PCC Courier 01/28/2016

CO U R I ER Pasadena City College

Serving PCC Since 1915

JANUARY 28, 2016 VOLUME 113 ISSUE 01

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES AT PCCCOURIER.COM

WELDING STUDENTS MELT THEIR WAY TO GOLD AND SILVER PCC welding student Shane Dickerson working on a project at the welding lab in IT137 on Wednesday, January 27.

Katja Liebing/Courier

PCC Foundation funds drones to fly over campus and beyond Katja Liebing Staff Writer

GATSBY FASHION The Pasadena Museum of History hosts lecture celebrating women’s fashion through three decades

SOFTBALL WINS OPENER Lancers softball wins by a score of 5-3 in thrilling home opener

Vurdien restructures campus positions

John Orona Managing Editor

In his second semester at PCC, President-Superintendent Rajen Vurdien continues to shape the college in his vision.

Beginning July 1 this year, PCC academics will be organized into 12 divisions — Natural Sciences; Math and Computer Science; Health Sciences; Kinesiology, Health, and Athletics; Social Sciences; Performing Arts; Visual Arts and Media Studies; English; Languages and ESL; Business; Engineering, Technology, and Economic and Workforce Development; Library, Learning Resources, and Distance Education — leaving behind the current model of six schools with departments within each school that was implemented in spring 2014.

“What changes?” President-Superintendent Vurdien asked. “We’re simply reverting to the school’s original structure.”

Although this change wasn’t a specific accreditation recommenda-

tion, it was in response accreditation, according to Alex Boekelheide, executive director of strategic communications and marketing.

“One of the things accreditation told us was we had too many interim positions, and that was a consequence of our [school] structure that led to more administrative positions,” Boekelheide said.

In accordance with these changes, the school has posted permanent position for five new instructional deans in the Math and Computer Science, Kinesiology, Health, and Athletics, Business, Languages and ESL, and Social Sciences divisions.

Each instructional dean position will come staffed with a manager, administrative assistant, and clerk.

These changes will also take place July 1.

“These actions will allow the college to increase the effectiveness of its academic programs and balance the demands on our instructional Deans so they can provide faculty and students the support needed,”

RESTRUCTURE PAGE 2

If students soon notice drones whizzing over their heads on campus, it is the result of the largest grant the PCC Foundation has awarded so far.

For the first time the foundation decided to give out larger grants for up to $10,000 for collaborative projects in fall 2015. Two instructors were awarded $7,500 to purchase two drones in order to research California’s water resources.

The foundation’s grant program, formerly known as Mini-Grants, aims to “help faculty fill in gaps in their programs.”

“As the program grew, it became

“seed” money for some departments who wanted to create new programs in their department but didn’t have initial funds to do so,” Kristin McPeak wrote in an email.

Photography instructor Christopher O’Leary and Geography Brennan Wallace were awarded the grant for their Department of Water project at the PCC Foundation Award Ceremony on Oct. 30 to fund the purchase of the drones.

“One thing they really look for is interdisciplinary projects, which is, I think, why we were successful,” said O’Leary. “The foundation is one of the few really flexible institutions within PCC. It kind of tries to make magic happen that might not happen naturally.”

O’Leary and Wallace purchased an Inspire I Pro and a Phantom 3 drone with the grant and are eagerly awaiting their arrival. The Inspire 1 Pro features a professional camera and wireless HD video transmission, which means operators can see video in real time as they fly. The Phantom 3 is a smaller entry-level drone, which can record and live stream video and can take stills.

Their vision is to use these drones for different projects within their respective classes, but also for inter-departmental collaborations.

“The Department of Water project stood out to us as something very ambitious, but also strategic

les Community College District, just as the school heads into the final stretch of its accreditation process.

Dr. Ryan Cornner, director of strategic innovation and planning, came to PCC in the midst of turmoil, both with the conflict between former President Mark Rocha and faculty groups, and with the college’s reaccreditation struggles.

He immediately diagnosed the need for an integrated planning model, well before it was an accreditation recommendation. He was also vital in the effort to both implement and explain the changes the college had to make to comply with the accreditation commission for community and junior colleges (ACCJC).

“Thanks to these efforts, more than 90 percent of our administra-

tive units completed their planning review and projections on time,” Alex Boekelheide, director of strategic communication and marketing, said in an email announcing the departure.

Despite playing a vital role in the school’s accreditation success so far, he leaves at crucial time in the process, with the Planning and Priorities committee drafting their reports to ACCJC for review next month. “[Dr. Cornner] has spearheaded the integrated planning process, working to bring together faculty, administrators, and staff to present a comprehensive picture of PCC’s operations and future goals, ” Boekelheide said.

DRONES PAGE 2

School’s strategist departs

Ryan Cornner John Orona Managing Editor Although he only arrived at PCC less than two years ago, the man responsible for implementing many of the changes recommended by the accreditation commission has left PCC to work for the Los Ange-

CORNNER PAGE 2

NEWS

Flux n’ Slag welds its way to gold and state 2 COURIER

Hannah Gonzales News Editor

Tommy Nguyen, a structural welding major, wasn’t excited or nervous for the SkillsUSA California conference that took place at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) last weekend.

Nguyen was too tired from having to wake up at 4 a.m. to get to the conference on time, but by the end of the day the welding student who hadn’t come to the competition with high hopes was walking away with the gold. And along with him, several of his peers from PCC’s Flux n’ Slag welding club also managed to place.

This was the first year that the Flux n’ Slag club, under the direction of engineering and technology instructor Misty Henry, participated in a SkillsUSA conference. With conferences across the nation and competitions that support

DROUGHT Continued from page 1 and creative,” Kristin McPeak wrote.

The committee chairperson, Winston Uchiyama, said in an email that the application stood out to him because it involves “cutting-edge technology” and the fact that it is “truly interdisciplinary, crossing between the arts (photography), science (geography and geology), and English (writing).”

The instructors are both first-year faculty and met at a new faculty orientation in summer 2015. They teamed up after O’Leary started the grant application and together formed the Department of Water, which became the title of the grant application.

Their goal is to collaborate between the departments and study water resources in California. “[It is a] super relevant issue right now,” Wallace said. “You can approach water resources from so many different angles.

From a photography perspective, but then as utilities, as storm water management, looking at El Nino, current climate, lawn growth or maintenance. We can look at green space all over California with the drones.”

CORNNER

Continued from page 1

Although Cornner began his academic career thinking he would certainly become a psychological clinician, he was soon drawn to education management, teaching, and community colleges.

“I found myself doing whatever I could to get closer to the classroom and students … moving away from the hospital more and more,” Cornner confessed.

Taking advantage of his newfound passion for post-secondary education, Cornner was able to create a unique program at USC teaching

RESTRUCTURE

Continued from page 1

Vurdien said in an email.

Vurdien is also making more immediate changes to the organization of the college.

Dr. Robert Bell, formerly assistant superintendent / senior vice president for academic and student Affairs, will now assume the position of assistant superintendent / senior vice president, non credit and offsite campuses.

This elevation in position reflects the growing importance of non-credit education, offsite campuses, and community outreach, according to Vurdien.

PCC recently began partnering with PUSD high schools through AB 86, which along with PCC’s Rosemead campus and community education center, highlight the school’s growth in those areas.

“Instead of people coming to the college, the college will go to the public,” Vurdien said. “It’s important

January 28, 2016

leadership and technical education, SkillsUSA might seem daunting to a new team looking to win some medals. But the club stepped up to the plate.

“I was surprised,” Nguyen said, recounting when his name was announced for the gold in the shield and metal art welding (SMAW) division. “I thought I did bad.”

Michael Chong, a welding major, was also surprised when he placed first for his metal sculpture featuring a hand holding a skull and a scythe.

“I didn’t really care,” Chong said. “I just wanted to do it.”

Although Chong and Nguyen did not expect to win at SkillsUSA, both put hard work into their pieces.

Nguyen competed with six other contestants, who each had 45 minutes to weld based on blueprints they were given at the start of the competition. Unlike Nguyen, Chong was given the criteria

for his sculpture before the competition.

“You build it beforehand, take pictures, make sure someone is observing you,” said Chong.

“You know to make sure it’s your sculpture.”

Chong spent two to three weeks of work on his sculpture, which he brought with him to the competition to be judged.

The Flux n’ Slag club also did well in team competitions. Loni Ashby, a welding major, and Gaselle Melendez, a technical theater major, were two of the three students who made up the fabrication team that placed second at the conference.

Another Flux n’ Slag fabrication team placed first.

Melendez attributed her team’s strong presence at the conference to Henry and Alan Armstrong, an engineering and technology assistant professor who also helps out with the Flux n’ Slag club.

“They helped us so much,” said Melendez.

“During winter break they kept the shop open so we could come in so we didn’t really have a winter

break ‘cause we were coming in every day.”

The fabrication teams, like Chong, were able to work on their piece before the conference. A month and a half before the competition SkillsUSA sent them the materials to make an adjustable shelving unit.

“So we had to design it, build it and make it,” said Ashby.

The team built two prototypes and a final piece using 20-foot long angles, 20-foot long tubing and a sheet of steel.

Like Nguyen, Ashby wasn’t all that confident when the time came to take the shelving unit she and her team built to the competition.

“There was an original team that was other students that were more advanced than us and she kind of pulled us aside and asked us if we would kind of be like the secret team,” said Ashby. “Thank God she did though ‘cause we kicked ass.”

O’Leary intends to use the drones in his Advanced Photography class for group projects and also to make them available for students to check out for individual projects.

He further hopes to build a field study class around the drones in the future.

“The drones have a number of features that are useful to us. For us, the photographer, it’s aerial photography,” O’Leary said. “There are cameras built into the drones. They can turn 360 degrees and you can control that from the ground … It actually takes two people to do that. One person steers the drone and the other steers the camera. From the geography perspective there is global positioning that is built into these things. So you can do mapmaking.”

This is where Wallace the geographer comes in. He plans to integrate the drones into the Geospatial Technology Skills Certificate program. The program teaches students geospatial data entry, how to prepare maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), interpret aerial photographs and maintain GIS databases, according to the Pasadena City College 2015-2016 catalog.

“A big part of field studies is photography,” Wallace said.

He plans to take the drones onto field trips

to places like Eaton Canyon, Los Angeles reservoirs or up to Big Sur, where he takes students on a four-day camping trip as part of a one-credit class during the summer semester, when students learn cartographic techniques to make maps. The drones will help them create aerial images at predetermined intervals, which will automatically be geotagged.

“On a purely technical level I think it is a really important new technology,” said O’Leary. “It’s going to change how we think about cities and landscapes. So I think it is really good to give students experience with that [technology] even if they may not make the most profound artwork.”

There are no concrete plans on how the departments will collaborate as the drones have not arrived yet, but there certainly is an exciting vision.

Traditionally, the different departments are not known for collaboration and interaction, a tradition these new faculty members would like to change.

“I think if schools could be organized around problems or ideas, we could be really productive and that could teach students how to solve problems as well,” O’Leary said.

“And water is the best example of this. Literally all fields can contribute something about

the idea of water. It has a cultural perspective, a scientific perspective, there’s a technological perspective, a societal perspective. And we might be able to add the chaotic aspect of being an artist … [and] dabble in each other’s worlds.”

During the grant application process O’Leary and Wallace recruited new hire Emily Fernandez from the English department for their interdisciplinary project and welcome others to join the collaboration.

“The English side is the synthesis of it all,” O’Leary said. “Geography will be making maps, photography will be making images and then English will write about it.”

Their initial idea was to create books about the project. However, the foundation did not approve the additional funds necessary for the book making. Now the plan is to create websites around it with each department contributing.

Their use will not be limited to the Photography, English and Geography departments.

The idea is that other departments will also make use of them for future interdisciplinary projects.

community college counseling. Many counseling programs focus on K-12 or four-year university service, so the focus on the community college niche was one-of-a-kind.

One student from his very first teaching cohort, Ingrid Arana, is now a tenure-track counselor at PCC. “Ryan has been a big part of my development,” Arana said. “He was always helpful and found time, even when I know he was extraordinarily busy.”

Cornner will continue to stay busy in his new position as vice chancellor for educational programs and

institutional effectiveness for the Los Angeles Community College District. LACCD will be going through an unprecedented nine accreditation visits at once, and after beginning PCC’s accreditation process, he will lead the district through their process.

Arana now imparts the wisdom Cornner shared with her while she was still learning on the students she encounters.

“He asked me to give a presentation to a board of directors meeting, and believed in me

even though I had no idea what I was doing,”

to serve the community, and we serve many communities. “ Former Dean of Non Credit, Dr. Ofelia Arellano, will now oversee dual enrollment programs, outreach and transfer, and three TRIO programs: Upward Bound Math/Science; Talent Search; and Classic Upward Bound as the Dean of Student Affairs.

The school is also looking to add two new positions to the senior administrative team: an Assistant Superintendent / Vice President of Instruction who will oversee the new divisions and report directly to Dr. Vurdien, and a Vice President of Human Resources, who will replace the vacant executive director position and will also report directly to Vurdien.

Finally, Dr. Ryan Cornner, former associate vice president for strategic planning and innovation, has left the college and accepted a position at the Los Angeles Community College District as Vice Chancellor for Educational Programs and Institutional Effectiveness.

Arana said. “He told me, ‘If you don’t know [if you can do] something, just say yes anyway and figure it out. That’s how you grow, and I use that advice to this day.”

Dr. Paul Jarell, dean of instructional support, and Crystal Kollross, director of institutional effectiveness, will assume Cornner’s duties.

His final day was January 13, 2016.

OPINION

3 COURIER

National student debt is a travesty Katja Liebing Staff Writer

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Unfortunately the U.S. government has not been able to realize a fact that Franklin already understood in the 1700s. Investing in students’ future by lowering interest rates is the first step necessary to making good education affordable for all, but it is not enough.

With the presidential race gaining momentum, so has the debate about lowering the interest rate on student loans. Forbes reported the student loan debt amounts to over $1.2 trillion dollars, which makes it six percent of the total national debt.

According to Federal Student Aid, the current interest rate on student loans is between 4.29 and 6.84 percent with a standard repayment schedule of 10 years. As of June 30, 2015, “average federal loan debt outstanding is $28,973 per borrower,” according to the results of a government data analysis by financial aid experts at Edvisors.

Using a FinAid calculator, the monthly payment over 10 years is roughly $333 for graduate students.

If the interest rate were dropped to as low as three percent, the monthly repayment would still amount to $278. Unless the loans finance a medical or law degree, many will struggle to make these payments, and end up with loans that they still struggle to pay off 20 years later.

While lowering interest rates on student loans is desirable, it is not enough and should only be the first step toward affordable and achievable education.

In addition to slowing down national economic growth, student loan debts also jeopardize future retirement as seniors owe over 18 billion dollars in student loan debts, according to CBS News. These loans that were meant to enable a better life keep people from retiring when they deserve it. For many retirees it is a struggle and they are in danger of defaulting on their loans.

The result is a reduction of their Social Security benefits to just $750 a month.

“I find it very ironic that I incurred this debt as a way to improve my life, and yet I still sit here today because the debt has become my undoing,” Rosemary Anderson, 57, stated in a prepared testimony for a hearing according to CBS News.

And this is exactly where the problems lie and the checkbook fails to balance. Young hopefuls are motivated to improve their lives and invest not just time and effort but also money into their own education, only to end up with the burden of trying to pay off their debt for decades to come.

This keeps them from moving out, buying a house, starting a family and saving for their retirement.

Unfortunately, for most young Americans in this country, graduating from a four-year college with student loan debt that might take them up to 30 years to pay off is the only option to score a job paying more than minimum wage.

“We finance education using student debt and we limit the money that kids have available to them as they graduate and enter the job market … They have car loans, house loans, and student debt,” William Elliott said to PBS. “So it’s the extra burden that it places on them, and it’s really just kind of a failed system in the beginning, thinking that we can finance college with debt.”

The problem does not lie in the interest rate, but in the amount students need to borrow to be able to finance their education.

The government should not make a profit from people motivated to invest in their own future to make a better life for them and their families, which in addition boosts economic growth as more money would be available to them to spend.

Instead it should invest in students by first lowering interest rates and restructuring current student loans and eventually by cutting tuition costs.

For some, the burden of paying back their student loans becomes so big that the only way out is to move overseas to dodge their debt.

“In my experience, people leave because there’s a sense of hopelessness and they see greater opportunities overseas, usually through a combination of higher pay and lower living expenses,” Adam S. Minsky said to Vice. “They think they’ll be better positioned to either pay their loans in real time, from abroad, or to save up and be in a better place to address the loans a couple of years from now.”

According to Vice, borrowers can escape payments if they do not have a U.S. address, earn their income in a foreign country, do not pay U.S. taxes and do not collect social security.

However, if student loan dodgers ever decide

to set foot on U.S. soil again or even work for a U.S. company overseas, the debt collectors will go after them.

Moving overseas and leaving family and friends behind should not have to be the solution. It’s only a momentary escape from the problem and can make the situation much worse.

New Zealand has started to crack down on student loan dodgers and just arrested the first person under a new law, according to the New Zealand Herald. Australia has just introduced similar law that allows debt collectors to go after students living overseas.

While U.S. debt collectors may not have the ability and tools required to force borrowers residing outside the country to make payments on their loans, it is something on which no one should rely.

The government needs to work on options that make tuition more affordable.

Free education may not be realistic due to the sheer size of the United States. However, if a country like Germany can offer almost free education to its citizens, then it is at least possible to drastically cut education costs here.

“They [tuition fees] particularly discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up studies,” said Hamburg’s minister for science and culture Dorothee Stapelfeldt to Britain’s The Times.

“It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.” Her region completely abolished tuition fees in 2012.

People will have to realize, though, that the “free” education in European countries like Germany is financed through much higher taxes than citizens have to pay in the U.S. In Germany, the average worker paid 49.3 percent in taxes on their income in 2013 according to CNN. In the U.S., even someone who earned $450,000 in 2013 only paid 39.6 percent in income tax, according to the Tax Foundation.

Lowering interest rates is a necessity if the government wants to enable its citizens to build a family, buy a house, pay for health care and save up for their retirement without much assistance from the government.

Even more important is to look for ways to significantly lower tuition costs, which will not only relieve students from huge debts, but also boost the national economy as they will have more money in their pockets to spend.

January 28, 2016

VOICES

Would you leave the country if you thought you could avoid paying your student loans?

“If I didn’t have to worry about payments then yeah, why not.”

Xavier Musgrove, film production

“If they’re fleeing, and they’re not citizens, then it’s taking taxpayer money and just fleeing the country with it.”

Andrew Kwon, engineering

“It’s still your loan, so you would have to pay it back eventually.”

Adrienne Austria, business

“I would not do that. I don’t want to move somewhere else.”

Alma Ruiz, nursing

Cartoon by Mick Donovan

COURIER

Serving PCC since 1915

Editor-in-Chief Kristen Luna

Lifestyle Editor Mick Donovan

Managing Editor John Orona

Sports Editors Ahmad Akkaoui and Christian Rivas

Online Photo Editor Katja Liebing News Editor Hannah Gonzales

Asst. Online Photo Editor Eric Haynes

Online/Opinion Editor Amber Lipsey

Scene Editor Hazel Paiz

Online/Features Editor Monique A. Lebleu

Design Editor Samantha Molina

Staff Writers Angelique Andrade, Irma Carrillo, Peter Chao, Julius Choi, Brian Chernick, Erin Dobrzyn, Lilith Garcia, Taylor Gonzales, Andi Harding, Valerie Kesachekian, Daniel Larson, Timothy Mably, Kelly Rodriguez Murrillo Staff Photographers Guadalupe Alvarez, Aidenis Artaga, Catrina Estrada, Danny Heng,

Samone Kidane, Russell Latiolais, Greg Littlejohn, Kelly Rodriguez Murrillo, Hazel Paiz, Alex Stallworth Faculty Adviser Nathan McIntire Photo Adviser Tim Berger Advertising Manager Daniel Nerio

The Courier is published weekly by the Pasadena City College Journalism Department and is a free-speech forum.

Editorials and comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the institution and its administration, student government or that of the Pasadena Area Community College District. The Courier is written and produced as a learning experience for student writers, photographers and editors in the Journalism Department.

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“I wouldn’t do it just because I know it’s wrong. If I’m going to do something, I’m a man of my word. I’m going to pay you back.”

Jamir Walker, photography

Reporting by Taylor Gonzales

Photos by Ahmad Akkaoui

SC E

4 COURIER

A Weekend at the

Farmer’s Market

As a Certified Farmer’s Market, Pasadena Farmer’s Market provides visitor’s with fresh, nutritious, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. Locals get to enjoy the experience of buying directly from the farmer who grows their produce.

Russell G. Latiolais/Courier Bill Lewis from Bill’s Bees handing out a free sample of his 100 percent raw honey, at The Pasadena Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Jan. 23. Bill sells his own raw honey at farmer’s markets throughout Los Angeles county.

EN E

January 28, 2016

Monique A. LeBleu/Courier A California Tornado Potato at the Montrose Farmer’s Market on Honolulu on Sunday, Jan. 24.

5

Russell G. Latiolais/Courier A young admirer makes a new friend at the Critters To Go Petting Zoo at the Montrose Farmer’s Market on Honolulu on Sunday, Jan. 24.

Catrina Estrada/Courier Leslie Schenk gathers fresh produce from the Pasadena Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Jan. 23. Every Saturday the Pasadena Certified Farmer’s Market is held at Victory Park in Pasadena where patrons can enjoy farm fresh produce, hand made goods, and other specialty items from local vendors.

Russell G. Latiolais/Courier Prime Time, a Southern California based farm, sells multi-colored peppers at The Pasadena Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Jan. 23. Prime Time is one of the largest year-round growers, packers and shippers of multi-colored peppers in the United States.

Monique A. LeBleu/Courier Sew Cranky exhibits and instructs the use of their antique handcrank sewing machines at the Montrose Farmer’s Market on Honolulu on Sunday, Jan. 24.

FEATURES

6 COURIER

January 28, 2016

Future of radio says goodbye to broadcast mentor Monique A. LeBleu Features Editor

A cold Sunday night just before the new spring semester brought together a room of warmth at PCC. Students, faculty, and colleagues gathered to celebrate the life of Lancer Radio advisor and broadcasting instructor Scott Carter, a beloved father, friend, mentor and teacher.

Carter was in the broadcast field for over 25 years. At age 12 he began taping his own shows and would later study broadcasting at USC and worked as an audio editor and producer for KUSC-LA special broadcasts, according to a PCC Students In Broadcasting Facebook blog post.

He went on to work at KFACAM & FM and KUTE-FM in Los Angeles. Then after a time at San Francisco State moved on to KINK-FM in Portland, Oregon where he had “one of the highest rated evening shows in Portland radio.”

During his time as a broadcaster, Carter was known to have “conducted over 7,000 interviews in 2 years” prior to teaching at PCC in the TVR field, according to the Facebook blog post. Carter also produced “Scott’s LA,” a self-guided audio tour CD. For the evening memorial, Lancer Lens and Lancer Radio engineer Gina Harris used Facebook and contacts to mobilize a crew of Carter’s students, Lancer Lens staff, and Lancer Radio producers in order to organize and broadcast the memorial event live on “KKSC Radio”—Klassic Scott Carter—for the evening.

In a unique turn as broadcaster, Harris hosted for the evening and on air. Guests spoke and lightened the mood with anecdotes to keep the tears at bay. And audio clips from Carter’s interviews, as well as some of his music favorites such as Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” and Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart”

Monique A. LeBleu/Courier Former PCC student and E! Online news editor Bruna Nessif shares fond memories of radio of broadcast instructor and mentor Scott Carter for his memorial held in the Circadian room, Jan. 8. added to the reflective program.

Numerous PCC students came and shared their stories of him, lessons learned, and the many successes that were brought to them from his mentorship.

Former PCC student and El Monte councilwoman Victoria Martinez recalled her first meeting with Carter at a car dealership where she worked and reflected on a new friendship that began with a startling invitation.

“He says to me, ‘I’d like to invite you to my house and sit you in front of a microphone and see how you’d like it.’ So I’m thinking, ‘Where are you going with this?,’” she laughed.

“You know what he told me? ‘I’m not doing this get laid. I’m not doing this to get paid. I’m doing this because I believe in you.’”

Former PCC student Nicky G, formerly at Power 106 and now social media director at Sway’s Universe, also said Carter was beyond supportive.

“After taking his classes, and getting his feedback, and moving on, I did a show in Palm Springs and he came all the way down just to see me,” she said. “Then I found out he was talking about me [in his classes]. He made it seem like anything is possible … He made you feel important.”

Former PCC Courier staff member and E! Online News Editor Bruna Nessif recalls the support Carter gave her when she was feeling anxious in her first semester in broadcasting.

“You have that fire in your belly. I see it. And you’re going to do great,

to make their way to classrooms and hallways.

First year PCC Pathways student David Duong said, “First time I saw it I was pretty much addicted to it. I was like, ‘I got to have it!’”

Although Duong, a film major, does not ride his hoverboard on campus, he does use it to get around in his Highland Park neighborhood and for the occasional run to his local Starbucks, as it has a unique feature—a walk up and drive-thru that enables him to avoid dismounting in order to get his hot chocolate.

What many students don’t know is that hoverboard riding, along with bikes and skateboards, is actually prohibited on the school campus.

According to campus police, there will be more rules that regulate on-campus transportation

concerning the safety of its riders and pedestrians.

Campus police Sgt. Bill Abernathie said, “Bikes and skateboards are actually not allowed to be ridden on campus, and the hoverboard falls under the same category.”

Hoverboards have also made their way into the news because unknown brands and models are subject to catching on fire from time to time. According to NPR, the combustion is due to lithium batteries cells within them sometimes overheating.

According to an ABC News report, as of January 1, it is now only legal to ride the hoverboards in bike lanes and pathways in the state of California.

No injuries have been reported regarding the use of hoverboards on campus and none have been confiscated, Abernathie said.

just keep going,” said Nessif. “He was one of the first people I told when I got my first job.”

Elliot Gold, a returning student who worked for 35 years in the emerging teleconferencing technologies, reviewed classes at various universities before deciding that “the most professional instructors were here at PCC.” Both Harris and Gold recalled Carter as famously saying in radio, “If you’re not early, you’re late.”

Many said that Carter boasted about past students with faculty, colleagues and students. Words like passion, heart, and hilarious were used often used to describe him and that when he talked, he always elevated spirits. Two students who frequently worked together talked on his power to uplift.

“So often we take the best parts of our lives for granted. Getting to learn our relationships where we live,” said former PCC student Dot Cannon, quoting Carter. “Scott knew that none of that is guaranteed, or guaranteed to last, so he encouraged his students to recognize and appreciate what’s good in their lives today, and he lived that lesson.”

“With me, he would stop me in the hallway with, ‘Oh wait! Wait just a minute! I’ve got something to tell ya!’ Hold up’,” Harris said. “And afterwards there would be this story that was hilarious!”

Colleague and friend Mike Sakellarides of 94.7 The WAVE, formerly of KQIV 106.7 in Oregon, recalled Carter’s radio call during his “Lights Out” program at 101.9 KINK radio in 70’s.

“At 11:00 o’clock he’d say ‘perhaps you’ll want to light a candle,’” Sakellarides said Carter would say.

Sakellarides recalled that one night a young lady lit such candle across the alleyway—a woman who would not long after become Carter’s wife.

Looking over to Carter’s son, Sakellarides said, “So Matt, you are the product of a broadcast.”

Having the benefit of calling Carter both his teacher and his father was his son, former PCC student and novelist Matt Carter, who spoke in the final of the close of the memorial.

“My dad looked upon all of his students, and all of their successes, as if you were all my brothers and sisters and we were all one big family. I’ve got to say, I even got jealous of you guys!,” Matt laughed.

“A thing I’ve always said was one of the greatest things about my dad was that you could always read his mind because it was coming out of his mouth.”

Students scoot past campuswide hoverboard ban Peter Chao Staff Writer Hoverboards have been seen across PCC campus, but many students are unaware that they are prohibited on campus and can potentially catch fire.

The self-balancing scooter, known as hoverboards to some, has gained massive popularity through 2015 and that popularity has carried over to 2016.

Costing roughly around $300 to $600 depending on models, they have been coming off the shelves of many popular shopping websites such as eBay and Amazon.

Those who ride them attract the attention and curiosity of others as they cruise across the PCC campus

Contributed by Monique A. LeBleu

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Monique A. LeBleu/Courier David Duong, PCC first year Pathway student and Drake fan, rides his self-balancing scooter aka Hoverboard, to a mobile-friendly neighborhood Starbucks in Highland Park, Dec. 24, 2015.

SPORTS

7 COURIER

January 28, 2016

New head coach gets Lancers back on track Hannah Gonzales Staff Writer

A new head coach has been hired for the Lancer track and field team to replace Armand Crespo, who was terminated last year following an alleged altercation with a student.

Robert “Bobby” Godinez, who was an adjunct instructor in the athletics division last semester, was selected to be the new interim coach for the spring 2016 season.

With less than a month before their first meet, track and field student athletes can breathe a sigh of relief with the return of a head coach. Administrators were also feeling the pressure to hire someone before the season began.

“In order to serve students and make sure that our program was moving forward, we met the administration, chose a time frame and did our interview process,” said Athletic Director Tony Barbone.

“And Coach Godinez came out as selectee.”

Although Godinez has never coached a collegiate track and field team, he has an extensive sports background and a history of coaching athletes at all levels of competition, he said.

“I’ve had experience in the past,” said Godinez. “Maybe not as extensively as what you would hope, but what I’m stressing is that I’m a lead-

er and I want [students] to see that I’m here to make sure that they’re going in the right direction in the things they need to be doing.”

Godinez is no stranger to coming in at the start of a season.

“I’ve actually had some experience taking over programs late like this,” said Godinez Godinez was named head coach of Victor Valley College men’s basketball team mere weeks before the start of their 2013 season.

While there he completed two successful seasons and lead the team to the 2015 Southern California Regional Playoffs.

Godinez believes it is his extensive experience in sports that made him the right candidate to take over the program.

“I voiced my interest in the program once the job opened and I was lucky enough to be chosen,” said Godinez.

With only a couple of weeks to prepare the track and field athletes for their first competition of the season, Godinez has said he wants to “hit the floor sprinting” when it comes to training the track and field team.

Marina Flores, a distance athlete who is running unattached this season, said she’s glad that the track and field athletes have a new head coach after having to train on their own these past few months.

Catrina Estrada/Courier The new Pasadena City College track and field Coach Bobby Godinez on the PCC track on Jan. 14.

“He seems positive,” said Flores.

“He has a lot of experience and he’s determined to push us. That’s what I think about him. He’s determined.”

Godinez attended San Jose State University where he was an Academic All-American.

Godinez graduated with an undergrad in sociology and a master’s

degree in kinesiology. After university, Godinez went on to play with the Washington Redskins for one year, which ended due to an injury.

After his career with football ended, Godinez opened two training facilities in the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire.

From 2007 to 2010, Godinez worked with high school, college

and professional athletes to improve their speed and flexibility.

Godinez also served as the football team’s defensive backs coach in 2009.

The South Coast Conference Opener will take place Feb.5 at Mt. San Antonio.

Lancers softball reign victorious in season opener Julius Choi Staff Writer

.The women’s softball team kicked off their 2016 campaign with a thrilling 5-4 win over Antelope Valley on Wednesday.

“It was important to start off with a win because that will set the tone for the rest of the season,” said Cynthia McKeehan.

Today’s game was a classic pitchers duel.

Sophomore Raeleen Fuentes took the mound for the Lancers while the Marauders countered with left-handed pitcher Tawnee Hegre.

Fuentes pitched six solid innings and picked up 4 strikeouts.

Neither team was able to develop a threatening attack and test the defense until PCC did so in bottom of the fourth inning.

Kelly Bernal laced a lead-off single down the right field line. Then Holly Riker-Sloan reached first base on a routine fly ball that was dropped by right fielder Destinee Medrano.

Riker-Sloan was then replaced by Brenda Rivas to pinch run.

With two on and no outs, Derek Blow hit a line drive to second baseman Dolly Stevens who then flipped the ball to first base to complete the double play. Fuen was then retired in the next play when she grounded out.

With the foot still on the gas, PCC pulled through in the fifth. McKeehan drew a walk to start the inning and Jahaira Badillo reached first base on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Moreno hit an RBI single to shortstop to bring in McKeehan home for the 1-0 lead.

Later in the inning, during an Anais Sustay-

ta at-bat, Moreno stole second base, prompting a throw from catcher Jennifer Littlejohn to her second baseman.

The second baseman then overthrew to third base, resulting in an error which the Lancers took advantage of as Badillo stole home. Moreno then collected a run on a wild pitch by pitcher Hegre to make it 3-0 in favor of the home team.

Acosta put the Marauders on the board in the sixth inning by driving in Stevens.

The Lancers responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth coming off the bats of Moreno and McKeehan.

“We did what we needed to do when we needed to do it,” said head coach Monica Tantlinger. “Our energy helped us win.”

Down 5-1 and in need of runs to mount

a comeback in the top of the seventh inning, Antelope Valley took advantage of Alyssa Madrid, who was entered in relief of Fuentes.

Littlejohn and Stevens hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut the deficit to two.

With the bases loaded and one out, Madrid issued a walk to Acosta to bring the Marauders within one run.After walking the second batter of the inning, Madrid slammed the door shut and struck out Toni Hutnick to capture the team’s first win of the season.

Pasadena is now 4-1 in the past five season openers with the victory.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been in a situation like that and it will not be the last,” said Madrid. “You just have to push through it.”

PCC will battle Moorpark on Friday to improve upon their perfect season.

Swim team plans record breaking splash for spring season Amber Lipsey Staff Writer The PCC swim team has high hopes and ambitious goals for 2016.

The team, which placed 5th in state championships last year, looks to raise their rankings and beat individual school records.

Terry Stoddard begins his 17th season as head coach with one overall goal: team success.

“We’re looking for improvement in our conference and to try to repeat our conference dual meet season,” he said. “We were fifth in state last year, as well as eighth, seventh and fifth in previous years so we want to move up in state to the top four.”

Many members of the team were enthusiastic to begin this season, ready to break school records and improve their individual times.

Veteran swimmer Rene Gonzalez, who spent six semesters on the team thus far, is determined to meet his personal objectives.

“My goal this semester is to make it to state for an individual event and break the school record for the 200 fly,” Gonzalez said. “The record

is 1:49 and I’m at 1:58.”

Swimmer Ariahn Givens’ main objective is to drop her time in all areas.

“I really want to drop my time in my 200 free and get it down to 150, and maybe even swim the 500 free this year,” Givens said. “That’s not my event, but I might go for it.”

Givens also said she added time at conference last year and hopes to drop her time this year at state.

While the team has ambitious goals overall, they are also aware of potential roadblocks to their success and how to overcome them.

“Our biggest challenge is fatigue because it’s so easy to fall into laziness,” swimmer Jorje Perez said.

“Technique, technique, technique is always something that you gotta keep thinking of, because if you lose your technique that’s how you lose on your time.”

Perez said that the best way the team stays on top of their game is through physical training. The team spends every Monday and Wednesday weightlifting, then on alternate days they do what is called “dry land” training.

Dry land is an hour and a half

workout of planks, squats, lunges, medicine ball workouts and running.

After dry land, they go into the water and swim.

Samuel Sanchez, another swimmer who wants to beat a school record, also hopes to trounce a certain local rival.

“My main goal is to beat Mt. SAC,” Sanchez said. “They’re definitely the coaches rival, he always says, ‘Beat Mt. SAC!’ and I think we got a good enough team this year.”

Individually, Sanchez hopes to beat the school record in the 200 freestyle. The current school record is 1:41:06 and he plans to focus on setting a new one.

Coach Stoddard has a positive outlook on his team’s potential successes, especially in regards to breaking the school records.

“We’ve done a really good job with women’s records, but the men’s records are a little more stubborn dating back to 1978,” he said. “In my 17 seasons, we’ve only been able to beat one school record from the 70’s because those years we had five state champions and things were just a little bit different” he said.

Despite those stubborn records,

Hazel Paiz/Courier Liza Echeverria, 19, comes up for air during practice in the pool at Pasadena City College on Jan. 20.

Stoddard nevertheless has full faith in his swimmers to accomplish their goals. “I think that Samuel has a chance at the mile record for the men, and I think that Liza Echeverria and Ariahn have a good chance

to get some school records for the women.”

The teams first event of the season is the SCC Pentathalon at Cerritos College on Feb. 19th.

LIFESTYLE

8 COURIER

January 28, 2016

Gatsby fashion draws nostalgic crowd Amber Lipsey Opinion Editor While Baz Luhrmann’s film interpretation of “The Great Gatsby” received lukewarm reviews by critics, the film was praised for the authenticity of its 1920s costumes, even winning the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for designer Catherine Martin.

The costumes were so beloved that the film has since inspired many Gatsby Halloween costumes and theme parties.

However, not everyone has such a stellar opinion of the film’s costume design.

Christina Johnson, associate curator of Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum (FIDM), presented an overview of jazz-age fashions on Tuesday evening at the Pasadena Museum of History.

Johnson’s presentation briefly critiqued the film’s costumes as not being authentic to the times.

“Baz Lurhmann’s conception of the Great Gatsby is actually years later than the novels time setting so the dresses in the film don’t really match up with what was worn in 1922,” she said. “For the most part the dresses are all too short, and I think this is mostly due to the fact that shorter is sexier in today’s world.”

There was a full house for Johnson’s lecture series composed almost completely of the over-50 crowd, many who were there for an evening of reliving their history.

Pasadena resident Bruce Walker

Kristen Luna/Courier Tea and cocktail dresses ranging from the 1920s and 1950s in the fasion exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of History on Tuesday. wondered if women wanting to get rid of their uncomfortable Victorian type clothing was the reason for the transition to the flapper-type clothing.

“Back in the 1920s it’s actually true that the women who dressed as flappers were considered to be loose women, especially in Pasadena,” Johnson said. “In reality, they had to come up with new styles to accommodate women’s interest in physical activities such as dancing and sports, which is why fashion is always inspired by the needs of

society.”

Johnson’s lecture continued for just under an hour, giving a full overview of the four main 1920s clothing styles; the Sportswearer, the Sophisticate, the Flapper and the Vamp.

The exhibit itself showcased a plethora of authentic 1920s clothing ranging from sleepwear, Victorian gowns, evening wear and fancy jewelry to silk lingerie.

Rhinestone art deco bracelets and belt buckles were displayed in glass cases, a symbol of a bygone era that

now exists in the memories of the attendees.

Johnson’s lecture transitioned seamlessly between showings of actual historical drawings and photos to discussions of the film’s costumes and representations.

The moment that drew the most response from her lecture was her retelling of a story regarding the 1974 version of the Gatsby film.

“The 1974 rendition of the film’s costumes were made custom for the film and there were many valuable vintage dresses rented for the extras

and the stars,” Johnson said. “The director decided at the last minute that the partygoers should all jump into the huge fountain, and actually all of those dresses were completely ruined.”

Johnson winced as the entire room audibly gasped in horror at the news that the dresses had been destroyed.

Despite the criticism of Luhrmann’s authenticity in Johnson’s lecture, not everyone agrees.

In an article for The Atlantic, Deirdre Clemente believes historical accuracy is not necessary for this type of film.

“If you want historically accurate costumes, you’ll be better served by PBS,” Clemente said. “If you want to understand the social and cultural meaning of clothes in the 1920s, then this movie delivers.”

Johnson ended her lecture noting that audiences should not look to film for factual representations of any time period.

“Contemporary films are meant to paint a picture of an era, they tell a story or create a mood, but they’re never reality as it was lived,” Johnson said. “In considering the difference between movie costumes and actual period fashions it’s important to remember: never get your history from the films, but rather learn about history and fashion through primary resources created by those who lived it.”

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