1997_09 The Daily Collegian September 1997

              THE DAILY
COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, September 3,1997
Opinion
Telephone: (209) 278-5732
Look who has
their hands on
your money
By Larry Farnsworth
Wanted: Administrative
Vice President. Seeking
individual who is interested in As¬
sociated Students. Inc. Must be
knowledgeable of ASI by-laws, co¬
operative with supervisors, and
must like math. Pick up an applica-
. tion in the ASI office in USU 312.'
This advertisement just might
run after Administrative Vice Presi-
' dent Sophie Vuong-Vang declared
she "can easily find people more
interested than me to fill in on com¬
mittees."
Thank God the AVP is a non¬
voting, ex-officio member of the
ASI. Vuong-Vang not having a vote
is a fine example of damage con¬
trol.
Let's take a walk down memory
lane and look at what Vuong-Vang
has done.
First, she voted last year, as a
member of the board, against the
Hag salute. Probably the most un¬
patriotic thing I could think of, other
than actually burning the Hag. Then
directly alter the meeting she told
the campus press that she had no
comment because she had taken too
much cough medicine and was too
ill to comment.
Fast forward to this year. Vuong-
Vang is not even supposed to he in
office. At the end of last semester,
her grades were not even high
enough to make it to the required
2.0 GPA. So then, what she does is
turn in a phony resignation lo make
herself look sick and unable to ac¬
tually do the job. The. reason, ac¬
cording to Vuong-Vang. was be¬
cause of complications from her
pregnancy.
She claimed to be loo sick to go
to her classes last semester and con¬
sequently, her grades dropped. Yel
she didn't want to give up the AVP
post because she "decided that I had
worked so hard and campaigned so
long for the position that I had to
take it."
If Vuong-Vang was so sick, why
didn't she put more time into her
school work rather than working so
long and hard on her campaign?
Lastly, Vuong-Vang has no re¬
spect for ASI Advisor Frankic
Moore.
When Moore tried to intervene
and stop the budget process because
of possible by-law infringements,
Vuong-Vang said that it wasn't fair
because Moore wasn't at any of the
finance committee meetings. Talk
about the pot calling the kettle back.
Vuong-Vang never stayed through
the duration of the finance commit-
"fee meetings last year. How do I
know? I was the finance commit¬
tee chairman. Vuong-Vang always
came in to each meeting for maybe
15 minutes at the most, just enough
to hear one. maybe two clubs. If you
don't believe me, go ask the ASI
secretaries for copies of the finance
committee minutes. Or better yet.
ask to listen to the finance commit¬
tee meeting tapes. Then you can de¬
cide what kind of presence Vuong-
Vang had.
All of this from a person who is
leading the Student Empowerment
Alliance through the budget pro¬
cess, deciding how to best spend
your money..We cannot trust
Vuong-Vang to serve in her capac¬
ity. She already approved to he a
flake last year. Already this year,
she has publicly said she is not in¬
terested in serving the students". Yet
she wants lo go about rather cava¬
lierly spending your ASI fees like
a teenager with a trust fund.
Guest Columnist
Never give in, never quit
The great statesman Win¬
ston Churchill made a
speech at his old public school.
Harrow, on October 29. 1941. It
impacts my life, and continues to
be a monument that speaks to the
need for quality leaders today.
While at Fresno State, you may be
the very leader he is encouraging
through his timeless speech. Like a
broken record, let his words keep
playing until they sink in. He said,
"Never give in - never, never, never,
never, in nothing great or small,
large or petty, never give in except
to convictions of honor and good
sense. Never yield to force; never
yield to the apparently overwhelm¬
ing might of the enemy."
As a former student, and now
city council representative of the
Fresno State area, I was asked to
write something that you perhaps
could use.
It is my hope you will benefit
from some of the lessons I am learn¬
ing.
If you are at all normal, you will
have some difficult tests ahead of
By Ken Steitz
you. During your schooling you
will be tempted at times to quit. You
may be tempted to quit a class, a
team, a project, a pursuit of a de¬
gree, or even a marriage. If you are
a Bulldog athlete you may be
tempted not to play as hard the sec¬
ond half of a game as you did the
first half. You may be tempted lo
relax and coast in your finals or
school projects. Whatever your
temptation, your choices will make
lasting effects on your character
The world is looking for leaders
Will you be their leader? Your lu-
ture and the future of those you will
lead will be changed by ihe den
sions you make today. Here arc
some characteristics I am learning
as a leader in Fresno.
Leadership is more vision than
analysis. As you keep up your stud¬
ies, do not ever forsake the reason
for them. You will eventually likely
raise a family, lead a company,
teach a student, or impact a team.
No one will ever likely ask you
what grade you got in what class
They will, however, ask you if you
finished. Vision and hard work pro¬
duces a "finishing leader."
Leadership is more people than
projects. It would be a shame to
climb ihe ladder of success and re¬
alize when you gel to the top you
arc leaning up'against the wrong
wall. In climbing, remember not to
Please see STEITZ page 4.
Daily Collegian
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University. Fresno.
Opinions expressed in the
Collegian are not necessarily
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