Share: Some call John Martin a walking encyclopedia of Pasadena City College and with good reason; having served on the school’s Board of Trustees for the last 44 years, he knows the entire institution, from top to bottom. On Oct. 18 at the Board of Trustees meeting, Trustee Martin announced his retirement and his decision to not run for re-election in the 2024 election for his board seat, opening the door for others to take his position after serving on the board at PCC since …
Say hello to the new boss at PCC, Dr. José Gómez
Share: With a tall cup of Diet Coke and the sun shining through the windows, Dr. José Gómez, the Interim Superintendent-President, speaks fondly of the musicians who once walked PCC’s halls, from Eddie Van Halen to Kenny Loggins. The awe and excitement with which he spoke of these legends translates directly to his love and dedication to PCC, not just as an institution but as a community as well. Gómez assumed the role of Interim Superintendent President in late July following former president Erika Endrijonas’s …
Polarization in war drowns out those who need to be heard
Share: Everytime something in the media surfaces about an internationally significant situation, millions across the media, social media, and other forms of sharing become a cesspool of “armchair geopolitical experts.” It muddies the waters and dims the voices of those who actually need to be heard, which in this case is one’s with bombs being dropped on their homes, who are facing the brunt of ethnic cleansing, war crimes, genocide and the denial of their dignity as human beings. The discussions that take place on …
W building set to be demolished in 2024, replaced with new academic building
Share: The W building next to Pasadena City College’s Aquatic Center will no longer house faculty or have classes scheduled as of January 2024, as it is set to be demolished and replaced with a new academic building, under PCC’s new Facilities Master Plan. The Facilities Master Plan (FMP) was approved by the Board of Trustees in May of 2020 though it was not put on the ballot until the 2022 midterms. The $565 million Measure PCC bond to fund the plan was overwhelmingly passed …
Board selects search firm for permanent Superintendent-President
Share: At a special PCC Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting in mid September the board hired AGB Search to conduct a nationwide search for PCC’s next permanent Superintendent-President. “AGB Search is honored to be assisting [PCC’s] governing board with this important undertaking,” Janice Fitzgerald, a Senior Executive Search Consultant from AGB Search said in an email. The board voted 4-1, with two absentees to select AGB Search to conduct this process, according to PCC Spokesperson Alex Boekelheide in an email. This hiring comes after some …
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 …
After 3 dormant years, we’re still asking: What happened to the Aquatic Center at PCC?
Share: On Thursday, March 12, 2020, as Swim and Water Polo Coach Terry Stoddard ended another class at PCC’s Aquatic Center and the last students cleared the pool, none of them would’ve known that 3 and a half years later they wouldn’t be allowed back in at all. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and that fateful Thursday the Pasadena City College Aquatic Center has been closed to the public and PCC students. Due to needed repairs and discussions about whether or not the …
Board of Trustees begins search for permanent Superintendent-President
Share: After former Superintendent-President Dr. Erika Endrijonas left PCC in July, following months of uncertainty over a possible contract extension; the Board of Trustees has started the process of finding a new permanent Superintendent, a proceeding that is expected to take at least six months and possibly up to an entire year. In prior reporting by The Courier, there was clear divisions on the Board of Trustees over Endrijonas’s contract, and how that entire process was handled, but it is not expected to have an …
$200 bookstore voucher ends without a word from PCC
Share: PCC’s previously provided $200 student Bookstore credit has been discontinued this fall as COVID-19 era funding and subsequent programs come to a close, throwing uncertainty into the accessibility of textbooks to the wider student body. “This semester I tried to use my bookstore credit and that’s when I saw the caveat where it’s like we’re not doing the bookstore credit anymore,” third-year PCC student Nathan Nava said. “But, if you receive financial aid, they’ll just take a chunk out of your financial aid. So …
Police arrest PCC student in math class armed with Airsoft gun, knife
Share: According to an email sent by PCC’s Superintendent-President, the Pasadena Police Department and campus police arrested a student in a class on Tuesday evening for concealing an “Airsoft-type weapon and a pocketknife with a long blade.” The student was in a math class in the C-building and campus police were alerted to the situation through PCC’s Lancer Anonymous Tip Reporting System, according to PCC spokesperson Alex Boekelheide. “If you’re not able to use your phone, like if you’re in class or something comes to …