Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif. Monday FEb. 1, 2010 Vol. 63, No. 13
the-telescope.com
Glimmer of hope for college grad jobs
INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT
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Claudia Buck mct campus
9 OPINION ed Arm the h wit le Bib e pag
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FOCUS Karaoke therapy page
TARGETED THREATS Gay professor sees opportunity in harassment
C o mets b
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SPORTS
Kelley Foyt The telescope
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Imagine opening your mailbox to find violent and sexual postcards addressed to you, but with no return address. Each postcard is handmade, with clippings pasted onto the card to create an explicit collage. There are references and poetry on each card; the writer draws inspiration from sources such as Theodor Adorno’s “Reflections on a Damaged Life” and “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men” by David Foster Wallace.
The postcards continue to stream in: you receive 10 cards over a 20-month period. The most frightening is, perhaps, personal details that relate to you. Imagine receiving one after you return from vacation asking you how your time off was. You contact the police, but authorities are limited on what they can do because it cannot be considered a crime without direct threats. This is the reality for Palomar professor Fergal O’Doherty. O’Doherty is one of three Palomar professors who have received the postcards. There have been 15 cards total, 10 of which have been mailed to O’Doherty via his Palomar office. O’Doherty and one other professor have each received a letter since the spring semester began. “It’s an adult version of high school bullying,” O’Doherty said. “It functions the same way. It’s a kind of intimidation.”
Why target these professors? There are no known connections between the professors, said Steve McDonald, the Palomar dean of the Languages and Literature Division. McDonald is one of the active members of a task force working to find the author of the postcards. O’Doherty has two hypotheses for why he’s being targeted.The first is that the sender chooses his or her recipients randomly. O’Doherty explained that he ruled out this theory because the sender seems to know a lot about O’Doherty. O’Doherty, an English professor, said that the author has quoted material from the coursework that he teaches. The second hypothesis, which O’Doherty believes to be the more probable answer, is that he is being turn to POSTCARDS page
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Progressive building Belinda callin The telescope
Some students will soon find themselves attending classes in new, energy-efficient buildings, while noticing new construction projects popping up near their favorite study spots. According to Mike Ellis, facilities director at Palomar College, the college is starting construction on two new buildings, another building is almost finished. Another will be completed in time
for the 2011 spring semester. The college is moving forward with the Industrial Technologies building, which is going up in Parking Lot 12 next to the T building; and the new planetarium, which will be situated between the Natural Sciences Building and the library. Both buildings are ahead of schedule due to the present economy. turn to BUILDING page
kelley foyt | The telescope
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University graduates are entering a decidedly chilly job climate upon graduation this year. With unemployment still hovering in double digits, graduates face one of the grimmest job environments in decades. “I constantly remind students: They only need one job,” said Marcie Kirk-Holland a career adviser for the University of California, Davis Internship and Career Center. An estimated 33 percent of employers surveyed in December expect to hire more college graduates in the next quarter, said Edwin Koc with the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That’s up from 17 percent in August. The most recent crop of graduates may be Web-savvy and accustomed to social networking online, but that doesn’t help if your connections are unemployed as well, he said. Some grads are getting hired. One is Brian Henrikson, a 23-yearold December graduate from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The industrial engineering major has two job offers. “I was open to moving anywhere and doing anything that was applicable to my major,” said Henrikson. “It may not be your first choice, but you have to be open to doing anything with that first job.” Sometimes it takes pushing yourself. Kathryn McDaniel, 23, graduated earlier this year from UCD. After months of job searching, she applied for a receptionist position. “When I didn’t hear back, I called Human Resources.” McDaniel said. They told her she was overqualified. But the staffer put her into another pool of candidates for a part-time job as a records clerk, which she got. Her advice to fellow grads: When you’re interviewing, ask about other opportunities. Talk about your job-related college experiences. And do your homework. In her case, she went online and researched the foster youth program ahead of time, so she could discuss it confidently during the interview. And if you don’t hear back, get through to a person, she advised. “You need to have a human contact. With so many online applications, you can get lost in the muddle.”
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