Nearly two months after the start of fall semester, PCC along with community colleges across the state continue to investigate the motives and consequences of the attempted Financial Aid scam that took place. Assistant Superintendent and Vice President of Instruction, Laura Ramirez, who has been with the college since January 2021 and first became aware of the predicament that spring, claims that the issue has been a recurring one, only exacerbated this time by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “The fact is it’s nothing new to …
PCC target of statewide federal student aid scam
It was in the fleeting weeks of summer that Patrick Perry, director of policy, research, and data at the California Student Aid Commission (CSC), began to note key inconsistencies in enrollment numbers for the upcoming academic school year.
How to get books, supplies and a free ride courtesy of PCC
PCC is giving students 150 dollars credit towards Bookstore purchases this fall semester, as well as an advance of 400 dollars for Pell Grant recipients. The 150 dollar credit began on Aug. 16 and Dr. Erika Endrijonas, the superintendent and president of PCC said in an email sent to all students that all students, credit or non-credit will have the opportunity to utilize the money.
Work study students still have a paycheck
Pasadena City College has received permission to pay Federal Work Study (FWS) students who work on campus, even while the campus is closed to prevent further transmission of COVID-19. In addition, 8,000 PCC students will have their Pell Grants and all other financial aid funds available by March 27, according to Mathematics, Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) and More Math and Science (MAS2 ) representatives. Financial Aid payments have also been moved up. According to Alex Boekelheide, special assistant to the superintendent/president, the second wave of …
BankMobile directly transfers funds to students
PCC and BankMobile have been collaborating the past few semesters to distribute financial aid, scholarships, grants and other funds directly to Lancer reducing wait times and paper checks that come with receiving funds from PCC’s financial aid office.
State of the students
As clouds of smoke from Ventura’s Woolsey fire forms in the distance, Pasadena City College (PCC) student Tanner Petterson sits in a shady spot on the edge of the mirror pools and waits until her afternoon class begins. She has ten minutes to spare, but instead of worrying about her class, she browses her phone and acknowledges the early golden hour. Meanwhile, a student on the other side of the pools lays on the grass, glued to a textbook, skimming through notes.
Courier Chat: EOP&S with Alyssa Hernandez
This week, Sam and Grace talk to former Courier writer Alyssa Hernandez about the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, or EOP&S for short, on campus and about how it has helped and how it has hindered her college career. Have something you want us to talk about on the podcast? Want to appear as a guest or have your story told? Email us!: podcast.courier@gmail.com
Forgotten voices of PCC’s marginalized communities
A single mother, a military veteran, and a first-year student can be found seated inside the same classroom, engaging in the typical school conundrums: taking a copious amount of notes while listening to the professor’s rudimentary lectures. Some compose themselves in a more relaxed setting, closing their eyes and daydreaming as time slowly shifts by. Others discreetly use their phones, listening to the rhythmic pop tunes while head-bopping to the beat. In each classroom setting, new students enter and leave, following the roundabouts and sticking …
Financial aid partners with BankMobile to disperse student funds
PCC students will now be able to receive financial aid funds electronically due to a partnership with a digital banking system called BankMobile, approved by Superintendent-President Rajen Vurdien. Financial Aid Director Manuel Cerda gave a presentation about the future of how students will be receiving their funds during the last Associated Students meeting of the Spring semester on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. According to Cerda, this idea for students to be receiving their funds electronically was in the works about a year and a half …
High school daze to college ways: a freshman guide
The transition from high school to college is no easy feat for most, but here at PCC, two programs vie to make it as smooth as possible in their aim to help incoming freshmen navigate their first year in college with tools such as personal coaching and financial assistance.