By Carmela Kelly, December 2011 Editor-in-Chief

Campus scandal hard to find at PVCC

I watched a student sweep first place awards in numerous journalism categories at a conference in San Diego earlier this year.

That student swept me for first place in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence for In-Depth Reporting category.

Two professors at the conference told me not to worry about it. Those stories write themselves. The school is riddled with scandals, they said.

Student contemplates age, life on 60th birthday

Today is November 3, 2011. My birthday. I’m 60 years old. Six- Zero.

By Dan Ramirez, December 2011 Staff writer

I wake up ready to battle thicker tufts of wild hairs in my nose, ears and eyebrows. Am I grayer? Did I lose any hair? My skin is dryer, but that could be the cooler weather. My eyes occasionally drain from the outside corners for no good reason. I have trouble hearing in crowded, noisy rooms. I drive more slowerly. Alzheimer’s runs in my mothers’ family. My father died at 51. I wear bifocals. People look at me strangely when I tell them I have five cats. (Don’t they know that it takes six or more cats to qualify you as the “Crazy Cat Man”?) Those quirky characteristics I used to notice in old people, I now look in the mirror and see.

I woke up this morning, realizing that I have lived the majority of my life.

letters to the editor

Ex-student's lawsuit draws criticism

From Shelley Handley, December 2011
PVCC Student

As I have carefully followed the current legal matters between Margaret Smith and Paradise Valley Community College, I have felt concerned that the lawsuit, including many individuals within the Maricopa County College District, will negatively impact autonomy, independence and liberty for both teachers and students.

Because Civil Rights are important, I gathered as much information as I could to understand the issues and facts. I examined Dr. Gangadean’s course book; I read the court document; and I made several personal diverse inquiries. Perplexed, I am now struggling to see the legitimacy of Smith’s claims.

Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. . .

Dear Editor,

Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania...

Fire Joe Paterno! Fire them all, I say. Clean house—the sooner the better. Like a Shakespearean tragedy, kill everyone necessary and the one good man left standing gets to be king.   
      
I applaud high standards. But, standards aren’t standards unless they are applied to all. Let’s not be hypocritical about this. So, every university, college and school… every news agency, government agency, business and church must be examined.

If employees have committed a crime, they are fired. If someone knew an employee who committed a crime and didn’t report it, that person is fired. If someone knew an employee committed a crime, reported it to the people who were supposed to take care of it, and didn’t pursue it further, that employee is fired, too. Sorry Coach Paterno, you tried, but for too many, it just wasn’t enough. Heads must roll, and celebrity heads create the most controversy.

Besides, we have a high unemployment rate. Think of all the jobs we could create. For those interested in pursuing a political office, the choices would be endless. Of course, I’m not sure how many of us would be left. Was it Gandhi who said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”?

Understand. . .I’m not defending the actions of a pedophile like Jerry Sandusky. I’m not saying that Penn State shouldn’t have done more. I think our campus can certainly relate to Penn State.

I am saying we need to be careful. Let’s not operate like an angry mob out to lynch someone. Let’s pursue this in a way that places the good of the children first and not just seek vengeance. Or, we could all end up like Hamlet.

“The rest is silence.”

Lynn McClelland , December 2011
English Faculty

New parking eases stress

Three acres of parking freedom were paved over the desert to make life easier for students with cars at Paradise Valley Community College.

By Eric Paul Johnson, December 2011 Staff Writer

After two months of construction, begun in the brutal heat of July 8 and finished in the brutal heat of Sept. 20, 235 new parking spaces were created north of the Center for Performing Arts Building at the northeast corner of campus by 34th Street and Union Hills Drive, according to a fact sheet provided by PVCC Communications Assistant Verina Martin.

Before the arrival of this asphalt and lined automotive placement savior, the old lots and overflow dirt spaces were packed every day by 10:30 a.m.

With the current college boom, students bring their cars and waste precious time circling the
three lots (four if you count the Q building), desperately hoping for an open spot in time to rush to class.

Deportation Policy Controversy

By Jennifer Gartner, December 2011 Staff Writer

Recent changes in federal deportation laws may signal change for undocumented immigrants living in the United States. In August of this year, the Obama administration announced that some immigrants may have the chance to apply for work permits. However, criminals and those who pose a threat to national security will not have this option.

The process of deporting those who have a criminal record, while allowing others to stay and apply for a work permit, will require a case-by-case review of many immigrants’ situations.

Currently, many undocumented immigrants remain in detention, sometimes for indefinite periods of time. Some stay in detention, seeking amnesty. They fear returning to Mexico, and would rather languish in American detention centers than return to their homeland.

“Some remain in detention for two, five, or even 10 years,” s ayss  Addy Boreiss, program associate at the American Civil Liberties Union in Phoenix .