1977_02 The Daily Collegian February 1977

              ^Che Collegian
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY. FRESNO
TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 1. ltTT
Financial aids draws complaints
A former CSUF financial aida
counselor haa aaid that the CSUF
financial aida office "ia act up
like a "welfare system. They
believe everybody ia out to rip
Phil Mehas, now working in the
financial aids office at UC SanU
Cruz, made a long distance
Friday during a long distance
telephone interview.
Mehas cited the "repressive
nature of the state university
system in general" in hia
decision to resign last Dec. 3. He
also said the CSUF financial aids
office "is so understaffed that it
is detrimental to the students."
Joseph Heuaton, director of
financial aida, objected to
Mehas' welfare system charge*.
"That la not the caae nor do we
believe that. We do a close
scrutiny on all applications,
■That'a not operating on the
principle that every itudent is
trying to rip you off; it'i
operating on the principle that If
you spend your money efficiently
and don't mis award or over-
award, you'll have more
resources to offer students.... We
try to award a* much money aa
we can to aa many needy
atudenta aa possible."
Mehas' charge* followed a
Thursday announcement that the
United Profeaaora of California
(UPC) might meet with tbe
administration to discuss con¬
ditions in tbe financial aid office.
Warren Kessler.professor of
philosophy and UPC spokesman,
said, "We have had a lot of
student and staff complaints
about that office. We had hoped
that the altuation would improve
but the only change* we have
observed is thai several per¬
sonnel who were unhappy have
left,"
Kesaler said the Clerical Allied
and Service Employee* (CASE),
a union which represents about
30 CSUF employees, had met
with administration offlclala on
Dec. 10 to discuss financial aid
complaints.
David Bell, dean of student
affair*, who w»s present at the
meeting, said four financial aid
office employees attended the
meeting. Three of the four have
since resigned.
"I have read the resignation
statements of all three and to the
best of my knowledge tbey left
CSUF for positions of greater
challenge and reward," Bell
aaid.
Mehas disagreed with Bell,
however. "I waa one of tbe four
and I know that tbe others were
1 of tbe is financial aid office
leave from her poaltlon aa CSUF
paychoiogy department
secretary, said she represented
Moreno laid that Louis Volpp,
vice president of academic af¬
fairs, presided over tbe meeting.
But when hla office waa con¬
tacted by Tbe CoUegian, Volpp
referred all matters to BeO.
Bell, former financial aid
director (1988-69), aaid one of the
points CASE tried to prove st tbe
(Ointlmied on p. 8)
CU gets new p.r. man
CSUF every day.   (Fhoto by ^ott Mnmit)
Increase of activity fee
expected next semester
The media image of a public
relations person is usually that of
a slick double-talking business
executive dreaaed ln a polyester
suit with
But CSUF'* resident public
relation* specialist Charles
Larson, dressed in cords and a
blue work shirt, looks more like
a amall town newapaper
editor than a Madison Avenue
But in reality,
combination of t
l^ _.„.ltJ ^^|eV
H6S\t
CHARLES LARSON. COLLEGE Union publicity coordkiotor. odmlr.t the
most recent issue ol   Whoihappenln." p. 0t0 by Jo-: Lasplra)
Larson'* one and only account
is the CSUF CoUege Union and
his newspaper ia the Union'a
publicity   organ    "Whazhap-
Larson'a official UUe Is that of
College Union pubUcity coor¬
dinator, but hia main function is
to produce "Whaihappenln."
In hla first year as the head of
the two-year-old newspaper,
Larson finds that nearly aU of hla
work occurs ln the two weeks
before publication.
Laraon explained, "A lot of
stuff come* In all at once. Gary a
(Bongiovanni) on the phone
closing deals and then the act
cancels because they got an offer
in Hawaii and who wants to come
to Fresno when they can go to
Hawaii?
"So Gary has to get on the
phone again and line up
something else and then finally 1
receive the publicity material on
the act about two weeka before
•deadline."
In addition to "Whazhap-
penin," Larson writes ail the
press releases for the Union and
works on other projects assigned
by Bongiovanni, the College
Union Program Director.
Larson said that he got the job
as editor of "Whazhappenin"
after a friend told him that there
was an opening. Larson was then
interviewed by Bongiovanni and
appointed  to   the   8100-a-month
(Continued on p. 6)
A 83 Increase of the 810 student
body aaaociatlon fee, discussed
for several month* should
become reality next semester.
students carrying seven units or
more, waa recommended by th*
College Union Board and CSUF
President Norman Baxter ap¬
proved the Increase during the
semester break, tbe anUclpated
signature of the chanceUor will
make it official.
In another action, the board
passed a motion for a 84 charge
per hour for non College Union
sponsored programs ln the CU
lounge. The fee provides for
tcchnical assistance with lights,
the sound system, and staging.
In the past some sound system
programs "have been really
fouled up because the righl
person wasn't there," said Earl
Whitfield, College Union
DILhere," said Earl Whitfield,
College Union Director.
Costs of technical problems
were absorbed in Uje Program
Committee's budget, said
Whitfield, but the committee haa
found it increasingly difficult to
"I don't have the money for
these kinds of programs left In
my budget," said Gary
Bongiovanni, Program Com¬
mittee director.
There was some discussion of
the feasibUity of various ethnic
week sponsors to pay the
proposed fee.
"Programming for 20 or 30
hours would have high coats,"
aaid Chle Yokota, board mem¬
ber. These costs, coupled with
other costs received already,
would have a greater burden to
these groups, she said.
Yokota added that these
group* have already budgeted
their money and thia fee would
over extend thia budget.
But Bongiovanni felt most
ethnic week group* have
"flexibility in budget to pay tbe
fee."
.."If you spend money on a good
program, you should apend
money to aee that It runa right,"
said Bongiovanni.
The board haa the option of
waiving or decreasing the fee in
speciaT cases like the ethnic
weeks which have already
planned their budgets.
Board Chairman B1U Brewer
suggested at fee senate meeting
yesterday that areas already
budgeted at the senate meeting
yesterday that areas already
budgeted be exempt from the fee
this semester.
Brewer also proposed a flat fee
instead of the 84 per hour charge
(Continued on p. 8)
r^
u r u
AppUcation for the editorship
of the spring, 1977 Uhuru are now
available.
The applications can be picked
up In the Associated Students
office, located ln tbe College
Union, room 308.
The final filing date has been
set for Friday, Feb. 4.