1994_05 Insight May 1994

              May 11,1994
IN FOCUS
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
Page 3
INSIGHT
Gun-toting individuals need to know law
Ken Koller/INSIGHT
CSUF Police have confiscated six guns on campus since 1992. In the last seven years,
about 30 guns have been seized. Currently 19 firearms remain In CSUF police posession.
Amy Hansard
 INSIGHT
On April 26.1994, a shot rang out
in Ihe cool night air from the comer of
Bullard and Chestnut. A concerned
citizen picked up the receiver of the
emergency call box at Barstow and
Chestnut and notified campus police
on the 911 line.
Officers responded quickly.
The suspect was arrested for possession of a .45-caliber revolver, a
rifle and cocaine on university property.
"We think he was shooting at cars,"
said Sieve Kino\ acting chief of the
campus police department
Gun play on campus is rare, but it's
common in neighboring Fresno.
The Fresno City Police Department had 130 robberies involving the
use of firearms in February. It also
counted 10 homicides and seven domestic-violence assaults involving
guns the same month, according to
Public Information Officer Ron Hulls.
Students who are considering purchasing a firearm forprotcction should
think again, according to authorities.
"The mere possession of a weapon
oncampusisillcgal."Kingsaid."You
just can't have them here."
Section 626.9 (b) of the California
Penal Code reads: Any person who
brings a firearm on to a university
campus "shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for one. two
or three years."
System-wide weapon charges on
university campuses has increased
from 90 in 1992 to 122 in 1993.
In February, a vehicle was pulled
over in the dorm parking lot. Inside
was found a loaded .38-caliber revolver, ammunition ana oagsot marijuana.
Most studcnLS cite fear as their No.
1 reason for wanting a gun, according
to King.
King stressed that in spite of the
numbers the campus is still an oasis of
safety in an increasingly violent society.
"We've had no injuries from the
use of weapons," said King.
He credits the record of the depart
ment to the quick response by officers
and students' willingness to get involved.
King relates an incident that happened during a dance at the Satellite
Union. Two men got into a fight One
threatened lhat he would go to his car,
get a gun. come back and shoot the
other man.
The threatened man reported what
had happened to a security officer at
the dance.
"The guy popped his trunk to pull
out a sawed-off-shotgun," King said.
"Before anything could happen wc
were all over him."
uunsarcnownaiuci iugcunv.aii-
fomia.
As of May 1, 1994, the state required anyone wanting to purchase a
handgun to have a Handgun Safety
Certificate.
In addition to the certificate gun
purchasers m ust be 21 - years-old, pass
a background check and wait 15 day s.
Herb Bauer's Sporting Goods offers a handgun certification class every Thursday night. The fee is S20.
Legislature, police, community fight child abuse
Kdthy Mater
INSIGHT
They arc the innocent victims who
are haunted by feelings of rejection,
helplessness, confusion and shame.
The truth behind their sufferings is
often kept hidden.
Today in the United States more
children arc becoming targets of severe mental and physical abuse, and
Fresno County is no exception.
About 19,819 child abuse cases
were reported in Fresno County last
year.according to Kathleen Mclntyre,
assistant director of Comprehensive
Use Services, an organization that
deals with neglect, physical, sexual
and emotional abuse involving children.
"Eleven children every hour suffer
from child abuse in Fresno County,"
Mclntyre said.
According to Mclntyre, child abuse
is a big problem in Fresno.
"Child abuse is an indicator of violence in Fresno," Mclntyre said.
Mclntyre said lhat child abuse results from several factors such as the
environment.
She said that abuse is most frequent in the summer months when the
weather is warmer. People become
more irritated and there is more alcohol consumption as a result of the
warm weather.
Another factor that results in abuse
is a lack of self control.
"Some people arc not functioning
at the level they arc supposed to be,
and they take it out on their kids."
Mclntyre said.
Detective Alex Florcs of the Fresno
Police Department, who specializes
in child abuse and sexual assault, said
that abuse involving neglect is a direct result of a drug problem.
"They don't care about their kids,
the family or themselves," Florcs said.
Florcs said lhat iherc arc hundreds
of cases lhai arc labeled in "failure lo
provide" categories in which the parents arc involved in narcotics, and
alcohol abuse, especially with men.
As a result domestic violence arises
and children suffer injuries.
Florcs said lhat the most common
types of child abuse are neglect, failure to provide and sexual molestation
and assault.
Child abuse is an underreportcd
crime. Crime statistics reveal that
only about 20 percent of child abuse
cases ranging from emotional to sexual
abuse arc reported.
According to Florcs, emotions such
as embarrassment and guilt as well as
a feeling of family loyally play a
significant role in keeping child abuse
hidden.
There Ls also a feeling of denial.
"People don't want to believe it,"
said Mclntyre.
"The evidence is overwhelming,
but relatives still don't believe it,"
Florcs said. "They want to believe
that it just didn't happen."
Child abuse can have devastating
effects on children, especially later in
life.
According to Mclntyre,child abuse
victims arc not achievers in school
and they become dependent on the
system by means of being on welfare
or as juvenile offenders.
Mclntyre said lhat victims of abuse
frequently turn to crime because
they're angry. They have a lack of self
esteem and acceptance from their
families.
Victims often turn to gangs for
acceptance to make up for the lack of
approval from their families.
People who commit child abuse
were once abuse victims themselves,
Mclntyre said.
Despite this endless cycle of abuse,
the legislature and the police are lak-
ing a more active approach to child
abuse.
For example, the Fresno Police
Department are involved in the Suspected Child Abuse Notification program, or SCAN, which is a small
committee made up health services
and law enforcement.
See ABUSE, Page 14
Welty brings familiar faces to join administrative team
DavidMirhadi
 INSIGHT
In the last three years, ihc Indiana
University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. has seen three of its top-level
administrators travel 3,000 miles west
10 Fresno, to take top administrative
positions at CSUF.
This brain drain from IUP began
when President John D. Welty was
selected by the CSU Board of Trustees on May 13, 1991 to serve as
CSUF's president after Harold Haak
retired.
Before being named as president at
CSUF, Welly enjoyed a successful
seven-year tenure at IUP, where he
succeeded in increasing student enrollment by 12 percent and invigorating lUP's private fundraising campaign by 250 percent.
Two years after Welty came to
CSUF, Dr. Sharon Brown McGowan
found her way toCSUF when itneeded
a new vice president for academic
personnel. She had worked as assistant provost at IUP for seven years
before applying for the position at
CSUF.
Working at CSUF, she said, would
be a different challenge, however.
"I had reservations about applying
for this job. My reservation was thai
the job description at CSUF was loo
small," she said.
While at IUP, Brown-McGowan's
responsibilities among other duues
included handling counseling foreign
students, overseeing the university's
Academy of Culinary Arts, the
women's studies program, human resources, and evaluation of university
academic departments, as well as representing the faculty in labor rcla-
Her job description at CSUF consists mainly of personnel matters, hiring new faculty and representing the
university's faculty in legal issues
with the California Faculty Assocta-
Whcn the position became available last spring, Brown-McGowan
said Welty did not let her know of the
opening and didn't even know she
had applied.
"He didn'tcvenknow I was applying for ihc job; there was no commu-
nication between us," Brown-
McGowan said. "I decided to apply at
the last minute."
Brown-McGowan said it is not
uncommon for a university lo undergo major change when a president
leaves.
"When a new president leaves, you
have, typically, a reorganization of
administrative structure. When a new
president arrives, you have turnover
— it's probably rare lhat everyone
slays," she said.
Bob Perez, criminology professor
and chair of the search committee lhat
selected Brown-McGowan last spring,
said that her past job location and tics
to Welly had little to do with her
selection.
"Wc were looking for someone
who had personnel experience and
good organizational skills. I didn'i
know she was from IUP until I looked
at her resume," he said.
"Our biggesi reason for recom-
Left: Dr. Peter Smits. Center: Dr. Sharon Brown-McGowan. Right: President John Welty.
CHINA STATION
Finest Authentic Chinese Cuisine
Now TtaEE Locations To Serve You
Campus
Student Union
(Basement)
■
\
1
•nu
Stadium
CSUF
■
Irt
AihUn
Catering Welcome
Please contact Jason
Tab (aoo) 431-4060
Fast Food &
Food To Go
1768 E. Barstow
Tali (zoo) 431-4060
Menu Dining &
Food To Go
304SE. Ashlan
Tel: (209) 224-6122
CHINA STATION
SO CetltS OFF For
Every Purchase Over
$2.
Valid at #1 and #2 only.
I
I
CHINA STATION
10% OFF For Any
Purchase.
Valid at #x and #2 only.
mending her was lhat wc knew she
would be a good fit for Provost
Alexander Gonzalez, her boss," he
said.
According lo Perez, Welty did not
find out thai Brown-McGowan was a
candidate until late in the search.
"The first time that Dr. Welly knew
of her candidacy was when I sent a
courtesy memo of the five original
candidates to his office. We received
no feedback from him after interviews, cither," he said.
Provost Alexander Gonzalez, who
made ihc appointment of Dr. Brown-
McGowan in the fall, said it was
Brown-McGowan's experience that
made the difference in ihc end.
"I chose Sharon because she has a
wide background and a broad range
of experience, and the CFA was very
receptive lo her," he said.
When Gonzalez was asked if
Welly's presence had anything to do
with her appointment, he was very
firm with his response.
"Ii'san extremely competitive process looking for candidates. These
people have 10 prove their worth. 1
don't think thai hiring of IUP administrators has anything 10 do with it,"
he said, defending his selection.
"I have to be open to scrutiny in my
hiring practiccsjust like anyone else."
In February 1994, Dr. Pcier Smits
was selected as the new vice president
for university advanccmcniby Welty,
replacing Dr. Lynn Hcmink.
Smits had worked with Welly at
IUP as his vice president for institu-
See TEAM, Page 14
Kennel Bookstore
RegisterTo
A $200 Kennel Boolc^W
Gift Certificate