1988_05 The Daily Collegian May 1988

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P"gc2  Wednesday, May 11,1968
Opinion
McCue's View
Meanwhile, back at the Nancy Reagan
school of government (Fresno Campus),
Mark Astone works on Budget problems.
Astone fights for
his own interests
Editorial
Student voice is
heard by Senate
Afkr an how and a half of debate. The
Daily Collegian received $34,455 for the
next year in Associated Students funding
yesterday.
The Northwest comer of the main floor
of the College Union was packed with
concerned students. Some people were
carrying protest signs. Some were
wearing black armbands. But, all were
watching the proceedings. There were
even students who took a turn at the
microphone, commenting on the senate's
cuts to The Daily Collegian's budget.
There was an involvement that hasn't
been seen at too many AS meetings. A
large group of students who were
concerned about the fate of their
newspaper—and it is the students'
newspaper—confronted the AS Senate.
The students who weren't at the
meeting made their presence felt in
another way. One-ttousand six-hundred
and five members of the student body
signed i petition protesting last week's
Collegian budget cuts, deirwnstraiing that
they took the dramatic decrease in funding
personally.
And the Collegian staff took the
student support personally. After .earning
of the budget cuts at the last senate
meeting, students poured into the paper's
office dernariding petitions and asking
what they could do to help.
It wasn't just the journalism majors
either—English majors, philosophy
students, biology majors, sorority and
fraternity members and a variety of others
came to ask if they could do anything to
make a difference. The Collegian staff
was gratified by the readership
representation who voiced concern when
our existence as a daily fell under the
threat of undedunding.
We would like to thank those that
came to our defense. The support is
appreciated. The newspaper may be the
campus voice, but the students are the
body we speak for.
Wok This
By Rob Evans
I'm generally not one to bold a grudge,
but I can't forgive Mark Astone.
I can't forgive his abuse of power. I
can't forgive his disregard for the desires
of students. I can't forgive the decline in
the quality of this newspaper that he
caused in the last week. I can't forgive the
damage he has done to the image of the
AS.
Al yesterday's senate meeting, The
Daily Collegian received a reasonable
operaung budget for next year.
Administrative Vice President Cyndi
Mattos and members of the Finance and
Budget Committee proposed a well-
thought budget with minor problems that
were ironed out at the meeting. The
budget was "streamlined," to use a
favorite word of Astone.
That's (he way the process is supposed
to work.
And that also represents a direct
contrast from the fiasco that Astone tried
to pull last week. The Collegian received
just over $34,455 yesterday. The budget
Astone originally presented to the senate
(and the Collegian) last week was slightly
more than $16,000.
He kept his unacceptable proposal
tinder wraps, away from most senators
and the newspaper until just moments
before last week's senate meeting. So he
obviously knew his plan was outrageous
and sure to cause a backlash.
Sure enough, the proposal did cause a
backlash. It caused a reduction in the
quality of this newspaper when Collegian
editors were forced to use it as a lobbying
forum. It took editors and writers away
from the job they were hired to perform
and put them out battling the senate and
drumming up support for our cause.
Mark Astone has also caused wounds
to the AS Senate thai may be slow to
heal. President-elect Scott Vick has the
difficult job of cleaning up an AS image
thai has been reduced to new lows. He
must prove he is honest and a leader with
integrity.
Most of all, Vick must prove he has
the wants and needs of students at heart
Mark Astone went out of his way to see
thai his power and the power of the senate
was maximized, leaving AS committees
virtually without say. He especially
slighted the Finance and Budget
Committee and the Media Council. Vick
must rebuild the committees and get them
functioning again.
Time and time again, Astone reminded
the congregation at yesterday's senate
meeting that the entire senate, not just
he, approved the Collegian budget last
week. Why was everyone blaming this on
him? He couldn't figure il out.
But like so many things that come out
of his mouth, that's only a naif-truth.
Only a few members of the senate had an
active part in the budget proposed last
week. He was pan of that secretive group.
As the AS presideni, he had the power to
ask for research into Collegian funding.
He didn't He had a master plan.
And now, as if he hasn't left enough of
a mess already, Mr. Astone is threatening
to veto the entire AS budget because the
Collegian was allotted too much money.
That hurt his feelings. At one point in
the meeting, Astone said he would
support a budget of $32,000 for the
Collegian during one point in the
meeting. The Collegian was given about
$2,500 more than that.
In other words, Astone is threatening
to veto an $800,000 budget over a $2,500
blow to his pride.
And through it all, even when every¬
thing points to the contrary. Mark Astone
gives that all-knowing smirk and claims
he is fighting "for what's best for the
students."
We all know now that Mark Astone
only Fights for his own interests.
Rob Evans' column appeared every
Wednesday in The Daily Collegian.
Reader
Response
to The Daily Collegian is welcome. Please
send letters of no more than 250 words to
'The Daily Collegian, Keats Campus Build¬
ing California State University Fresno, Fres¬
no, California 93740-0042. Letters must be
signed and have the author's name, tele¬
phone number, and address.
More perspective
The Daily Collegian
JoAnn Baltau - Editor in Chief
Lisa Kim Bach - Managing Editor
Tracy Coma - News Editor
Anna Daza - Copy Editor
Sharon Kuan - Ad Manager
Kenny Low - Business Manager
T. James Madison
Jon Matsune - Sports Editor
Kurt Hegrc - Photo Editor
Richard McCue - Staff Artisi
Rob Evans - Graphics Editor
Susie Tombs - Ad Production Mgr.
Jeff Markarian - Asst. Business Mgr.
Entertainment Editor
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Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to offer my per¬
spective on the AS Senate's decision to
cut the funding of the Daily Collegian.
First of all. I don't feel that this decision
is the tragedy that the May 4th edition of
the Collegian made this decision out to
be. For one thing, it isn't just the
Collegian that has received the taste of
the budget axe. All student clubs and
organizations lhat receive funding from
the AS have fell the axe as well. Granted
that the Collegian has suffered the biggest
chop, but who ever said thai life was fair?
Second, I would rather see the AS
funds be spent more on worthwhile pur¬
suits, such as student clubs, organiza-
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lions, scholarships and guest lecturers. I
fail to see where the Collegian qualifies
as pan of- the educational process. As far
as I can see, the Daily Collegian qualifies
as a junior runner up to the National En-
uirer. The Collegian  slings more mud
than it bothers io report real news. About
the only  thing decent about it is the
sports reporting and the write-ups on the
guest lectures.
Lastly, I fully admit that perhaps the
way the AS Senate has handled the affair
may have left a lot to be desired. Also the
name-calling involved in this issue could
have been done without. But what has
been done has been done, and the next
best thing to be done is for the Collegian
to seek a new source of funding thai
doesn't involve AS funds. „.        ,
Sincerely,
Bryon P. Spicci
by Berke Breathed
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