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VOL. 87 N0.4
www.pcc-courieronline.com
SEPTEMBER 20, 2001
■ On Campus
Campus
.Joins in
Nationwide
* Memorial
Kellie Keenan
Staff Writer
t Like millions of other
Americans who came together at
noon on Friday to honor the victims
of last Tuesday’s terrorist attack,
the PCC community gathered to
share their feelings. PCC President
Dr. James Kossler said the service
in Sexson Auditorium was held in
accordance with President Bush’s
* request for memorial services
across the nation.
The first speaker was Kent
Yamauchi, assistant dean of special
* services. He talked about some¬
thing many people felt when they
first heard the news: shock. “It
wasn’t until Wednesday morning,
when I listened to talk radio and
looked through the L.A. Times that
I realized just how horrible the sit¬
uation was,” he said. He reiterated
that everyone needs to come
* together at this time, no matter
what their differences.
Alan Lamson, president of the
academic senate, represented the
v faculty at the service. He said that
he, along with a lot of other teach¬
ers, worried about what he was
going to talk about in class on
Tuesday. Lamson teaches English,
and his class was studying the
works of James Joyce. He said
Joyce’s characters often deal with
the feeling of helplessness.
* Lamson said several of his students
were able to make the connection
between the feelings of Joyce’s
characters and the powerless feel
, Continued on page 4
Foreign Students Fearful of
Becoming Targets of Hate
Marcela Toledo-Villegas
Staff Writer
The terrorist attacks in New
York and Washington, D.C. have
affected everyone at PCC, but
especially students who originate
from countries around Afghanistan
or those who look like they are
from the Middle East.
Some of them are afraid not
only of the imminent danger of
war in their home countries, but
the frightening treatment they may
be subjected to at school or in their
neighborhoods.
Barbara Griffith, international
student adviser, explained that the
biggest issue is that some people
will not use common sense and try
to lump every Middle Eastern per¬
son in the same category.
The media, however, is doing a
good job of explaining the differ¬
ences.
Griffith said, “My experience is
that 99.9 percent of all internation¬
al students are very diligent and
hard working. We need to make
sure that we do not prejudge any¬
one because of their ethnicity.”
She commented that Middle
Eastern students are very fearful
right now. One of them is trying to
change his name because it sounds
Arabic.
“There are a couple of dozen
students at PCC of Middle Eastern
descent that have actually been
bom here in the United States.
These students are American in
every sense of the word, and their
loyalties are clearly with the
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While some people channel their rage against the terrorist attacks in negative ways, PCC students
chose a positive way of expressing their feelings. Hundreds have written messages on a large can¬
vas in the sculpture garden.
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United States. We should not
blame all for the fault of a few. It is
within our power for all of us to
get a hold on our behavior,”
Griffith said.
There have been several inci¬
dents of improper remarks and
name calling right here, said Lt.
Bradley Young. Those remarks
are being directed at anyone who
appears to be from the Middle
East.
Anti-Arab posters have also
been put up around campus; how¬
ever, campus police have been
quick to remove them, said Young.
“The average American doesn’t
know the difference between an
Afghani, an Iranian and an Iraqi.
They are unaware of their religious
practices because they are dressed
the same due to common belief so
Americans end up stereotyping
them all as Afghani rebels,” said
Young.
Raile, a student who is from
Iran, said, “There are a lot of coun¬
tries in the Middle East, mine is
just one of them.
“Even if the terrorist is from
Iran, why should I have to be
afraid? I am a student. I am not
guilty or responsible for all the
criminals in any other country.”
She emphasized the danger of
jumping to conclusions.
Raile said, “People believed the
criminal involved in the Oklahoma
City bombing was from
Afghanistan or the Middle East,
but he was from the U.S.”
Raile has two sisters in Iran,
and she is worried about their lives
in the event of a war in her coun¬
try.
Farid, who is from Armenia,
said, “Attacks against innocent
people are a terrible demonstration
of racism. People cannot general¬
ize that because we are from that
part of the world, we are responsi¬
ble for others’ actions.”
Soraya, a student from Iran,
said, “I am not afraid about my
family because my country is
friendly with the United States. We
are neutral.”
John Kaufeldt also contributed
to this story.
* Bryan Encina demonstrates APMsafe.com, Inc.'s encryption software.
FBI Seeks 'Back-Door' to
' Data Encryption Programs
Joseph Narvaez
Entertainment Editor
As the government prepares
Americans for the possibility of
their civil liberties being greatly
diminished because the country is
fighting a war against terrorism,
Pasadena-based APMsafe.com,
Inc. finds itself in the middle of a
debate.
How much should the compa¬
ny change its encryption software
to aid the government?
APMsafe provides packaged
and customized privacy and
encryption products for distribu¬
tion worldwide. The company’s
goal is to make digital security and
privacy affordable and available
for all levels of computer use-
-from home and small office
applications to the boardrooms of
multinational corporations.
“Encryption brings a greater
awareness of digital security and
digital privacy,” said Michael
Godfree, the company’s president
and CEO. “We are just trying to
help protect citizens from identity
fraud.”
Lead programmer Bryan
Encina said, “What we’re trying to
do isn’t meant necessarily to pro¬
tect people from the government
spying on things. It’s keeping your
own personal information to your¬
self and whoever you want it to be
shared with.”
Considering that the perpetra¬
tors of last week’s terrorist attacks
utilized e-mail messages to com¬
municate, the federal government
is pressuring software companies
like APMsafe to provide a “back¬
door” to their encryption pro¬
grams. This would enable the
Federal Bureau of Investigations
to track e-mail of suspected terror¬
ists.
A “back-door” is an intended
entry way, or point of vulnerability,
within a program that allows peo¬
ple to access data. The problem is
that anyone with a certain amount
of knowledge can gain access once
an entryway is opened.
“Because of paranoia, the initial
reaction will be to tighten up the
laws on encryption so that only the
government can use it. That would'
leave only weak forms of data
Continued on page 4
AS President
Angela Ortiz
Erin Asby
Staff Wtiter
AS President Angela Ortizis
on a mission.
Ortiz can be found during her
office hours seated behind her
desk surrounded by Aztec art
work, several Zapatista posters, a
Francisco Zunigo print, and a
small picture of Bob Marley. It is
obvious upon entering her office
that Ortiz values not only her cul¬
tural heritage but also involve¬
ment in social causes.
Believing that student
involvement is a significant part
of the school experience, Ortiz
ran for office in her second year
with the goal of motivating stu¬
dents to participate in PCC activi¬
ties and “make their voices
heard.” She becomes genuinely
enthusiastic when she discusses
her intentions, excited about the
prospect of a more communal
PCC.
“We come to school and our
priority is to go to school, get
good grades and if we’re going to
transfer, we’ll transfer. But while
we’re here, there are things going
on that affect us. Unless wc get
involved, we’re just going to
screw it up for everybody who
comes after us.”
Ortiz points to needs for stu¬
dent representation on the 29
administrative committees on
campus. With 1 1 AS board mem¬
bers who couldn’t possibly attend
every committee’s activities,
Ortiz is asking students to step up
to the mike. She adds that the
board of trustees also desires stu¬
dent representation at its regular
meetings.
“We need to get students up to
date on these meetings or com¬
mittees that affect us. You should
go to them and give your input.
Otherwise, students and teachers
aren’t going to know what’s
wrong or what’s right.”
Ortiz believes that though one
of PCC’s strongest points is an
interest among many students to
participate, it’s weakest point is in
the administration’s ability to pro¬
vide information on opportunities
for involvement.
“The AS board, and teachers
who should help don’t put out the
word enough.”
She described a summer orien¬
tation for faculty and staff in
which she implored teachers to
encourage student involvement.
She was met with a positive
response as teachers asked for
specifics about events and dates.
“As a teacher, you have a lot of
the power in your classroom to
promote meetings or events. And
Erika Sanquist/Courier
you should use your voice as
teachers.”
Audience members at AS
meetings have asked board mem¬
bers to make regular classroom
rounds to inform and get to know
students. Up for discussion at the
last AS meeting was the creation
of an AS canopy for the quad. A
regular calendar of events to be
distributed among students is also
an idea Ortiz is considering.
Part of the problem, Ortiz said,
may be that students don’t realize
the extent to which AS or board
decisions could affect their col¬
lege career.
Attendants at AS meetings
have been witness to discussions
concerning everything from funds
for Computer Cafe monitor pro¬
tectors to a budget for an upcom¬
ing leadership retreat. At the
Sept. 5 AS meeting, Garth Weir,
vice president for external affairs
attempted to garner support for
SB735, a bill that would appropri-
Continued on page 4
