JONATHAN BILESStaff Writer

On Feb. 4, PCC announ-ced that twenty new eight-week, short term, fullyonline courses were beingoffered, beginning March11, but all were filled within36 hours.

No on-campus meetingsare required. The classesinclude English 1A, English900, Sociology 1, PoliticalScience 1, Health Education44, and Nutrition 11.

Leslie Tirapelle, interimdirector of distance educa-tion, said that PCC’s onlinepresence and providing

greater access to students isparamount to the school’sdevelopment. The demandfor these classes was so sub-stantial that the marketingcampaign has been pulledand the Distance EducationCommittee is planning tolobby for the funding ofsimilar online classes.

“We didn’t know that thefunding for these classeswas available untilProposition 30 passed,”Tirapelle said. “There wasnot enough time to get theseready for the beginning ofspring semester, so we arestarting them now.”

Pasadena City College

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Fired school official files suit

NICHOLAS SAULEditor-in-Chief

A high-ranking fired schoolofficial has filed suit against the

district, the president and theschool’s legal counsel claimingwrongful termination, defama-tion, and sexual harassment.

Alfred Hutchings, formerfacilities supervisor, was fired inJune after it was announced thathe and former Senior VicePresident Richard van Pelt, werebeing investigated by the LosAngeles District Attorney’soffice for solicitation of bribes.

The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 6 inLos Angeles County SuperiorCourt, is seeking damages inexcess of $1 million.

In documents filed with thecourt, Hutchings alleges thatPresident Mark Rocha andGeneral Counsel Gail Cooperused the bribery scandal as pre-text to fire him in retaliation forhis harassment complaint.

In a statement provided to the

Courier, the District said thelawsuit had been filed “by a for-mer employee who was dis-charged upon substantial evi-dence of serious misconduct.Hutchings' claims are entirelyunfounded and they will be vig-orously defended. The Districtwill make no further commenton this matter,” the statementsaid.

In the lawsuit, Hutchings

claims the reasons for his dis-missal “were designed to cover-up and conceal [their] retaliatorymotives against [Hutchings].”

The ‘retaliatory motives,’ men-tioned refer to the allegation thatCooper made numerous, unso-licited sexual advances towardsHutchings.

The range of Cooper’s allegedsexual harassment includes

Online classes filled within 36 hours

Study abroad programs impacted by new calendarTERESA MENDOZAStaff Writer

Due to the elimination ofthe winter intersession,study abroad programsoffered by the college havehad to be radicallyrearranged, officials said.

The Spanish program toCosta Rica was cancelled

and the English programbegan in snowy Oxford inJanuary instead of the usualMarch start.

According to InstructorJoseph Sierra the programto Costa Rica had beenoffered every year with theLanguages and the NaturalScience divisions alternatingone year on and one year

off. The programs combinedthe study of Spanish lan-guage and Latin Americanculture and biodiversity.

“When winter was can-celled, the Spanish programin Costa Rica turned into thesummer program inMadrid,” said Sierra.

Language Instructor Lok-nath Persaud, who is in

charge of the Spanish pro-gram in Madrid, explainedthat students would benefitfrom completing eight units.He added that most of theafternoons and a few of theweekends would be free forstudents to explore the cul-ture and the city.

Environmental Science

New computersystem in betatesting stagesCHRISTINE MICHAELSNews Editor

The new Administrative Information System(AIS) Lancerpoint, a product that cost $10.5 millionso far and is expected to transform student interac-tions with the college, will begin its implementa-tion next week, according to officials at the Feb. 6Board of Trustees meeting.

Lancerpoint, the new computer system withwhich all students will interface with the college,will replace Lancerlink, the 1980s information sys-tem that runs on old software.

Director of Fiscal Services Joe Simoneschi toldthe Board the computer system is meeting its mile-stones just six months after its launch. “We are atthe cusp of integrating the system,” he said.

The AIS will be used to receive and accept appli-cations for the summer and fall terms beginningFeb. 28, according to Dean of Counseling CynthiaOlivo.

Olivo also explained beta testing of Lancerpointwill begin in March. “Our plan is to have a smallermock registration … and then a larger mock regis-tration with students,” she said. “We’re workingwith [Associated Students] President [Simon]Fraser on that.”

Lancerpoint Project Manager Ted Fauseexplained the mock registration will help to workout any possible kinks in the system before it is

Teresa Mendoza / CourierThe Board of Trustees and school officials meet todiscuss Lancerpoint, the New AdministrativeInformation System in the Creveling Lounge onFeb. 6.

Matthew Chan / CourierLead actors Jessica Young, dance, and David Park, music, practice their song and dance routine for the upcoming musi-cal "Hairspray," inside the Sexson Auditorium on Feb. 8. Story / Page 6

‘Hairspray:’ can’t stop the beat

Hutchings seeks over$1 million; claimswrongful terminationand sexual harassment

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

ADAM MITCHELLStaff Writer

Despite being hugely outnum-bered, counselors at PCC arehelping students transfer toCalifornia public Universities atsome of the highest rates in thestate.

PCC ranked fourth in the statefrom 2011 to 2012, for transfersof students to all publicCalifornia universities, and theacademic counselors provide avariety of services aiming to helpstudents have the best chance atacademic success, officials said.

According to InterimAssociate Dean of Admissionsand Records Dina Chase, in the2011-12 academic year the col-lege transferred a total of 1,834students to both the Universityof California and the CaliforniaState University, with 609 trans-ferring to UC and 1,225 to CSU.

Edward Martinez, a counselorand former president of theAcademic Senate, is kept busycounseling students. “I see anaverage of 11 to 12 students perday for scheduled appointments,

but when we do drop-in servicesit can go up to 30,” Martinezsaid.

According to Martinez thereare only 17 full-time counselors,and a handful of additional part-time employees dealing withover 26,000 students.

“There is no shortage of stu-dents,” said Martinez, “Sixty to70 percent of [PCC] studentsdeclare the interest to transfer.”

The counseling servicesoffered aim to provide the stu-dent with an individual plan foreducational success. With manydifferent specialty transfer pro-grams also available, there areoptions for everyone interestedin transferring, officials said.

Specialty programs such asChicanos/Latinos Advancing inthe Values of Education, Rightsof Passage in Education, FastTrack, and the Scholars program,can benefit students in a numberof different ways.

According to the PCC website,students must meet all require-ments necessary and maintaintheir status in these programs,and in doing so they can receive

added benefits such as guaran-teed admission.

According to Martinez, withsuch a high demand for transfers

the counselors are also headingout onto campus more often tospend time in the divisionoffices, offering more specialized

and individualized help that isneeded during the transferprocess.

2 Courier February 14, 2013News

Counselors help boost transfers to 4th in state

Mary Nurrenbern/CourierEdward Martinez, counselor discusses the counseling services at PCC on Feb 11.

Production studio receives huge upgradeARIANNA LOCATELLContributing Writer

The Performing CommunicationArts Division has upgraded its televi-sion production studio, installing newequipment and progressing the qualityof the equipment the students use:opening new opportunities for students.

According to Barbara Naylor, televi-sion and radio instructor, outdatedequipment in the television productionstudio was replaced, for the first time indecades, with high-definition electronictechnology during summer and fall2012.

Naylor said the new technology willenhance students’ learning experience.

“They’ll be getting a better educationbecause it’s all digital now; it was ana-log before,” she said.

Hitachi cameras, Grass Valley pro-duction switchers, and Aja media man-agement and editing systems have beenadded to the studio.

With the new equipment studentspursuing education in broadcast jour-nalism, television operations and televi-sion and radio production will be able toproduce a higher caliber of work.

Patrick Jordan, a teaching assistant forthe television and radio department,said student projects have improvedsince the introduction of the new tech-nology.

“Quality is so much better becausewe’re using modern, up to date equip-ment,” he said.

Naylor said the new technology haschanged the way in which audio andvisual operations are performed, allow-ing students more freedom in theirwork.

“How you do sound is different,how you do lighting is different and oneof the nice things is there are moreoptions with the new technology. Itgives them more creative freedom,” shesaid.

TVR instructor Carmen Porrecapoints out that the new technology will

also facilitate students gaining experi-ence relevant to the professional com-munications industry.

“Now students get state-of-the-artoperation training and job training -themore skills you have, the more jobs youget,” Porreca said.

“Being in Los Angeles, this is one ofthe best facilities on a community col-lege level. For those who maybe can’tafford to go to UCLA or somewhere likethat, it’s really important to have,” hesaid.

Funded by grants from MinnesotaPublic Radio, Porreca estimated the newequipment cost $750,000.

“It was really bang for the buck,” hesaid. “Some items were even purchasedat a discount price because some com-panies want students to be trained ontheir technology.”

According to Porreca, PCC has been aleader in quality television productioneducation for over 20 years and therefurbished studio enables the school tocarry on its legacy.

“We weren’t keeping up, but nowwe’re back to where we’re supposed tobe,” Porreca said.

Annual student advocacy trip toSacramento planned for MarchBENJAMIN SIMPSONStaff Writer

The annual March in March trip toSacramento for students to influence theirstatewide representatives on educationissues is planned for March 4.

The March in March is the most impor-tant day for student advocacy for commu-nity college students, said John Fraser,Associated Students vice president forexternal affairs. Last year we overturnedthe cuts to the Cal Grants which wouldhave cut 30 percent of grants for students,simply because of advocacy on that day.

Transportation and meals are paid forby the Associated Students.

Students will have the option of travel-ing to Sacramento by plane or bus; thosetraveling by bus will not need govern-ment identification to travel.

"It was an amazing event," said PaulTran, East Asian Culture and LanguageMajor, about attending March in Marchlast year.

"When we got there, we rallied with therest of the colleges, we started marchingand screaming for our rights ... and head-ed straight up to the capital."

According to Simon Fraser, president ofAS, while the students are gathered infront of the Capitol building, a 10 to 12person Lobby Committee from PCC willbe inside to talk directly to representa-tives about what is best for students andPCC.

While the issues to be brought up bythe Lobby Committee are not yet final-ized, two of the main items are the budg-et changes to life-long learning limitingstudents to 90 subsidized units and achange to the Board of Governors FeeWaiver, forcing students to applythrough FAFSA and pass federal govern-ment restrictions rather than the currentstate restrictions.

To sign up for the trip contact the Officeof Student Affairs (CC-105) or emailFraser at swfraser@pasadena.edu.

Justin Clay / CourierInstructor Carmen Porreca sits in front of some ofthe new state of the art television production equip-ment in the C Building's TVR studio on Jan. 23.

Immigrant issues discussed at forumVIVIAN MEZAStaff Writer

Immigration issues for students werediscussed at a forum presented by Unitedwithout Boundaries and By Any MeansNecessary’s known as BAMN on Feb. 6.

Speakers discussed the applications forfinancial aid, scholarships and the DreamAct. The deadline for scholarship applica-tions due on Jan. 18 was extended throughFeb. 13.

Maria Rodriguez, Rehabilitation Servicesand president of United Without Borders,said the college is not where it needs to be.“The point is that [officials] didn’t makethese adjustments at the time necessary.Now, us as undocumented students haveto rush,” Rodriguez said. “PCC is not mov-ing as fast it should be moving. Other col-leges in California have granted theirDream Act money. However here at PCCwe have not seen that money. The DreamAct money for Fall 2013 will be up.”

Undocumented students are encouragedto submit applications for the Dream Actbefore the March 2 priority deadlinedespite glitches.

In an interview, Assistant Dean KimMiles said the college is encouraging stu-dents to participate. “There have been afew hiccups along the way because it isnew,” she said. “The application launchwas delayed, [and] there been some issueswith the information from the applicationand how the California Student AidCommittee is processing them. We’redoing everything we can to encourageDream Act students to participate in all ofthe financial aid programs.”

At the forum, speakers expressed howimmigration rights should improve.

Lead attorney of BAMN, Shanta Driver,spoke passionately to students at theforum. “ [For immigrant rights], undocu-mented students have been the strongestfighters, the boldest fighters, the most con-sistent fighters, the people who refused tosit down and shut up…What you do mat-ters most,” she said.

According to Rodriguez, United WithoutBorders is continuing to fight for the voicesof undocumented students to be heard.“We are still pushing to make [PCC] a bet-ter campus not just for certain students butfor all students,” she said.

CORRECTIONDue to a reporting error in the

Feb. 7 issue, the name of a studentin the story "Black History Monthcelebration kicks off" was mis-spelled. The correct spelling isAaron Nininger.

3CourierFebruary 14, 2013 Opinion

Letters to the EditorThe Courier welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be about

300 words and may be edited by Courier staff. All letters must containyour full name and a correct daytime phone number. Letters can bedelivered to the Courier office in CC 208 or sent by e‐mail to changchien_courier@yahoo.com.

Corrections The Courier staff endeavors to ensure accuracy in all aspects of its report‐

ing. If you believe we have made an error, please contact us at (626) 585‐7130or via e‐mail to saul.nicholas@yahoo.com.

Note to Readers

Should the campus be entirely smoke-free?

Reporting by: Christine Michaels, Photos by: Lissett Matos

“Everybody should do whatthey want. [The campus] is a

public space.”Roxy Chavez, criminal justice

“The 20-foot smoking policy isenough. The campus should

not be made smoke-free.”Calvin Chacon, undecided

“It’s [a smoker’s] right tosmoke, but it should be donein designated smoking areas.”

Trevor Salazar, art

“The school already does a horriblejob of enforcing the policy anyway.

What difference would it make?Angela Thaneeyankul, undecided

“Yeah, because it’s unhealthyfor us all with the second handsmoke everywhere, regardless

of the smoking areas.”Steven Fuel, communications

“Not everybody smokes. It’snot good for your health.”Bruno Talla, business

administration

“[The college] should add moresmoking areas. What about

us smokers?”Rudy Diaz, electricity

“When I go to school, I think itshould be a place of free

breathing.”Patrick Berardi, undecided

“No matter if the policy even getsenforced, you can’t just stop

smokers from smoking.”Erroll Cayald, clinical psychology

“The policy we have now isn’tbeing enforced, and if they

change it, it won’t be enforcedanymore than it is now.”Sam Resnick, history

ONLINE POLL RESULTSONLINE POLL RESULTSOnline, we asked: Should Cardinal RogerMahoney be excommunicated?

Results as of 5 p.m. Wednesday:Yes 42 percentNo 57 percent

vote atpccCourier.com

VOICES:

Courier2012 JACC General Excellence

Award WinnerEditor­in­ChiefNicholas Saul

News EditorChristine Michaels

Assist. News EditorTeresa Mendoza

Online EditorAnthony Richetts

Assist. Online EditorMadison Miranda

Opinion EditorEmily Chang ‐ Chien

Assist. Opinion EditorRaymond Bernal

Arts & Entertainment EditorPaul Ochoa

Features EditorLuis Rodriguez

Assist. Features EditorShelly Maldonado

Sports EditorPhilip McCormick

Assist. Sports EditorBenjamin Simpson

Photo EditorBuren Smith

Assist. Photo EditorMatthew Chan

Chief PhotographerJustin Clay

Online Photo EditorAntonio Gandara

Assist. Online Photo EditorJohn Novak

Scene EditorConcepcion Gonzalez

Staff Writers:Jonathan Biles, Aerika Dave, TiffanyHerrera, Vivian Meza, Adam Mitchell,Tiffany Roesler, Andrew Salmi, KarlaSosa

Staff Photographers: Jordan Harris, Teresa Mendoza, CaitlinKellyThompson, Lissett Matos, MaryNurrenbern, Bridget Sanchez, BenjaminSimpson

Faculty AdviserWarren Swil

Photography AdviserRachel Fermi

Advertising CoordinatorAnthony Richetts

The Courier is published weekly by thePasadena City College JournalismDepartment and is a free‐speechforum. Editorial opinions and com‐ments are those of the authors and donot necessarily represent the positionof the institution and its administra‐tion, student government or that ofthe Pasadena Area Community CollegeDistrict.

The Courier is written and produced asa learning experience for student writ‐ers, photographers and editors in theJournalism Department.

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© Copyright 2013 Courier. All rights reserved.

Tipping the scalesFull-letter gradesystem is unfairEMILY CHANG-CHIENOpinion Editor

The full-letter grading systemat PCC is a commodity for stu-dents. However, this systemencourages students to slack off,offering no reward for higherachieving students, while sup-porting laziness and complacencyfor those hanging on the border-line. According to the school web-site, PCC uses the letter system tograde the quality of work done bystudents. Expressed with gradesof A through F, as well as a seriesof other letters, the current systemis quantitative. GPA is calculatedon a whole number basis from 4 –0.

“In the current system, in aclass that is graded on a 100-pointscale, if one student receives 89points and another receives 83points then both students wouldreceive a B as their final grade, a3.0 grade point average in theclass,” said the Academic SenateAd-Hoc Committee on Plus /Minus Grading in Jan. 24 Courierarticle.

On the other hand, aplus/minus system is qualitative.According to a survey fromNorthern Arizona Universitytitled “Student and Faculty Viewsof Plus-Minus Grading Systems,”this system raises or lowers GPAby 0.3 or 0.33 grade points. The

89-point student will receive a B+grade and subsequently a 3.7GPA, while the 83 points mightreceive a B- grade, a 2.7 GPA.

The community college com-munity supports a diverse popu-lation of transfer students andlifelong learners. Ultimately, GPAonly matters for transferring stu-dents, while the lifelong learnersare unaffected. Whether one’sgrade is a solid letter, plus orminus, a one-third grade pointdifference can make a hugeimpact on one’s GPA.

Additionally according to theNAU survey, which obtained itsresults through research projects,students are motivated to workharder under a plus/minus sys-tem. “The chance of earning ahigher grade may be a motivator,but the risk of earning a lowergrade might be an even strongermotivator [to maintain grades]according to one study [“TheEffects of the Use of Grades as anIncentive],” says the document.

The plus/minus systemencourages students to perform attheir optimum, grading studentsaccurately for the time and effortthey invest in their respectiveclasses. No longer will studentswho earn borderline grades bepunished, nor will they have to belumped together with the studentwho barely skates by.

CHRISTINE MICHAELSStaff Writer

It is fair to say that if oneattends a college, he or she isattending to do their very best,no matter if the grading scale isbased on a full letter grade, or aplus/minus grade system.

But at a community college, aplace where the students arediverse in their paths to success –be it the student who couldn’tafford to go to U.C. Berkeley orthe student whose grades simplydidn’t make the cut for Berkeley.

It would be not only unfair,but harmful to let those who dotheir best and are a few pointsaway from an A+ suffer by low-ering their grade point average(GPA).

PCC is ranked in the top ten ofthe state for the most associatetransfer degrees (ATD), accord-ing to Dean of CounselingCynthia Olivo.

To transfer out to a CSU, how-ever, the minimum GPA with anATD is 2.8.

Let’s say a student whose Baverage grades were to stay onthe full letter scale, he or shewould be able to transfer a CSUwith a 3.0, according to a presen-tation given by history Instructor

Susy Ling at an Academic Senatemeeting in January.

But if the plus/minus systemwere implemented, and that stu-dent with a B average received79 percent in a few classes, his orher GPA would drop below therequired 2.8 to transfer.

That student would be stuck atPCC.

With the administration con-stantly speaking about howtransfer rates are abysmal (lastsemester fewer than 700 studentstransferred to CSUs, accordingto Director of InstitutionalEffectiveness Crystal Kollross)and need to go up, it simply iscounterproductive for the col-lege to switch over to aplus/minus grade system.

Yes, the A + students will gettheir 4.0, and the B + studentswill get their 3.0 and all the glorythat goes along with it.

But for those students who areat a community college for a bet-ter chance at higher education,and for an administration thatneeds to really work on transferrates, it would be wise to shelvea plus/minus grading systemand stick to what works.

After all, if it isn’t broken,don’t fix it.

Plus/minus plancould hurt collegetransfer rates

SCENESCENE February 14, 2013

Love blossoms oncampus

Concepcion Gonzalez / CourierDylan Twemlow, left, and Patricia Nguyen, relax together between

class in the Quad, on Feb. 13. They have been together for two years.

Concepcion Gonzalez / CourierCeci Zhang, communications, and Roner Zhong, business, kiss while walking to park-

ing lot 4, on Feb. 13. They have been together for a year and a half.

Pablo De Lazaro,music, left, and hisgirlfriend AlyssaEsparaza, music, drinkcoffee at Starbucks onColorado Boulevard,on Feb 11. The couplehas been dating forover a year.

Mary Nurrenbern /Courier

Dianne Choi ,Accounting, andJayden Choi,Engineering, celebratetheir reunion forValentine’s Day onFeb. 12. Jaydenattends school out ofstate.

Lissett Matos /Courier

Jose Martines, nursing,and Ada Chavez,architecture, walk offcampus after class, onFeb. 13. After twoyears, Martinez caneasily express hiseternal love forChavez.

Concepcion Gonzalez /Courier

VIVIAN MEZAStaff Writer

During those long nights ofstudying, students sometimesneed to take shots… of caffeinethat is.

The campus is surrounded bycoffee and teashops, likeStarbucks, Tea Spot, the school’sJava Hut and many others.Energy drinks, like 5 HourEnergy, are other alternatives tohelp students stay awake.

But drinking beverages high incaffeine may cause unwantedsymptoms that can make it hard-er to concentrate for studentswho rarely drink caffeine. KeyraChrismon, Health Sciences, canrelate. “It makes me feel moreanxious,” she says, “ [I drink]Dr.Pepper when I study. I try toavoid drinking coffee or energydrinks.”

"One of the dangers is thatthere’s not regulation as far asthe amount of caffeine in thebeverages and it could reallyvary,” explains PCC dietitianLaurie Gray. “Depending onhow much somebody drinks andwhat the concentration of thecaffeine is, they could be gettinga really big dose of caffeinewhich could get them those sideeffects of feeling anxious,headache and having a rapidheartbeat.”

Symptoms could worsen forstudents who are not aware ofhaving health problems.“Sometimes people don’t knowthat they may have some kind ofheart ailment and [if] a persontakes in a lot of caffeine it cancause them to become very errat-ic and causes them to go to theER,” Gray said. “Just that effect

of having too much caffeinefrom such a concentratedamount is probably what makespeople feel frightened whichmight cause them to go to theE.R."

Local coffee and tea shopsoffer beverages with less caffeineand allow customers choose howstrong they want their drink tobe. One nearby shop, AU79Teahouse, offers a variety of caf-feine drinks but specializes morein tea.

Runnie Chen, Teahouseemployee, explains, “We canadjust how sweet [the customer]wants the tea. We also advisecustomers if the tea will bestrong. A lot of people don'tknow there [are many] differentvarieties of tea being offered [inour store]."

There are healthy ways to stay

energized, Gray said, " The bestadvice is to get some rest, there'snothing you could do to functionwell in what you're trying toretain for an exam.”

However, she said some foodswill give a feeling of alertness.Food that are good sources ofproteins tend to make peoplemore alert than food with con-centrated amounts of carbohy-drates, Gray said.

“A lot of pasta tends to makeyou feel sleepier,” Gray said.“On the other hand if [you] eatsomething leaner, like some leanchicken or non-fat milk. it canactually increase neurochemicalsin the brain that will give [you]more of that feeling of alertness.Just good healthy dietarychanges could make a differ-ence."

AERIKA DAVÉStaff Writer

After a very challenging yetsuccessful past season, HeadCoach Terry Stoddard says heis more than excited about theupcoming 2013 men’s andwomen’s swim season.

Stoddard is enthusiasticabout incoming freshmenDarren Smith, a sprint special-ist, and Chris Anderson who isa diver.

Stoddard believes that Smithand Anderson could potentiallybring PCC some good lookingscores this season.

Returning to the team isStephen To, who won a statechampionship in the butterflystroke, and Michael Chiodo,

who specializes in the back-stroke.

Stoddard said that he isproud of the returning men andwomen athletes.

“It is tremendously challeng-ing to balance academics andsports yet at the same time stillcontaining proper preparationand discipline,” he said. “Ourteam has that discipline and forthat I’m glad.”

On the women’s team PaigeWatroba, an individual med-ley/butterfly specialist, will betaking the lead along with threeincoming freshman.

“The overall camaraderie ofthe team this season is what I’mpleased with. We are all so closesimply because it’s a smallgroup of girls; it’s a great feel-ing,” Watroba said.

Incoming freshman ArolynBasham, from La Salle HighSchool, is versatile and due tothat she may find herself doingmany different events.

“I am excited to be here and

ready to kick the season offwith a good start,” Basham stat-ed.

Stoddard says that ShannonCheung, who was born in HongKong but grew up in SouthPasadena, is also on an aggres-sive academic/athletic track,along with incoming freshmanEmily Fredricks.

Stoddard thinks the only areaof concern may be in individualevents due to losing key sprint-ers to the armed services.

“Three advance sprintersenlisted in the U.S Coast Guard,Marines and Navy,” Stoddardsaid. "They decided to put theireducation on hold and serveour country. I am very proud ofthose three men," she said.

The first official competitiontakes place on Feb.15 with theSouth Coast Conference (SCC)Penthalon/Relays at East LosAngeles College in MontereyPark. After that there is a meetevery week until the end ofApril.

5CourierFebruary 14, 2013 Features

Bassist rocks music gig atVans Warped Tour 2012MADISON MIRANDAStaff Writer

Typically a fedora wearer,Simon Nagel occasionally sportsa Mohawk and black nail polishfor performances. His normaloutfits consist of Converse shoes,leather jackets and denim jeans.Coupled with his ear and lippiercings, Nagel's look screamsrockstar.

Nagel was the bassist for the“electronic based” band NeoGeo featured in The VansWarped Tour 2012 House OfMarley stage. He played withthe band for about eight monthsand is currently the bassist andbacking vocals for the heavierrock band Knee High Fox.

"This was my first time play-ing Warped Tour, but Neo Geohas played previous years," hesaid.

Nagel, music major, has been astudent at PCC for the last yearand is currently taking 12 units.He says the History of RockMusic and recording classes he istaking are his favorites.

“PCC seemed like the nicestcommunity college to me when I

was checking them all out. Iheard it had a great music pro-gram too, which is what I'mobviously into," said Nagel, wholives in Hollywood.

Nagel, 24, also attendedMusicians Institute inHollywood for 18 months andcompleted the G.I.T. guitar pro-gram.

“I'm playing bass right now inmy band, but my main instru-ment is guitar," he said.

“If I had to pick the single bestpart of Warped, I would say [itwas] getting to hang [out] withnew fans everyday," said Nagel.He says he liked how accessiblethe bands were for the fans. Healso says meeting and hearingnew bands play were highlightsfor him.

Nagel decided to quit Neo Georight before the New Year, and isfocusing his efforts on schooland playing in Knee High Fox.He said it was really difficult tojuggle being a member of bothbands and having a full classschedule.

“It takes a lot of getting usedto, being a student and being inbands because of scheduling, but

that's why you have to priori-tize," said Nagel.

One of his teachers feels he hasfound a good balance.

“Simon does a great job man-aging his commitments," saidDaniel Cole, who teaches therecording class Nagel is in. “If hehas a conflict, he lets me know inadvance and gets his workdone."

Ruben Helmstadter, musicmajor and pianist, has sharedseveral classes with Nagel dur-ing the last two semesters and isfamiliar with his musical career.Helmstadter noted how a fewtimes Nagel had to miss after-noon classes to play gigs, but hefeels Nagel has found a goodbalance. “He seems to manage[school and music] pretty well,"said Helmstadter.

Nagel also feels that he hasworked out effective time man-agement between music andclass. “It also helps that I'mstudying music, so a lot of timeswhat I'm studying I can correlatewith what I'm doing at the timemusic-wise," Nagel says.

John Novak / CourierSimon Nagel with two of his favorite guitars in Hollywood on Feb. 9.Nagel purchased the guitar on the left from one of his idols, AllenHinds, and the metal guitar is a custom built by French guitar makerJames Trussart.

Swim team looking to build off of last season’s success

Many flock to caffeine joints, despite potential risks

Bridget Sanchez / CourierBarista John Peters makes a latteat Bean Town Coffee House inSierra Madre. Bean Town is apopular coffee shop for manystudents.

Head coach ofthe swimmingteam TerryStoddard is seenat the AquaticCenter Jan. 29.

CaitlinKellyThompson/ Courier

Stoddard is optimisticwith promising newswimmers and areturning state champ

EMILY CHANG-CHIENStaff Writer

Sass, spunk, passion and awhole lot of dedication — thesewords can only begin to scratchthe surface of what it takes to be acast member of the musicalHairspray. Unbeknownst to oth-ers, a core group of students hasbeen hard at work in the SexsonAuditorium, singing, dancingand acting away in preparation

for its opening on Feb. 22.Directed by Theater Arts

Instructor Richard Kuller, the castconsists entirely of students whoare triple threats: people who cansing, dance and act, all at thesame time. “This show is biggerand more complicated than anywe have ever done,” Kuller said.

“You know what a popularshow this is,” Kuller mused. “It’sgot more moving parts than mostof the shows we have ever done.

It’s got more dances, more mov-ing body parts, more scenechanges — scene changes happenduring numbers instead of afterthem — a lot of difficult timing,[and] we’re going to have a bigorchestra.”

“This show is an undertaking,for sure,” said choreographerChristopher Curry, kinesiology.

Walking into the auditorium,one can see how meticulouslyeach cast member practices,

whether they are a principal actoror a member of the ensemble.From small groups vigorouslyrunning routines, to Kuller scruti-nizing and adjusting dance num-bers and songs, no person is leftlazing around.

According to stage managerKira Alemania, music, the audi-tioning process started duringwinter break. Subsequently,rehearsal began on the first day ofthe spring semester, lasting fourand a half hours a day, six days aweek, with occasional breaks in-between.

Lead actor David Park, music,who plays Link Larkin, elaborat-ed. “[We rehearse] everyday, atleast five hours a day, with a fewdays off. It’s been really long andtough and stressful for sure, butalso it’s really rewarding. [Theaudience] won’t know how mucheffort and work went into all ofthis.”

Although the cast rehearsedwithout props, costume, andmakeup, they still workedscrupulously. Even then, light-heartedness underlies the atmos-phere.

“We’re all family now,” saidJoseph Garcia, theater, who isplaying Corny Collins. “I like thecamaraderie, that’s the best part— the family part. Even betterwhen you’re on stage and peopleare applauding and laughing,that’s the most thrilling thingabout theater, and that’s why I doit.”

With the calendar windingdown till opening day, the cast isfeeling the pressure.

“A lot of effort and a lot ofmoney went into this,” Kullersaid. “At this time, in almostevery show, people are feeling abit of panic.”

“But, as the song [AnotherOp’nin’, Another Show] says:‘Four weeks, you rehearse andrehearse, three weeks and itcouldn't be worse. One week, willit ever be right? Then out o' thehat, it's that big first night!”Kuller sang enthusiastically.

Curry echoed this sentiment.“We’ll pull through of course, wealways do—that’s show busi-ness.”

Hairspray officially opens onFeb. 22 at 8 p.m.

6 Courier February 14, 2013Arts & Entertainment

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Piano recital showcases college diversityCHRISTINE MICHAELSStaff Writer

While sitting in the full audi-ence in Harbeson Hall, one couldwonder why so many peoplewould come to listen to PCCs12th annual piano honors recital,which had some mixed talent.

But after every set,be it the spectacularpianist Sally Emilia, or

the two novice piano students Jo-Ann Merrill and Victor Benitez,the audience clapped its loudestenthusiastically.

The reason? According to pianoinstructor and the evening’s M.C.Philip Young, diversity.

“This is a big event for us … werepresent what PCC is with itsdiversity,” he said after the con-cert.

And with the audience’s reac-tion to each performance, it is evi-dent that the diversity of talent,background, and experience eachstudent pianist played out on thekeys is what made the night so

memorable, and brought the col-lege’s diverse community togeth-er through the shared passion ofmusic.

Beethoven’s famous MoonlightSonata performed by music majorand pianist Xinyi Wang soothedthe audience and kept everyone

relaxed in their seats, allowing thenotes to carry them away.

Blind music student Leo Moranodded his head with the move-ment of the Sonata. “This is mag-nificent,” he whispered while tap-ping his fingers as if he himselfwere playing the song on thepiano.

The best performance of thenight was Johann Bach’s Preludeand Fugue in D Minor, played byinternational student SallyEmilia, whose ability to easilytransition from an uplifting majorkey tone to a sudden minor downshift of angry tone kept the audi-ence on its toes and immersed inher spectacular performance. Itwas easy to see her love and pas-sion for piano in the way herbody moved with the music sheplayed, and the audience definite-ly felt it with each emotion playedout in the song.

Audience member AneteSepanian, communication, appre-ciated the performances. “I reallyenjoyed it. This was the first con-

cert I’ve ever been to, and I didn’tknow what to expect, but thatwas awesome,” she said excited-ly.

Yet another memorable per-formance was by the duet of new-comer piano students Benitez andMerrill, who played a rendition ofFranz Schubert’s Zwei Landler.While the composition was notnecessarily difficult, their joy inplaying the piano was evidentwhile they were on stage, whichkept the audience light hearted.

“I think we did good consider-ing our nerves,” said Merrill witha smile. Benitez stood next to her,chimed in and said: “It was agood performance for all of ourcolleagues. I think we all didwonderful.”

Young added with a grin, “Weare very grateful for what thepiano brings us.”

The piano honors recital defi-nitely highlighted not only talent,but also a togetherness of thecommunity, under the sharedpassion for music.

‘Hairspray’ production prepares to dazzle audiences

Matthew Chan / CourierDirector of the upcoming Musical Theatre Production "Hairspray"instructor Richard Kuller watches his actors perform their first fullrehearsal on Feb. 8 at the Sexson Auditorium. Hairspray opens onFeb. 20.

Benjamin Simpson / CourierSooyong Chu, violin, and Sally Emilia, piano, left, perform JohannesBrahms's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 78 'Vivace ma non troppo',with Xinyi Wang's help turning music pages, at the twelfth annualpiano honors recital at Harbeson Hall on Feb 9.

Review

7CourierFebruary 14, 2013 Sports

Lancers softball dominates Santa Monica BENJAMIN SIMPSONStaff Writer

Two Lancer pitchers heldSanta Monica College to five hitsand one run over ten double-header innings at Robinson Parkon Feb 9.

With the Pasadena bats alsohammering out 17 runs over thesame ten innings, the Lancerscontrolled their last preseasongames.

The first game started simply,with Melissa Izumida on themound for Pasadena.

Izumida pitched masterfully.In the first inning it was threeup, three down for SantaMonica.

In the second inning it wasagain three up, three down.

The third was the same.As was the fourth.In the fifth, the pattern contin-

ued. One out, two outs, then a sin-

gle, to break the no hitter. Andthen the third out.

Pasadena won the first game8-0, with Izumida throwing afive inning shut-out with eightstrike-outs, just missing a one-hitter by one out.

When asked about her per-formance in the game, Izumidadiscussed the hitting.

“We finally got our timingdown, we did great, we came outstrong and we ended strong,”

she said.About the one hitter, she said:

“This is one of my best games sofar, so I am proud of myself,practicing and trying to keep myhead in there, just not letting lit-tle mistakes get to me. It helps alot.”

In the second game SantaMonica came out strong withone run in the first inning, butafter that it was all Pasadena,

with the Lancers winning with ascore of 9-1.

Cierra Newton, who pitchedfive innings for Pasadena in thesecond game, not only pitched afour-hit game, but she also gottwo hits and two RBI’s in the sec-ond game.

“Today we played a lot ofdefense, we had a goodapproach at the plate, and westayed pretty focused,” said

Newton, praising her team-mates. But about her pitchingshe added: “I could have donebetter.”

Allison Lacey had a strongouting in both games, gettingfour hits, including two doubles,and four RBI’s.

“We did a lot of hitting focusin practice. That’s pretty muchwhat we have been doing allweek, so it worked out well for

us,” said Lacey.The two wins against Santa

Monica finished the Lancers pre-season with a record of 6-5.

“It was good, especiallybecause we ended up on a goodnote before we start conference,”said coach Brittany Williamsafter the game.

The Lancers began their sea-son at East Los Angeles Collegeon Feb 12.

Teresa Mendoza /CourierFreshman Jazmin Hernandez slides into third base and is tagged out by a Santa Monica player at the game in Robinson Park on Saturday, Feb.9.

Computer system to undergo first tests New online classes filled within days

fully implemented. “[The mock trialswill] exercise every square inch of theproduct line … from a technological side,we are installing a piece of software thatwill replicate 5,000 students so that [theregistration] part of the system will not beexposed to students for the first time inApril,” he said.

The Lancerpoint portal was also high-lighted during the presentation.

“We believe we will be able to have abetter sense of community … and havemore effective, timely and meaningfulcommunication … for student success,”explained Olivo.

Trustee Linda Wah requested successmeasurements for the project.

“Being a business person I always look… at the bottom line. … I’d like to see per-formance goals, I’d be interested inthem,” she said.

Trustee Geoffrey Baum was intriguedto see how students react to the new sys-tem.

“I’m so impressed that within a periodof six months, we are about to launch arevolution in IT at PCC,” he said. “I’meager to hear more after this launches. Iwant to hear more from students after thelaunch.”

Fause explained the project could notbe done without the work and diligenceof the community.

“We [have] had seven consultants …and 50 training sessions [for Lancerpoint]since Sept. 10,” he said. “A project thisambitious cannot have one group work-ing on it.”

Board President John Martin wasenthusiastic about the start up ofLancerpoint. “I think I can speak for mycolleagues and say charge on!” Martinexclaimed.

The eight-week courses will mimicsummer or winter intersession courses,where the weekly hours are doubled –allowing them to be completed in half thetime, according to Tirapelle.

Kathleen Green, who volunteered toteach a version of English 1A during theeight-week course, has never taught fullyonline courses before.

“I’ve taught web-enhanced coursesbefore and use Canvas in my classes now,but this is the first time I have taughtonline only,” Green said.

“The teachers haven’t seen the newonline shell yet and we have a teacher’straining session planned for Feb. 23.”

Dina Chase, interim associate dean ofadmission and records, says that thesecourses will count for the same number ofcredit hours as an in-person class and will

be placed normally on a student’s tran-script.

“The Santa Rosa system currently useddoes not differentiate if a class was takenonline,” Chase said.

While the courses will count the sameas in-person courses and not appear dif-ferently on college transcripts, Green iswary of some students’ treatment of thesecourses.

“Online courses aren’t for everyone,”Green said.

“They can work well for some, but canbe a detriment for others. Students haveto be totally self-motivated.”

Tirapelle says this is the start of a grandonline platform expansion.

“This new online system is a newer,more progressive and more innovativeprogram,” Tirapelle said.

“We are working towards offering fullyonline degrees in the near future.”

Fired official sues district, claims wrongful termination, sexual harassment

inappropriate sexual solicita-tion, groping, emails, and phonecalls.

“Cooper telephoned[Hutchings] at home andharassed [him] and [his wife],”the suit claims.

The document also alleges thatHutchings felt threatened if hedidn’t respond to Cooper’s sexu-al advances favorably.

The complaint mentions

Benedict Lastimado, the formervice president of humanresources, who suddenly left theschool last year citing ‘familymatters.’

“Cooper had said to[Hutchings] that [he] ‘had betternot get on her bad side like Bendid,’ ” the suit alleges. “Coopertold [Hutchings] that she wasresponsible for having Dr.Lastimato [sic] terminated.”

In the suit, Hutchings alsoclaims that van Pelt informed

him that he “’would most likelybe terminated,’ and that he (vanPelt) would likely be retaliatedagainst by Cooper for reportingCooper’s sexual harassment.”

In addition, Hutchings allegesthat the school never took thenecessary steps to investigate thematter fully before firing himand van Pelt.

After both men were fired inJune, lawsuits aplenty have sincebeen filed.

LED Global, a lighting firm

that lost a $5 million contract,immediately launched a lawsuitagainst van Pelt and Hutchings,and another against the schoolitself. They claim they lost thecontract after not submitting tothe bribery solicitations.

They also claim to be thewhistleblowers that promptedthe DA’s investigation intoHutchings and van Pelt.

The investigation is still ongo-ing with no timetable for com-pletion.

Change to a three-semester calendar affects scheduling for study abroad programs

InstructorDarcy Mack said that in the firstyear of the Natural Science pro-gram to Costa Rica the studentshad a unique experience. “Theylearn in such a different waythere… nothing can actuallymake it hit home quite as muchas actually seeing it,” she said.“It’s just invaluable to be able togo to a place and see things for

yourself.”There is a possibility to alter-

nate the Costa Rica and Madridprograms in the summer, saidPersaud. However, it would bedifficult to preserve the continu-ity. “Both programs [could] beinjured…we may struggle tomaintain enrollment,” he said.

In Costa Rica students in theNatural Science program wouldexplore impressive rainforests,biological reserves, a volcano

and rivers, studying climatechange, pollution, ecotourism,biodiversity, habitat destructionand conservation. For theSpanish program studentswould have stayed two weeksnear the capital, San Jose and twoin the oceanfront village ofFlamingo Beach.

“There is just no equivalentexperience here. It is a rainforest,so they have a lot more biodiver-sity,” said Mack.

Winter would be the best sea-son to travel to Costa Rica,according to Persaud because theweather is hotter and with morerain in the summer.

Both Persaud, Mack spokeabout exploring the possibility ofoffering the program to CostaRica in the summer, taking intoaccount weather and enrollmentfactors.

According to Mack the tripwould be competing with other

programs for enrollment.“A rain day lowers the amount

of learning that can happenbecause you can’t see the animalsor what is going on. It wouldn’tnecessarily make it impossiblebut it would definitely take awayfrom [the experience],”saidMack. “It would be far better forthe program [to take place] inwinter, there is no doubt aboutit.”

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File Photo/CourierGeneral Counsel Gail Cooper

SPORTSSPORTSFebruary 14, 2013OURIERC

Men’s basketballbeaten at the buzzerJONATHAN BILESStaff Writer

After a double-digit come-back, the Lancers men’s basket-ball team was defeated by a last-second three pointer by ElCamino College, losing 71-70 onFeb. 6.

The Lancers were losing by 12points with 17 minutes remain-ing in the second half and finallyretook the lead with 5:45 left inthe game. PCC sophomoreguard Chris Smith drove to thebasket and put the Lancers up70-68 with 3.8 seconds remain-ing. The loudest Hutto-PattersonGym crowd in recent memorywas instantly quelled by ElCamino College’s JoshuaWilson, who hit a game-winningthree point shot.

“The kids came back andfought hard but it wasn’tenough,” Lancers Head CoachMike Swanegan Sr. said.

The Lancers fall to 7-15 on the

season and 3-6 in South CoastConference play. El Caminoimproves to 7-13 with a similar3-6 conference record.

A bright spot for the Lancers isthe return of point guard Smith,who provided 15 points. Smith,who had been unable to play forweeks due to a knee injury, wascleared by Lancers trainerAlfonso Flores and played over20 minutes in the narrow loss.

“I’m just happy to see [Chris]back on the court,” Flores said.“We’ll continue to rehab hisknee for the next few weeks, buthis progress has been great. Itshowed tonight.”

Smith did not expect to play aslong as he did, nor did CoachSwanegan intend to play him forthat long, but the necessities ofthe game demanded it.

“You never know how longyou can play a kid coming off ofan injury,” Swanegan said. “Wetrusted Chris with the ball and

he played an excellent game.”Smith wanted the focus to be

on the team itself, not his return.“We wanted to get movement

early and make their defensework,” Smith said. “We had agood comeback and playedtough but it wasn’t enough. Thisis a tough way to lose.”

The Lancers’ bench playersoutscored the starters 47-23. PCCwas kept in the game by sopho-more forward Marquise Tolson’sten points, sophomore shootingguard Evan Brooks’ nine points,and freshman forward BryceClifton’s seven points, includinga breakaway dunk that ener-gized the entire arena duringPCC’s comeback drive.

“Momentum is an importantthing,” Swanegan said. “Wepicked up the pace of the gameand made some stops to get themomentum but there isn’t muchyou can do when the other teammakes a shot like that.”

ANDREW SALMIStaff Writer

The baseball team took a stepbackwards on Feb. 5 with an 11-4loss at Grossmont College andthen on Feb. 7 the Lancers wereburied from the start with a 16-2trampling at the hands of IrvineValley College on the road.

The game visiting IVC was anightmare for PCC, since theteam also gave up a grand slamhome run in the bottom of thethird inning to IVC freshman sec-ond baseman Dallas Porter.

Against IVC, sophomore start-ing pitcher Trevor Gleason couldnot make it out of the first inning,giving up seven earned runsbefore being replaced by fresh-man pitcher Rick Espana afteronly recording one out.

“Trevor’s outing that day wasvery unfocused. He didn’t exe-cute his pitches well and got

behind in the count to every bat-ter that he faced,” said HeadCoach Evan O’Meara. “Our hit-

ters got sad and weren’t able toseparate their play from thepitching performance.”

The Lancers managed to scoretheir only two runs in the top ofthe fifth inning, in which sopho-more David Halstead and fresh-man Angelo Robledo scored.Gleason, who had a fantasticstart on Feb. 1 against AntelopeValley College, will look torebound in his next outing.

“I wasn’t feeling 100 percentwhen I went out there,” saidGleason. “I just couldn’t find it,but I plan on coming out strongnext game.” While visitingGrossmont College, which is inEl Cajon, the Lancers had moresuccess in the early part of thegame. PCC managed to scorethree runs in the top of the fourthinning, making the score 5-4 in

favor of Grossmont. However,the Lancers didn’t score anotherrun the rest of the game whileGrossmont tallied six more runs.

“We need to pitch better,” saidCoach O’Meara. “We didn’t offermuch in terms of hitting supporteither, but what’s difficult is thatthe guys let the pitchers dictatehow they felt about the rest of thegame.” Sophomore outfielderTarik El Abour, who took the2012 season off, was a standoutplayer for the Lancers againstGrossmont, having two hits anda walk in the game.

Through four games, he statis-tically is one of the Lancers’ besthitters, tallying four hits in nineat-bats with a great .643 on-basepercentage.

He has also scored four runs,the most on the team.

Alumnus Greg Altounian helps athletes pursue their goalsTIFFANY ROESLERStaff Writer

There’s no place like home, andfor alumnus Greg Altounianhome is in the Hutto-Pattersongym hallways and field of PCCwhere he started out his collegiatesoccer career in 2006. Now he isthe men’s soccer team administra-tor and a college assistant in theAthletic Zone.

Love of soccer may pumpthrough his veins, but Altounian’spassion for the game has turnedinto a vision of helping otherplayers transfer, participate at thenext level and most importantly,succeed academically.

He sacrificed pursuing a profes-sional career after his dad, formerAssistant Soccer Coach WarrenAltounian, died in spring 2011.

“I put playing on the backburn-er,” said Altounian. “PCC waswhat I knew best, [so] I decidedthat I would become part of themen’s soccer team over the nextfew years.”

His role as team administratoris to handle travel, game reports,locker room set-up, game day set-up, athlete itineraries, letters toinstructors regarding courses theyneed to miss due to games and tohelp players with scouting. He’sthe team’s very own soccer dad.

“He does more than just thatand we are fortunate to have himin our program,” said Men’sHead Soccer Coach EdgarManvelyan. “Greg has a big heartand he will give it all to his team[and the] program. He enjoys hisrole as team administrator and Iam very proud of him.”

Altounian’s collegiate soccercareer at CSU Dominguez Hillshas helped him set high standardsand push for positive change inthe program.

“We want our student-athletesto end up wanting to go to a uni-versity and transfer out like I did.Not too many others have.”

Altounian’s emphasis on put-ting academics has changed theapproach players have takenwhen facing studies head-on.

“He always pushes me to mylimits because he knows I can dobetter in school, [but] it’s just thatI’m stubborn,” said soccer playerVictor Menchaca. “He expects alot from me as a player and stu-dent, more as a student. Healways would tell me to putschool first, then soccer.”

His ultimate goal is to continueworking with athletes even if thatmeans leaving his PCC home.

“Its very hard to leave thisplace,” said Altounian.

Matthew Chan / CourierLancer guard Mike Swanegan’s four three pointers were not enough tobeat the Warriors in a nail biter game on Feb 6.

Benjamin Simpson / CourierGreg Altounian relaxes on thefield at Robinson Stadium on Feb5.

Jordan Harris / CourierSophomore Anthony Martinez gets nailed in the head by the opposingpitcher, advancing him to first base Feb. 9. The Lancers lost 4-3.

Last second three pointer gives game to ECC

Lancers baseball team gets dealt two crushing losses