1997_11 The Daily Collegian November 1997

              Tall onler
Despite 12 points from Zanete Law,
the women '$ basketball team loses its
exhibition game, page 8.
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df       1 California State University, Fresno
Collegian
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Volume 108, No. 56
h ftp://www.csufresno.edu/Collegian
November 12,1997 |
Take cover!
HENRY  MADDEN  LIBRARY
Ryan Weber — The Daily Collegian
Students take shelter outside the library Monday after a
heavy storm causes a campus-wide power outage.
Classes canceled after
campus power outage
By Tim Bragg
The Daily Collegian
A power outage due to
Monday's storm caused the uni¬
versity police to shut down the
campus and cancel all of
Monday's night classes.
Electricity loss caused by
three damaged lines in the area
of Barstow and First avenues
plunged the Fresno State campus-
into darkness at about 2:50 p.m.
Plunged power poles and a
damaged transformer also called
outages in other parts of Fresno.
All night classes were can¬
celed and the campus was causes
doWn for the night at 5:00 p.m.
University police told anyone on
campus to leave.
The campus shut-down also
caused the cancellation of
Monday's Academic Senate
meeting. The senate had been
scheduled to vote on the issue of
a sexual harassment policy for
faculty and staff members.
The power outage also pre¬
vented the production of The
Daily Collegian.
According to a spokeswoman
for Pacific Gas & Electric, the
outage .covered portions of
downtown, the Tower District,
the Fig Garden area, and parts of
northeast Fresno.
Mostsre_sidents had their
power restored in the evening,
but some areas were without
power until late in the night.
Fresno reported .68 inches of
rainfall. Merced.57, Hanford .54.
Lcmoorc .29 and Madera .77.
The storm was reported as far
away as San Franciso.
Nike trys to clean up
image about factories
By Craig Keller
College Press Service
Michael Jordan and Tiger
Woods entice countless armchair
athletes with those three magic-
words: "Just do il."
Students at college campuses
nationwide, meanwhile, arc debat¬
ing whether Nike, the world's larg¬
est athletic shoe manufacturer, is
doing what it says when it boasts it
maintains model working condi¬��tions at its factories in Vietnam, In¬
donesia and China, where the ma¬
jority of its shoes are produced.
For the past few years Nike has
been the object of intense scrutiny
in the media about the workplace
conditions in its Far Eastern sub¬
contracted factories—derogatively
referred to by critics as "sweat¬
shops." Labor and human rights
. gaitizat' <ns have accused f4ikc of
forcing young women to toil'in nox¬
ious surroundings, and under en¬
forced silence and the threat of cor¬
poral punishment, for far less than
a living wage. Nike officials have
steadfastly refuted such allegations
and have said the company pro-
Please see NIKE, page 5.
Police investigation looks
at possible ASI violations
By Tim Bragg
The Daily Collegian
Alleged wrongdoing that has
put members ofthe student govern¬
ment in hot water may also get them
in trouble with the law.
The university police arc inves¬
tigating allegations that the Asso¬
ciated Students, Inc. board of direc¬
tors has violated the state education
code by taking actions that violate
their bylaws.
Student Jeff Macdonald sent a
letter to Fresno County District At¬
torney Ed Hunt requesting that
Hunt file misdemeanor charges
against the ASI for violating the
California State Education Code.
Hunt forwarded Macdonald's
charges to university police for in¬
vestigation.
Cpl. David Jensen, the univer¬
sity police officer assigned to the
ASI case, said that sections 899,
924, 927 and 928 of the California
state education code allow for mis¬
demeanor charges to be filed,
against ASI members if they know¬
ingly and willingly violate their
bylaws.
While Jensen said the charge
carries a possible penalty of six
months in jail or $500 fine, he said
community service would be the
most likely punishment for anyone
convicted.
Since the investigation has just
begun, Jensen would not comment
on any findings, or when results
-will be made public.
He said individual members of
the ASI could face charges if the
investigation finds that they voted
for or were responsible for the vio¬
lations. If charges are filed, they
will be in municipal court.
Macdonald said he is pursuing
the charges, along with a possible
lawsuit against the ASI and the uni¬
versity, to ensure that students gel
better representation from their stu¬
dent government.
He said that while he started out
as a supporter of the Student Em¬
powerment Alliance, the political
party which controls the ASI board
of directors, he has now lost faith
in their ability to run the ASI better
than the Reality party did last year.
"What I see going on now arc a
lot of under the table dealings." said
Macdonald.
He said the ASI's corporate char¬
ter should be revoked because this
Please see ASI, page 4.
University Lecture Series ends
semester with focus on leadership
By Cheryl R. Ensom
The Daily Collegian
Elaine Chao, the highest-rank¬
ing Asian-American appointed to
the executive branch in U.S. history,
presented a unique perspective on
leadership at the Satellite Student
Union Tuesday night, concluding
this semester's University Lecture
Scries.
Chao's career, which has in¬
cluded work in government, busi¬
ness and non-profit sectors, has pro¬
vided her with a vast store ol expe¬
rience to draw upon when speak¬
ing about leadership. Leadership,
the theme of Chao's lecture, entitled
"Leadership: Making a World of
Difference," is one which Chao is
passionate aboul.
>£cing a leader, which Chao said,
"is not easy these days." means
something different than it meant
in her own years growing up. when
images of leaders were "very pre¬
dictable - white and male."
Chao went on to talk aboul the
respect for and value of diversity
as a key to effective leadership in
the United Slates. She spoke of
leaders in a democratic society as
ihose who must be willing to lis¬
ten.
Chao's vision of successful lead¬
ership included other characteristics
such as humility, flexibility, cour¬
age and integrity, and urged pro¬
spective leaders to view leadership
Justin Conder — The Daily Collegian
Elaine Chao. former head ofthe U.S. Department of
Transportation, speaks about leadership and volunteerism at the
Satellite Student Union Tuesday evening.     f~
as an opportunity to help others lead
a balanced life,'and not as an op¬
portunity for perks or selfish gain.
"A^ood leader is someone who
supports strength in others," Chao
said.
Implicit in Chao's vision of lead¬
ership is an involvement in and
•.motivation of others towards, what
she termed the "philanthropic sec¬
tor." She encouraged her audience
to involve themselves in The United
Way, but she didn't stop there.
"It's a low-risk environment for
trying out your leadership quali¬
ties." Chao said about volunteerism
and community seiwieo*involve¬
ment.
Chao's experience in the U.S.
Department of Transportation,
which has a $30 billion budget and
104,000 employees, was during the
Gulf War, which Chao called a
"pivotal time." She spoke about the
Please see CHAO, page 6