1980_05 The Daily Collegian May 1980

              CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
THURSDAY
May 1, 1980
the Daily Collegian
Raul Rodriguez (not hi* real name) talk* about the night he and  attributes the beating to an American haaMaa- against foreign-
some friends were beaten by a large group of white men. He  era arising from the Iranian crUa.       Photo by George Aqulrre
Foreigners
falling prey
to backlash
byHlcardo Pimentel
While Raul Rodriguez gently strum¬
med a birthday song on hia guitar at
a friend'* apartment on the evening
of Good Friday, the Iranian crisis
seemed aa far away a* that U.8. embassy
in Iran.
But suddenly, Rodriguez (not hi* re¬
name) and three COmp.nt,—. became
vie—ma of an American emotional back-
lash against foreigners.
Rodriguez and his bit—ds, CSUF
students from Venezuela, were appar¬
ently mtatakan for Iranian* at the Shaw
Garden Apartment* and relentlessly
beaten by a large group of white men.
With hi* right aim still in a -ing and
hi* left hand bandaged, Hnrirlgnei'
eye* misted as he recalled that Good
Friday evening. It wa* anything but
good.
Ten minutes after he had arrived at
hi* friend's apartment, guitar in hand,
10 men came to the door and demanded
beer, Rodriguez said.
"Butwe weren't drinking," he aaid.
Themenleft.
Fifteen minutes later, all the lights
in the apartment and adjoining apart¬
ment* went out. Rodriguez and other
tenant* discovered that the fuse box
had been tampered with and the fuses
.removed.
Three of the men, according to Rod-
f,       continued on page 8
Business fraternity openly blackballs members
by Judy House
Blackballing, an exclusionary pro¬
cedure common among social frater¬
nities, is being used by a professional
fraternity on campus, the Daily Colleg¬
ian has learned.
Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional frat¬
ernity for business students allegedly
blackballed   six. students   this   year.
Although most professional frater¬
nities don't have prospective members
go through any kind of pledge period,
Alpha Kappa Psi requires those inter¬
ested in joining to go through an eight
week pledge period. At secret honor
^courts, midway through and at the end of
the pledge period, the student may be
blackballed.
Yolanda Ruiz was blackballed last
semester after going through eight
weeks of pledging. She was blackballed
at an honor court meeting which lasted
until 2 in the morn—g. She was one of
three of the pledge class of 29 who were
excluded from joining. ' ■
'It was*unfair," she said. "Now I've
gotten over it, but then it hurt.*
During the /Alpha Kappa Psi pledge
period, the pledge must prove that he or
she is "good enough," according to one
of the students blackballed.
The students must take three written
tests and a final on specific facts about
the fraternity. In addition, a pledge is
required to raise a certain amount of
money depending on the size of the
pledge class and obtain the signatures of
the active members twice by hunting
them down.
Midway through the pledge process,
the pledge is required to appear at a
mid-honor court where he or she is asked
questions in front of the active body.
All of the pledges meet in a class¬
room beforehand. From there they ore
blindfolded and taken one by one to. a
darkened classroom where the blind¬
fold is removed. There they face three
judges who ask them questions. In the
back of the darkened classroom sit the
rest of the active members who later
ask questions.
"They criticize your You feel like you
are being intimidated," Ruiz said.
'It's pitch black. You can't see them.
The people act like a jury."
If a person makes it through mid-
honor court they continue their pledge
activities and eventually go through
honor court, the final weeding out
process.
Ruiz, blackballed at honor court,
still does not know exactly why she was
blackballed. 'My only speculation was
that they didn't like me,* she said. Ruiz
also heard that members felt ahe was not
participating oimaiirri in activities.
/Although Ruiz admits her time con¬
straints were tight, she reels this was an
excuse for the organization to black-
ballher.
*I was more active than some of their
most active members,* she said.
What bothers Ruiz and other people
who were blackballed is the secrecy -
that they were not given reasons why
they were blackballed.
*I never did find out why,* said
Ruiz. "They've had a lot of criticism.
A lot of people feel they're really not
fair.'
Another student who did not wish to
be identified and who was blackballed
said, "I was kind of surprised. They
shook me up during honor court. It was
highly pressured. They always have a
gavel and you have to address them as
sir. I rtyarigeie it was unnecessary and
unprofessional.*
The student said that his personal
involvement was enough to warrant
membership in Alpha Kappa Psi.
'A* far as my requirement for pled¬
ging. I was involved. The childishness
bothered me,' the student said. 'What
really bothered me is the faculty back¬
ing. I don't feel the faculty knows how
they are conducting things.
*I messed up my whole semester
(as a result of the pledge process). My
grades were low arid what do I get out of
it? Nothing. They stress professionalism
and I haven't seen any of it.*
Although some other professional frat¬
ernities have a pledging process, those
contacted by the Daily Collegian did not
blackball members. Most professional
fraternities on campua simply require
thoso interested in joining to signSip and
continued oa page 4