New Lancerpoint system seeks to streamline user experience

Share: PCC recently launched a new version of their student portal called Lancerpoint on Friday, Sept. 15. The new system adds a host of improvements to increase customization, make information easier to find, and improve functionality on mobile devices.  “With information stored on cards instead of hard-to-navigate tabs, the new system is intended to get students to information more quickly,” Alex Boekelheide, PCC Spokesperson said “They will be able to navigate to different college functions using plain-text searches and tag fields, giving them more avenues …

Did ‘GUTS’ beat the sophomore slump?

Share: I tried to keep this review as light as a feather and as stiff as a board, but after rocking out to Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore studio album for the fifth time, I knew I couldn’t keep this professional. Following her triple grammy winning album “Sour,” Rodrigo took two years to release any kind of new music. On June 30, 2023, she released “vampire,” the lead single off of her new album, “GUTS.”  “vampire” cut straight to the core, singing a song of realization at …

Enrollment at PCC inches closer to pre-COVID numbers

Share: As the fall semester begins PCC’s enrollment numbers continue to incrementally improve, as pandemic fears subside and more people return to in-person education. PCC is doing their part to increase enrollment with new initiatives and programs for incoming and transfer students. Spring 2023 was the first time PCC had seen an increase in enrollment since prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While PCC is not yet up to the Fall 2018 enrollment number of 30,995, the numbers are steadily increasing.  Compared to …

Fractured faculty: Group tries again to decertify and replace teacher union

Share: For the second time in a year the Pasadena City College Faculty Association (PCCFA) faces the threat of decertification by a group of faculty demanding better working conditions for part-time faculty, greater access to resources and improved advocacy at both the state and federal level. Their goal is to establish a local chapter aligned with the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) in place of the PCCFA. The group of faculty claim being affiliated with a larger organization for their union will be more effective …

‘Dazed and Confused’ at 30: No, you’re not born in the wrong generation

Share: Writer-director Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused” shares a reputation with similar coming-of-age films reminiscing on years past, such as “American Graffiti” and “Lady Bird,” to name a few. Besides their shared high school setting, all three take place at least ten years prior to their release, with “Dazed” being the farthest removed from its setting at a firm 15 years later. But while the movie still holds up on its 30th anniversary, the idealized depiction of the 70s plays a part in the recent …

Growing COVID-19 cases aren’t shifting PCC policies

Share: As fall approaches there’s expected to be an uptick in coronavirus and flu cases, but Pasadena City College doesn’t anticipate making any changes to their vaccination policies in the future months.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have approved new coronavirus vaccine shots and many pharmacies have already begun providing vaccine appointments for the boosters. The vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.  As new variants continue to emerge, federal health officials are recommending …

BLOTTER: Football player suffers spinal injury

Share: Monday, September 18, 2023: 6:37 a.m.: Officer escorted a person off campus from the second floor of the IT building.  7:22 a.m.: At the Community Education Center on Foothill, a man became agitated when he was asked to stop digging through area trash cans before entering the cosmetology building and yelling at students and staff. He was gone by the time officers arrived, but a report was taken. 8:25 a.m.: Staff members reported that a suspect wanted by PCCPD was in the GM building. …

‘Mortal Kombat 1’ refines fighting but leaves everything else fatally unfinished

Share: The latest installment of Netherrealm Studios’ “Mortal Kombat” franchise is out a mere four years after “Mortal Kombat 11” was released, rebooting the series yet again by literally taking matters back to square one. As is typical with a new “Mortal Kombat” game, fan expectations were high when the development team announced the title only four months before its release, with many unanswered questions over what would be so different from 2011’s “Mortal Kombat” reboot. Now that the game is out, the supposed fresh …

Pride center platforms trans voices with ‘Monica’ screening

Share: The sun sets at Pasadena City College on a Thursday evening. At the R building, in room R122, a special screening of the film “Monica” was shown to students. The film’s theme sets on a sensitive topic that students on campus, along with America as a whole, are wrestling with the transgender experience. “It really explores the experience that many people of trans experience go through,” Bryce Simon, resource advocate for Pride Center said about the event. “This is a film that really speaks …

Octavia’s Bookshelf saves space for new stories

Share: A few months after her move to Los Angeles, writer Hannah V. Sawyerr stopped by Octavia’s Bookshelf to ask owner Nikki High if she would consider hosting the release of her debut novel, “All The Fighting Parts”. Nikki warned her she had a lot of events lined up, but asked for the date anyway. The day of Hannah’s book release was Nikki’s one free day and it all happened to be her birthday. “The reason why I opened this bookstore is because it’s so …