1995_05 Insight May 1995

              .
In Focus
MAY 17,1995
Persian Gulf War sailor
seeking American wife
for U.S. citizenship
♦ Veteran frustrated over
government's red tape
By Stephen Walsh
StaffWriler
Rogie Balmando is looking for love
in all ihe wrong places
Thursday. May 11. he stood on the
median on Shaw Avenue by Barnes
and Noble Book Store on the look-
in his hands, a posierboard advertised his plight: "I am looking for a
SWF lo marry me. Not because of
love — because of fighting for this
country during Desert Storm."
Balmando. 30. was one of aboul 400
Filipinos whojoined ihe U.S. military
to fight in ihe Persian Gulf. A machinist male. 2nd class, he served in the
Navy on the U.S.S. IwoJima.
While on Shaw Avenue. Balmando
wore calf-high green hiking boots,
denim shorts and a while T-shirt. The
message on the T-shirt furthered his
cause In blue and red letters: "ILLEGAL ALIEN A victim of Title VIII
— United Slates Code Section 1440 "
That code section ol the Immigration
and Nationality Act grants naturali/a-
tion lo non-ciiizens who served the U.S.
Campus
physician's
diagnosis
a life-saver
By Janet Soules
Staff Writer
A CSUF student had a hole in hcr
heart the si/e of a golf ball.
She knows aboul it thanks to Dr.
Anthony Molina at ihe Student Health
Center.
In October, Michelle French, a liberal sludies major, went to the CSUF
Health Center "because she bad lost a
note slating that her (uberculosis test
was negative.
The note was necessary for French
to apply to the credential program.
Because Ihe results of a TB test require a two-day waiting period and
French had lo submit the lest results
that day. there wasn't enough time for
another skin graph, according to
French.
One of Molina's nurses said the doctor would order a chest X-ray to be
taken, so she would quickly gel the
results.
When Molina, a physician at the
Health Center for more than 10 years,
received ihe results from Dr. Erik
Strom, a radiologist at the center, he
delected an abnormal heart condition.
In the 10 years since Molina has
worked al the center, he's only seen a
few patients with heart abnormalities.
Molina took French's X-ray to Dr.
Kevin Boran. a cardiologist at thc Cardiovascular Consultants Heart Center
in Fresno. Boran told Molina thai
French had an atrial septal defect, a
congenital heart disorder uncommon
in adulls and often detected at birth.
military in World War I. World War II
and the Vietnam conflict.
Balmando claims to have been overlooked for naturalization. He blames
President Clinton.
By way of an executive order issued
in Novembcrl°°4, Clinton extended
the code to include the Persian Gulf
conflict.
"The only reason 1 joined the Navy
was to become a U.S. citizen."
Balmando said.
Today, Balmando is considered an
illegal alien because he has never been
granted citizenship. Balmando was
honorably discharged before his tour
of duty was complete. "I was discharged for medical reasons." he said.
"I was diagnosed wilh meningitis after the war."
Today, like many Desert Storm veterans. Balmando claims to be suffering from Gulf War syndrome. Along
with headaches and nausea, he said
he has a "seizure disorder."
The U.S. govemmenl has not officially acknowledged Gulf War Syndrome, because its causes and effects
are slill under investigation.
Balmando claimed he could not re-
enlist because he has undergone surgery. "Once the Navy opens your skull.
they'll never re-enlist you," he said.
So why the sign?
"I just want to show them that if
fighting for this country isn't going
to make me a citizen, then maybe a
powerful woman will.
"I wanted to put a strong message
that maybe a woman is stronger than
the U.S. government." he said.
Balmando believes the only way he
will be granted naturalization is if he
marries an American.
CSUF Migrant Services Director
Raul Marino disagrees.
He said Balmando can file for naturalization and get support from Congress. "The congressman can only
submit a letter on his behalf, bul if he
hasn't filed, they can do nothing."
Marino said.
Lemoore Naval Air Station Family
Services Officer Miguel Munoz said
Balmando came to see him about a
year ago to ask for help. He said
Balmando was supposed lo be
shipped back to the Philippines after
his tour of duty in the Persian Gulf.
Instead, he said Balmando is living
wilh his parents in Fresno receiving a
pension from the govemmenl.
"Thc Navy — they don't really keep
track," Balmando said.
Dr. Molina was one of the doctors who detected an abnormal heart
condition In CSUF student Michelle French.
According to Boran. Molina was instrumental in diagnosing French's
heart condition.
Molina doesn't think he should get
all the credit.
"A lot of thc credit also goes to Dr.
Erik Strom, because he's really the
one that kind of got me to think about
it. I knew there was something that
wasn't quite right about thai X-ray. I
wasn't quite sure exactly what. He
was really the one who identified it
as a heart defect." Molina said.
"The challenge is to try and follow
up on little things that lead to bigger
ihings. Sometimes you kind of wonder if you should or should not pursue things. That |X-ray) was definitely something that should have
been followed up on. There was no
question in my mind," Molina said.
"I've known Dr. Molina for several
years and I think he is an excellent
physician." Boran said.
In Seplcmbcr French had seen a cardiologist in Visalia. But after $2,000
worth of tests, including an
echocardiogram lhat takes an ultra
sonic picture of the heart, the cardiologist couldn't find anything wrong
with her. and he gave her a clean bill
of health.
According to Boran. French's
heart condition went undetected
because thc cardiologist wasn't
looking for it.
"I don't think he [ihe cardiologist|
was looking for it, therefore he didn't
see il. 1 was looking for it. therefore I
saw it," Boran said.
But Molina could tell the X-ray
wasn't normal, and that's what made
the difference.
Molina reacted in a similar fashion
when he diagnosed another CSUF
studenl with a heart condition. He sent
his patient to Valley Medical Center
There the student learned he had a
serious heart problem but was afraid
to face thc matter. He left VMC Alter three months of tracking medical
records, Molina contacted the student
so that he would seek the medical attention he needed. Molina said
See MOLINA, page 7
Photo by Kori Rianda/lnsight
Rogie Balmando advertises for a wife on Shaw Avenue. His shirt
states his purpose, "ILLEGAL ALIEN. A victim of Title VIII — United
States Code Section 1440."
Because Balmando is apparently a "It's oul of |thc government'*] hands be-
victim of a bureaucratic oversight, cause it's a gray zone."
Munoz also advised him to get help Balmando said his family that lives in
from Congress. Balmando s parents the Philippines wants him to come home,
live in George Radanovich's. R-Man- Regardless of the "red tape," though,
posa. district. Balmando said he is here to stay.
"I sympathize with him." Munoz said. "No way." he said. "I'm noi going hack."
High price of DUIs:
money, reputation
By Hanne Bentzon
StaffWriler Q.
Drunken or drugged driving is a
costly crime in California. Fees and
fines are particularly punishing to
empty-pocketed students.
"A fine of SI.103 is the minimum
you can get. If the alcohol or drug
level is extremely high, you can end
up wilh a $5,000 line," said Linda
Reed, division manager for Fresno
Municipal Court.
While the actual alcohol percentage
will vary according lo body type. sex.
health status and other factors, it lakes
only two drinks over a period of three
hours for an average person to run the
blood alcohol level up to .08 percenl
— and to be convicted of drunken
driving.
If you have larger or stronger drinks,
or drink on an empty stomach, you
can be unsafe with fewer drinks.
According to a chart issued by the
Department of Motor Vehicles, one
drink is a 12-ounce beer, four ounces
of wine, or a l.25-ounce shoi of 80-
proof liquor.
According to Ron Hulls, public information officer for the Fresno Police Department, there can be multiple
reasons for pulling over a car.
"A person who is not wearing a seal
belt, is running a stop light or a stop
sign, or drives recklessly are some of
ihe most common reasons for pulling
over a vehicle." Hulls said.
If the officer suspects ihe driver of
ihc vehicle is under the influence, thc
driver will be asked to take a field
II the driver fails lhc test, the officer
gives the driver a choice between
three different tests to determine the
amount ol alcohol in ihe bloodstream:
a breath, hlixul or urine lest. All are
administered al ihe police station.
If one ol the tests shows an alcohol
level of .08 or higher, the driver will,
be arrested for driving under the influence and will be put in jail until
the paperwork has been processed.
This can take from four to 12 hours,
according lo Reed. \
DUI offenders are required lo appear in court, unless represented by a
private lawyer.
The sentence usually includes a
"fat" fine, according to Reed.
Bui other forms of time-consuming
punishments can be added to the fine.
"You also have to attend DUI
school. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, a victim impact panel, your license is suspended and your insurance payment will increase," Reed
According to Hulls, the number of
drivers arrested with blood alcohol
levels above .08 percenl has decreased
in the lasi two years.
In 1992 Ihe number of DUI arrests
in the city of Fresno was 1.805. and
in I993 the number fell lo 1,698. Out
of these. 15 were between the ages of
lOand 18.
The number of DUI arrests in I994
was 1.540. a 14 percent decrease from
1992.
"I believe ihe main reason for this
decrease could be credited to the pressure from the media, increased advertising and organizations and agencies
involving themselves." Hulls said.
"The concept to be caught driving
drunk is a real stigma in this day and
time. Society is [frowning] upon this
irresponsible behavior in a much
See DUI, page 7
CSUF students
sacrifice honesty
for better grades
By Sheryl Logue
StaffWriler
'Tis the season for finals, stress
and late-night, caffeine-filled cram
sessions.
And with the end-of-semester
pressures comes an increase in
"wandering eye syndrome" and
"work borrowing."
According to William Corcoran,
dean of student affairs, the instances of cheating and plagiarism
increase as semesters reach their
close.
"At the end of thc semester,
people are desperate. They're behind and realize ihey can't get
caught up."
But cheating and plagiarism are
year-round problems.
"I believe there's a significant
amount of cheating at thc university. I think if we ever really knew
how much we'd be appalled,"
Corcoran said. "In our society, the
attitude seems to be 'achieve by
any means possible.'"
According to Corcoran, jtudent
affairs deals with one case of academic dishonesty every other
week. That number, however,
doesn't provide an accurate picture
of the problem. He said most cases
are dealt with by the instructor and/
or department chair and are not
referred to his office.
There are many ways faculty
members can deal with cases of
academic dishonesty. The decision
is left up to the instructor. Corcoran
There arc guidelines for instructors to follow. Corcoran suggests
that before taking any action thc
instructor confer with the department chair.
"It's important to have a third
party get involved." Corcoran said
"It's assumed that most faculty
know how to deal with this. That's
not necessarily true."
Corcoran also suggests the student be given a fair opportunity to
respond to the accusation. He said
this is often handled by holding a
meeting with the faculty member,
thc department chair, the accused
student and a person of thc
student's choosing.
According to Corcoran, most students bring another faculty member with them. Friends are sometimes brought in. but parents are
rarely involved.
Punishments meted out by instructors range from not giving
credit for a test to dropping a student from class or giving an F for
thc course.
If the offense is serious enough,
faculty members have the option
of referring the case to thc student
affairs office, which then conducts
a separate investigation and meeting with the student. Corcoran said.
In cases where the accusations of
academic dishonesty are found to
be true, penalties can range from
verbal or written reprimands to
suspension or expulsion, he said.
When a student is suspened, a
"W" (withdraw) is issued for all the
classes in which Ihe student is currently enrolled, and hc or shc cannot return to the university for one
or more semesters. A notation is
placed on the student's transcript,
Corcoran said. The notation prc-
See CHEATING, page 7
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