All Entries in the "Spotlight" Category
Online Extra: Football snaps 29-game losing streak
By James Kelley
Well that didn’t take long.
The Pima Community College football team snapped its 29-game losing streak in its season opener Sept. 4 at Phoenix College, winning 17-14.
Sophomore running back Andy Garcia provided the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run. Garcia had a stellar night, rushing for 80 yards on eight runs.
The Aztecs’ last win was 63-2 over Verde Valley, a semi-pro team, on Aug. 25, 2007.
The win also snapped Pima’s 48-game losing streak to college teams. The Aztecs’ last true win came in the 2004 Pilgrim’s Pride Bowl, over No. 4 Kilgore College.
In the Sept. 4 victory, Pima’s freshmen quarterback combo of Zander McKean and Zach Schira went 7-16 for 76 yards. McKean was 3-7 for 22 yards, while Schira was 4-9 for 54 yards.
Sophomore running back Ronald Hopper scored Pima’s first touchdown, on a one-yard run in the first half. Freshman kicker Adam Valenzuela kicked a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter.
PCC’s offense gained 257 yards, 81 rushing and 76 passing. Freshman running back Damion Bracy had 49 yards on five rushes.
Freshman receiver Chris Howard led the Aztecs in the air with four catches for 28 yards. Sophomore receiver Scott Campbell had Pima’s longest reception, 28 yards, on his only catch.
The Aztecs’ home opener is Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. against No. 16 Eastern Arizona College. All Pima home games are at Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
Tickets are $6, and $4 for students.
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Rent-a-text catching on with Pima students
Students wait to pick up rental books at the West Campus bookstore. Aztec Press photo by Gabi Pina.
By Kyle Wasson
To combat the high cost of textbooks, Pima Community College bookstores have partnered with Follett Higher Education Group to offer “Rent-a-Text.”
By offering 50 percent or more off the cost of new textbooks, the rental option has instantly become an affordable alternative for PCC students.
PCC student Reba Lomelino took advantage of the new option. “I paid over $300 last semester for all of my books,” she said. “Today I walked away spending less than half.”
During a quick survey at Downtown Campus, 43 of 50 students said they took the rental route.
“Students can finally afford to buy all of their supplies and not worry about the burden of purchasing a textbook,” Downtown Campus Bookstore Manager Joshua Young said.
Since commencement of the rental program, the Downtown Campus bookstore has recorded more than $30,000 in savings, Young said. Savings rise to more than $200,000 when Northwest Campus and West Campus bookstores are included.
The “Rent-a-Text” program is available in campus bookstores or online. Students pick up the textbooks at the campus bookstore of their choice.
Students can use various payment methods ranging from cash to financial aid.
While using the rented textbooks, students can highlight and take notes “within the normal wear and tear associated with coursework.”
Students may also buy their textbooks at the end of the semester if they decide to keep them.
What’s the catch? Just as with movie rentals, there are fees for non-returned books. Potential costs include processing fees, late fees and purchase of the text if the book is not returned.
To learn more about the “Rent-a-Text” program, contact any PCC bookstore by phone or on the Web at www.pima.bkstr.com. You can also register online through Follett at efollett.com or at www.rent-a-text.com. Follett also has a Facebook page.
Students walk past signs advertising Rent-a-Text.com. Aztec Press photo by Ed Adams.
Student leader not shy about getting involved
Story and photo by David Mendez
The first words out of her mouth after introductions were, “I’m shy.” Her body language supported her claim.
But however shy she claims to be, Sugey Lopez doesn’t hide how strongly she feels about, well, anything.
Sugey (pronounced “sue-hay”) Lopez, 26, is in her third semester at Pima Community College and her first term as West Campus Student Government president.
Sugey Lopez, West Campus student body president
Her administration’s fingerprints are evident from the moment you walk into Student Life offices and see volunteers wearing blue and orange “Get Involved” shirts.
Lopez designed the shirts, as well as blue fliers advertising Welcome Week events, which ranged from free popsicles to an iPod Touch giveaway.
It’s all part of Lopez’s strategy on how best to spend her time as president.
“We want to do it big,” she says. “I don’t feel people knew student government was here in the past.”
Lopez wants to institute a feeling of community. She would like students to feel as comfortable on campus as she does, and to not have to search for that feeling. To that end, she’s spearheading an effort to make all students feel included.
She notes she’s a member of many groups: a Mexican national, a graduate with multiple degrees and a lesbian. In fact, she moved to Tucson to be with her girlfriend, a former PCC employee.
Her sexuality turns out to be a motivating factor, in part because of her family life. She was raised in a religious family and realized two weeks after her 21st birthday (and two weeks before leaving on a religious mission) that she was gay.
“I was told, ‘You had so much potential when you were straight,’” she remembers. “What changed about me?”
Her goal: “I want to prove that, no matter who you are, no matter what you’re like, you can still make a difference here.”
She says Welcome Week Fall 2010 was a larger affair than in previous years. The second week of school included karaoke, a hypnotist, two organization fairs and free massages.
Similar events will be discussed for the future, with “discussion” a key word. “We’ve already been getting great feedback” regarding Welcome Week, she says, and would like to hear from students on what they’d like to see next.
She invites students to attend Student Government meetings. The first takes place Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 9 a.m. in the Student Life offices located near the cafeteria.
Lopez also wants to involve faculty by organizing educational events. She hopes instructors will give extra credit to students for attending.
She hopes campus clubs, athletics and student government can work together to support each other.
“I will try my best to work with sports and with music,” she says. “We can’t reach everyone by ourselves…we’re not supposed to be alone.”
West Campus isn’t all that’s on her mind, either. Given the opportunity, Lopez would “love to do a mega-event” with Pima’s other campuses.
“I would like to join forces with them,” she says. “After all, we’re all Pima. We all have the same name.”
Lopez is currently enrolled in Pima’s nursing program. “I always wanted to pursue a career in medicine,” she says.
For now, Lopez continues to work at her classes and helps publicize student government through activities such as handing out Welcome Week fliers to classmates.
“What I like is that people are starting to know me, goingm ‘Hey she’s in my class,’” Lopez says. “It’s better to start with one or two, instead of a hundred.”
So maybe she is shy after all. But if you get the chance, don’t hesitate to talk to Lopez about ways to improve West Campus.
“We want students to tell us what they want and need,” she says. “The college needs to care for students.”
Art exhibit spotlights Pima artists
By Ana Ramirez
Photos courtesy of PCC Center for the Arts
As the dog days of summer linger, people seek new ways to entertain themselves while staying cool. One way to beat the heat is to visit the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery at Pima Community College’s West Campus Center for the Arts.
From Sept. 7 to Oct. 22, the gallery will exhibit “Portraits,” featuring works by Louis Carlos Bernal, Ann Simmons-Myers and Hirotsune Tashima. Admission is free.
'Self Portrait,' Louis Carlos Bernal, Douglas, Ariz., 1978
Bernal, an internationally known photographer, taught in the art department at PCC for 17 years before a fatal bicycle accident in 1989. Simmons-Myers directs PCC’s art photography program and Tashima is PCC’s director of ceramics.
What will attract people to the exhibit? “A wonderful sense of humanity, a sense of intimacy that makes you think about the individual,” Simmons-Myers said.
Many of the portraits on display have never been shown to the public and will be available for sale, she said. Proceeds will benefit the Bernal Photography Scholarship fund.
Gallery talks on Sept. 23 and Sept. 29 will provide a chance for artists and audience to interact.
The Sept. 23 event will include a reception from 5-7 p.m. At 6 p.m., Simmons-Myers will discuss her portrait photography and Bernal’s work. Other participants will be Bernal’s daughters, Lisa Bernal Brethour and Katrina Bernal, who accompanied their father on many of his photography outings.
Simmons-Myers, who was friends with “Lou” for nearly 10 years before his accident, called Bernal a spiritually gifted mentor.
“It’s important to keep his work out there and exciting to show new work,” she said.
Never-before-seen images by Bernal will include color portraits and interiors he photographed from the 1960s through the 1980s that show a firsthand perspective of barrio life.
'Louise Serpa," Ann Simmons-Myers, Tucson, 2009
Simmons-Myers will exhibit color photographs taken during a recent sabbatical. The portraits honor the lives of her fellow Tucsonans in their desert hometown.
“My job as a photographer is to document my times,” she says.
'Organic Fisherman,' Hirotsune Tashima
Tashima will show self-portraits from an “Organic Banana” series, a metaphor that developed from the relationship the artist has with his Japanese culture.
During a gallery talk Sept. 29 from 2-3 p.m., Tashima will explain how he uses the banana as a symbol for everyday life.
“I want to look at the better side of the things,” he said. “I wish my work to give a little happy moment.”
Gallery hours are Monday and Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The gallery is also open before most evening performances at the Center for the Arts theaters.
For additional information, visit www.pima.edu/cfa or call curator David Andres at 206-6942.
FYI
What: “Portraits” by Louis Carlos Bernal, Ann Simmons-Myers, Hirotsune Tashima
When: Sept. 7-Oct. 22
Where: Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, PCC Center for the Arts, West Campus
Admission: Free
Storm to Aztecs: Pima’s colorful football history
By James Kelley
2005 Aztec Press file photo by Audra Bastie
There are two basic things every Pima Community College sports supporter knows: PCC sports is headquartered at the West Campus and its teams are the Aztecs.
At least that is the case now.
Pima’s youngest sport, football, also has its wildest history. In less than a decade, PCC football has been a national championship contender and has won just one game since 2004.
Football began in 2001 amid much fanfare but with humble roots. The Storm, as they were known, were based at East Campus. The team practiced at a local park and played games at Santa Rita High School.
The head coach, Jeff Scurran, had previously been the head coach at two local high schools, Sabino and Santa Rita.
Scurran eventually raised funds for a $500,000 synthetic turf practice field that was built at East Campus.
The Storm’s colors were navy blue and light blue, as opposed to the orange and black used by other Pima teams at the time. The East Campus even had its own athletic director, to oversee football, men’s golf and women’s golf.
The Storm began with a bang, upsetting the defending national champions, Glendale Community College, in the school’s inaugural football game. Otherwise, 2001 was rough for Pima, at least by the Storm’s standards, as they went 4-6.
In 2002, Pima went 7-3 and in 2003 they went 6-5.
Pima’s best year came in 2004 when the No. 11 Storm (8-3) beat No. 4 Kilgore College in Kilgore’s backyard at the Pilgrim’s Pride Bowl in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Scurran resigned after the bowl game because PCC’s recruiting focus shifted to in-state players only.
Pima’s football dark ages began in 2005, when the football team moved to the West Campus and became the Aztecs. PCC officially went 0-9, abandoning the season after losing games by scores of 83-0, 62-0 and 70-7.
In 2006, 2008 and 2009, Pima went 0-10. In 2007, the Aztecs won a pre-conference game 63-2, against a semi-pro team. Pima lost its next game 56-14.
Pima has produced players who have transferred to high-level universities, including Michigan State University, University of California, East Carolina University, Southern Methodist University and University of Northern Colorado.
The Storm and Aztecs haven’t barnstormed all over the county to gain fans, but it feels that way. Pima has played home games at Santa Rita, Amphitheater High School, Tucson High School and Tucson Electric Park. Now the Aztecs have made TEP their home.
Since the glory days of Scurran, Pima has had three coaches.
Current head coach Pat Nugent was hired as PCC’s first full-time coach in January 2009. Nugent won four coach-of-the-year awards as head of the Canyon del Oro High School program, turning a team that was 0-10 into state finalists.
PCC still hasn’t won since 2007, beaten a college team since 2004 or won a Western States Football League game since October 2004, but in 2009 those losses were much closer games. Fans hope Nugent can return Pima to respectability.
All that is left of the Storm is the East Campus field, which is now used for Pop Warner and flag football. Trash cans at the field remain decorated with the Storm lightning bolt logo.
Tucson new-wave artist here to stay
By Kyle Wasson
The Old Pueblo has produced a new artist, one with a brave and truly raw outlook on music and the listeners’ experience.
Pima Community College student Rob Easter, a Tucson resident with a passion for rock, is giving the music scene a breath of fresh air.
At the age of 4, Easter and his family moved from their hometown of Diamond Bar, Calif., to Tucson. Easter grew up in north Tucson and attended high school at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. After graduating in 2006, he wanted to break away from the ideals set forth at school and take on the world with an open mind.
“I needed to get some experience, get out on my own,” Easter said. “I kept the values they taught but had to get away from that lifestyle and just live my life.”
Music was the path Easter used to escape. Late in his junior year of high school, he started playing with the idea of a band. Shortly after, Long Live the Smoking Gun was formed. LLSG is a gritty, yet harmonic interpretation of rock‘s heavy riffs and bluesy vocals. As lead singer and guitarist for the band, Easter is at the helm of all lyrics, and his tongue is the baritone rudder steering the ship.
Easter and LLSG have completed three west coast tours with a different lineup every time. As he said, “things got crazy.” The band has gone through 13 members. The alumni are not just musicians but friends. Although there is no constant in the lineup, Easter continues to move forward with his music.
With the help of his family and countless hours working two jobs, Easter founded a local record label called 1912 Records, LLC, ‘How the southwest was won.’ From inception, his foundation has been a strong artist-label friendship and openness.
Easter has tackled the plasticity of the music industry with originality. By offering free music online and vinyl for sale, Easter is dedicated to delivering timelessness and quality to the listener.
“Anyone can burn a CD, vinyl’s special,” Easter said. There are 10 bands with 12 releases on the label, most of which have vinyl as an option on the 1912 MySpace.
As creator of 1912, Easter is taking on the challenge of bringing a new scenery and new talent to Tucson’s rock scene. From promoting to actually playing a show, Easter is hard at work peddling not only himself but other musicians as well.
Several major record companies have recently closed due to the failing music industry, but Easter is not worried. “I’m not in it for the money,” he said. “I just want to break even, someday.”
From Portland to Los Angeles, San Diego to The Living Room in Tucson, people are hearing Easter’s music. With 10 bands on the label, including LLSG, Easter wants to keep making music and continue in this tradition. Building a reputation is not easy, but Tucson’s new-wave artist is here to stay and grow, not only opening eyes, but ears.
To contact 1912 Records, visit www.myspace.com/1912records. You can also follow LLSG and 1912 on Facebook
Photo courtesy of Rob Easter
Online Extra: 2010 Pima Graduation Ceremony
Video by Mike Hawkins
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Online Extra: Summer Updates
Photo by James Kelley
Former Pima coach Roderick Gary named men’s head basketball coach
Former Pima, USA Baseball and Foothills coach Jason Hisey named head baseball coach
Men’s soccer holding tryouts July 5 and July 7
Aztecs earn Academic All-American accolades
Three softball players selected to All-American teams
Japanese Speech Contest, Aikido and Anime Club Videos
Women’s track & field takes 13th at Nationals, the men finish 17th
Video of baseball coach’s last home game
Men’s golf team finishes 18th at Nationals
Two women’s golfers finish in top 42 at Nationals
Living the Dream: Pima Fashion Show video
Both track & field teams finish third at Regionals
Chloe' Nowell
Men’s tennis finishes 19th at Nationals
Women’s tennis finishes 19th at Nationals
Men’s basketball coach Karl Pieroway steps down, again
Yavapai finishes off softball
Softball bounces back, advances to Semifinals
Softball upset by bottom seed
Immigration firestorm: Legislative bill shines harsh light on state
Opponents protest SB 1070 during a May Day march in downtown Tucson.
Story by Debbie Hadley
Photos by Mike Hawkins
Backlash continues to build since Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the nation’s harshest anti-immigrant law on April 23.
The bill, which is scheduled to take effect in less than 90 days, requires immigrants to have their alien registration documents on hand at all times. It also allows police officers to ask for documents if they suspect the person of being in Arizona illegally.
“We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act,” Brewer said. “But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation.”
Pima Community College nursing student Hancel Lopez doubts the bill will ever take effect.
“It’s going to be taken to the Supreme Court and most likely be overturned,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to go through because right now everybody’s boycotting us. We’re like the racist state, it’s terrible.”
Immigrants unable to show proof of citizenship can be arrested, jailed up to six months and fined $2,500. The new law also forbids employers from hiring known illegal immigrant laborers or transporting them when knowing their status.
Rachel Woodward, a psychology major said, “Some do come here illegally to work so they can feed their families, and now they’ll be racially profiled and totally harassed.”
A poll taken before the bill was signed into law said 70 percent of likely voters in Arizona approved of the proposed bill.
The SB 1070 bill has drawn national attention from commentators, with some observers saying Arizona has become a laughing stock. A growing movement seeks to boycott the state, with organizations already cancelling conventions scheduled to be held in Arizona.
Opponents of the bill cite racial profiling, saying officers would be more likely to question people who look Hispanic.
“I’m just happy I look white,” nursing major Matt Hollis said. “Are they going to start using paint swatches so they can tell?”
A Tucson police officer filed a federal lawsuit April 29, claiming that the bill violates several constitutional rights. Tucson City Council voted May 4 to sue the state over the bill.
Brewer said she addressed that potential by adding a provision to create training classes for police officers before the law is implemented.
“Racial profiling is illegal,” Brewer said. “We are going to be very diligent, and we’re going to make absolutely sure that the law … will be implemented properly and respectfully.”
Residents opposed to the immigration bill march in Tucson on May 1.
Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., vowed to fight the bill. “We’re going to overturn this unjust and racist law,” he told protesters gathered at the state capitol.
President Obama has called the bill a threat to the fairness that Americans cherish and noted the lack of federal help on the immigration issue.
“Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others,” he said.
Student Harrison Rawdin, an administration of justice major, noted that some people strongly support the bill.
“They think it’s doing a good thing,” he said. “I just think it’s too questionable.”
Supporters of the immigration bill hold a counter-rally in Tucson.
Students mostly unaware of campus safety programs
Story and photo illustrations by Marie Rodriguez
A young female leaves a Pima Community College campus at night after studying late. The parking lot is nearly empty except for a man lurking behind a car.
This spine-chilling scenario may leave students questioning their ability to protect themselves in a potentially threatening situation.
PCC lists maintaining a safe learning environment for students and faculty as one of its top priorities. However, if students are unaware of safety precautions and procedures, how safe is the campus?
The college has its own police department, officers on campuses from 6 a.m. to midnight, blue emergency phones installed and an escort service available when needed, but crimes still occur.
In 2008, the latest year available, PCC reported 46 disturbances, 12 assaults and six sex offenses. These totals likely don’t reflect the actual number of criminal offenses. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, fewer than five percent of attempted and completed rapes are reported to police.
Crime rates at community colleges may be a fraction of those that occur at universities that have students living on campus, but PCC has close to the same number of full-time students enrolled as the University of Arizona.
Chief of Police Stella Bay said PCC is continually looking for ways to improve safety awareness and crime prevention.
“The physical well-being of all students and employees is of paramount importance to the college,” she said in an interview.
“We have community service officers, police officers, we do training at the campuses, we have campus watch,” Bay said of protecting the campuses. “And then we have the blue phones.”
Students may spot a passing squad car on campus, but it can sometimes be difficult to quickly locate an available officer. As for other safety programs, many students are unaware of their existence.
Apprehensive students leaving campus late at night can call PCC’s escort service at 206-2700 rather than risk walking to their car alone. A secretary at PCC’s Department of Public Safety said the department doesn’t receive as many calls for escorts as one might think.
Bay said she plans to reintroduce a Rape Aggression Defense training program to students. PCC’s Web site describes the program as “a 12-hour training class with much of the time spent on practicing the practical application of defense tactics.”
Currently, there are no programs such as RAD in place to teach students defense strategies.
PCC students Nahrin Jabro and Benette Valdillez are in favor of safety awareness programs on campus.
“That would be so awesome,” Jabro said of self-defense programs. “I know nothing about anything and I have to ask for everything that I need to know about.”
Valdillez is aware of the disadvantages women face in self-defense. “I don’t mean to be sexist, but we’re just girls,” she said. “If a 160-pound guy comes after me, what am I going to do?”
She carries mace, but isn’t sure what to do if she needs to use it.
Neither student understands how the blue campus security phones are supposed to work.
“What if I’m running from someone?” Valdillez asked. “Do I pick up one phone, then run to the next? How will anyone find me if I have to run away from the phone I’m at?”
Other young women interviewed do not feel comfortable knowing that there are 14 level 2 (intermediate risk) and three level 3 (high risk) sex offenders attending PCC classes.
Most students have seen sex offender notices posted by administrators in accordance with Arizona law. Many female students don’t know how to react to the notices and begin to feel uneasy.
“I always feel weird and scared,” Selin Goktis said of seeing notices of sex offenders posted in campus bathrooms. “It’s a quiet place where anything can happen.”
PCC no longer offers programs on campus safety during freshman orientation. “So many resources are available online now,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Marketing Rachelle Howell said.
Howell also said PCC does not have any available tips for sexual assault awareness.
Bay said the police site, pima.edu/dps, offers only general tips. “I think it’s just safety awareness tips,” she said. “They’re just general, for everyone.”
Stagecraft class introduces students to behind-the-scenes theater
Stagecraft instructor Deana Radtke shows off a production costume.
Story and photos by Elizabeth Holtz
The sound of sizzling hot dogs cooking over a grill. The scent of burger juices dripping into an open flame. Someone’s bringing out a plate of veggie burgers.
“Chicago,” the musical, plays from a small boom box. People gather ‘round to sing along. They enunciate each word correctly, with pizzazz. Could this be the right class?
“Welcome to Stagecraft,” says a voice from the crowd. Yes, this is Theater 111, holding its weekly Friday noon “meeting” at the loading dock outside Pima Community College’s Center for the Arts on West Campus.
“Stagecraft is an introductory-level theater class,” instructor Deana Radtke said. “We talk about theater in general from the dawn of time to the present and into the future. We talk about all things theatrical, mostly backstage.”
Students who want to learn more are invited to attend the weekly potluck barbecue. Any contribution, from homemade goodies to a bag of chips, is welcome.
Current and potential Stagecraft 111 students gather for a weekly barbecue.
Radtke is a product of PCC theater arts. She graduated in 1996, and has taught stagecraft at the college for two years. She also teaches classes in stage lighting and basic theater graphics.
“You can’t divorce what’s backstage from what’s onstage,” Radtke said.
Stagecraft 111 teaches students how to work in a show from pre-production through the performances to striking the set.
Students learn how to build sets. They also learn about costumes, props and scenery, and study different structures and styles of theater.
“You learn a lot,” student Robbye Dewitt said. “Not just about construction, but how much goes into a show. I like working with my hands. I like to be creative, and I like to use power tools.”
Potential student Kayla Hughes checked out the class, and hopes to enroll.
“I have a fear of power tools,” she said. “I would like to help out with other stuff, like making masks. I’d be willing to try it.”
Another potential student, Jodi Von Colln, is currently enrolled in a scene design class at PCC. “I want to take stagecraft,” she said. “There is still a lot I don’t know.”
Current student Robert Armentrout said the best part of the class was becoming confident that he knows what he is doing.
“It actually stems back to high school,” Armentrout said. “I’ve always liked building things and knowing about different kinds of ropes and knots and how the flywheel system works.”
Radtke said the first week of class is all about safety. Students go through extensive training and receive a tour of the Center for the Arts facilities. In the weeks that follow, they learn to use stationary and hand power tools.
“Stagecraft is important,” Radtke said. “It builds life skills and confidence.”
Radtke said the class prepares students to work in theaters outside of PCC, like Tucson’s Invisible Theatre or Gaslight Theatre. Some of the people who work in the Tucson Convention Center’s stage, costume and lighting shops graduated from PCC.
Todd Poelstra, technical director for the PCC performing arts department, said his favorite part about stagecraft is when students see they can do things they never imagined.
“Very few students come in with the experience of working with power tools or painting, sculpting or metal working on a large scale,” Poelstra said.
Poelstra took his first stagecraft class at PCC in 1978. He said that each show is new and different, even if you have done the production a thousand times.
For more information on classes offered and registration, visit www.pima.edu.
Masks from a production rest on a theater shelf.
Online Extra: New Pima Paws club helps animals
Story, photo and videos by Narciso Villarreal
The newly formed Pima Paws Club at Pima Community College wants you to take the first step in making a difference in the welfare of all animals by joining its club.
“This group is not limited to just dogs and cats,” club organizer Heather Bradley said. “It is a place where like-minded people can meet to exchange ideas, resources and contacts. All you need is a respect for life and belief in animal welfare.”
The club will begin by serving as an educational resource and by holding informational presentations for each student group at West Campus, Bradley said. The club hopes to expand to the other five PCC campuses.
Bradley rescues animals and does as much as she can, depending on her living situation. She currently cares for three rescued cats named Bentley, Champa and Simba.
One of the club’s goals is to create a means of communication for students attending PCC and the University of Arizona, and for the Tucson community in general.
When people can no longer care for their pets, the club will inform people about options available. Residents who leave for the summer or other extended lengths of time need to know there are resources to help them with the care of their pets while they are gone.
“Abandoning your animals is neglect and cruelty,” Bradley said. “They would experience severe pain and hunger. We would rather have you seek help from the resources that we have so that they don’t have to suffer unnecessarily.”
People can contribute to the well-being of all animals by clipping coupons for pet-related products and providing them to the club, Bradley said. She also encourages people to purchase “cruelty-free” products in general.
For more information, contact Bradley at 979-6142 or e-mail hbradley1@mail.pima.edu.
Other ways to help include setting your Internet home page to theanimalrescuesite.com and clicking on the “Click Here to Give – It’s FREE!” link. With each click, sponsors will donate food for rescued animals.
The Animal Rescue site has several links for purchasing animal food and other items. The site also lets visitors earn money for animal charities by playing games.
Duke, a rescued basset hound, competes at the Canine Classic.
Other Web sites dedicated to helping animals include:
• aspca.org
• hopeanimalshelter.net
• casadelosgatos.org
• thenokillnation.com
• alleycat.org
• thenaturalcat.net
• naturaldogblog.com
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Arizona bill would lower minimum wage
Story and photo by Conrad Pursley
After hours spent sweating at the grill, sweeping the floor and cleaning the bathroom at a local McDonald’s, Pima Community College student Crystal Hardiman returns home hoping she has enough money to pay for her car, insurance and school.
If a bill introduced by the state legislature passes, she may not have even that.
In February, a House panel passed a bill that would drop the minimum wage from $7.25 to $5.44 an hour for workers ages 22 and under.
The full legislature still needs to vote on the bill for it to become law.
The man behind the bill, Rep. Laurin Hendrix, R-Gilbert, believes it will boost business and increase employment for people ages 16-22, a demographic that makes up more than 29 percent of Arizona’s unemployed.
Many college students fear they would not be able to work enough hours to pay rent and attend classes.
“I don’t know what they’re thinking,” Hardiman said. “I really hope it doesn’t go down. It’s hard work and you don’t want to be paid less. You earn that money.”
Although Hardiman lives with her parents and uses a grant to attend PCC, her $7.25 an hour wages barely cover payments for her cell phone, car and gasoline. She doesn’t know how college students who are paid minimum wage could possibly live on their own.
If the bill goes through, Hardiman says she’ll have to make some tough decisions on what can stay and what has to go.
The AFL-CIO union opposes the bill, contending it will spark negative consequences. Once businesses can pay younger employees less, union officials say managers may be inclined to lay off older workers for cheaper, younger labor.
Lawmakers such as Rep. Chad Campbell, R-Phoenix, say they would not vote for the bill in its current form but are willing to negotiate for a younger age cutoff because most teens under the age of 18 are still under their parents’ care.
Opponents disagree with lowering the minimum wage at any age, saying there are families in that demographic who need all the help they can get.
Crystal Hardiman mops up at a local McDonald's.
Rallying the troops: Vets4Vets welcome members
Story and photo by Steve Choice
From the front lines to the front row in Writing 101. It’s the road many veterans travel after returning home from overseas deployments to attend Pima Community College.
The transition can present challenges, but a recently formed student organization has mustered to address service members’ unique needs and offer peer support in the context of shared history.
The Vets4Vets Club currently counts just a handful of members in its ranks, but President Chris Clemens hopes to see major gains in the near future.
“We definitely want to achieve significant growth in the coming year,” said Clemens, a sophomore majoring in network administration. “But our mission is a little stagnated right now, due in large part to the difficulties we’re having getting better visibility on campus.”
To that end, the tightly-knit group rallied the troops for a come-one, come-all barbecue on April 13 in the courtyard behind the Santa Catalina Building on West Campus.
“We’re really trying to get our name out there,” Clemens said while wielding a spatula and tending the smoking grill. “Veterans need an organization that will bring them together for different kinds of peer-to-peer support, and building one from the ground up is our objective.”
Clemens has plenty of experience forging strong bonds where none existed previously. As a welder in one of the first U.S. Army units in Iraq, he “up-armored” military vehicles so they could more readily withstand lethal IEDs that awaited American soldiers.
“Yeah, it was pretty much, ‘You need it, you build it’ over there,” Clemens said.
He toted a heavy machine gun known as the SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon, along with his welder’s torch. “It was tough in the initial invasion, because there wasn’t anything built up yet. We know how that goes, so we’re ready for that challenge here, too.”
Vets4Vets Vice President Abel Moreno echoed Clemens’ thoughts, while also pointing out the need for strong support from the college leadership.
“I see this as being a pivotal point for a lot of positive developments in the future,” Moreno said. “I have hope and belief in this group and what it’s going to do for veterans. But we can only achieve our goals with the help of everyone involved, especially the administration.”
The Vets4Vets Club has chapters that meet at West and Downtown Campuses every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. The meetings at West Campus are in the Santa Catalina Building, Room G88. At Downtown Campus, the location is LB 171.
Perhaps mindful of the old adage “an army marches on it stomach,” the club will hold another barbecue in the next couple of weeks, this time at Downtown Campus.
For time and place of the upcoming event or any other information, contact Clemens at 272-9929 or silverwolf6669@netzero.com. Moreno can be reached at 429-7301 and abel@vets4vets.us.
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