Serving PCC and the Pasadena community since 1915
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pcc-courieronline.com
Vol. 90, Issue 4
Sept. 30, 2004
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Cheating
Just Got
Tougher
Show Me
the Money
Plagiarism A
Page 4
Mt. SAC A
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■ Faculty is asking for
a new tool to combat
plagiarism on campus.
Stephen Folan
News Editor
Students who cheat will have a
harder time if the college implements
a new online program.
The faculty is pushing for a
school-wide license for www.tur-
nitin.com, a website that offers
instructors a way to check student
papers for similarities to any other
works in three separate databases.
These databases include a current
copy of all publicly available Internet
pages, published work from a variety
of separate resources, and all other
papers submitted for analysis. A 12-
month license allowing all instructors
to use it in their classes would cost
about $11,500 to $12,000.
“With rising Internet usage, pla¬
giarism had just become way too
easy,” said Robert Lee, language
instructor. “Students started getting
their work from outside sources, so
we needed to try different things to
counter it.”
If the push is successful, the serv¬
ice would let instructors give students
a special login password for the class
account. Students would be required
to submit their finished papers for
analysis. The service then e-mails a
report to the instructor, which can be
Football
Brawl
Update
Ernesto Ruiz
Staff Writer
The investigation regarding the
post-game football brawl between
PCC and Mt. SAC and the alleged
burglary of the visitors’ locker room
is in its beginning stages.
Walnut sheriff’s deputies visited
both campuses this past week to gath¬
er information about the incident that
took place between the two rival
schools almost two weeks ago.
Bill Fisk, Mt. SAC head football
coach, is stonewalling the investiga¬
tion, according to Deputy Francis of
the Walnut sheriff’s station. PCC
head coach Tom Maher said, “Mt.
SAC believes we [PCC players]
trashed our own locker room, and in
my eyes that is plain absurd.”
On Monday the two schools held
a meeting at Mt. SAC to discuss the
off-field incident. Skip Robinson, ath¬
letic director; Jackie Jacobs, vice pres¬
ident for instruction; Stephen
Johnson, assistant dean of student
activities; Sgt. Steven Lester of the
campus police; and Maher represent¬
ed PCC.
Lester said that basically the meet¬
ing was to “listen to both sides of the
story, to discuss the vandalism and
the burglary that occurred in the vis¬
iting team’s locker room and the
brawl that followed the game.”
Lester said the two schools con¬
cluded that the big fight was just ver¬
bal exchanges and standoffs but no
physical fights. He added that noth¬
ing else was resolved.
On Tuesday sheriff’s deputies visit-
With all the recent fears of budget cuts hacking into
the college’s general fund, PCC’s budget shows a growth
of over $2.7 million from last year. The board of trustees
approved a $207 million budget for the 2004-2005 school
year. So where does the money go?
A substantial 41 percent of the budget goes toward
salaries and benefits. Total compensation received by
employees is $85 million. Teachers receive over $48 mil¬
lion in salaries. Classified salaries amount to $18.8 mil¬
lion; student workers see about $776,000 of this money.
Teachers and classified staff see an additional $18 mil¬
lion in employee benefits.
Another big ticket items is the building fund, which is
appropriated $51.8 million. The college earmarked near¬
ly $1.3 million for supplies this year and last. The finan¬
cial aid fund has $15 million earmarked for students.
The college racked up a phone bill of just over
$160,000 last year and has earmarked over $183,000 for
it this year. Last year the college spent over $240,000 on
postage and allotted $220,000 for it. The electric bill was
just under the $1.6 million last year, the same amount
has been allotted for it this year.
Despite the recent trend of having students purchase
pre-made packets of photocopied handouts and course
syllabi from the bookstore, nearly $179,000 was allotted
for duplicating this year, showing a $2,000 increase from
last year.
Guest lecturers and performing artists also see a pret¬
ty penny. Over $300,000 has been earmarked this year
and last, although only about $192,000 was spent last
year. The college has nearly $450,000 earmarked for con¬
sultants, though last year just under $300,000 was actu¬
ally spent.
So where does
аЦ
the money come from?
Taxes bring in over $26 million. Student enrollment
fees are expected to bring in $6.6 million this year, up
from $5 million last year. Non-resident tuition is expect¬
ed to rake in $5.7 million. The college expects $120,000
from renting out parking and bleachers during the Rose
Parade.
The college receives $52.8 million from the state,
$41.7 million in local money and nearly $200,000 from
federal funds.
The Campus is Watching You
Micah Flores
Staff Writer
Smile. You’re being recorded on PCC’s
surveillance system.
If you didn’t know, there are video
cameras all over the campus. You aren’t
alone.
“Most people are totally unaware of
the fact that they’re being filmed,” said
PCC police dispatcher Ralph Humphrey.
The headquarters for the video surveil¬
lance system is CC108, the dispatch room
of campus police. Sixty video cameras
send back images to 18 black-and-white
monitors in the dispatch center. These
cameras record 24 hours a day.
While the majority of the cameras are
strategically located on the ceilings of the
many computer labs on campus, other
indoor cameras monitor the library, cafe¬
teria and student lounge.
Although not as numerous or notice¬
able, outside cameras record most of
PCC’s facilities. Mounted on top of the R
building, a camera with focusing and
rotating capabilities records most of the
southern part of campus, including the
parking lots, aquatic center and track.
Another rotating camera is positioned
on top of the CC building and looks east
out over the quad.
Surveillance A
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Severe Fire Hazards Affect Field Trips
Dean Lee
Staff Writer
The U.S. Forest Service closed
almost 80 percent of the Angeles
National Forest Monday in an
effort to prevent a repeat of last
year’s wildfires. Last year’s fire sea¬
son burned over 750,000 acres,
destroyed 3,710 homes and killed
24 people.
Recreational facilities, roads
and hiking trails will be the most
affected. All of the major county
roads and state highways, such as
the Angeles Crest Highway, will remain
open according to a statement released by
the Forest Service.
Residents living in that area were told
Friday that they too would have to be out
by midnight Sunday, leaving most of them
scrambling trying to figure out where to
go. Some residents complained and
refused to leave but the Forest Service
insisted that anyone who does not leave
will face a $5,000 fine.
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Rafael Delgado/ Courier
Students traveling from the Antelope
Valley to PCC will not be affected.
However, drivers are being urged to use
extreme caution and pay close attention to
posted fire-prevention regulations.
Biology and geology field trips will
need to be replanned this semester in
responseto the closing. One of the geolo¬
gy field trips planned to study the San
Andreas Fault in the closed area.
“The geology department will have to
find someplace else to study the
fault,” said Bruce Carter, dean
of natural sciences. “Some of
the biology trips go up Mill
Canyon and that’s closed. We
called the Forest Service and we
are still waiting to hear back
from them as to where we can
still go.”
Some of the other geology
field trips will also have to
change but fortunately most of
these are planed along Angeles
Crest Highway. Students will
still be able to hike an eighth of
a mile off the highway.
Pyramid Lake, most of San Gabriel
Canyon and the Mount Baldy areas in San
Antonio Canyon are some popular recre¬
ation areas that will not be affected by the
closure.
“The wildfire danger will continue
until a significant change in weather pat¬
terns occurs,” said the Forest Service.
Drought-stressed areas need significant
rainfall. Until then, areas of the forest will
remain restricted.
Free HIV Testing
Nixed on Campus
■ The college’s 2004-2005 budget
has increased by $2.7 million from
last year.
Linda Rapka
Editor-in-Chief
Dean Lee
Staff Writer
Free HIV testing and AIDS counseling at PCC’s
Student Health Center have been eliminated due to cuts
in federal grants by the Center for Disease Control.
Last fall the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture clin¬
ic provided free HIV testing to all PCC students.
However, because the clinic did not get a four-year
grant renewed, it was forced to end the HIV testing
program at PCC, according to Andrew Ma, the direc¬
tor for the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture.
Nearly half of all grants given to nonprofit health
care centers for HIV testing in the Los Angeles area
were not renewed this year.
“We may be given another grant by the county of
Los Angeles but we won’t know until October. If that
happens, we will come back to PCC in the spring,”
Ma said.
Students who come into the health center requesting
testing will be referred to one of the 15 alternative HIV
testing sites off campus such as Pasadena Public Health
and AIDS Service Center, both located in Pasadena,
explained Jo Buczko, the college health nurse.
“Other testing for sexually transmitted diseases, such
as chlamydia, will not be affected. The health center will
continue to offer free STD testing to students here at
PCC,” Buczko said.
Free counseling for students with HIV was also
done by Asian Pacific Health Care and will now only
be offered off campus. Traditionally AIDS counseling
has not been done in psychological services, located in
the L building, but now students do not have any¬
where else to go.
“We have not had students come in before asking
about AIDS, but now maybe they might,” said Kent
Yamauchi, assistant dean of special services. “If they
did we would refer them to where they need to go.”
Students can get free general counseling in psycho¬
logical services, including counseling for depression
and anger which might be related to contracting AIDS.
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Jim Comeau/ Courier
The first after a 15 game losing streak, the Lancers’ football team scored a monumental victory
against Cerritos College over the weekend. - Story on
раде
6 -
You're Fired
Pasadena City College
Trump is back in the new fall
line-up .
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