OPINION
AS Board’s new policy on club
funding deserves praise.
Page 2
Actress Cindy James Gossett visits
Community Skills Center to motivate
female students working on their GED.
Pages
Susan Dyrek overcomes fear
and a physical problem to
lead this year’s women’s
volleyball team. Page 6
PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
VOL. 80 No. 5
™E C OURIER
Serving the Pasadena Community since 1915
THURSDAY
September 29, 1994
Officer Beatriz Samorano escorts former
First Lady Barbara Bush after she was
interviewed on KPCC’s Larry Mantle
show, “Air Talk." She is on tour to promote
her new book, “Barbara Bush; A Memoir.”
ENRIQUE ARMENDARIZ/ THE COURIER
Barbara Bush visits PCC
ByMECHELLE REA
COURIER STAFF WRITER
Former first lady Barbara
Bush visited the PCC campus
last Wednesday for a 50-minutc
interview on the KPCC-FM pro-
gram“AirTalk.” Shediscussed
her new book, “Barbara Bush;
A Memoir,” with host Larry
Mantle, and answered callers’
questions about her private life
and her feelings toward the
Clinton administration.
When comparing the differ¬
ence between the Clinton ad¬
ministration, especially the role
of the first lady, Bush describes
her relationship with Hillary
Clinton as OK, and feels that
criticism of her is unfair. “I
think the job is the best job in
America so I don’t empathize
but she’s where she wants to be,
where she put herself.”
Bush emphasized that she
and her husband George are
still very committed to public
service after leaving the White
House. “We are both speaking
around the country, I talk about
illiteracy,” Bush said.
The former firstlady Bush feels
that parents are not doing their job
in the fight against illiteracy.
“There are 90 million Americans
who are functionally illiterate in
our country today. They are un¬
employable. You copy your par¬
ents, if you don’t see your mother
and father reading, why should
you?” Family literacy is some¬
thing that affects most Americans
and she feels this project is of
great importance.
Adjusting to being in the pub¬
lic eye was a struggle for the
former first lady. “The damdest
thing happens to you the day your
husband becomes president-elect.
Suddenly a nice, old housewife’s
every word is considered news¬
worthy and that really is a sur¬
prise,” Bush said.
Reflecting back two years ago
to the defeat of her husband in the
1992 Presidential election, she
said, “They may not have voted
for him butl don’t feel there’sany
animosity. They justchose some¬
one else. I found that very com¬
forting.”
Bush was disappointed in the
outcome of the election because
she felt her husband should have
been re-elected despite a few
doubts. “I’m the original pessi¬
mist. Any election we’d won was
not because I thought we were go¬
ing to win it. Then I’d think, of
course he’s going to win, he’s by
far the best man.”
On the issue of “family values”
Bush feels that there has been
enough talk, now some action must
be taken.
“I think we’ve got to get out and
work on it now. We need to be sure
our own children are well taken
care of, and then I think, you have
to look to your neighbors.”
Bush will continue touring the
country promoting her book which
is based on the journal that she kept
during her years in public service.
It describes her relationships with
other first ladies, her life in the
White House and her personal fam¬
ily life.
Mantle was “thrilled” about his
interview with the former first lady.
“ I love it. History is present at
PCC,” ManUe said.
KPCC budget cuts
cause staff changes
By DENIS WANG
COURIER STAFF WRITER
A $ 1 00,000 discrepancy between
the college’s official books and
KPCC-FM’ s unofficial books has
caused a reduction in the work hours
of the part-time staff of the public
radio station located at PCC. The
shortage, which the station execu¬
tives call a budget cut, did not affect
the five permanent full-time staff
members.
Rod Foster, general manager of
KPCC, said that the affected em¬
ployees will have fewer hours while
others will work on a volunteer ba¬
sis. Those employees responded to
him in a professional and coopera¬
tive way, he said. According to
Foster, the station does not currently
suffer from a shortfall in funds but
now operates on a balanced budget.
Foster and KPCC staff members
worked together with Jon Clute, head
of the fiscal services, and adopted a
new budget. This new budget shows
projected income to exceed expen¬
ditures, Foster said.
The Pasadena Star News reported
last week that two KPCC staff mem¬
bers were laid off. In a similar story
the Los Angeles Times stated that
KPCC executives fired a promotions
employee. Foster asserted that the
stories were inaccurate. These ar-
Please see KPCC, Page3
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Board unanimously
fills seven positions
By GILBERT RIVERA
COURIER STAFF WRITER
The understaffed Associated Stu¬
dents (AS) voted to approve appoint¬
ments for members of the supreme
council, a commissioner and the long
awaited vacant position of vice-presi¬
dent of academic affairs during last
Monday’s board meeting.
In addition, the board voted to
adopt a policy that would require
clubs to do service work when they
receive funds from the AS. An ap¬
pointment for the coordinator of ex¬
ternal affairs position scheduled for
voting last Monday, however, had to
be put on hold.
Five new members of the supreme
council were named after the board
approved of AS President Robert
Bowman’s appointments. Those
members were Shontek Clay, Kevin
Fullen, Shelly Johnson, Jaime Del
Raza and Chrystal Smith. The su¬
preme council consistsof seven mem¬
bers, but only five students applied.
The board will fill the two remaining
positions next Monday.
“I’m glad that we have most of
those positions filled,” said Cesar
Loera, coordinator of cultural af¬
fairs. “The new members are really
qualified and they all show that they
are involved in school activities.”
The supreme council acts as the judi¬
cial body of the board and oversees
decisions made by the AS.
The board also approved
Bowman’s appointment of Rebekah
Doughty asacommissioner. Doughty
was the only candidate that applied
for a commissioner position at the
time and will have a choice to sit on
any of the 16 available committees.
The commissioner position requires
them to be liaisons between instruc¬
tional departments and other cam¬
pus-wide committees.
Devena Johnson, a candidate for
Please see AS BOARD, Page 4
MEChA, AS sponsor rally against Proposition 187
By JOSE INOSTROZ
COURIER STAFF WRITER
With an adamant no on Proposition 187,
which is on the Nov. 8, ballot the Movimiento
Estudiantil Chicanos de Aztlan (MEChA)
club and the Associated Students (AS) spon¬
sored a forum against the measure Thursday
Sept. 15.
About 300 attentive students listened as
Roberto M. Almanzan, community affairs
assistant for the Mexican American Legal
and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and
George Cervantes, a student activist, high¬
lighted the measure’s consequences.
Almanzan said the proposition was a
response by those who felt that undocu¬
mented immigrants contribute to the state’s
poor economy.
Personal injury and damage caused by
criminal conduct of undocumented immi¬
grants deserves a right of protection, accord¬
ing to those who favor the proposition.
“The proponents of 187 are really doing
a big selling. They say, ‘Oh my God, we
have this huge immigration crisis’,” said
Almanzan. “I’m not really here to argue
about immigration, I’m here to tell you how
bad 187 is.”
Supporters are proposing that 187 will
stop immigrants from receiving health care
benefits, education, and social services, ex¬
plained Almanzan.
Proposition 1 87 was co-authored by Alan
Melson, commissioner of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1982
to 1989 and Harold Ezell, western regional
commissioner of the INS from 1983 to 1989.
According to Almanzan, Nelson was a lob¬
byist for the Federation for American Immi¬
gration Reform (FAIR).
Almanzan added that backers received
funding from the Pioneer Fund, an eastern
sea-board organization which he described
as a white supremacy group that gives money
to different organization so they can do
scientific studies. Almanzan tied this to law
enforcement.
“It’s going to give law enforcement the
legal right to stop anyone who is “suspected”
of being an illegal alien. But there is no
language in the original document that de¬
fines “suspect.” Whatdoesitmean? Is it the
way you speak? The color of your skin?
There will be no protection,” Almanzan
explained.
He added that it would make people more
afraid because not only could they be ar¬
rested for something, but the police could
also be required to turn them in to the INS.
Victims would not report crime for fear of
being reported to the INS.
Almanzan continued by saying that the
same thing would happen in the area of social
services. “For one thing, it is going to require
these professionals to become INS agents.
They are going to be required by law, to turn
immigrants suspected of being undocu¬
mented,” he said. “When you go in for
services, you are going to need proof. If you
don’t have the proof, you are going to be
denied services.”
In health care, doctors and nurses would
break confidentiality laws with patients and
would be required to report suspected pa¬
tients to the INS. Health care services would
be denied to those who really need these
services. Immunization of children would
be denied as well.
“If we have children who are not immu¬
nized and people without proper health care,
what is going to happen?” said Almanzan.
Public education from K-12 and post¬
secondary education would also be denied
for undocumented students regardless of
residency proof. “This is in direct violation
of federal laws such as the Federal Education
and Rights Privacy Act resulting in the loss
of funding to California of S2.3 billion per
year from the federal government. Los
Angeles alone would lose S450 million.
Health care could also stand to lose S7
billion per year. The total cost to California
would be S 1 5 billion in loss of monies which
rounds out to $1,600 per family,” said
Almanzan.
He added that if the proposition passes,
universities could lose funding from the
government resulting in scholars fleeing to
private institutions.
Following Almanzan, activist Angel
Cervantes of the Immigration Defense Orga¬
nization and organizer of Californians
Against Proposition 187 spoke about actions
students could take against the measure. He
explained, “When we hear stuff like this, we
get angry or we don ’ t know what to do about
it. We go with our friends for
lunch and we complain. There
is a line that you cross from
complaining to actually doing
something,” he said.
He also introduced students
to the October Student Move¬
ment, a grassroots coalition of
student organizations, which is
planning teach-ins and marches
against proposition 187 begin¬
ning Oct. 6.
Robert Bowman, AS presi¬
dent said, “You have got to
make a stand. I did, I felt really
strong on this issue. We need to
do something. It’s not right.”
He added that through Oct. 1 1 ,
a massive voter registration
drive will be undertaken on
campus.
“I hope the faculty will give
us support. The Senate has
given us support, the
СТА
and
the FACC has given us support.
We’re trying to get the whole
school against this. If you don’t
vote against this it won 4 happen,” Bowman
said. He also said that PCC presently re¬
ceives $2.2 million which could be jeopar¬
dized by Proposition 187.
“I think as written, it is too broad a
proposition because it has conflicting is¬
sues,” said Drew Pruhs, philosophy major. “I
think it needs to be rewritten to be effective.
If the issue becomes one of who is a citizen
SEFA SMITHART/THE COURIER
Robert Almantan, MALDEF community affairs
assistant, addresses a packed Harbeson Hall.
or not, we’ll have a police state where if a
cop wanted to abuse someone’s rights, they
would have a right to do so. That is wrong.
I think they should divide the issues, have
one on social services and one on citizen¬
ship.”
The measure qualified for the Nov. 8
ballot after more than 300,000 people signed
a petition.
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