‘I was completely lost’: First Gen Week provides needed support for students

Share: In celebration of their annual First Gen Week, Pasadena City College has been hosting a plethora of events in the FYE Pathways Center. These events include a resume workshop, a career panel, and a conversation on financial literacy, all focusing on the perspective of first generation students.   Most of the people involved with organizing the events were first generation students themselves. At the panel, they aimed to inspire the first generation students in attendance by sharing their stories and career paths from community college …

These vendors claim to work for the LA Times. The Times has never heard of them

Share: Pasadena City College (PCC) students have been targeted by individuals falsely claiming to represent the Los Angeles Times in an apparent scheme to sell unauthorized newspaper subscriptions. The perpetrators set up tables on campus, soliciting personal information and payment details while offering gift cards as incentives. According to the Los Angeles Times, the company has not authorized any staff or hired vendors to sell subscriptions on PCC’s campus. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Times said that the company generally does not conduct …

Math prerequisites are going away, get ready for AI tutors

Share: California Community Colleges (CCCs) have eradicated the majority of foundational math courses due to the passage of assembly bill 1705 in 2022 which was designed to combat inequities in college students’ placement and completion of coursework. With this new law, concerns about student outcomes have risen–leading to the recent development of MathGPT: an AI tutor announced on October 16th of this year, meant to bridge the educational gap left behind by this bill.  Assembly bill 1705 is in conjunction with AB 705 was introduced …

Students feel disappointment and uncertainty following Trump’s election

Share: As Aaron Iniguez saw the results come in for the election Tuesday night, he wasn’t surprised at President Trump being re-elected — but the margin by which Trump won the popular vote took him aback. “I was really disappointed with how Kamala performed [from] seeing her campaign,” said Iniguez, who is a political science major at PCC. “I already knew she was gonna perform lackluster and less than favorable. Overall, it was not surprising — but the numbers were very surprising.” Iniguez, 19, identifies …

Votemos: PCC reflects on the impact of the Latinx vote

Share: Across the city of Los Angeles, streets are adorned with murals celebrating La Raza – or the Latinx community. It is a community that has not only cemented its roots in Southern California but has expanded its influence through every crevice of this big and diverse society. But when it comes to politics, voting means keeping one’s own cultural identity in mind.  For Erika Hernandez, a third-year Accounting major who is a 2-year member of Equipo, voting has become more complicated with some of …

Voices from voters casting their ballots moments before polls closed

Share: It’s 7:59 p.m. on November 5 and the line to vote at the Creveling Lounge at PCC is out the door. A poll worker yells at those passing if they haven’t voted yet to get in line—before she closes the line for good. While this in-person voting center has been open for early voting since Saturday, these students and community members decided to get their voices heard right before the polls closed at 8 p.m. Call it procrastination or a last minute realization—here are …

Technology committee seeks instructors interested in AI closed captioning project

Share: The District Technology Committee is launching a pilot program in PCC’s Winter 2025 term to explore the possibility of AI close captions and transcripts of recorded materials, such as videos or professor’s recorded lectures. The committee is working with a grant from Echo Labs, a research laboratory developing AI-powered accessibility tools. The grant will allow them to work with up to 50 hours of recorded material. As of the committee’s meeting on Oct. 16, the committee is looking for instructors who would be interested …

BLOTTER: Groin injury prompts firefighter response

Share: Editorial note: The information provided in the police blotter has not been independently verified by the Courier. The details in this article are reported as provided by campus police, and readers should consider this when interpreting the information. Monday, Oct 21, 2024 7:49 a.m.: A staff member reported that a naked homeless male was exposing himself near the stadium’s concourse to a female student running on the track. An officer spoke to a homeless individual near the stadium’s East Gate, however, this person was …

Crowns N’ Roses: PCC sponsors float fit for a queen

Share: Pasadena City College is an official sponsor of the Rose Court in conjunction with the 136th Rose Parade in 2025. PCC administration announced that the Tournament of Roses, which presides over the Rose Parade, awarded PCC as one of the sponsors for their annual Rose Court ceremony.  “This will be the 136th Rose Parade, obviously the 100th anniversary of PCC. So, in a sense, we’ve really grown up together, and our histories really complement each other with that commitment to collaboration,” said David Eads, …

BLOTTER: Student electrocuted in welding class, taken to hospital

Share: Editorial note: The information provided in the police blotter has not been independently verified by the Courier. The details in this article are reported as provided by campus police, and readers should consider this when interpreting the information. Monday, Oct 7, 2024 3:19 am: An officer responded to a male sleeping on the grass north of Lot 8. The individual was told to leave and agreed. 9:43 pm: An officer responded to a report of a group of males near the mirror pools. The …