1989_05 The Daily Collegian May 1989

              Page 2  Thursday. May 11.1989
The Dally Collegian
LETTERS
•OPFJVTOiV
A Cogley-led preschool?
To the editor.
My first question is, are we in college
or are we in preschool? By Karen Cogley
and the SRG party's actions, I can't
tell. It seems to me that we have
regressed back to our childhood They are
acting like immature, self-righteous brats
who can't have their own way and are not
willing to work in a positive manner to
rectify the situation. - "•*■
If they would stop calling everyone
who looks at them cross eyed racist and
sexist, maybe something could be
accomplished. Don't get me wrong, I
don't agree with some of the proposed
changes for next year but turning the
problem into a major media event will
not solve it
By telling Jeff Anderson to resign,
aren't they doing what they claim is being
done to them? They should stop being
hypocritical bullies and think about what
they are doing. Wouldn't they be the first
to cry racist and sexist if the situations
were reversed?
Well Karen, it is time to grow up and
stop crying. It is also time to start
showing the responsibility that the
students gave you in the first place. If
you are looking for sympathy you will
not find it here. In parting I just have one
word to say, WAH!
Sincerely.
Jean Ann Hays
Did they skip kindergarten?
lo the editor.
Oh come on people, grow up. Did you
skid kindergarten or what? It was there
most people learned how to communicate
witn oilier Your insistence on ridiculint:
ana shouting down any explanation to the
matter at hami only proves beyond a
snadow ot a doubt you re not interested in
inc laci-.. onl* grandstanding
As u> your sit-in at the AS ofiicc: i!
von are reallv so concerned about the
student ixxiv why don i you do some . A.S
worK wnile you're up mere. Oh yeah, i
Calmost lorgol. you have board games to
OvCiipy your time.
Ii you think you are back in the 60s
vou are sorety mistaken. The issues back
then that warranted drasuc measures were
real. You are only giving a black-eye to
the true cause of a racist and sexist free
society. Your cries of "wolf only help to
reinforce what many believe is reverse
discrimination. II your cnes were valid, I
would be at your side. But instead you
have used the issues of racism and sexism
to trv and draw attention to a purely
political issue Your argument of racism
and sexism smacks of the age-old
qucsuon, "Have you stopped beating your
mother vet0'
II it was such a blatant attack on these
issues, why then did Frank Aviles and
Bill Lerch vote lor the bvlaw changes'?
(They can squeal and squirm if thev want
but it's a maucr ol record) Could it be
that in more than a lew ways it made
logical sense? Or were they asleep at the
wheel?
Tomorrow, when you wake up in the
AS office, smell the coffee and realize
you are doing more harm than good
Hopefully before your sit-in turns into a
laugh-in.
Phil Wood
Sympathizer had better to do
To the editor.
1 got a call from my buddy Mike today,
but wasn't there to receive the message.
He probably was going to invite me to
the ASI meeting and following sit-in. I'm
not in the habit of sitting on college
campuses and being poitical beyond every
fourth November, and well, I missed my
first sit-in. What a bummer...
That's not to say that I didn't want to
go home or was unable. See, I had to
make some very hard choices: stay home
and do an important assignment for a 6.0
unit class that was teetering between a B
or C grade or join my outraged comrades
of disgusted students in the Student
Union? Should I brave the cold and rain
despite a full day's worth of classes and
five hours of work at Pep Boys and ride
my ten speed in the dark of night to be at
my companeros side or remain safe and
warm next to my girlfriend, newborn and
AT class personal computer?
I'm sony friends, democrats, citizens
and student brothers and sisters. Though 1
too was outraged by this thinly disguised
political assault on freedom,
representation and fair transition of
power, I could not make it Forgive me.
Though the sheer arrogance of the Reality
senators' transiton iron* racism to fascism
has been completed, I must rejoin you
brothers and sisters to the call to arms in
the morning.
Meanwhile, I hold Scou Vick
accountable for the party that he is the
legitimate leader and guiding force of. Mr.
Vick, who has political ambitions beyond
Fresno State, will not escape my wrath,
HA HA. His thinly disguised attempt to
cover up his influence of the latest
degrading legislation to strip the future
president of her powers by vetoing while
knowing that his own party would
override him and pass their agenda...Mr.
Vick, where did you study your politics?
Ferdinand Marcos University?
So my good friends...forgive my
inactivity during this time of crisis. As
you see I may have had a crisis of my
own. And as I cozy up to my sleeping
girlfriend, wiping the last drops of coffee
that carried me through many a sleep-
deprived night from my lips, licking
stamps and stuffing envelopes, mail
merging Scou Vick into oblivion.
James Newlyn
READER
RESPONSE
to the Daily Collegian is welcome.
Please send letters ol no more than
250 word* to: The Daily Collegian.
Keats Campus Building. California
State University, Fresno, Fresno.
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address and phone number.
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed
r-TM   I votroi
earner   \ uewMwe
CVHKj/3* -3
Sit in for justice,
sit in for cheese
Steve Leone
'What do we want?!"
"Justice!"
"When do we want it?!"
"Now!1'
—Chants from Unity-SRG
sympathizers during yesterday's arrests.
"What do we want?!"
"Cavity search'"
"When do we want it?!'
"Now!".
—Jokers, Hecklers under the
influence of general ignorance, starving
for general attention, trying to create
general disorder, general etc.
It was time to clear everyone out of the
building, the USU. Yes. 7:00 on a
Wednesday evening, not a good umc at
all to clear everyone out of the College
Union, especially so close to finals. But
what the hell, there were people on the
third floor taking a stand against racism
and sexism, which made it a really good
time to clear everyone out of the Student
Union.    .
Berkeley protest action, right here on
our humble little campus. It was a good
time for a protest—we had Berkeley
weather a little rain, ominous cloud
cover, obnoxious fraternity jokesters to
create an atmosphere of opposition (gosh,
what a show.)
Show or no show, ihe point was well
taken. The key reason ASI President-elect
Karen Cogley, legislative VP-elect
Kathleen Solano and fellow SRG-Umty
supporters refused to leave CU 316 was
to protest a racist movement within the
current administration. Bylaw changes
penned by Reality's Scott Vick, ASI
President, and Reality's Bill White,
current administrative VP, would have
delegated full power to next year's
administrative VP, Jeff Anderson, also a
Reality party member.
If Vick had not vetoed his own changes
to ASI (which he in fact did after pressure
from higher-ups), next year's
administration would be powerless to
enact fiscal policy. Again and again in the
altered bylaw document, new changes
outlined by the two Reality men blatantly
undercut all presidential veto and policy¬
making power—these legislative powers
were written over as new duties of the
administrative vice president.' .
Indeed, this smells of party corruption.
Reality took a loss at the voting polls, so
the current Reality leaders took revenge   .
by taking a shot at Karen Cogley and Co.
with legislation that would have left her
administration powerless. Because Cogley
and Solano are Hispanic women, SRC-
Unity and party sympathizers deem Vick's
actions against them sexist and racist
Also involved in the racist label are
Reality's current administrative leaders
White, Anderson, and legislative VP
Darren Siiveria. —■—-
Rightfully so, the protesters were
against having such administrators in
office, people who would construct
Reality-centered policy only; policy
which would only belittle Cogley and her
administration this July. Indeed, this is
why Unity-SRG took the stance that
the said four are racist, developed racial
policy, because it was policy developed
blatantly to hinder Cogley's
administration.
These four were the reason for the sit-
in protest; Cogley and Co. would not
leave the Student Body offices in CU 316
until they received resignations from all
four. And so it went yesterday that 28
Unity—SRG sympathizers were arrested
for failing to disperse after a lawful order
from the University (PC 416).     k
It happened at 8 p.m. Pacific time,
after Steve Mortenson, USU director, had
me and my fellow College Union workers
move everyone out of the building. It was
a quite a surreal moment I was inside the
darkened lounge area watching mobs of
interested people outside peering through
the glass watching me, including some
from the Collegian staff who waved
Thanks guys.
Chants for justice grew louder and
louder outside until I had to run away. 1
ran upstairs to catch the action on the
third floor, but witnessed more chanting
from those about to get arrested. I
couldn't get away. 1 couldn't leave. I had
to work there. 1 am a maintenance
engineer
The elevator shaft was closed off as
was access to the umeclock in the hall
downstairs. These areas were to be used to
escort ihe arrested protesters. So I
remained in place there to watch it all.
Steve Mortenson handled the events in
his building very well. The campus
police moved in without incident look
their places, and the press corps were
called in to do their journalistic duty. It
was packed like a rneathouse up there on
the third floor, and it smelled like one
too. Deodorant should have been passed
around to the sleep-over protesters. It was
quite a stinker up there.
Nonetheless, everything went as
planned: quietly and without incident
Cogley, Solano and 15 others left when a
verbal warning was given, that those left
in the room would be arrested for the
aforementioned charge. The directions
given to the remaining protesters were
friendly, direct and to the point and
fortunately, those arrested followed these
with the precepts of civil disobedience.
Some even carried placards displaying
pictures of Stephen Biko, civil martyr
who died for the rights of all South
Africans in the late 70s.
Campus squadcars moved in like New
York taxis to pick up the offenders in
groups of two. Some Unity-SRG
sympathizers went for the ride in each
case, to ensure every rider's safely. Quite
the long ride—each were driven to the
campus police station for detainment
Anyway, it wasn't a big deal in the
long ran. The protesters made their point,
were able to publicize their grievance via
print and television media, and they didn't
even have to clean up after themselves.
Such a deal. Unfortunately though, their
stance had no effect on the current ASI
administration. No resignations were
given. Yes, the fight between Reality and
Unity-SRG continues. You know it—it'll
never end. Berkeley, here we come. All
we need now are street urchins,
panhandlers and better bookstores. And
cheese—fine Berkeley cheeses. Yes,
that'll make this campus complete.
We've already made the news-^-lct's
unite for a better Berkeley, cheese and all.
Now that's more than enough reason to
get tlie hell out of the Collegian office:
cheese on the brain at 2:30 am.
Steve Leone's column will appear next
Friday in the Daily Collegian.
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