1991_02 The Daily Collegian February 1991

              %Collegian
issuTno. & -  The Daily. News Source for California State University, Fresno    Fft^ 1>1W1 _
War weighs on Arab students' minds
•International students office warns
them to avoid conflicts on campus
By Debbie Richards
Staff Writer of The Collegian
A Kuwaiti student sitting in a corner of
the Pit flicked his cigarette into the ashtray
Thursday afternoon while he pondered the
war in the Middle East.
"Why is he wasting lives?" he asked of
embattled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Instead, he advised Saddam, "Get out of
Kuwait"
The 22-year-old senior, who asked that
his name not be used, isoneof an estimated
lOOstudents from the MiddleEastatCSUF.
The Persian Gulf War weighs heavily on
their minds as they attempt to return to
their studies this semester.
"If shard," said the industrial engineering
major. "We are restricted. We've been told
not to go where we normally go," he said.
"If s a low price to pay for keeping our
country."
He said the International StudentServkes
and Programs office on campus has advised
them to stay away from areas where they
"might get in some argument."
A student from Saudi Arabia, who also
asked that he not be named, said he went
home for the winter break and returned to
Fresno Jan. 27. He said he lives near
Dhahran, a main target of Iraqi Scud
missiles.
"We got scared at the beginning iof the
war] because we couldn't control it," he
said. "We go on with everyday business,
but we're afraid."
Hesaid many of the Saudi Arabian people
are not afraid of Scud missiles landing in
their country because the U.S. Patriot
missiles have been largely successful in
intercepting the Scuds. But, he said, they
worry about the debris. He said he drove to
Riyadh after the war started to see the
damange wrought by the Scud missiles.
"For a minute, I thought it was Beirut,"
he said with a nervous laugh.
The 26-year-old computer science major
"said he is not concerned with any backlash
among U.S. students on campus.
"Any comments they make are out of
ignorance," he said. "My American friends
arc even nicer. Maybe there's some bad
people, but there's some nice people, too."
Carol Munshower, director of ISSP, said
the office is prepared to deal with any
anxieties students from the Middle East
may have.
"We havestaff avaUablein the Free Speech
Area. Wegooutand talk and spend time in
the library and college union," she said.
Munshower said the students are
concerned about how people in the United
Sta tes might react tnthem if the war becomes
See MUNSHOWER page 4
Pick a chair, any chair
New snack
shop part
of greater
USUplan
By Joe M. Torres
Staff Writer of The Collegian
'Henry/The Coltogtan
Warm days often draw students to the Peters building courtyard, but junior Daryl Plercy had plenty of solitude for
study between hfs business classes on Thursday.
Aid comes in numerous forms
By Damn Jones
Staff Writer of The Collegian
If you plan to file a scholarship
application and you haven't done
so already, time is of the essence.
The deadline is today and the
deadline for other forms of
financial aid is rapidly
approaching — March 2.
Joseph Heuston, the director of
financial aid, said students who
file their applications late are
almost guaranteeda delay in their
award disbursement.
"It is not wise to apply late,"
said Heuston. "One of the more
elementary strategies that any
student should pursue is to file a
financial aid applicationinjanuary
for the upcoming year. Ninety-
seven percent of the people who
filed on time got their money
during the first week of school."
Heuston, who has been the
director of financial aid at CSUF
for 17 years, said because of staff
sizes and the number of
applications received after
deadlines, it is impossible for late
applicants to get their money on
time.
He said that currently the
financial   aid   office,   which
distributes $15 million to S16
million in aid, is running with 75
percentof its needed staff. Heuston
added that, each year, the
department receives around
20,000 applications. About 7,000
students receive some type of aid
at CSUF.
Butif you are unsureabout your
financial aid eligibility, don't
worry, said Heuston. "Every
student, who is enrolled with at
least six units and is making
satisfactory progress toward a
degree, is eligible for some form of
financial aid," said Heuston-
"Thereare programs— suchas
the PLUS program — that do not
factor income as the main criteria.
And many of the scholarship
programs are based on academic
achievement and other criteria."
Heuston said people who are
seeking financial aid fall into two
groups: "need-based" applicants
and "non-need based."
"If you demonstrate need, then
you have a host of opttonsopen to
you," he said. "Mostof the options
are limited by federal funding; that
is, a student has to demonstrate
need according to a federal
formula that he or she is eligible.
Beyond that, forstudents who are
See FUNDING page 8
The remodeled snack shop in
the University Student Union is
part of an ongoing Food Service
plan that has resulted in several
changes (o the places students eat
at CSUF.
Rick Finlay, administrator of
campus Food Service, said, "The
idea came from the Student
Union." The University Student
Union oversees much of the
development through student
commitees, which submit ideas
such as the Pit remodeling.
Finlay said the remodeling is "a
genera! upgrading that the college
union has been attempting."
The change to the bottom floor
of the USU is part of a five-year
plan that has resulted in changes
toother Food Service locations like
the Cafeteria, the new Country
stor" and the Bucket.
USU Di rector Steve Mortenson
said, "We have a five-year USU
improvement program renovation
plan." The plan was adopted by
the USUstudentboard. Mortenson
said the renovation included
repairs to the roof and changes to
the third floor in USU.
"Each year we take of a piece of
that plan and we implement that
particular segment of the plan."
The new snack shop is located
in the old Country Store locahon
just outside the USU Recreation
Center.
"It was an idea brought about
by our student committees. ...
Students needs are always trying
to be met." Mortenson said the
project had been planned forsome
time. The cost of the facility comes
out a general budget.
"We had a budget of 535,000 to
put down the total package
together."  He also added. We
See RENOVATION page 4