1994_05 Insight May 1994

              Page 2
May 11,1994
'NCAA ties hands
that feed them
Commentary	
Kelley Scott
Many questions come to mind
with the recent food stamp fraud
investigation among FSU football
players.
Some of the most common questions include why did they do it, how
could this happen and who should
be blamed.
The food stamp ordeal involved
nine current and former FSU foot-
oau piaycrs wno uiegauy uuuuiicu
federally funded food stamps from
ihe Fresno County Social Services
Office by using false information on
their applications.
The football players who were
caught with their hands in the cookie
jar during the food stamp incident
claimed they needed the food stamps
for just that — food.
If lhat is true, what's going on in
college athletics? Arc the athletes
living right? What would make nine
football players on scholarsh ip sloop
as low as going to the social services
office and illegally applying for food
stamps that they arc not eligible for?
Why put your full-ride scholarship
and your college education in jeopardy overa few measly food stamps?
First, we must go to the basic root
of the problem. Athletes arc having
a problem with getting their basic
needs taken care of.
When I have discussed this issue
of the athletes struggle with fellow
students, many say they have no
sympathy for these athletes. Many
say this in haste and out of spite
without even looking at the whole
picture.
In history, many people ha ve been
guilty of making hasty judgements
about others without investigating
the facts. This problem is true with
students who think student athletes
get everything served to them on a
silver platter.
True, I have been guilty of thinking the same thing. But after further
probing into athletes financial dilemma, I came up with a different
conclusion.
players on full scholarships have
the option of living on or off campus. Those who choose to live on
campus receive tuition, books, room
and board. Money for transportation, phone bills and other expenses
is not included.
Athletes who choose to live off
campus receive tuition, books,
breakfast and dinner (Monday
through Friday, no meals on weekends) and S310 a month for remand
other expenses.
Sports such as track and field and
swimming receive only a fraction
of what football players get
If you arc unaware of the costs to
live off campus, let merefresh your
memory.
An apanment close to campus
costs about S200 per person for a
non-roach infested place.Thcn take
into account other bills such as the
phone bill, which is about S30 and
PG&E, another S30. That leaves
about S60 for meals (for die time
meals arc not provided) and other
expenses for the whole month.
Some people would like to play
dcvil'sadvocatcand say, "why don't
See NCAA, Page 12
EDITORIAL
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY. FRESNO	
'Killing moimtain lion a senseless act'
INSIGHT
'The lion has her own family and in this case, her own cubs to worry about"
Opinion
If you don't understand it, hunt it
down and shoot it
If you have the means, destroy it
If it steps out of line, kill it
Just because you can, wipe it out.
It's plain to sec from the case of
Cool's "Killer Cougar" that the old
tobacco-spitting, happy-hunting-
grounds frontier mentality is still alive
and kicking in this society that we
boast is so intellectually advanced.
dealing with animal life has catapulted
virtually every species of remaining
wildlifeonto the endangered list, touching off an until-now-unhcard-of need
for protective movements to step in on
their behalf.
But conservationists arc helpless in
the face of the sacred hooun'-shooun'
institution of "showdown at high noon"
revenge that is so deeply entrenched in
the human belief system. It prompts,
for instance, the "destruction" of over-
protective pit bulls who put the bite on
annoying children. And revenge is
clearly what motivated the six-day hunt
for the mountain lion thought to have
recendy attacked the female jogger
near Sacramento.
I'm not trying to minimize the tragedy of the woman's death. It has no
doubt devastated ha family and friends.
No one should ever be told that
Mom was found ravaged by a hungry
ardmal.Butlcillingihccatdoesn'tbring
Mom back. The lion has her own family, and in this case her own cubs, to
worry about. EvidenUy, food was scarce
and lhat cat's maternal instincts dictated that those cubs needed to cat.
Killing lhat cougar is NOT going lo
leach her — or any other animal — a
lesson. One's memory lends to fail
one, when one is dead. Applying the
Letters
'Nixon cheated Amelican|^o|)»le,
'Former President Richard Nixon was apolitical crook and all
the white washing and historical revisionalism
will not change that fact.'
Dear Editor,
Former President Richard Nixon was a political crook,
and all the whitewashing and distorted historical revisionism will not change lhat fact. He was forced from officconly
after Congress initiated impeachment proceedings and the
House Committee recommended three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, abuse of power and failure lo
comply with subpoenas.
Both Republicans and Democrats voted to put ihe President on trial. He resigned because he knew he would be
convicted. The only thing that saved him was his hand-
picked and newly appointed President, who in turn pardoned Nixon to keep him from become ihc first and only
President to be convicted of a crime.
Sol find itsaddening to read all the media columnists and
hear all the talking heads on radio and television find
reasons to excuse his "political misjudgment" for what
happened to him in 1974. As one who lived through those
years and suffered the anguish of seeing a potentially great
political leader go down because of an inexcusable arrogance of power, I have to say this.
Whether you like it or not, the story of "Watergate"
includes a vitally important lesson thai we must never
forget
This is irrefutable fact: President Nixon and his top aides
ordered a planned burglary of the Democratic Party Hcad-
quarters in the Walcrgateofficc complex within sight of the
White House. Thcirpurpose was to set up a bugging system
in an effort to get whatever evidence they could use on the
Democratic Party candidate and his people.
Although neither Nixon nor his attorney general were
themselves personally part of the burglary team, the fact as
it is now known is that they knew about the operation,
oversaw it, and when the "plumbers" were caught, they
initiated an elaborate cover-up "to protect the President and
his men from implication.
The cover-up almost worked. President Nixon and his
cohorts would never have been found out, except for the
White House tapes. The rest is history.
Ironically, President Nixon, despite revelations by major
newspapers in the country led by the Washington Post about
the Watergate break-in, was re-elected by a landslide victory
over George McGovem. He never needed the information he
hoped to find in the Democratic Party headquarters, McGovem,
unlike President Bill Clinton, did not have any questionable
business or moral lapses in his past. Many obviously did not
agree with McGovem's political agenda which was openly
and fairly debated. The voters voted and Nixon won. If they
had known the whole truth of Watergate then, maybe the
results would have been different
WhodestroyedNwon'ssecond term presidency? Nixon's
overweeningarroganceof power andparanoiadidhim in! His
cover-up failed when his own trusted aids betrayed him to
save themselves and when his Oval Room tapes were discovered and rcluctamly given to Congress.
It is a long, complicated story. The point to it all is that it
was discovered that the President, obsessed with power and
believing himself above the law.did all of this, and more. This
crime does not begin to compare with Clinton's sleazy
Whitewater business deal that look place 15 years before he
was elected President Clinton can be criticized for listening
to bad legal advice instead of to his usually good political
instincts. But he is no crook and he has worked hard to uphold
his oath of office. The voters will debate and decide on his
political judgment.
To confuse Clinton's stupid Whitewater business deal
with the terrible crime Nixon perpetrated on the nation is
disheartening. It muddies the fundamental lesson wc must
leam and not forget: Nixon violated his oath of office and set
himself above the law. A vigilant people and its press must
work to sec that this never happens again — or it surely will
and wc all will suffer for it
Air Guitar story reported inaccurately
Dear Editor,
While I appreciate your coverage of
AirGuitar and inform ingstudenisabout
the reasons it was cancelled April 23,
there are some issues I would like to
address concerning the May 4 article,
"Rainy, soaking weather postpones'
Air Guitar"' written by Scott Goldsmith.
First of all, to whom did Mr. Goldsmith talk to regarding the last two
paragraphs of the story? Who told him
^eatherhasnotbeenaproblem for Air
Guitar in the past? A few yean ago
heavy wind blew down a video screen
and other events have been cancelled
in the past doe to rain.
Editorializing by Mr. Goldsmith in
an otherwise straight news story, is not
a practice generally accepted by journalists. We can all iay in hindsight
what should have been done to avoid
cancellation of the show. However,
the weather forecast was for a 20 to 30
percentchanccof showers. The speakers can withstand a bit of water, but not
the totally unexpected pouring rain.
Air Guitar technicians did move
equipment and set the stage as best
they could to prevent cancellation; the
rain was just too heavy.
Also, Mr. Goldsmith states that "for
those who paid S10 to see Air Guitar,
not going wasn't and option."
To clarity, those who paid $10
bought their uckcts at the door. Those
who bought tickets in advance paid $6.
In other words, those that paid S10
had to stand in the rain to purchase the
ticket! I think they clearly had the
option not to go.
Finally,concerning die lighting setup on stage. I'm quoted as saying "I
didn't know the lighting was going to
be like that" refers to where the lights
were positioned on the stage. If it had
not been raining, the lighting would
havebeen perfect But the lights caused
a glared when combined with the rain.
JohnHebert
Coordinator
AirGuitar 1994
distinctiy human principles of revenge
and justice to the rules of the wild is
human ignorance at its best
Popular justification for the senseless slaying goes something like this:
Once the cougar realizes she can get
away with killing humans, she will
continue to do so. But even Department of Fish and Game officials adm i l-
tcd that such attacks arc extremely rare
and theanimals typically avoid people.
California mountain lion mauling a
human in this century.
So what It's just an animal, right?
She killed a human. We call the cat's
death "justice." Well, think about this:
1. It wasn't just one cat they killed.
She had cubs. Their numbers arc already dwindling. Wccan'taffordtogo
out indiscriminately wiping out every
mountain lion that doesn't live up to
oursocialstandardsof polite behavior.
Now they're out hunting down the
babies under the guise of concern for
their safety. Well, it's a little late now
to put on our humanitarian hats. Maybe
they should have been concerned about
cubs before triey put a bullet through
mother's head. On the off chance that
the cubs arc found alive, officials plan
to take them to a zoo where they'll be
forced to liveout the remainder of their
short lives in a miserable, cramped
cage bereft of natural family, in unnatural surroundings, with a bunch of
screaming brats ogling them. If that's
what their futures hold, they're better
off dead.
2. The woman was running in the
foothills, in what little territory the cat
has left Human encroachment and
"development"hasstarvedoutsomany
of these wild animals, where else arc
they supposed to go? They've been
cornered.
This cat had just given birthbut only
weighed a slight 80 pounds. She was
^l»»rl,.n,n/miiinHMlh Ttv fact lhat
she. in effect, ignored her instincts by
even approaching a human, let alone
mauling one for food, should sound
some sort of alarm.
3. Popular belief, however debatable, dictates that human life is more
valuable than animal life. Personally, 1
can think of at least one or two ignorant useless people whose lives I would
sacrifice in a New York minute for the
life of my cat.
But that's just me.
The point is, if you believe in hu-
mans-before-animals at any cost you
might as well wipe out the entire animal kingdom, because animals subscribe to a different point of view:
am/nafj-before-humans, at any cost
And if you cross paths with any hungry, threatened or territorial wild animal, you WILL be on the horns of a
Thai's what's called survival instinct You can't teach Ihem manners.
4. Where's all the advanced tech-
Deborah Ann Miller
nology and high-powered equipment
that millions of dollars in animal and
veterinary research monies are supposed to produce? I don't get it Wecan
detect the existence of other planetary
systems. We can send men to the moon.
Wc can even have babies under water.
But wc can't devise a more efficient,
logical and ethical method of taming a
large hungry cat than spending six day s
and tax payers' money running her up
a tree and pumping her full of lead?
Couldn't WC — Oil, 1 UOil t Micm —
FEED her, for instance?
5. However tragic, the jogger is,
after all, dead. The damage is done.
Chalk it up to accident Why do we feel
the need to exact revenge on a creature
towhomthcidcaof"oh,gcc,Ishould've
known better" is not part of her inherent
nature?
My answer".' Leave these poor creatures a little space to call their own. Wc
havcsprawungciues.bustling metropolises, acres of farm land, miles of thoroughfares.
We've stolen and exploited their
land, their habitat, their resources, and
we'removing in evenctoserevery day.
Stay out of the foothills if you don't
want to get mauled.
Might doesn't make right Let's try
to understand—and respect—animal
behavior.
Let's drop our trusty rifles for a
change and ask questions first next
time.
Geology field trip brings
students together amid rocks
Commentary
They say that death brijjgs people closer together and
makes them appreciate one another.
For 70 individuals who participated in the Geology
003 fild trip to Death Valley last month, this had a new
meaning.
As one of field trip participants, attending as a guest of
one of the students in the class, I found myself headed for
the experience of a lifetime. Loaded down with camping
gear and five times the amount of luggage as the rest of
the campers, wc were set
In our eyes wc were on the ball and ready for any
adventure that might come our way. In reality, we were
a geologist's nightmare: Three girls who had no idea
what wc were doing as far as rocks go, enough clothes to
last us a month, no tolerance for heat (it was around 110
degrees) and big enough mouths to let everyone know
how we felt about the whole thing.
Once we got in our van, we started to experience the
thing that made the whole trip worthwhile. Wc were
meeting new people, none of which were quite the same
as us. or each other.
After the long (around eight hours), hot, bumpy van
ride, we finally arrived in Death Valley. Some new
friends from our van helped us put up our tent, and after
dinner wc were fast asleep until some jokers decided it
would be funny to knock down our tent At this point, I
was having a claustrophobic attack and very irritated that
I had agreed to go on the trip.
The next day after we found out who played the trick
on us, we told them wecbuld not stand them, and that they
better leave us alone. A short time later they were our new
friends and from then on it was all for one and one for al 1.
All of us on the trip spent the next three days helping
each other. Whether it was learning about geology,
preparing our meals, hiking in one of the canyons or
holding the door closed on one of the outhouses while
someone went to the bathroom, wc were there for
Rachel Rosemire
each other.
When wc returned to campus and it was time to go
home, I felt sad to be leaving everyone even though we
had only known each other for three days. I realized what
a great thing the trip was, aside from all of the neat things
wc learned about geology.
The students on the trip consisted of a group of
approximately 70 people, the majority of which did not
know each other prior to the weekend. Then, upon our
return, wc were a group of approximately 70 people
connected by the fact that wc spent a weekend together
with no one else and made it a success.
It was very comforting to know that when you stick
a variety of people together in the same situation, no
matter where they came from, or what they were like
before, they can adapt and work together as one.
When I was in Death Val Icy, I had no concept of Ihc
world around mc. I did not talk to my family, I did not
talk to my friends, 1 did not read the newspaper or watch
television or talk on die phone. All I did was enjoy the
situation 1 was in.
Nothing else seemed to mailer.
The r >plc on the trip were my new best friends. We
told each other secrets, wc sang together, we danced
together, we had a great time, and at that moment that
was all that mattered.
I've seen some of the people from the trip on campus
a few times since our return, and things just arc not the
same.
We give cachothcrhugs and reminisce aboutthc trip,
but the fact is mat wc arc not in Death Valley anymore,
and wc arc back to our old way of life.
It seems truly amazing to mc how you could be so
close with someone and have so much fun with them in
one weekend, and then, the ndxt time you sec them, it is
awkward because you arc not in the same place at the
same time that you were before.
Opinion	
Angle Wbng
No! No! No! No Singapore is
notan inhumane and uncivilized
sec icty.No.Singaporc is not anti-
Americans, and no, Singapore is
not in China.
I don't understand why the
American media is casting such
negative views of Singapore. Is
it because they arc trying to create strong negative sentiments
among certain sectors of the
American peoples so thatenough
controversy can be generated for
monetary benefits in terms of
talk shows and news magazine
shows?
The media has been giving
the impression that Michael Fay's
crimes are minor. In actual fact,
the list of his offenses run much
longer than the vandalized cars.
In all he was initially charged
with S3 counts of vandalism and
related crimes. However, after
plea bargaining, all but two
counts of vandalism.two counts
See Singapore, Page 15
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