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 …
Adjunct professor sues PCC over unpaid work
Share: Pasadena City College (PCC) has been named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit filed by adjunct faculty across California. Dr. James Keller, an adjunct assistant professor of German at PCC is among the plaintiffs in the case, which seeks back pay, damages, and systemic reforms to ensure adjuncts are paid for work they do outside of instruction time. Originally filed in 2022 by seven adjunct professors at other districts, the lawsuit now includes PCC as a defendant, according to the second amended …
Police search for suspect who attacked woman sleeping on campus
Share: A violent assault on the Pasadena City College campus in the early hours of Aug. 11 has left a woman hospitalized and prompted a joint investigation by campus and city police. In the early hours of Aug. 11, campus police responded to an incident involving a violent attack on the main campus. The police said that at approximately 2:30 a.m., officers were called to the east side of the E building exterior, where the female victim, who does not attend PCC, reported being violently …
BLOTTER: Grand theft cart? ‘Stolen’ dolly was just borrowed by facilities
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, Aug 19, 2024 12:22 am: An officer responded to an individual north of the CA building. Individual was told to leave and obeyed. 12:32 am: An officer responded to an individual loitering at the stairs north of the C building. Individual was told to leave …
New building woes: The shrunken science structure U won’t fit in
Share: Professors in the natural sciences division at the May Board of Trustees meeting raised concerns that current designs for the new U building would not provide sufficient office or lab space to accommodate the classes moving in upon its completion. “So regarding the concerns over the office space, we have been assigned a space of five and a half by six feet which we would argue is inadequate to serve our students,” biology professor Richard Lie said at the meeting. In a separate unlisted …
BLOTTER: A mysterious banging sound and knives aplenty at PCC
Share: Monday, May 27, 2024: Nothing to report Tuesday, May 28, 2024: 10:59 a.m.: Person reported a transient sleeping inside the GM building lobby. The transient was a student. 11:19 a.m.: Student reported a PCC laptop was stolen from their vehicle in Monterey Park. The Monterey Police Department report number was documented. 1:29 p.m.: Person reported hearing a banging sound coming from the GM building men’s locker room. A transient was escorted out of the area. 2:49 p.m.: Passerby reported a male was yelling near …
Divestment calls persist, but path forward still unclear
Share: Efforts to pressure the Pasadena City College (PCC) Foundation to divest from major polluters and defense contractors are pressing on, but the path forward remains unclear due to the foundation’s independent governance, fears of professional repercussions among faculty, and a lack of concrete action in response to student protests and resolutions. Following a 300-person demonstration led by the PCC Anti-War Club in late April, PCC’s student government unanimously passed a resolution calling on the foundation to divest from companies involved in fossil fuels and …
PCC’s campus sees drastic Title IX changes this fall semester
Share: With the recent changes to Title IX’s policies, as well as a recent development amongst administrators in Pasadena City College’s Title IX department, PCC is going to see a noticeable shift in both protocol and the number of Title IX staff on campus in the fall. PCC, along with all other federally funded K-12 schools and campuses across the country, have until Aug. 1, 2024 to comply with these rules, effectively replacing the Trump era changes that were made to Title IX in 2020. …