OPINION —
Legislature should be blamed for
poor teaching skills
According to reports, one out of' four teachers
entering the classroom are unqualified
2
NEWS
High school student taking Japanese
classes at PCC experiences the real
world after visiting Japan
Sixteen-year-old Rigel Anderson gets a taste of
the Far East.
SPORTS
Lancers begin season on a
positive note after beating
Riverside 14-10
Coach Tom Maher’s team comes out
a winner in season debut .
• BEWARE OF SCAMS THAT TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THOSE IN NEED
Financial Aid scams
target students in
scholarship ads
$135 million budget focuses on facility
improvements and equipment upgrade
BY SUSAN BELL SAMPLES
Courier Staff Writer
Every once in a while, you see
one. An announcement on one of
PCC’s bulletin boards offering free
financial aid and scholarships will
catch the attention of students who
might need help covering the cost of
an education. The student notices
that the company guarantees its ser¬
vice, so what the heck, why not ty it
out.
According to Carla Henderson,
head of PCC s financial aid office,
some students and their parents found
out the hard way just how deceitful
some of these companies can be.
“One parent paid almost $700 for a
financial aid search that should have
been free. Another parent paid al¬
most $600 for a company to help him
with paperwork. When the student
came to PCC, they found out there
was never any paperwork submit¬
ted,” she said. The company took
the money and ran.
The Los Angeles Times reported
that approximately 300,000 students
and parents are victims each year of
this type of fraudulent scholarship
scam. The Federal Trade Commis¬
sion has initiated a two-step program
to crack down on such claims. The
first step was the announcement that
the FTC had filed charges against
five companies that are alleged to
have engaged in fraudulent scholar¬
ship schemes. The second step is
public awareness and education
called Project $cholar$cam which
gives tips to help families identify a
potential scam.
The FTC recommends that stu¬
dents be careful of companies that
assert “The scholarship is guaran¬
teed, or your money back.” No
legitimate scholarship can guaran¬
tee that you will win. Henderson
agrees. “Many say they will provide
at least six successful sources or you
get a refund.” The FTC also suggests
never giving a credit card number or
bank account number. Henderson
agrees and also advises never to give
a social security number. The FTC
also warns to watch for companies
claiming “We’ll do all the work.”
Henderson identifies this to be a
warning sign, too. She suggests go¬
ing by the simple rule of thumb that
says, “If it sounds too good to be true,
then it probably is. If they re telling
you they re working for free, then it’ s
probably a scam.”
Henderson has some tips of her
own when searching for financial
aid. Don’t believe the claims that $6
billion in aid goes unclaimed. No
money goes unclaimed with federal
grants. We have more demand than
resources every year.” Watch for
firms that have official-sounding
names, using such words as “Na¬
tional,” “Foundation,” “Federal” to
fool students into thinking they are
legitimate federal agencies. She also
warns of companies that list a PO
box as an address. Ask to come by
Please see SCAMS, page ) 3
BY DANIEL ARCHULETA
Courier Staff Writer
The PCC Board of Trustees has
unanimously approved the college’s
balanced 1996-97 budget with an
emphasis on instructional equipment
and facility improvements.
Rod Fleeman , vice president for
administrative services, said, “This
year’s budget is one of the better
ones the school has gotten in five to
six years.”
Dr. James Kossler, PCC presi¬
dent, said, “The overall feeling is
this is a good year for community
colleges. PCC has received 20 per¬
cent of the total state funding for
community colleges. The reason we
received such a large portion of the
funds is this college made a good
proposal.”
Federal and state funds make up
$135 million of the budget. The larg¬
est portion goes into the school’s
general operational fund which is
used to pay for the salaries and ben¬
efits for the school’s 707 academic
and classified employees as well as
campus services and supply costs.
Of the $69 million in the unre¬
stricted general operational fund, the
college received $3 million more
than the anticipated $66 million that
was called for in the tenative budget.
Fleeman said the increase is at¬
tributed to a three and a half percent
increase in the overall growth of the
school which is based on the number
of full-time equivalent students. This
year 16,600 full-time equivalent stu¬
dents are enrolled, up 616 from last
year.
The school is also committed to a
technological master plan that aims
to give students greater access to
computers.
$1.8 million has been allocated to
improve instructional equipment, li¬
brary materials, and overall techno¬
logical upgrades to the college’s
computer systems. Those depart¬
ments that have the greatest needs
will get the money.
The facility improvements will
begin with the replacement of the
electrical switch gears that supply
electricity to campus. They are en¬
closed by fences on the east side of
the boiler house yard.
Inaddition, contaminated soil may
have to be extracted on that site.
Recently large oil tanks were re¬
moved from that area. The tanks
were used to supply the boiler house
with fuel.
Results of the soil samples from
that spot have not been released.
Contamination removal depends on
the results of those tests. There has
been soil removal on that site in the
past.
Portions of the $37 million fund
for capital outlay projects will pro¬
vide the financial support needed to
continue the college’s $100 million
master plan designed to improve
campus facilities.
Remodeling will begin on the old
library in January.
After the work is complete, the
building will be used to house the
student services currently located in
the C and D buildings. Renovations
will begin on the C and D buildings
within the next 18 months. In addi¬
tion, a four percent salary increase
has been given to the school’s
managment and confidential staff.
Instructors , on the other hand, are
still involved in contract negotia¬
tions with the administration. Talks
continue between the college’s ne¬
gotiating team and the California
Teachers Association.
• FAIR ATTRACTS HEALTH CONSCIOUS STAFF MEMBERS
MICHAEL ARNOLD
/
THE COURIER
Amanda Bernardino (right) from Cigna Health prepares Brenda Orman from the Human Resources
office for a blood-pressure check. Many staff members attended The Health Fair last week.
AS poll of students indicates
support for controversial CCRI
■ Eighty- nine students
respond to Associated
Student poll conducted
in an effort to
determine student
feelings about
Proposition 209, the
CCRI.
BY RACHEL URANGA
Courier Staff Writer
Students voting in the AS poll,
overwhelmingly oppose Proposition
209, the California Civil Rights
Initative that many people believe
call for the elimination of programs
for women and minorities.
According to a poll taken by the
Associated Student Board last week,
out of 89 students polled, 74 voted
against the measure and 1 5 voted for
it.
The results will be used by the AS
to determine whether the student
board should take a stand against
Proposition 209. AS members will
vote at their board meeting on Tues¬
day, Sept. 24.
It was during the summer that
Proposition 209 issues were raised
at an AS board meeting.
Catherine Hazelton, external af¬
fairs coordinator, asked the AS board
to take an official position against
the initiative. At the time, a decision
would have allowed the board to
take a fiscal stand against the initia¬
tive.
But after three seperate votes
without action, the board decided to
take a survey to determine the stu¬
dent body’s stance on the controver-
sial proposition.
For two
Have
я
vnt-
“We (the AS)
ing booth
were split
was set up in
down the
the quad. In-
middle, but we
formation on
remained
the Proposi-
impartial.
tion 209 was
We were out
distributed
there inform-
and students
ing people.
casttheirbal-
Even if we
lots. To en-
only had 89
sure that stu-
votes, we
dents were
informed
informed be-
hundreds of
fore they
people.
voted, litera-
tore that pre-
Catherine
sented both
Hazelton,
sides of the
AS
initiative, as
coordinator
well as the
of external
text of the
affairs
initiative
. were pro-
vided.
In addition to a Yes or No box,
the ballots had a space for students to
write in their comments. On most of
the ballots, those opposed to the
proposition commented that persist¬
ing prejudice would drive voters to
cast their ballots against affirmative
action and minority programs.
Each ballot read that in order to
vote “You must have read ample
information on or otherwise be
knowledgeable about both sides of
Proposition 209. Commenting on
the proposed measure, one student
wrote, “Within this initiative,
descrimination will be legalized.”
Another said, “The defense that af¬
firmative action takes away from
our ‘free market’ system is hogwash
because this is not a free market; it
never has been. It is a closed market
controlled by the white rich male
ruling class.”
“People should be seen on merit,
not race, sex, or sexual preference,”
wrote a voter who seemed to reflect
the concerns of most other yes vot¬
ers.
The voter wrote that hiring em¬
ployees and admitting students on
merit does not discriminate and is
the fairest way to get the positions.
The information sheets were the
only source ofinformation presented
at the voting booth and monitors
were restricted from commenting to
the students about the issue.
Since the objective was to moni¬
tor the students’ position, the board
felt it would have been unfair to try
to persuade any potential voters.
“We were split down the middle,
but we remained impartial,” said
Hazelton. “We were out there in¬
forming people. Even if we only
had 89 votes, we informed hundreds
of people.”
Board of Inquiry investigates grievances
BY RACHEL URANGA
Courier Staff Writer
In an unprecedented move, the
Faculty Senate and PCC’s chap¬
ter of the California Teachers
Association formed a joint com¬
mittee to investigate accusations
that Pat Mollica, dean of human
resources, and Joyce Black, vice
president of instruction, violated
several administrative policies and
procedures.
The Board of Inquiry was
formed in late August in response to
more than 30 grievances brought by
faculty members for the
СТА
and
the Senate. They included charges of
violating hiring practices, reprisals
against faculty members, and writ¬
ten threats to dismiss tenured faculty
members over technicalities.
Acknowledging the large number
of complaints against the two, Ellen
Liggons, Faculty Senate president
said, “several faculty members are
concerned with the treatment they
have recieved from top level
admininstrators.” They brought
their concerns to the senate.
The school has had more than
10 grievances filed by faculty
over violations of administrative
policies that have gone all the
way to the state’s Public Em¬
ployees Relations Board for
settlement. That’s an unusually
high number. “Most community
colleges only have about two per
year,” said Gary Woods,
СТА
president who often corresponds
Please see INQUIRY , page 4.
• 'DIEZ PORCIENTO' (10 PERCENT) ENTERTAINED STUDENTS
LAST TUESDAY CELEBRATING MEXICO'S INDEPENDENCE DAY
MICHAEL ARNOLD
/
THE COURIER
