Month: May 2016
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You know you’re a Palo Alto student because…
By COMM 2305: Editing class Pulse staff editors 10) You’ve stood in line for free Mama Margie’s tacos. 9) You’ve learned mariachi songs because mariachis are always on campus. 8) You can eat enchiladas every day in the cafeteria. 7) You’ve taken a selfie with Primo. 6) You’ve seen a girl with a bird…
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PACfest celebrates South Side Fiesta fun
Palo Alto College celebrated the 125th anniversary of Fiesta, San Antonio’s annual 11-day party, in a big way on Thursday, April 21, 2016. This family-friendly South Side event–filled with food, music, a children’s area, a carne asada contest, spectacular fireworks and more–gave Palo Alto students, faculty, staff and community neighbors a chance to kick back and…
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Palo Alto College welcomes Sandra Cisneros
By Jasmine Treviño Pulse Staff Reporter On March 26, 2016, Sandra Cisneros gave a free public reading at Palo Alto College. Every one of the 450 seats in the auditorium was taken; the writer’s San Antonio homecoming had been anticipated for months. Dr. Alma Perez, a novelist from Zapata, Texas, traveled to San Antonio to…
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Special guest from Kenya visits PAC
By Krystal Garza Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College opened its doors to Nelson Lemeria Ole Ngotiek, a Maasai Moran (warrior) and youth leader from Ilaramatak, Narok County, Kenya. Nelson is here on a cultural program to educate both PAC and the local community on Maasai culture and heritage. The Maasai are usually associated with…
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Participatory Budgeting designates $50K for campus upgrades
By Jose Valenzuela Pulse Staff Reporter Participatory budgeting is a way to let students, faculty and staff make decisions on what the school should spend its money on. “We are the only community college in the United States doing participatory budgeting (PB),” said Anthony Perez, the college coordinator of high school programs. Palo Alto College…
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Town Hall meeting heavy on administrators and faculty
By Jasmine Treviño Pulse Staff Reporter According to recent performance updates, PAC’s graduation rate has increased 5.9 percent over the last three years. This and other topics were covered on Thursday, March 28, 2016, when Dr. Mike Flores, president of Palo Alto College, held a Town Hall meeting in the PAC Performing Arts Center, Room…
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PAC student accepts state award
By Alexandro Luna Pulse Staff Reporter Barbara Jean Ramos, a Mexican-American Studies major and president of the Palo Alto College student organization Somos MAS, accepted the first-ever Premio Estudiante de Atzlan Award for her community service engagement and academic achievements at the National Conference for Chicana and Chicano Studies – Tejas Foco in February. “It…
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Graduation rate slipping below national average
By Dolores Fischer Pulse Staff Reporter Alamo College’s graduation rate ranks below the national average according to a 2015 study done by The Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization. Alamo Colleges scored in the 27 percentile compared to the national average of 39 percent on our three-year graduation and transfer rate. Arianna Lay,…
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Board of Trustees debate tuition change
By Khrystyna Snyder Pulse Staff Reporter At the Alamo Colleges Board of Trustees meeting on March 22, 2016, a majority of trustees did not agree with a proposal on tuition changes as they considered them a tuition increase. The possibility of changing tuition and fees for Fiscal Year 2016-2017 was tabled until July or October;…
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Palo Alto College houses San Antonio’s poetry archive
By Fernanda Sanchez Pulse Staff Reporter Writers often struggle to make a living from their art. Marie Bullock, the founder of the Academy of American Poets, expressed concern over the absence of financial support given to poets. The Academy of American Poets inaugurated National Poetry Month in 1996. For the past 20 years, NPM has…
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PAC wraps up 30 years with festivities
By Katelynn Garcia Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College prides itself on providing high-quality education to the South Side community. Since the first classes were offered in 1985, more than 100,000 individuals throughout San Antonio, Bexar County and the surrounding region have been educated here. PAC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a combination of events…
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The jury is out on RateMyProfessors.com
By James B. Miller Jr. Pulse Staff Reporter An ever-growing population of students places its faith in ratings websites when determining class schedules, despite concerns over accuracy. Ratemyprofessors.com is the largest college and professor rating website on the web. In terms of traffic, it surpasses any other competitor by nearly 120,000 unique viewers per semester.…
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New advising system helps students graduate
By Beverley Garcia Pulse Staff Reporter College students have a lot on their plate in choosing their major, deciding how many classes to take and if they want to transfer to another college or university. When they have these decisions to make, advisers are there to help. Palo Alto College’s advisers are there for students…
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Presidential election around the corner
By Victoria Wilson Pulse Staff Reporter With the 2016 Presidential Election six months away, registered voters have to choose the candidate who best represents their values, which is easier said than done. Anthony Benavides, a PAC graduate, supports U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders the most. “Sanders has a spent his entire political career working toward reformation…
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Students save money with streaming services
By Isidro Medina Pulse Staff Reporter Online streaming services like Netflix and Hulu entice students to cut the cable cord with offers of cheaper prices, high-quality content and convenient access on a wide range of devices. “I barely even watch [cable] TV anymore. The only show I care about watching is The Walking Dead, and…
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Date night on a budget
By Bianca Garcia Pulse Staff Reporter Don’t let the idea of date night expenses ruin your plans. With a little imagination and frugality, unforgettable escapades at minimal costs are possible. Students often undergo financial stress because of money issues, many times sabotaging their dating life. According to debtanatomy.com, a typical full course meal and a…
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Suicide prevention only a text away
By Karenna Reyna Pulse Staff Reporter Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, according to the National Mental Health Association, with the number one cause being accidents related to vehicle and alcohol incidents. Suicide rates have tripled among young adults since the 1950s with more than 1,000 suicides per year, according…
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PAC students address academic cheating
By Kevin M. Johnson Pulse Staff Reporter According to a recent study conducted by Time Magazine, academic cheating is on the rise. This may create a big impact on the success of students. Danny Hernandez, a sophomore English major at Palo Alto, thinks that cheating is not the easy way out. “You might get away…