PCC Board of Trustees Fire School Official Linked to Bribery Case

Neil Protacio
June 20, 2012. Altadena Patch.

The Pasadena City College Board of Trustees voted this morning to terminate a school official who had been linked to a bribery case.

Dr. Richard van Pelt, an Altadena resident, had been put on administrative leave on June 7 after Pasadena City College received notice from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office that search warrants were being served at his home and office on campus as part of an investigation.

During a special meeting scehduled for 7 a.m. at the Community Education Center, the Board of Trustees entered closed session and voted unanimously with one abstention from Area 3 Trustee Berlinda Brown to relieve van Pelt of his role as vice president of administrative services.

“This action will be final, effective immediately upon delivery of the Board’s written decision to Dr. van Pelt,” wrote Board President and Area 1 Trustee Geoffrey Baum in a release. “The Board’s action is independent of the ongoing criminal investigation of the Los Angeles County District Attorney.”

According to Dave Demerjian of the Public Integrity Division of the District Attorney’s Office, van Pelt was allegedly accepting bribes from contractors in exchange for construction contracts on campus.

“The allegation was a solicitation of contracts for the college,” Demerjian said. “In March this year, the D.A. had received a complaint from an individual which prompted the investigation.”

In an interview with the Courier, PCC’s news publication, College President Dr. Mark Rocha would move forward with replacements regardless on whether van Pelt was found guilty.

“The investigation if a whole separate matter,” Rocha said in the interview. “Our main focus is moving forward.”

Van Pelt played a critical role in the college administration, overseeing the college’s business affairs, including the college’s $100-million-plus annual expenditures. He was in charge of preparing the annual budget, planning and approving all maintenance and construction projects, managing payroll, and supervising the Campus Police Department and bookstore.

Van Pelt also oversaw plans to demolish the Armen Sarafian Hall, also known as the U Building, and replace it with a new $70-million structure in 2010. The U Building, as of right now, is still standing and houses classrooms and laboratories for the natural sciences division.

Currently, Vice President of Educational Services Robert Miller has taken over as the acting vice president of administrative services.

Baum also wrote that Rocha recommended the termination of Dr. Alfred Hutchings, a supervisor of Facilities Services who was also put on administrative leave in relation to the bribery case.

“As a classified employee of the District, Dr. Hutchings has the right to pursue administrative remedies before the Board’s final decision is reported publicly,” Baum wrote.

The Board of Trustees will be having another meeting today in Pasadena City College at 7p.m.

The meeting was originally scheduled to take place at the Altadena Library on Mariposa Street as part of the “Community Listening Tour,” however because of space limitations, the meeting was moved back to PCC.

“The room at the Altadena Library was too small,” said Director of Public Relations Juan Gutierrez. “It just wasn’t going to cut it.”

Members of the community are still invited to attend today’s meeting in the Creveling Lounge.

Following the ‘Kitty Litter’ case

PCC student Isaac Campbell was arrested in August 2007 for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, Liya “Jessie” Lu, also a PCC student. I was tasked with following the case (because my editor-in-chief Sara Medina just told me to do it). For four years, Campbell awaited his trial which seemed to have been continuously lagged. It finally went underway on Oct. 7, 2011.

Louis Cheung / Courier

PCC in top 6% for veterans’ resources

Right, Carol Calandra, founding member of the Veterans Club, talks with Urte Barker, a volunteer mentor in front of the Veteran Resource Center on Sept. 20.

Neil Protacio
Staff Writer

For a second year in a row, PCC has been recognized in the G.I. Jobs magazine’s 2012 Top Military-Friendly Schools.

In a survey comprised of 124 community colleges, universities, and trade institutes, PCC made the top 6 percent in California, boasting positive praise in veteran student peer reviews.

“It’s wonderful that more and more students see that we’re here and are utilizing our services,” said Veterans Coordinator, PatriciaD’Orange-Martin.

“We’re rightly so being recognized as one of the leading community colleges for veteran resources,” said President Mark Rocha during a conference with journalism students on Sept. 27.

The Veterans Resource Center has played the main role in providing veterans with services and resources, raking in a 3.9 score out of a possible 4.0 in peer reviews. The center offers counseling, workshops, computer labs with specialized software for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder disabilities, guest speakers, and also veteran representatives. In addition, the school gives returning service members priority registration and awards scholarships.

“It’s nice to know that whatever financing goes into this is actually working,” said Juan Hernandez, a 29-year-old business major who served as an airman for four years.

Lisa Castaneda, 23, felt at home after serving five years off the coast of Dubai as an aviation Boatswain’s mate.

“I was really happy with how helpful [the veterans resource center] was,” she said. “I went to school on a ship and it was great to come here. I didn’t feel like I was alone. I think it’s really awesome that we’re in the top 6 percent. I mean, we’re a community college and that’s pretty rare.”

Serving as an army captain for 16 years, Raymond Hsu is no stranger to the PCC community either, having graduated back in 1998. Back for self-development classes, Hsu says PCC has moved in a more positive direction.

“I feel like it has done a lot for veterans coming back,” Hsu said. “They’ve helped a lot of people with their transition.”

But despite being in the top 6 percent, there were concerns with the ever-increasing size of the veteran community.

“With only 10 computers and limited space, the resource center has always been busy,” D’Orange-Martin said. “We’ve had 860 drop-in visits, it’s almost impossible to accommodate everyone.”

“Not a lot of vets come here because it’s usually crowded,” said Eduardo Escalera, a mechanical engineer who served as a marine aviary technician for 5 years.

In addition, starting October, an estimated 1,000 troops will leave Iraq daily.

“Some things I’d like to see implemented would be more computers and some more room,” D’Orange-Martin said.

Since PCC’s resource center is part of the Chancellor’s pilot program, a requirement for each center is an area where students can share their experiences and communicate with other vets.

“We have a little corner, but it’d be nice to have a space to separate those students studying and others sharing theircamaraderie.”

When asked about possible funding for the veterans resource center, Rocha said that the rise of veterans and service members comes at a time when the economy is at its worse.

“The demand for the service outstrips the ability to supply,” Rocha said. “With Veterans in particular, we’re experiencing now a wave of veterans that are coming in as a result of the demobilization of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. And that’s coming at a time when the economy is as bad as it can get.”

But despite this, Rocha reassured that the school will stand behind its veteran community.

“We are going to continue to support the veterans center fully like with any other service the college provides, ” Rochasaid. “We’re probably going to struggle to provide every service to every individual, but the thing that I’m proud of the veteran resource is we have a capturing mechanism that no matter who comes in for whatever reason, they will get assistance. ”

From Courier, October 4, 2011.

Officials Outline Sports Field, Trail, Habitat Restoration Plans for Hahamongna

Pasadena officials outlined the plans of four major projects that are planned for the Hahamongna Watershed Park at a meeting Wednesday, but some attendees were looking for more details.

By Neil Protacio

Pasadena officials said at a meeting Wednesday they are ready to go forward on project  at the Hahamongna Watershed Park involving a sports field, trail and habitat restoration, but some in the audience said they were looking for more details on the impacts of the project.

The plan is comprised of four major projects: Sycamore Grove Field, a new sports field on the Westside of the park, the Westside Perimeter Trail, improvements for Berkshire Creek, and basin habitat restoration along the edge of the Devil’s Gate basin. According to Project Manager for Parks and Landscape Loren Pluth who chaired the meeting, the city is ready to proceed with all four projects.

The Projects

For Arroyo Seco Project Manager Rosa Laveaga, the biggest project was the habitat restoration with a price tag set at approximately $950,000.

The Basin Habitat Restoration project will take place between the Westside Perimeter Trail, which runs along the La Canada Flintridge side of the park, and the basin boundary where its elevation would be raised to move habitats out of inundation areas where debris flow washes down during winter storms.

“It’s a complex project because of the sediment project being done by the Los Angeles
County,” Pluth said, referring to a county plan to drag more than a million acres of sediment out of the Devil’s Gate Dam.

The Sycamore Grove Field project involves creating a new multipurpose sports field, a project that has concerned local community members who would prefer to see the park remain as a natural area.

“The plan was to have a natural park,” said Mary Barrie, a La Canada Flintridge resident and environmentalist. “Somewhere down the line, soccer fields were being proposed.”

Project plans also include expanding the parking lot near JPL and will creating new restrooms and storage rooms.  There would also be habitat restoration around the sports field area, improvements to the Foothill Drain, and some repairs to the disc golf course.

The Westside Perimeter Trail project would mean narrowing the asphalt road on the Westside of the park from the Flint Wash Bridge west to create a hiking and equestrian trail.

The idea of the Berkshire Creek project is to restore the urban drainage, by improving the quality of the water entering Arroyo Seco stream.

An initial study is expected to be complete for the entire project by July 9, according to John Bellus, who will take part in drafting the environmental impact report. The initial study will then take on a 45-day public review.

Community Reaction

About 30 community members attended the meeting. Some expressed disappointment on the presentation, specifically because of the changes made to the project displays since the last meeting. The presentation did not go into much detail about those changes. According to Pluth, the team was still in planning and development mode and do not have the specifics.

“Right now we are trying to get to the next step,” Pluth said. “The next step is project level design. That’s where we interpret the master plan in blueprint.”

Altadena resident and environmental advocate Lori Paul also expressed community concern about the possibility of bringing back a second sports field project that was removed from the Hahamongna plan by the Pasadena City Council in 2010.

“There is an unknown uncertainty that the sports field might still happen,” Paul said during the meeting.

According to Pluth, the sports field was killed.

“In a practical sense, the city can not pursue the project,” Pluth added.

Community members are now awaiting for the initial study of the project, which will kick off the July scoping meetings where the full plans of the project will be discussed.  However, some attendees at Wednesday’s meeting seemed to want more information before the meetings begin.

“The scoping meetings are so important because that’s the community’s chance to let our consultants know what we think about the projects,” Barrie said. “We can’t really comment unless we know what the findings are.”

“Once the study arrives on July 9,it’s the public’s chance to weigh in,” Pluth also said.

From Altadena Patch, June 29, 2012

If approved, tax deal may have big impact

Neil Protacio
Editor-in-Chief

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed temporary increase in taxes will have a major impact onPCC if they are approved by voters in November, officials said.

According to President Mark Rocha, if the extension of tax increases are approved, there will be no more cuts for K-14, which includes kindergarten, high school, and community colleges. If voters do not approve the tax increase, however, K-14 will sustain additional cuts which have already been identified.

“The cut to PCC will be about $10 million,” Rocha said. “If these tax increases are passed, [PCC’s budget] should be what it is about now.”

Brown’s budget, which proposes an increase in sales tax and also an increase in taxes for high income earners, received praise in a statement released by California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott.

“I want to thank Gov. Brown for recognizing the value of investing in higher education and the critical role community colleges play in powering the state’s economy,” Scott said. “His budget proposes a 4 percent annual funding increase to our system beginning in the 2012-13 academic year. This gives our 112 colleges the ability to plan for stable and predictable revenue growth and make budget decisions that benefit all students.”

Rocha also supported the proposal. “Obviously, I do hope that voters approve the tax increase so that PCC’s budget won’t be cut any further,” he said.

Though the Academic Senate has not taken a position on the proposal, Academic Senate President Edward Martinez personally opposed an increase in sales tax, but agreed with increasing taxes for high wage households.

“Sales tax have a greater negative impact on the poorest members of society,” Martinez said. “I support an increase in state income tax for the wealthy. The wealthy are generally able to afford paying a greater share of their income. I would hope that a sense of patriotism and good will would motivate the wealthy to be willing to provide support for public education.”

The state budget deficit has made an impact at PCC , most obviously with the decrease in class sections.

“Last year as a whole, we had 5,500 sections,” Rocha said. “This year we have 5,300, but we’re over-enrolled. We’re not getting paid for those extra students. Next year, it’s likely, under any circumstance really, that the sections will have to be reduced.”

This year’s winter intersession is prime example of those cuts, with only 271 sections offered, 81 fewer than last year. In addition, tuition will be increased to $46 per unit, effective with summer intersession.

As to whether more sections will be offered if the tax proposal is approved, Rochasaid that the sections will most likely remain the same as this year.

“If you’re a continuing student, make sure you get to your counselor earlier and make sure you get to financial aid early,” Rocha said.  “As difficult as it is, the state budget is like a huge macro kind of situation. What I advise my students is to focus on the local, or their situation. If you see your counselor and financial aid, you can still get through.”

From Courier, January 25, 2012.

Exhibit recounts stories behind first atomic bomb

Gallery images focus on Manhattan Project

Neil Protacio
Arts & Entertainment Editor

The pairing of images such as the two above of an army wife with housekeepers alongside a nuclear bomb device will make viewers think about how they relate when they visit Picturing the Bomb.

At first glance, one would be hard pressed to figure out the relationship between a photograph of an abandoned village and that of a portrait of a mother and her infant — but it is in that pairing that will help retell the story of the Manhattan Project, a series of research, planning, and development for the world’s first atomic bomb.

Picturing the Bomb: Photographs from the Secret World of the Manhattan Project opened on Sept. 5 in the PCC Art Gallery as the college’s contribution to Pasadena’s Art Night, a city-wide event featuring art and entertainment in the various art and cultural institutions, and the Pasadena Arts Council’s A x S Festival, which celebrates Pasadena’s heritage of art and science.

“We have really fantastic images here,” said Brian Tucker, gallery director. “It’s made more fantastic because of what we know of their historical implications.”

PCC photography Instructor, Rachel Fermi, and photography historian, Esther Samra, compiled a collection of photographs taken before, during, and after the era of the Manhattan Project.

A compilation of declassified pictures and personal photographs will be on display for the Picturing the Bomb: Photographs from the Secret World of the Manhattan Project at the PCC Art Gallery.

“What’s interesting about Rachel is that she’s been a photographer for years, so she’s a strong asset in the division’s point of view,” said Joseph Futtner, interim dean of Visual Arts and Media studies Division. “What’s even more interesting is that she’s the granddaughter of Enrico Fermi, who is considered the father of the atomic bomb. It was his theories and research that lead to the atomic bomb’s formation.”

Fermi and Samra published Picturing the Bomb in 1995, which became the first pictorial publication of the atomic bomb. Thirty-six of the images in that book will be on display in the gallery.

“This is a project that Rachel and Esther worked on for years,” Tucker said. “They not only declassified photographs that were unknown, but they got access to personal photographs as well.”

Each display will have two photographs with the intent of retelling not only the personal stories of lives changed but also the development of the research and planning involved in making the atomic bomb.

“What they’ve done for this show is go back in their archives and put together pairings of images,” Tucker said. “They’re making a gesture by putting images that aren’t too obvious in a pairing.”

“It presents the orientation of much of the country in the 1940’s and the strong desire to build a weapon as not only a deterrent, but also a weapon to end the war,” said Futtner.

The images, according to Tucker, may depict much more than what meets the eye.

“There are at least two aspects to learn from this historical event and one is that there are implications about the future. The other is how we look at art and how we interpret images that aren’t intentionally art,” Tucker said. “But these images have a lot of factors like art does and have a lot of meaning behind them.”

Futtner echoed his sentiment: “What really needs to be seen is the arresting power of photography – when you’re struck by the immediacy and the truth. What Rachel and Esther did was step back and contextualize the consequences of war in American history and also her family.” 

From Courier, October 2, 2011.

A Look Back… with Professor Donna Mungen

Neil Protacio
Staff Writer

Inspired by American journalist John Reed and his coverage of the Russian Revolution, English and Humanities Professor Donna Mungen, a history major at the time, realized she wanted to put herself in the middle of the action.”The press is the first draft of history,” Mungen said. “As a history major, you read things that happened thirty years ago. I wanted to be part of history.”

Professor Donna Mungen in college (left), and on-campus at PCC now (right).

A student of Howard University, a prominent black institute located in Washington D.C., Mungen capitalized on her surroundings and went on to report about Capitol Hill, Watergate, and the demonstrations happening during the Vietnam War.

She would later go on to write for the Los Angeles Times, profiling famous names and even receiving a first place award for investigative journalism from the Los Angeles Press Club on her series on gangs.

One memorable event she’s reported on, however, was the O.J. Simpson trial for the New York Times.

“He did it,” Mungen said laughing. “I always tell my class that if I ever killed my husband, I want Johnny Cochran up there as my lawyer.”

Print media wasn’t the only area Mungen invested her time in. She served as a commentator for National Public Radio in its early stages, All Things Considered, and CNN-TV.

She also produced an A&E documentary entitled “Masada” which received a nomination from CABLE ACE TV.

“It was my enthusiasm that landed my opportunities,” Mungen said. “It took me a while to build my name up. I had to keep moving forward. You have to be fearless in this industry and you can’t be turned around.”

A firm practitioner of language arts, she offers this advice: “Writing is writing and writing and writing and revising. Once you get the fundamentals down and get it as strong as possible, you can go anywhere. That’s what I loved about journalism. If you’re in print media, you have a strong command over the English language that it flows well when you go into broadcast or radio.”

Best Thing: “My college years were the best years ever. It was an opportunity to think freely and not be inhibited by the work life.”

Worst Thing: “Parking makes me feel bad.”

Interesting Thing: “The ethnic and social diversity. I liked seeing all the pink hair, tattoos, the piercings. It’s crazy, but I love it. Seeing all the enthusiasm young people have gives me courage.”

What I know now that I wish I knew back then: “I wish I had paid attention and not day dreamed. Only in hindsight did I realize that my teachers, like Sterling Brown, were so important.”

What Would I Change: “I should have double majored in English. My professors were a lot of the authors that I loved.”

Student Opinion: “I remember that she would take the time to explain whatever I didn’t understand,” said Cynthia Ortiz, international relations major. “She had a great sense of humor and she would incorporate real life events to what we were learning in class. She taught me life lessons that I would have never learned from any other person or professor. She wasn’t just my teacher, she was my semester-long mentor – even if she didn’t know it.

Screen printer takes art by the antlers

Erika Ruvell, a screen printing major, shows off several of her early works.

Neil Protacio
Staff Writer

With a seemingly busy environment of students hosing down glass canvases and laying out t-shirts with freshly printed designs, it hardly seems as if the screen print class has time to just sit down and relax. Erika Ruvell, however, finds herself at home as she vigilantly looms about the classroom looking over students’ work.”I plan on being here forever man,” Ruvell says with a laugh as she brushes her fiery red hair behind her back.

Ruvell, a 27-year-old screen printing major, has produced a dazzling variety of work which consequently landed her a position as screen print lab assistant. In addition, she is also the teacher’s aide to screen print professor Kris Pilon.

“I took screen print my first semester here at PCC and it turned out I was really good at it,” Ruvell said. “From then on, I figured this is what I wanted to do.”

Ruvell’s artwork inspiration pulls from different outlets but garners the most ideas from rock and roll.

“I like to be edgy, punky,” Ruvell said. “You know. and antlers!”

Her eccentric designs have also landed her recognition with design companies and artists.

Her background includes work with a web-based clothing company, warlordclothing.com. She designed and printed shirts for metal bands.

She has also had the opportunity to work with well-known artist, Richard Duardo, in the Modern Multiples studio in Los Angeles.

“We worked with fine arts, street designs, graffiti,” Ruvell said. “Even Saber street designs.”

Aside from being a lab assistant, Ruvell is a freelance designer and has a small business making shirts, posters, stickers, and other items for her friends who are in bands. But her small business doesn’t just sphere influence from her circle of buddies.

“I did some work for The Mau-Mau’s recently,” Ruvell said. “They’re a legendary band from 25 years ago.”

In addition to her artwork, instructors and students admit to her professional work ethics as well.

Teacher Pilon says that she is an outstanding and capable screen printer, which is why she holds the job she has today.

“She’s very bright and she’s curious,” Pilon said of Ruvell.

“That makes her an excellent student. She’s willing to learn anything and everything,” Pilon said.

Inge Ortega, a PCC graphics major, says that Ruvell is extremely helpful and that she’s comfortable asking Ruvell questions without ever feeling dumb.

“My first semester here, I took a textile class and she was helping out,” Ortega reminisced. “She would check up on me and kept me going on.”

The future for Ruvell seems like a clear-cut path with opportunities looming from every corner.

“She’s one of my top students,” Pilon said. “I hope she gets her B.A. and comes back to PCC to teach.”

For now, Ruvell insists that she is happy at PCC, but she will soon try to venture into establishing her own business.

“Being here is inspiring,” Ruvell said. “It forces you to be creative and when you finish something, you’re motivated to stay creative.

Trainer’s YouTube video wins

As athletic trainer Albert Galvan parts ways with soccer player Malcolm Linto after treating

PCC Athletic Trainer Albert Galvan won the 2010 CATA YouTube Video Contest

his collision injury during practice, Linto halts Galvan, shouting out, “Thanks, man.”

“It wasn’t just me,” Galvan says as he turns to face Linto. “It was a team effort.”

This was the last scene of the film submitted by Galvan which recently won the 2010 California Athletic Trainers’ Association YouTube Video Contest. The video conveys the message that sports medicine is a broad practice that involves much more than just the athletic trainers.

“It’s the coaches, the parents, the actual athlete, the team physician and basically anybody else involved in the treatment of the patient,” Galvan said.

The former PCC student who now works a clinical rotation at PCC said that Patty Gallegos, the head athletic trainer, prompted him to undertake this project.

“They hold this contest every year,” Galvan said. “But it was really Patty who motivated me to do this.”

PCC’s athletic trainers made sure to keep the video interesting by innovating clever camera work with Baywatch-esque music.

“We wanted to keep the attention focused on our point,” Galvan said. “But we made it different, funny and definitely something you can relate to. It was really more along the lines of quality rather than just something normal.”

The athletic trainers who participated in the video also found pride in their work during its production.

“I had a lot of fun,” said Jasper Cajayon, a PCC athletic trainer who played the soccer coach in the video. “This really made me realize how much we had to communicate with each other as well as with the athlete.”

“I think we have the best trainers in Southern California,” said Cherisa Sellers, a basketball player at PCC. “We’re confident in them and we trust them with our lives.”

“Through injury prevention,” Football Coach Seth Morris said, “they get the athletes back out here as fast as possible. Without them doing what they do, we can’t do what we do.”

“This really put us on the map, even if we’re not a four-year program,” said Gallegos, noting CSU Northridge congratulated PCC’s win. “It helped them to recognize this tight knit relationship that we have with every trainer and every athlete.”

“It’s like a comradery,” Galvan said. “We have the same majors, same career choice, we’re striving for the same goal. We’re just like an actual sports team.

From Courier, April 28, 2010.