Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif. Monday march 8, 2010 Vol. 63, No. 17
the-telescope.com
Investing in the students
INSIDE
E n t e r ta in m en t
diana sanchez The telescope
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images c ourtesy of usps
Back down the rabbit hole
O p ini o n
March of Women
Chargers: The loss of an icon page
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College celebrates women’s history
Focus
brian blakely the telescope
Palomar’s athletic success page
March is the month to celebrate philosophers, inventors, scientist and architects. It is the month that aims to increase awareness of a certain history. March is Women’s History Month. “I think women these days get credit for their efforts but not as much as they deserve,” said Ann Hong, Associated Student Government president. “But having a national holiday for women definitely shows how much we appreciate their contribution.” The theme for 2010 is Writing Women Back into History. The historical contributions of women is described as having been written in “invisible ink,” according to the National Women’s History Project Web site.
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Focus Chips fly at the casinos page
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During the month of March, Palomar will have events to celebrate women. Events include a library display, a panel forum featuring prominent local women politicians and various music and poetry presentations. The time and dates of the events will be announced later. According to Susan Miller, professor of sociology and women’s studies. Women’s History Month exists as a way to set aside some time to examine and celebrate great women in history and to raise awareness of women’s contributions. Women’s contributions are studied at Palomar through the Women’s Studies program. According to the college’s catalog, classes like History 130 Women in United States History, English 280 Women and Literature, Psychology 130 Psychology of Women, as well as American Indian Studies 165 Native Women in the Americas, are offered in the program. turn to women page
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COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: • Ethel L. Payne was the first black commentator hired by a national news network and helped spur debate on civil right • Marguerite Higgins advanced equal rights for female war correspondents after covering World War II extensively • Ida M. Tarbell’s research exposed an oil trust and broke up a monopoly, in the process pioneering investigative journalism • Nellie Bly faked insanity to study an asylum, and headed a record-breaking world tour inspired by Jules Verne
Students could get more money thanks to legislation passed last year by The House of Representatives that will increase the Pell Grant to $5,500 this year, according to the Committee on Education and Labor. Mary SanAgustin, financial aid director at Palomar College, said she is confident that this is a good measure: “Providing more money for grants is the best investment for students,” she said. However, she also expressed concern over the increased workload likely to arrive without additional administrative support. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act was introduced into the House of Representatives by Representative George Miller (DCA) and passed on Sept. 17, 2009. This measure requires all federal student loans after July 1 of this year to originate from the federal Direct Loan Program. The legislation will affect the Direct Loan Program’s application process and loan reliability for students, according to The Department of Education Web site. Currently, the federal government subsidizes lenders (banks) using taxpayer money to guarantee the loans. By instead lending through the federal government, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated a savings of $87 billion over 10 years. Because the U.S. Department of Education is the lender, students can benefit from direct loans by not being exposed to market swings. Despite the economy, direct loans guarantee students low-cost education and often have lower interest rates than private lenders, according to Miller. A summary of the bill by the House and Education Committee states that the savings will help increase the maximum Pell Grant to $5,550 by this year, invest in community colleges, expand the Perkins loan program to more campuses nationwide, provide loan forgiveness turn to MONEY page
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Degree offers career opportunities in numerous fields s e i d u t s h t r a E christian Fortmueller the telescope
For students still struggling to find that perfect career, there is a little known program at Palomar College that may be just what they’re looking for. Palomar offers an associate’s degree, certificate of achievement and a certificate of proficiency in Geographic Information Systems. The program teaches students how to use computers to view trends and patterns in the form of maps, globes, reports and charts. GIS is used to track hurricanes, fires, crime, population and other
forms of geographic data. Global Positioning System devices for cars and phones, Google Maps, Google Earth, and MapQuest are all forms of GIS. A starting salary for a student right out of college is approximately $40,000 per year, said Wing Cheung, a GIS instructor at Palomar. According to an informational pamphlet on the program, the skills learned in the courses can be used in a variety of professional fields including satellite imagery, archeology and biology. Cities, counties, water districts and other government entities also hire GIS graduates. The certificate of proficiency, which is five classes total, can be completed in as little as one year. The associate’s degree or certificate of achievement can take three to four semesters because
more courses are required for completion, and can include some general education courses. Tony Schumacher, 62, is currently a GIS student at Palomar. Recently retired, he began pursuing an associate’s degree in archeology last semester. In the process, he said he discovered the GIS program would
greatly benefit his archeological studies. Schumacher is now pursuing both programs. “There is a lot to do with mapping and identifying areas [in archeology],”
Schumacher said. “You have layers of archeological finds and artifacts, [and with GIS] you can map those turn to GIS page
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image courtesy of nasa