Month: May 2019

The Aztecs struggle across finish line
Sports

The Aztecs struggle across finish line

By ANGEL CANEZ Pima Community College played their final home series in a doubleheader on March 23 against conference for Arizona Western Community College and wrapped up there season on the road to take on South Mountain in a doubleheader.  Pima improved on last seasons record of 21-31 and 11-29 in conference games, winning 15 more games to finish the year with a 36-19 and 22-16 in conference. This has been Pima’s most wins since 1993. The Aztecs would drop the final two games of the season against South Mountain on the road getting out scored 13-1.  Losing the first game 7-1 the Cougars jumped out to a 6-0 lead.  Austin Bryan had his worst outing of the season lasting less than two innings giving up six runs on six hit.  Pima was blacked out in the second game mustering up only two...
Special Ed students transition from high school to college
Opinion

Special Ed students transition from high school to college

By DRAEDON LEDBETTER The transition from high school to college can be stressful for any student, but the stress can be more overbearing for students with disabilities. According to federal data, a third of special education students that enroll in a four-year college or university graduate within eight years. Special education students enrolling in two-year schools or community colleges don’t fare much better than those who enroll in four-year schools which is a total of 41 percent of special education students. According to nces.ed.gov, a specific learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spe...
A pioneer for Mexican-American Studies
News

A pioneer for Mexican-American Studies

By ALEXZANDRIA MARTINEZ Rosalia Solorzano was honored with emeritus status on Feb. 6 at the district District Office.  Solorzano is the 37th faculty member to receive this honor at Pima Community College. Distinguished individuals who have retired are nominated by former colleagues and faculty members confidentially.  The faculty emeritus award is the most important award to be given at Pima Community College and recognizes faculty and their contributions and services to the college.    “I’m very proud and very honored to have received the faculty emerita award,” Solorzano said.    She has been a instructor for 40 years and has taught thousands of students at Pima. She retired as a Pima sociology instructor after 21 years.  During Solorzano’s teaching career, she also has been a rese...
Pima trying to finish season over .500
Sports

Pima trying to finish season over .500

By KYLE McDANIEL April 27 (H) Game 1: PCC 5, South Mountain CC 4 F/8 After being swept at South Mountain earlier this season, the Aztecs returned the favor by beating them in both games at West Campus. Pima took an early lead after scoring 1 run in the first, but the Cougars did their damage in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring a combined 3 runs.  Sophomore Ariana Gomez hit a sacrifice fly to score freshman Turner-Vizcarra and tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the seventh.  In the eighth inning, South Mountain was able to score one run. Sophomore Maria VanezaCaldera hit a fielder’s choice to tie the game. Turner-Vizcarra hit the game-winning walk-off single with 2 outs to score Caldera. Freshman Abril Nerey got the victory in relief, as she pitched the last five innings. Nerev g...
MMA through the eyes of Birchak
Stomping Grounds

MMA through the eyes of Birchak

Photos and story by MATTHEW HILL     Unlike going to your traditional gym where you work out with weights and machines and run on treadmills, you can get a full-body workout learning new self-defense techniques and body-movement skills practicing jiujitsu. Located at 4765 E. Speedway Blvd., 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is home to many practitioners who want to keep evolving and challenge themselves through this martial art. The gym offers discounts to University of Arizona and Pima Community College student first responders, as well as active-duty military and veterans. With access to over 100 gyms worldwide, there is unlimited training in jiujitsu, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, MMA, strength and conditioning, and nutrition plans. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is owned and operated by A...
Aztecs swing into second place in team play
Sports

Aztecs swing into second place in team play

  By ALEXANDER LOPEZ Coming off its stellar win in the home invitational and for the fifth time this season, Pima Community College Women’s Golf team closed out team play with second place.  The Women’s team marched into Los Colinas Golf Resort for the Chandler-Gilbert Invitational, and it wasn’t disappointed.  After the first day of team competition, Chandler-Gilbert Community College topped the leader boards at 328, with a 33-stroke differential from the next-closest team, Pima Community College, who had 361.  The Aztecs shot 15 strokes under on Day 2 and locked in the second spot in team play. Even though team competitions were so spread out by large margins, individual events were more closely contested.  Sophomore Elizabeth Satterfield (Ironwood Ridge High School) had a tou...
GOHS awards Pima a $10,000 pedestrian safety grant
News

GOHS awards Pima a $10,000 pedestrian safety grant

Story and photo illustration by ALEXANDER LOPEZ The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has awarded Pima Community College a “GOHS Pedestrian and Bicyclist Focus Education and Enforcement Efforts” grant, for the amount of $10,000 and will be paid out through the 2019 year. So far, Pima Community College Police Department had conducted three pedestrian and bicycle safety traffic campaigns, all were paid for by the grant. The three safety campaigns have taken place at the Downtown Campus, because of its high numbers of collisions involving pedestrians and bicycles, described Officer Josh Blum. The Downtown Campus isn’t the only affected area. Due to the large volume of traffic the West Campus sees on a weekly basis as well as the adjacent streets and neighborhoods, which PCCPD...
Teeing off for decades for Pima Community College
News

Teeing off for decades for Pima Community College

By ALEXANDER LOPEZ One thing that you almost can always find around Tucson is an open golf course.  With the endless Tucson sunlight and heat, almost every day is a perfect day for 18 holes, and for Pima Community College facilities employee Albert Quihuis, his life wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for one. Growing up in the Barrio Hollywood neighborhood on the West Side of Tucson, life wasn’t always the easiest or the safest.  As the youngest of seven children, childhood became even more difficult when his father passed away and his mom was forced to take the reins of the family.  With all of the craziness of life, Quihuis would find his serenity on the course, hitting round after round.  He would hit buckets of golf balls until he had blisters on his hand, only to come back the n...
When foreign becomes domestic  
News

When foreign becomes domestic  

By COSTA B. PAPPAS With Pima Community College being such a culturally inclusive school, it has brought in a wide variety of students with different nationalities from all types of cultural backgrounds. Some of these students speak fluent English, but for some English is not their first language. Many would believe that to go to college the student would have to be fluent in English to keep up with the classes. However, students thankfully have the resource of the ESL program, also known as English as a second language. Lisa Jurkowitz, the ELAA coordinator for Pima’s English as a world language program, she explained how Pima has two separate programs for non-native English speakers. There is a free non-credited English Language Acquisition for Adults for those who do not know how to s...
The return of Media Fusion
Arts & Entertainment

The return of Media Fusion

By AMARIS ENCINAS The Digital Arts department at Pima Community College will be hosting its annual Media Fusion on May 3.  Media Fusion specifically showcases three aspects: film, game design and animation. It started in 2017 and takes place at the end of each Spring semester.  “It grew out of an annual showing of student films that has been going on for many years,” said Greg Loumeau, head of Pima’s digital arts program. “Dennis Landry, the former digital art department head who passed away last May, came up with the idea to expand the film event to include student animations and games.”  Landry named the event, and he created the design for the posters that are used every year to promote the event.  “This year’s event will be the biggest yet,” Loumeau said. “We’re going to have a li...