1979_12 The Daily Collegian December 1979

              The Daily Collegian
December 10,1979
December 10,1979
Giving a gift of love - a new puppy or kitten
The season of giving doesn't have to
end when the holidays draw to a close. It
can continue as well as just begin after
the last Christmas ornament has been
packed away with a living gift of love - a
new puppy or kitten.
Presently there's "pretty much a full
house' of adoptable puppies and a few
cuddly kittens waiting for homes out at
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals in Fresno, according to
Barbara Westerfield.
Westerfield, the education director of
the Central California chapter of the
SPCA, pointed out some advantages of
giving a pet for a Christmas gift.
"They're a present whose love will last
for many years." And if such a present
is desired by the receiver of the new pet,
"it makes that giving season a little more
special," she added.
However, the gift of a pet for Christ¬
mas doesn' t necessarily have to be given
at that time and may be more enjoyable
for both the animal and its new owner
if given after the holidays, according to
Westerfield.
T£e Christmas season is a very busy
time of the year for most people and they
do not have the time-to spend helping
a new pet adjust to its new surroundings,
Westerfield explained. With so much
activity taking place in one's home at
this time, "that gift that runs'up the
Christmas tree and knocks all the balls
off like a kitten does" is not a welcome
addition to most homes, she said.
Westerfield suggests consulting with
the prospective owner about a pet as a
gift and then making the choice after the
holiday season. The lack of surprise
doesn't really take away the joy of re¬
ceiving a pet," commented Westerfield.
And, she added, you are giving them a
'gift of love' but also a 'tremendous
responsibility.'
This aspect of responsibility is very
important Westerfield felt. 'Our concern
is for the animals.' With their welfare
in mind, the Society stresses that per¬
sons carefully consider all aspects of
owning a pet before getting one. Li¬
censes, food and vet bills are very much
a reality of pet. ownership, she ex¬
plained. Also there's the added respon¬
sibility of the "lifelong Commitment'
that having a pet brings. Sometimes, for
students, this is the hardest responsi¬
bility to handle as many of them consider
their college community only a tempor¬
ary home. Often when they graduate,
they move and find it impossible to take
a pet with them, Westerfield explained.
"We think that choosing a pet is a
lifelong commitment for that pet," she
said. "It's very easy for a student who's
away from lifelong ties to need and
desire a pet."
Hopefully, that need and desire will
include a future for both the pet and its
owner long after the Christmas carols
have been sung.
Puppies wait for a new home at the SPCA Humane Society.
Photo By Lupe Mora
Fresno 'Toys for Tots' drive right on schedule this year
Much to the disappointment of many
girls and boys, Santa's elves are not
actually preparing toys for distribution
this Christmas. But that does not mean
that an organized effort to provide
children with free toys is merely a myth
You won't find any Crinches among
the volunteers for the Salvation Army.
They have been engaged in gathering
food and toys - repairing some -- all year
long.
"At this point, I'd say the drive is
progressing right on schedule," said
Captain James Hoskin, Salvation Army
Commander in Fresno, about the Toys
for Tots drive.
People throughout the community are
in the giving spirit, according to Hoskin.
He said that individuals and businesses
have donated a large quanity of mer¬
chandise to the Toys and Tots Drive.
However, 'there is a lot to be de¬
sired,' Hoskin said about the program.
"We do pick up a lot of used toys.
Quite frankly, a lot of it is junk," said
Hoskin. He added that many of the toys
the Salvation Army receives are not
repairable or are more expensive to
repair than they are worth.
But the local Salvation Army division
is trying hard to upgrade their Toys
for Tots program, according to Hoskin,
by obtaining more new toys. He said that
all donations are appreciated but added,
"The point is that at Christmas it is
appropriate that a child should get a new
toy.'    ' ,
Hoskins did not object to giving
children used bicycles as Christmas
gifts, but he said that it is preferable
for smaller gifts to be new.
When donating a toy to the Salvation
Army, people should consider whether
or not they would like their own children
to receive the toy as a Christmas gift.
The number of toys that are donated
is not insufficient, but the quality is
lacking, according to Hoskin.
However, Hoskin said that a number
of well-known businesses in the com¬
munity contribute new toys to the pro¬
gram, such as Cottschalks Department
store,  Arthur's toys and   KMJ   radio
All of the recipients of toys from the
Toys for Tots Drive are referred to the
Salvation Army by friends or neighbors
or apply themselves. These families are
screened by a committee, according to
Hoskin. They are asked what their
incomes are, asked for proof of residence
and other basic information.
However, it is not only the poverty
stricken that receive toys from the Sal¬
vation Army. Hoskin said that child¬
ren of men who earn large incomes but
are burdened with enormous medical
expenses can also qualify.
It was the United States Marine
Corp that coined the phrase, 'Toys for
Tots," according the Hoskin. He said
that a group of Marine reserves started
the program to provide the orphans of
fellow servicemen who were killed in
combat with toys. Now the program is
conducted as a joint venture between the
Salvation Army and the Marine Corp.
"The food drive program gets harder
and harder every year,' said Hoskin. He
added that the people are not contri¬
buting as much as they have in the past
because of inflation and the devaluation
of the dollar.
"At  this   point,   we   have   not   had
enough donated,' said Hoskin. The'
Salvation Army purchases a large
quantity of food because of the lack of
donated food, according to Hoskin.
But Hoskin did acknowledge that
many businesses make significant
contributions.
In the past, the Salvation Army rec¬
eived significant donations from sources
on campus. The fraternity Lambda Chi
collected more than 2,400 cans of fruits
and   vegetables   last   year.   However,
He said that the Salvation Army
welcomes the services of any indiv¬
iduals, group of organization that would
like to take part in public service pro-
Anyone who is interested in donation
toys, funds or their services may call _»
233-0138 or write the Salvation Army
at 1854 Fulton, Fresno, Ca. 93726.
Students qualify for English/Cfedit
More than 1,000 students have quali¬
fied for a full year's credit in freshman
English before even enrolling this fall in
the California State University and Col¬
leges.
Chancellor Glenn S. Dumke, in an¬
nouncing results of the 1979 CSUC Eng¬
lish Equivalency Examination, noted
that this year's 1,081 qualifying stu¬
dents bring to 7,600 the number who
have successfully participated since the
innovative testing program was started
in 1973.
The students, most of them seniors k_,
high school at the time, are among 3,346
who last May took the two-part English
examination at one of the 19 CSUC cam¬
puses.
By achieving scores equal to those of
typical collegians who have completed
regular freshman English courses they
receive six semester units, or equivalent
quarter units, of academic credit upon
their enrollment at a CSUC campus.
English professors from throughout
the CSUC develop and conduct the an¬
nual equivalency test under direction of
Dr. Edward M. White of the California
State College, S^n Bernardino English
Department.
Part of the test, a multiple-choice com¬
ponent dealing with analysis and inter¬
pretation of literature, is. scored sepa¬
rately by the Education^ Testing Ser¬
vice of Princeton, New Jersey.
A second component is comprised of
essays written by the students. These
are scored by the English professors,
and a combination of scores from both
multiple-choke and written portions of
the examination determines whether ap¬
plicants qualify for academic credit.
In addition to the 1,061 who earned
academic credit, 1,726 students achieved
sufficiently high scores to be exempted
form the CSUC's English Placement
Test, a separate program designed to
identify students with remedial English
Dr. White advised current high school
seniors, and others who are planning to
enroll at CSUC campuses next fall, that
the 1980 English' Equivalency Examina¬
tion will be administered May 3. Appli¬
cation forms will be available early in
1980.