Election upset: Incumbent trustee Selvidge loses seat

Share: In a close election yesterday, Trustee Ross Selvidge lost his seat on the PCC Board of Trustees to opponent Sandra Chen Lau. Since 2013, Selvidge has represented the Area 1 district which includes the city of La Canada Flintridge, west Pasadena and west Altadena. Lau was elected to a 4-year term on the Board with 59.05 percent of votes. Selvidge received 40.95 percent of votes. Winning by a margin of 1621, Lau received 5290 votes while Selvidge received 3669 votes. Selvidge initially announced his …

Consulting firm dropped after unsuccessful president search

Share: After choosing an expensive search firm, with less experience and fewer guarantees than others, PCC had to declare a failed, or unsuccessful, search after it witnessed its three finalists for president drop out of consideration. As a result, the college terminated its partnership with the search firm prematurely, bringing PCC back to square one in the process of finding a new superintendent-president. Collaborative Brain Trust (CBT), the consulting firm chosen by the PCC Board of Trustees (BOT) to conduct this past year’s unsuccessful presidential …

PCC implements new student outreach system

Share: To combat the issue of declining enrollment and miscommunication between professors and students, Pasadena City College (PCC) has implemented Early Alert, an outreach system aimed to inform and track students’ progress throughout the semester. The program, still in its pilot phase, is integrated in Canvas and allows for “easier communication and collaboration” between the professors and students, counselor Ingrid Arana said. The system is designed for faculty members to send out communicative indicators to students, such as  “Kudos” or “Flags,” to inform them on …

Former student accuses campus food exec, a sex offender, of inappropriate conduct

Share:   Update 6/6/2018: In response to the comment from the California DOJ and Pasadena Police Department regarding requirements for Yu working on campus, Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing Alex Boekelheide told the Courier through email that the college is not aware of any such requirement regarding employees of independent companies that hold contracts with the college. Boekelheide also said that while the Alhambra Police Department stated that Yu registered the campus as his place of employment in their system, the college has no …

Library lessens late fines and reduces food insecurity

Share: To combat a widespread issue faced by students across the globe, the Shatford Library has collaborated with the Lancer Pantry to orchestrate an event that helps alleviate student hunger on campus. The donation-based event, referred to as “Food 4 Fines,” is hosted every Spring semester at the campus library. Students with overdue library fines can pay off their fines by donating food items, according to Lauren Bauer, a staff librarian who conducted the event. “Students can pay off those fines instead of giving us …

Associated Students increase satellite campus engagement

Share: This year, the Associated Students (AS) has made a focused effort to include the college’s satellite campuses, such as the Foothill and Rosemead sites, in all the activities occurring on the main campus. Efforts to keep the inclusion going are already in effect, with AS President Kiely Lam instructing the newly elected student body about the importance of keeping the sites involved. “One of the things we try to do with our more traditional events [Relaxation Week, homecoming, etc] … is try to focus …

PCC Eco fair: Change starts with the individual

Share: PCC’s Associated Students (AS) hosted their first eco fair, Hippy Hop, at the mirror pools this past Thursday, consisting of educational workshops and informative booths by a vegan outreach group, an international humanitarian organization and members of the AS sustainability committee. The purpose behind the event was to educate people about the severity in which the planet is being destroyed. Event coordinator Samantha Salomon explained this further in her presentation about plastic and pollution. Salomon discussed the rapidly growing “trash islands” which are phenomenons …

Police Blotter: Student steals staff’s soda

Share: Monday, May 14 A transient was showering in the GM-building men’s locker room and was escorted off campus. A student was receiving unwanted attention from a male student even when asked to stop. A female student’s laptop was stolen in the patio area of Lancer’s Pass after she left it unattended. There were reports of a male subject exposing himself to others in the men’s restroom in the C-building. An area check was conducted with negative results. There were reports of a male covering …

New tech breaks barriers for disabled students

Share: Hosted by Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S) and the Veterans Resource Center, students gathered within the D-building in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) last Thursday morning to spread awareness of helpful digital accommodations for disabled students. Students who were a part of DSP&S, including some members  of Students Unlimited, a club that specializes in giving support to those with disabilities, gathered to learn through presentations about the many technologies that exist to aid them throughout their time at PCC. The focus …