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INVESTIGATION
Easy Credit May be a Scam
The various
solicitors who
visit campus
scaring up
prospective
card holders
may have
something up
their sleeves
for unwitting
students
By LUIS €. Reyes and
EDGAR RGV1LLA
Staff Writers
Almost every week throughout the semes¬
ter, credit card solicitors set up booths on cam¬
pus, luring students with offers of free shirts
and mugs.
The students complete the credit applica¬
tions promising them low interest rates.
Little do they know that by filling out those
forms, they get a lot more than that credit card
and free gifts. They get, in economic and social
psychological jargon, “low balled.” The stu¬
dent is lured in with a low introductory interest
rate that skyrockets after three months.
A student who asked to remain anonymous
told his story:
“When I first got on to campus, I was very
naive,” he explained. Consequently, he applied
for a credit card in the Quad. Within a few
days, he was approved and his saga of prob¬
lems began.
During the first two months, he charged a
total of $600 to the credit card. He was charged
9 percent interest. But in the third month, when
his spending fell to $20, his interest rate
increased to 25 percent.
It turns out that one needs to spend a certain
amount of money in order to maintain the low
interest rate. In addition, if the card holder goes
over the spending limit, the interest rate also
soars.
“If I had $200, why would I need the credit
card?” he said. “It’s a bogus offer.”
Many students jump at the chance at their
own credit card and run up huge bills before
they realize the consequences.
Ken McEldowney, executive director of
Consumer Action, said: “We feel that the cred¬
it card industry must shoulder the blame for its
problem, especially for the aggressive ways in
which it pushes credit card applications at stu¬
dents, without balancing messages of ‘easy
credit’ with explanations of how to use credit
wisely.”
In addition, students who are initially reject¬
ed for credit cards do not realize that a record
of their rejection becomes a part of their credit
history.
According to the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation,
when someone’s application gets
rejected, it is reflected in their
financial record. Minus points are
added to their credit files, making
getting future school, auto or real
estate loans more difficult.
“The more inquiries you have,
the harder it is to get a loan,” said
Chris Broquist, Summit Group’s
vice president.
“When I applied for a loan at USC, I didn’t
get it,” said an embarrassed but angry PCC
alumnus. He later found out through a financial
counselor that his financial record had been
tainted when his credit card application was
rejected.
“It sucks because they don’t tell you sh*t
about it.”
In a November 1996 commentary in the CQ
Researcher, Visa USA said it sees its marketing
tactics as a form of “building brand loyalty and
eventually establishing a profitable relation-
DANIEL ARCHULETA
/
COURIER
Credit card applications fill tables in the Quad
nearly everyday, drawing numerous students.
ship.”
Jason Temple, a college credit card promot¬
er, said, “We try to let students know that bad
credit is, well, bad credit.”
With credit card delinquency rate at its peak
in recent years, students don’t seem to be get¬
ting the warnings they need.
A 1997 article in the scholarly journal Fund
Raising Management points out that credit card
promoters work on commission. That alone is
a good reason for believing that they do not
really give prospective signers financial coun-
CREDIT, page 3
POLICE BEAT
Police to
Begin
Citing
Offenders
By ERICK RUIZ
Staff Writer
Get a ticket lately? Well, if
you haven’t, your chances of
getting one are growing
because the Pasadena Police
Department (PPD) has
increased enforcement around
the college.
Sgt. Jay Dangelo of the
PPD said that the three most
common violations by stu¬
dents in this area are illegal
left turns, blocking traffic and
j-walking.
Because of numerous
complaints from the neigh¬
bors, and for the sake of stu¬
dent safety, PPD began what
he described as an “aggres¬
sive enforcement campaign”
this week to curtail the recur¬
ring violations.
“Lots of violations happen
at the beginning of each
semester. Then we make our
presence felt, the students get
the message and follow the
rules,” said Officer Jay Deal.
Bonnie Avenue on the East
Side of campus is a particular
source of violations.
J walking is a common
occurrence. Students coming
to and from parking lot 7 and
the LL Building, rarely take
the time to walk to the light
on Colorado Boulevard.
Earlier this year, Officer Deal
witnessed a pedestrian being
hit by a car.
“The driver was momen¬
tarily distracted by something
on his dashboard,” he said.
“Someone dashed out in front
of the car and got hit.
Fortunately the car was going
slowly and the victim wasn’t
seriously hurt.”
Illegal left turns are com¬
mon moving violations on the
south side of Bonnie.
PPD will be out in full-
force during the next few
days.
HENRY SALAZAR
/
COURIER
Dalai G. Malki tests the blood pressure of student Sally Shum during last week’s health fair.
ASSOCIATED STUDENT BEAT
Review Board
Studies Impact
Student government’s role on campus to be
under scrutiny by independent council
By ROGER CHENG
Staff Writer
For the rest of the semester, the AS will fall under the scrutiny of
an independent research project studying the impact of student gov¬
ernment on campus.
The study will be headed by Inter-Club Council Vice-Chair, and
former AS member Steve Chung. He will be conducting a project to
determine the usefulness of the AS, He will also be compiling a team
to conduct the surveys and sample student opinions.
As a political science major, Chung’s project is for his “own per¬
sonal benefit.” Although the results will be published, they are main¬
ly to satisfy his own curiosity, as well as advance his education.
The project was announced on Sept. 2 during an AS board meet¬
ing and received the praise of all the members.
“It will be a great help to us, and any organization will benefit
from this. It’s obvious to us that the organization could use the eval¬
uation,” said Kristian Magnani, vice president of external affairs.
The project is scheduled to be completed this semester because
Chung felt this was the most opportune time.
“This is the best time to do the survey. Right now the board has
achieved a favorable response from the students,” said Chung.
Chung’s work has already begun with each board member going
through an interview.
EMPLOYMENT BEAT
Service Helps Students Find Work
Career center may be the solution to finding jobs for 'starving' youngsters
THE WIRE
Campus News
ШШШВШШИШИШ
FOOTBAll PLAYER SERIOUSLY INJURED
A football player broke his back
during Saturday’s game against
Palomar. Rocky Atkinson was playing
defense on a kickoff when he attempt¬
ed to make a tackle. Teammates stated
that he performed an improper tackle
that resulted in his injury. He
“speared” the other player, which
means he tackled him with his head
facing downward. This pushed his
spinal column in a “U” shape forcing
his back to give way. His spine was
not severed , and he will not be para¬
lyzed as a result. He has been
released from the hospital and is at
home recovering. He will be out for
the remainder of the season.
“Atkinson would have evolved into
a key player and the team will miss
him,” said one of his coaches.
— Andre Antenorcruz
By ANAMARIA GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
The career center may be the answer to the predicament of
the typical starving college student.
Located at LI 03, the center provides career and job coun¬
seling to current students and alumni. Some of the resources
students will find there are resume writing books, field books,
Jobtrak (an on-line job listing), binders filled with job listings,
and the classified sections of various newspapers.
On your first visit, you fill out an information card with your
basic student background and employment history. This is then
entered into the database and remains valid for one school year.
Once you have officially signed up, you are free to use the
resources in the center and schedule an appointment with a
counselor.
Jobtrak is available to all students registered at the center.
Once registered at the center, Jobtrak may also be accessed from
home. It offers a listing on a wide range of jobs for varying
skills from accounting positions to warehouse and delivery.
Jobtrak also caters to returning students who may already hold
a degree.
Jobtrak offers a lot of internship information and job search
tips, “said Leticia R. Sanchez, student placement interviewer.
Helpful resume resources, a salary calculator and personality
tests are some of the other tools offered.
At the appointment, you will speak with a counselor about
your career goals and what type of position would be good for
you. They will also equip you with the components necessary
to write a resume.
Many people get mental blocks when they’re trying to write”
said Sanchez. The resources available can be used as a “launch¬
ing pad to get your mental juices going.”
If you already have a resume, they will critique it and give
suggestions as to how it could be improved.
Once you are ready to begin your search, the job folders and
Jobtrak are both full of possibilities. The job folders are updat¬
ed daily or every other day, and are divided into blue and green
sections.
The blue folders contain full-time positions as well as intern¬
ships, while green folders contain part- time positions and on-
campus jobs.
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