique than its 63- year-old history has ever revealed. Two of the major long-term goals are to expand on a severely overcrowded Library and refurbish an almost archaic men’s gymnasium. "I’m not suggesting I have a very set agenda because I don’t,” said Scott. “What 1 want to do is get a feel for the nature of the institution and find out what’s the most organic way for it to continue its move towards excellence.” Of course, when dealing with pro¬ jects, everyone knows you have to take them one step at a time. When dealing with projects the size of the two previously mentioned, the ever-present budget concerns step to the forefront. “The bottom line is that not only PCC, but all community colleges are under¬ funded severely,” said Scott, com¬ menting on the obvious preference Governor George Deukmejian has for the university level. “Before Proposi¬ tion 13, community colleges were as well funded as any other level of higher education. Community colleges have suffered dearly during this time.” That brings us to the immediate short-term project Dr. Scott has de¬ vised. “We want to get out into the community and pursue money,” said Scott, talking about his idea of making Pasadena and its surronding com¬ munities more aware of the PCC tradi¬ tion along with the educational aspect. “We’re not in as bad financial shape as some other schools. Only because we are conservative in the spending of our money.” He added, “We would like to spend a great deal more money. Not only in renovating the campus but in hiring more maintenance personal. Throughout Scott’s career that has taken him through Pepperdine, Orange Coast and Cypress College, he has had a knack for developing succesful pro¬ grams. At Cypress, his most recent workplace, he developed a very popular physical education lab along with a job placement program for people recover¬ ing from chemical addictions. “To say I'm going to do things at PCC the exact way I did things at CCC is foolish. Each school has its own strengths. At PCC, the variety of voca¬ tional programs and fine reputation of transferring students are the obvious strengths. I would like to think about developing programs, but the first thing is to make the campus a better place to attend school.” Improving the campuses look is also in Scott’s future plans. Before moving to PCC, Scott worked at one of the finest looking schools in the southland. Granted, Cypress is not approaching its 64th year like PCC is so one just can’t add grass here and a tree there to improve a look. “The problem at PCC is that the buildings are so old due to the age of the campus there is only so much you can do without damaging its architec¬ tural integrity. We first need to get a master plan that is popular with both the college community and the Board of Trustees. After that we plan to pursue money at the state level and community level. Scott, whose education has taken him from Abilene Christian University in Texas to Yale University before wind¬ ing up at Claremont College, has always had a knack for meeting and accepting challenges. Not only does he put his mind to the test every day trying to run one of the biggest com¬ munity ' colleges in California, but he also is an avid runner and cyclist, and plays a great deal of raquetball. “Keep¬ ing yourself in shape will always help you in the long run both physically and mentally,” said Scott, whose person¬ able, articulate leadership style should work well when it comes to searching for money both on the state and com¬ munity levels. Working on what Scott calls “the most democratic level of higher educa¬ tion” has been a plus throughout the years. “The community college student is the most unique by far. At this level a person can get a second and even a third chance at education. It also fa¬ vors those who aren’t as well off financially as others,” said Scott, whose new job means he will be dealing democratically with about 10,000 more students than he did at Cypress. “With a college of this size, it will definitely be a challenge to not only get things going but to keep them strong once we get all the balls rolling,” said Scott. “I am happy to be at an institu¬ tion of this size towards the end of my career. It’s not out of the question to say I will end my career at PCC.” Judge Speaks About Constitution By Mark McElrea News Editor The United States Constitution provides a separate meaning to all individuals. Judge Dorothy Nelson, from the ninth circuit court of appeals, will share her feelings about the re- levency of the Constitution in an ad¬ dress at the PCC Forum today between 10:30 and noon. The title of her lecture will be, The Consitution in the year 2212. A topic that reveals Nelson's belief that the Constitution is “a living, active document.” “The writers of the Constitution had the foresight to know that things would not always remain the same,” said Nelson, “The Constitution is written in such a fashion that interpretation plays a large role in forming an opinion on each issue that it covers.” Nelson's involvement with the con¬ stitution goes beyond her duties as a judge. She has actively been involved in the Constiutional Rights Foundation, an organization dedicated to informing students at a young age of the im¬ portance of preserving individual rights. “We used to go to the kindergartens while I was at USC. and take a balloon, throw it up in the air and tell them to play,” said Nelson. They used to bat it around for awhile and usually the most aggressive boy or girl would end up with it. Then we would ask the kids what would make this a better game. And one of them would say, ‘Mrs. Nelson! Mrs. Nelson! We need rules so the boys don’t push the girls around.’ While another would say, 'we need rules to keep the girls from scratching the boys.’ ” According to Nelson unless you have the principle of institutionalized settle¬ ment you are always going to have the person with the most strength, or long¬ est nails taking things that don’t belong to him. “I like the saying ‘be all that you can be.' For us all to be the best that we can be, we need the rule of law. Otherwise we would always have to worry about someone taking our things, knocking us down or sticking a knife in our backs.” Nelson claims that most crime in America is committed by people be¬ tween the ages of 15-27 years of age. “By the fourth grade most kids know more about what happens to them when they get busted than their teachers do.” “That's why it’s important to start the education process with four and five- year-olds. They need to be taught why we have policemen and judges. Not just what happens if you get caught committing a crime.” Nelson’s talk should last around one- half hour, with a question and answer period to follow. Refreshments will be provided. This talk by Nelson is just one of the many events scheduled today on Cam¬ pus in celebration of the Bicentennial of the Constitution. Following her lecture a brief lunch¬ eon is planned. Nelson, along with Superintendent/President Dr. Jack Scott and members of the Board of Trustees plan to attend. A bicentennial birthday cake will highlight the affair. Also, displays highlighting different aspects of the signing of the Constitu- Judge Dorothy Nelson tion can be found in the Library and along the main hall in C building. Miniature reproductions of the Con¬ stitution in its entirety are available at most the main offices of the campus along with the Library. High Schoolers Get a Jump on Education “There are requests for 30 different courses the high schools were hoping we could offer this fall. Unfortunately all the requests cannot be honored.” _ _ XT —Ernest F. Neumann By Christine Findlay Special Correspondent The advantages of a student attend¬ ing college at the earliest possible time are numerous. Until recently, high school students could not attend a community college unless they were in the eleventh grade. Due to recent changes in the in- tepretation of the law governing enroll¬ ment procedures at junior colleges, anyone can now attend a California community college. This has major ramifications for PCC’s concurrent enrollment program. “It is a way of getting a head start,” said Ernest F. Neumann, associate dean for counseling and curriculum liason. “Concurrent enrollment is not new to California Community Colleges or PCC. We’ve been involved with the program since approximately 1962.“ However, if a student in a grade below eleventh wants to attend a com¬ munity college, he must first meet additional requirements. One is per¬ mission from the president of the col¬ lege. According to Neumann there are several advantages to early enroll¬ ment. If a high school student is enrolled in classes at PCC and is concurrently enrolled in an advanced placement high school course, the stu¬ dent may challenge the advanced placement examinations in high school. “It is quite possible for a high school student by completing one college course to get high school credit toward graduation and college credit toward graduation. It is also possible to obtain advanced placement credit at four- year colleges and universities,” said Neumann. These advantages have not been lost on the schools participating in the program. “There are a large number of courses that high schools are asking PCC to teach,” said Neumann said. Requests for these classes mainly come from La Canada, San Marino and the Pasadena Unified School District. The main requests are for classes to be offered in calculus, English, foreign languages and various science classes. One plan to meet this growing de¬ mand, according to Neumann, is to send instructors out to the high schools or employ high school instructors, if they meet PCC’s hiring criteria. “There are requests for 30 different courses the high schools were hoping we could offer this fall,” said Neu¬ mann. “Unfortunately all the requests cannot be honored.”