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, Sept 30, 2024 10:10 am: An officer responded to an individual complaining of stomach pains at C-building. They first declined medical help, but were later taken to the Health Center by another student. 11:32 am: An officer responded to two males smoking near the Observatory …
Consistent course numbers coming to California community colleges
Share: Recently, PCC has been awarded a Common Course Numbering (CCN) grant by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in an effort to ease transfer and reduce excess credit accumulation. Essentially, these funds will be used to create a new numbering system for courses and to update course catalogs, schedules, and transcripts. California Community Colleges (CCC) have taken the initiative to instill this uniform system via their Common Course Numbering Task Force (CCN Task Force). Their plan is to create intra- and intersegmental consistency through …
New private security firm will cost college $300,000 despite no specific threats
Share: Pasadena City College (PCC) has awarded a $300,000 contract to Contact Security Incorporated, marking a strategic move to enhance campus safety. The contract followed a competitive bidding process, in which PCC received 25 proposals from security service providers. Contact Security was selected as the top contender, working in collaboration with the college’s established police force to supplement security on campus. Chief Steven Matchan of the Pasadena City College Police emphasized that the decision to hire private security was not in response to any specific …
Metro’s new GoPass program goes off the rails when it comes to PCC
Share: The GoPass makes riding the Metro free for K-12 and Community College Students, making it the “largest fareless student transit pass program” in the country. The pass was part of a pilot program, which was made permanent in spring. However, according to the Metro website, PCC students are not eligible for GoPasses. Metro’s new GoPass pilot program provides a free transit pass meant to assist students with lower income by reducing transportation costs so students can focus on their education. “The GoPass pilot has …
College campus becomes canvas for new painting project
Share: Recently PCC has been doing construction updates around the campus to ensure every building is up to date with one of these projects being the Campus Wide Exterior Painting Project. The Campus Wide Exterior Painting Project is a $3.2 million effort intended to refresh the exterior painting on all physical structures at the college. As for its funding, the campus’ exterior painting project is being paid for through Scheduled Maintenance funds. These funds have been provided via the college’s regular budgeting process. This comprehensive …
Want that broken door in the CA building fixed? It’ll cost PCC $400,000
Share: The first floor stairwell door in the Center of Arts (CA) building has been broken for years, prompting frustrations amongst students and faculty alike–but the estimated $400,000 cost has delayed repairs. According to a board meeting on Aug. 14, the cause of the door breaking down was due to it being overused. The door is a fire rated door, designed to withstand fires and high heat, making it extremely heavy. Over time, the door began to warp and malfunction caused it to be permanently …
Newly formed Students for Justice in Palestine aims to educate and empower
Share: When Omar Khatib returned to college at age 28, joining a club wasn’t on his agenda. “I just wanted to get in, do my thing and go,” he said. That all changed when Khatib, who is Jordanian-Palestinian, learned about Pasadena City College’s newly formed chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). “There was no way I could say no to this,” he said at a club meeting in September. The club’s leadership—made up of President Anja Kelley, Vice President Diego Santoyo, Secretary Saira …
Board approves meager money bump for PCC faculty
Share: The PCC Board of Trustees approved an agreement last month that will increase the salary of all college faculty, full-time and part-time, by 1.07%. Full-time faculty who perform services during the 2024-2025 academic year will receive an additional one-time payment of $2000. Part-time faculty who work in the semesters of Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 will receive an additional payment of $1000 per semester worked. The agreement between the Pasadena Area Community College District and the PCC Faculty Association follows a negotiation process that …
Racist graffiti found in men’s locker room
Share: Vandalism that included racist messages was found inside the men’s locker room in the GM building on campus on Tuesday morning by faculty who teach in the building prior to classes starting. The language of the vandalism was disparaging towards Black people and homeless people but was “non-threatening,” according to PCC Spokesperson Alex Boekelheide. The locker room stayed open during cleaning and the vandalism was removed within an hour. Because of the content, campus security is investigating the vandalism as a crime. A statement …
Colleges struggle to CAPTCHA fake students scamming millions
Share: Hackers have been using artificial intelligence (AI) bots to pose as college students in online classes for years, in an attempt to scam colleges out of financial aid money. Schemes like these have been tracked as far back as even the early 2000s. Kim Rich, a former deputy sheriff and professor of criminal justice at Los Angeles Pierce College, has been investigating these online bots since 2006. “If a given student received $3,000 in financial aid, and 40,000 bots have infiltrated a given district, …