Wednesday, July 15

News

How PCC staff members are juggling responsibilities during heightened ICE activity
3Mar By Emma PetersonNo Comments
News, Pima News, Politics, US News

How PCC staff members are juggling responsibilities during heightened ICE activity

By Illianna Valenzuela Flyers around PCC's campuses about "shelter in place" and "lockdown" protocols that are being referenced when considering ICE raids. Photo by Illianna Valenzuela. “We will be analyzing the aftermath of this for decades to come,” said Rowan Moore, Sociology teacher at Pima Community College. The increasing activity of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) around Pima Community College Campuses has been weighing on staff, potentially harming education and work experiences. PCC Chancellor, Dr. Jeffrey P. Nasse, recently gave a statement released on January 29, 2026 addressed to fellow colleagues. He said, “The college is closely monitoring developments and has plans and protocols in place for a range of potential scenarios.”  ...
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ChatGPT Warns: “You should not treat me like an inherently reliable authority” 
2Mar By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Culture, News, Uncategorized

ChatGPT Warns: “You should not treat me like an inherently reliable authority” 

By Diedra Eby By now, everyone using ChatGPT and other Large Language Model (LLM) artificial intelligences (AI)  should be well aware that they can hallucinate.  Essentially, a hallucination is a lie without the negative intent that humans generally have behind a lie. According to a conversation with ChatGPT on Jan. 31, 2026, an “AI hallucination = fluent nonsense delivered with confidence." A screenshot from the author's conversation with ChatGPT on Jan. 31, 2026. Why does it happen?  Because LLMs (what we most commonly call AIs) - at least popular ones like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grammarly, Deepai (ChatGPT Alternative), Perplexity, Claude and Microsoft’s CoPilot (there are many more) - are programmed to predict the next word in a sentence.  In its simp...
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Welcome Week Success: Thanking the individuals who helped make PCC’s spring semester start smooth
27Feb By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Pima News

Welcome Week Success: Thanking the individuals who helped make PCC’s spring semester start smooth

By Diedra Eby Stephanie Dennison, Director of Student Experience and Enrollment, took the time to discuss Adult Education classes (ABE and ASE) at the Downtown Campus. These classes are also offered at the Desert Vista Campus.  Photo by Diedra Eby. Natalie McConnell and Samantha Severson manned the ABE for College and Career table for the Student Life Welcoming Committee. They handed out snacks and stickers, as well as bags that included mini bottles of water on the hot beginning days of the semester.  Photo by Diedra Eby. Project Manager Brad Butler took time from Educational Technology to welcome students with information about Pima Engage, where you can find out all the information about what’s happening on campus. He also handed out clear fanny packs fo...
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Rodeo 101: This ain’t my first rodeo, but if it’s yours, here are some things to know 
27Feb By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Arizona News, Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events

Rodeo 101: This ain’t my first rodeo, but if it’s yours, here are some things to know 

By Natalia Serrano A "bucking bronco" at the Tucson Rodeo. Photo by Justin Doherty. La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, otherwise known as the Tucson Rodeo, turns 101 this year. The rodeo began in 1925 during the prohibition era, and serves as a Tucson timestamp. The rodeo is a celebrated event in town, with Tucson schools having Thursday and Friday off before the finals. The event is considered one of the top 25 rodeo events in the country. The event is so large that it has brought in $17 million to the Tucson economy in recent years.  Now, if you are planning to attend the main rodeo events at the rodeo fairgrounds, it's important to know a couple of things. For starters, official parking is cash only and is right next to the grounds. There is parking at some surrounding busine...
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Guinea Pig Heist Leads to Allegations of Abuse, Corporate Infighting
12Dec By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Arizona News, Features, Uncategorized

Guinea Pig Heist Leads to Allegations of Abuse, Corporate Infighting

By Rory Archer An image of many of the guinea pigs at Lidtke Small Animal Foundation, taken from @lsafguineapigs on Instagram. TUCSON, ARIZ. — In the early morning of Sept. 23rd, two teenage girls were recorded smiling and covering a camera on the Lidtke Small Animal Foundation (LSAF) property in Marana. When employees came in for their shift later that morning, they found that 25 of their 26 guinea pigs were missing, and racial slurs were written on their whiteboards.  By the following Saturday, 24 of the 25 guinea pigs were recovered safely, one of the guinea pigs having passed away in the meantime.  One of the teen’s mothers, 47-year-old Heather Jenson, was identified as a third suspect in the theft and was known to the sanctuary. LSAF was in the process of rel...
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A Call to Action: How Your Work Can Put the Community First at PCC 
10Dec By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Business, Opinion, Pima News

A Call to Action: How Your Work Can Put the Community First at PCC 

By Caroline Hansen Supporting the Learner: Building a Better PCC Experience When a person decides to go to college, it is one of the most important decisions they will make in their life. When a person is starting out at their local community college, they most likely have not led a privileged life. When an older person comes back to get a degree and they qualify for FAFSA, chances are they really need the financial aid and need to get that degree as quickly as possible.  There are many reasons students might experience financial hardship, especially coming back to school later in life. Maybe it was a car accident, a divorce, an injury, or a job layoff. Perhaps they were disenfranchised from their former job or their field has been taken over by AI. Chances are, they aren’t b...
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Spring Registration is Now Open: Need Some Ideas for Enrollment?
26Nov By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Pima News

Spring Registration is Now Open: Need Some Ideas for Enrollment?

By Diedra Eby Pima Community College West Campus. Photo courtesy of the Pima Foundation Events Archive. Two times a semester I get so excited – wrapping up the semester knowing I’ve finished another term, and registering for the next session. It’s that time of year again. What courses do you have on your mind? You’ll want to sign up as soon as possible, because the best ones fill up quickly! Here's some ideas for those wondering what classes to enroll in: ANT 110: Buried Cities and Lost Tribes. I know this one personally; I took it my first semester here at Pima. Dr. Claypatch’s enthusiasm was so infectious that I’m thinking of majoring in anthropology/archeology when I transfer to the University of Arizona. I could quote to you the nitty-gritty the catalogue says, but the fu...
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ARC Health and Wellness Fair Brings Connects Students with Much Needed Resources
26Nov By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Pima News

ARC Health and Wellness Fair Brings Connects Students with Much Needed Resources

By Caroline Hansen Entrance to Pima Community College West Campus. Photo by Caroline Hansen. The Social Services Education (SSE) Department at Pima Community College hosts the ARC Health and Wellness Fair semesterly at the West Campus. It is a chance for students and staff at PCC to talk to a variety of service providers from the college’s ecosystem as well as many from the Tucson community. Rachael Lord, MSW, is on the faculty of the SSE Department. She and Susan Ho, MSW, oversee PCC’s ARC Food Pantry that serves thousands of students yearly.   “After Covid Susan and I decided that we needed to bring resources onto campus so students could ask questions and interact in person with representatives from agencies that serve the community. Susan and I brainstormed an...
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Interesting and Important Upcoming Events at PCC
20Nov By Emma PetersonNo Comments
Pima News, Pima Theatre, Stomping Grounds

Interesting and Important Upcoming Events at PCC

By Diedra Eby Multiple Pima campuses will be hosting events that are both interesting and important. From funding your education to advancing your career, keep in mind these upcoming activities to share your opinions and partake in giveaways you’ll want to snatch up. Family Game Night Food and fun for everyone! Nov. 17, 3 – 5 p.m. at Northwest Campus Student Life (7600 N. Shannon Road). This event is put on by the First Year Experience Team. The description on the events page says, “Enjoy some guys and grab some food." I’m not even kidding. Check it out here. Someone please let me know which runs out first: the guys or the pizza. Sweater Swap Nov. 17 – 21 is "Bring a Sweater – Take a Sweater" at the Downtown Campus Library Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. an...
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