Santa Monica College

The head of California's community college system on Wednesday asked Santa Monica College to put on hold a controversial plan to offer higher-priced courses this summer while the legality of the program is determined. Chancellor Jack Scott said he made the request in a call to college President Chui L. Tsang during which he also expressed concern about a student protest in which several people suffered minor injuries when a campus police officer discharged pepper spray at a Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday evening.

Santa Monica College is sending more students to the University of California system than any other community college in the state. In the fall of 1990, Santa Monica College sent 419 students to UC campuses, a historical high for the Westside campus and an increase of almost 25% from the previous year. According to UC officials, Santa Monica College led the state's 107 community colleges in transfers.

Santa Monica College has received a $250,000 unsolicited earthquake recovery grant from the J. Paul Getty Trust, a Santa Monica-based arts foundation. The funds will be used to replace damaged equipment and books in the art department and library, as well as for repairs in the connected Santa Monica College of Design, Art and Architecture. The college suffered $26 million in damage from the Jan. 17 earthquake.

Proposition T, the $23-million bond issue, would tax Santa Monica and Malibu residents for upkeep on a regional facility. This community has been incredibly generous to Santa Monica College, but real people know a smelly deal when they see one. LINDA ROSS Santa Monica

Santa Monica College will sponsor a candidates forum Monday for the Santa Monica Community College District Board of Trustees election. Five candidates are vying for three open seats on the college board in the Nov. 3 election. They are incumbents Blyden S. Boyle, Pat Nichelson and Ilona Jo Katz, and newcomers Annette Shamey and Nancy G. Cattell. The forum is from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Santa Monica College Board Room, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica.

Santa Monica College is seeking host families for its international students. More than 900 students from 68 countries are expected to attend Santa Monica College this fall. Host families are paid between $300 and $500, a month depending on services provided. People interested in hosting a foreign student may pick up an application at the college's International Student Center, 1734 Pearl St., Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., or call (213) 452-9217.

Santa Monica College holds its 16th Annual Christmas Student Art Sale at the SMC Art Gallery today and Wednesday. Ceramics, blown glass, prints, painting and drawings will be for sale from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. both days. On-campus parking is free for those attending the sale. Information: (310) 452-9231.

Santa Monica College has named its chief business officer as interim president. Tom Donner will replace President Richard Moore when he leaves the post Oct. 16 for the top job at Community College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Donner will serve as president until the Board of Trustees elects a permanent replacement, which could take up to a year, officials said. Donner, who has been at the college since 1976, is not expected to apply for the permanent position, officials said.

Santa Monica College announced this week that it will reopen its planetarium on June 13 after being closed for almost five years. Renamed the John Drescher Planetarium, the facility has been technologically upgraded and can now show three-dimensional programs, said Bruce Smith, a spokesman for the college.