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PCC gets makeover for its 50th anniversary
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PCC gets makeover for its 50th anniversary

By AMARIS ENCINAS Pima Community College has decided to take the next step in revitalizing its brand as its 50th anniversary approaches. To aid in this endeavor, in January Pima hired Stamats Communications Incorporated, a higher education marketing company based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Stamats Inc. is in charge developing the “creative” in Pima’s new brand. This is what the new brand would look like, feel like and have its targeted audience receive the message in a way that was still authentic to Pima.  Vice President for Client Services at Stamats, Beatrice Szalas says, “I am just so excited to be getting a chance to work with Pima you know, since I live here in Tucson,  my company is nationwide so I have had a chance to work with other colleges and universities across the country, and...
Board of Governors’ candidates face off
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Board of Governors’ candidates face off

By JOE GIDDENS Maria Garcia and Sherryn “Vikki” Marshall are running on the midterm ballot to fill the seat of Sylvia Lee’s District 3 seat on the Pima Community College Board of Governors.  Lee served one term for six years after winning the seat from Marshall in 2012.  Maria Garcia Garcia’s connection to Pima Community College goes back to the early ’70s.  Then a new transplant to Tucson, she took up residence near St. Mary’s Road and Grande Avenue with her husband, Jorge Garcia, who relocated to Tucson because of the University of Arizona.  “I found Pima to be very enlightening,” she said. “I have used Pima … not only in my professional career but also in my personal life in learning how to raise my child by taking child development courses.”  Garcia started working at Raytheon...
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Seek these speakers

By AMARIS ENCINAS On Oct. 6, Pima Community College will continue its second annual Speaker Series. Seven the upcoming free talks will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at PCC District Office Community Board Room (Building C) on 4905 E. Broadway Blvd. Light refreshments will be available at each event. The series is a monthly forum where Pima instructors speak on a topic they’re knowledgeable about and is important to them. The Speaker Series kicked off Oct. 2 with “Morphing a Grant into a Program: The Successes and Challenges of the National Endowment for the Humanities funded Border Culture Project.” The speakers were Alisha Vasquez, Border Culture studies instructor and co-coordinator for the NEH Border Culture grant; Sandra Shattuck, Ph.D., Border Culture Studies instructor and co-coordinator...
Et tu Pima: Student-senate connection
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Et tu Pima: Student-senate connection

By ANGEL CANEZ   When you hear the word “senate,” you probably think of the approaching midterm elections or Washington, D.C.   However, there’s another senate that exists under your nose: the Pima Community College Student Senate.   The Senate consists of 14 elected Pima students. Their goal is to act as a voice for the people and to maximize Pima students’ learning experiences. They act as a bridge from the student body to the school administration to help keep tabs on campus problems.   “We represent the student population, and we always have to keep that in mind when making choices with the board,” said Pima East Student Senator Caitlin Encinas by email.   However, not everybody can run for the Senate. Requirements include attending at least 85 ...
Latinx: a cultural exchange
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Latinx: a cultural exchange

By Joe Giddens   Languages change. This was reflected in an evolution of Pima Community College’s annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s event, “A Celebration of Latinx History,” was held at the Downtown Campus on Sept. 26. The event boasted two firsts: It was the first time Pima has used the term “Latinx” for the month and for the first time, the Writing Department was involved in the proceedings, according to Mike Lopez of the Downtown Campus Student Life Office. “Because we're a Hispanic-serving institution, it seems like a particularly important month to highlight at the college,” said Brooke Anderson, organizer and writing faculty member.“(The term ‘Latinx’) is the most inclusive way to represent people from a Latin descent. And so not only does it r...
At Pima, justice is in Blum
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At Pima, justice is in Blum

By DANIEL VELASCO Joshua Blum is a Pima Community College Police sergeant and DUI coordinator who’s worked for Pima since 2012. Through his years of service, he’s seen it all, from assaults to stolen laptops. Q: How many police officers work for Pima? (all campuses) “Thirty-one right now. All campuses are staffed by one single police department. Each officer is assigned to campus based on staffing needs of the day.” Q: What are some factors that would require different staffing needs? “Events, or if we see certain crime trends, we’ll stack up officers on that campus. Depends, based on community needs of day.” Q: What made you decide to become a police office for Pima? “I enjoyed working for a smaller agency; it allows me to provide more engagement to the community rather than e...
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A new ‘Resource’

By AMARIS ENCINAS Following the meeting at West Campus last month about the increase in tuition for DACA students and available resources, like Student Life is providing the opportunity to meet with one on one with a Pima adviser. However, even with those resources available, Pima Community College has been working toward providing more resources for students who are of refugee or DACA status. Hilda Ladner, diversity, equity and inclusion officer, is the lead for a new project that involves establishing a space where students can obtain up-to-date legal information as further updates are disclosed and student workshops that work in collaboration with ScholarshipsAZ. The Student Resource Center for Immigrant and Refugee students will have a designated space at Pima’s Downtown Campus i...
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Two more high schools sign IGA with Pima

By NORA THOMPSON   Pima Community College is adding two new schools to its long list of dual-enrolled high schools: City High School and Canyon Rose Academy. Dual enrollment is when high-schoolers can take a class at their high school that counts as both a college and a high school credit. It’s an alternative to Advanced Placement courses. In order for a high school to offer college-level courses, its school district must sign an intergovernmental agreement, or IGA, with Pima. This allows Pima to count them as a part of its enrollment numbers and allows the high schools to provide the service free of charge. “If the high school teacher is teaching the course, the teacher is being paid by the high school, the district is already paying that person so there’s no real cost to Pima,”...