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Palo Alto supports GED Community Program
By Sarah L. Lopez Pulse Staff Reporter From early on, the term GED (General Educational Development) has always been associated with negative opinions, but Palo Alto’s Adult Learning Academy is here to change that perception. Twenty-five to 50 percent of individuals within the ages of 18 and 30 do not have a high school diploma…
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Teatro Palo Alto becoming a South Side arts beacon
By Thristan Ramos Pulse Staff Reporter This year Palo Alto’s theater department is bringing Majestic Theatre-quality productions to the South Side of San Antonio. This change is brought by Hector Garza, the new program director of the Drama Department and the artistic director of their new program “Teatro” at Palo Alto. Garza arrived at the…
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Two Generations, One Goal
By Alexis D. Vega Pulse Staff Reporter Rene Neira and his granddaughter Melanie Salazar spend Saturday mornings eating breakfast together, go to the movies and also attend Sunday Mass together. What is even more special about this pair is that they attend the same college. The Palo Alto College students have won the hearts of…
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Full-time faculty grows by 12.5 percent at PAC
By Kaylee Jackson-Edwards Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College expanded its teaching staff by adding 11 new full-time faculty members. In the 2015-2016 academic year, PAC had 88 full-time faculty members compared to the 99 full-faculty members they have now, a 12.5 percent increase. Professor Juan Tejeda is currently the lead instructor for the Mexican-American…
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Honors Courses to begin in Spring ’17
By Julianna Montoya Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College is launching two new honors courses in Spring 2017 and wants 36 freshmen to enroll. Honors English 1302 and Honors History 1302 will be introduced as a soft launch to test the effectiveness of the program before introducing five courses in Fall 2017. The Honors Program is “similar…
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Puente’s future bodes well for freshman
By Humberto Macias Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College has been awarded a $102,000 grant to aid the Puente program. Targeting first year students who test at a pre-college English level, Puente has blossomed since its introduction in 2012. The grant is funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Division of College Reading and…
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Class sizes matter in Developmental Ed
By Michael A. Garza Jr. Pulse Staff Reporter National research says that developmental class sizes should be no larger than 15 students per class, but Palo Alto’s class size is set at 22 right now. Developmental classes are for students who did not test to be in a college-level course and who did not receive…
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Palo Alto aims to aid its community
By Bobby P. Gomez Jr. Pulse Staff Reporter The Student Health, Advocacy, Resources and Engagement Center (S.H.A.R.E. Center) is expected to hit the ground running with a food and clothing pantry for more than just students. Room 101 in the Student Center once housed Student Life and is in the process of opening the S.H.A.R.E.…
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Library helps ESL families learn English
By Isaiah Alonzo Pulse Staff Reporter Palo Alto College Library’s Together We Read program gives English language learners and their families the opportunity to improve their literacy skills. Beginning Sept. 15 and running through Oct. 20, the program aims to improve literacy skills through six 90-minute sessions. Each session covers a variety of exercises, including…
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Federal Aid needs to be saved to avoid loans
By Angie Saenz Pulse Staff Reporter Each year thousands of college students struggle with the financial obligations of obtaining an education. For many, the costs quickly become an obstacle to their success. The federal aid a student receives is fixed, regardless of the institution, which means students should save as much as possible from what…
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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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