1996_12 Insight December 1996

              pieces  from  the
LIFESTYLE, PAGE 4
Insight
California State University, Fresno M V DECEMBER II, 1996
Proud   Bulldogs
SPORTS, PAGE 7
Budget debate
fuels ASI scuffle
■ Reality party accused
of not funding cultural
groups
by Jevon Swanson
Staff Writer
The buttle
$270,000 col
income has been grinding on members of lhe
Associated Students, Inc.. since the beginning
of the semester, bin ihe battle took a new turn
al lasi Thursday's meeting when charges ot"
racism caused an obscenity -laced screaming
• emually broken up by cam-
minority participation.
But John Ri/zotti. recently resigned senator and de facto Reality majority leader, denies the allegation of racism in Reality and
pointed to ihe multi-cultural composition of
the Reality-controlled senate.
"If students would just open their eyes and
look at the make-up of the board, we have
Hispanics, Romanians, African-Americans. I
mean, wc have everyone." Rizzotti said. "I
-could«ce if it was an all-white board... I could
see Ihe stud&its giving some credibility for
racism."
ASI President Tommy Monrcal, who ran
as an independent and has had nearly all his
actions blocked by the Reality-controlled senate, thinks the cuts arc unnecessary.
"The whole thing is that they (Reality) ac-
Inilght photo by Mohoammed El Sharif
ASI President Tommy Monreal (far left) argues with John
Rizzotti of the Reality Party (right) at last week's n
duccd or eliminated lhc funding of several
cultural clubs and organizations.
Reality opponents say the money has been
unfairly cut from clubs locusing on cultural
and minority issues and diverted lo other areas thai ignore cultural issues or have little
cuse us of only funding certain groups.
There's plenty of money for every club."
Monrcal said.
In addition to culling club funding, last
year's senate also cut the stipends for the ASI
see ASI. page 8
Students seek relief
of credit eard blues
by April Ghan
Consultants in Fresno, has consulted people
Staff Writer
wilh credit problems for 20 years. "I get col
lege students calling me here all lhe time."
He never meant for ii to happen.
When 19-year-old Iresno State business
Kevorkian said. "They tell me they've got
ihree ma.xed-oul credit cards and they don't
major Marvin Danuoor applied for his firsl
know what to do.
He agrees thai young college students need
he needed lo establish a credit history lo gel
io establish credit but added that having three
approved lor a car loan. Now hc says the
whole thing has brought him nothing bul
negative credit and more bills to pay.
"When I first got the card I only charged
S300 or $400 and I planned lo pay it off by
the end of the month." Dangixir said. "But
some things happened where 1 needed money
for tires and I owed some money to other
people immediately."
Before he knew it. Dangoor was $300 over
his $ 1.000 credit limit and he had made only
two charges on lhe card. And his interest rale,
which started al 12.5 percent, jumped to 19.8
percent.
"I found out that Ihe interest on lhe card
goes by how much you pay a month. If I make
more than the minimum payment, I'll be
charged a lower interest rale. Bui ill just make
the minimum payment. I gel charged 19.8
percenl." Dangoor explained.
Dangoor is not the only college studenl w iih
credit problems.
George Kevorkian. 62. CEO. of Premium
to four credit cards is not the answer. Last
month. Kevorkian filed 41 bankruptcies for
people that had over-used their credit cards.
Tweniy-five of those who filed bankruptcy
wye under Ihe age of 30.
"Nothing makes bad credit good,"
Kevorkian said. "Ronald Reagan could co-
sign for you and your credit still wouldn't be
good." Kevorkian also warns lhat bad credit
can affect the possibilities of getting jobs.
"At least 50 to 60 companies, like Bank of
America. IBM and Mobile, now check credit
histories before they hire. They figure if you
pay your bills on lime you'll show up to work
on time and will be dependable. There's a lot
of merit to thai." Kevorkian said.
Julie Reynolds. 28. is a lol more optimistic
about young people and credit cards.
Reynolds has been working to promote
CitiBank credit cards for two years. She said
in one day of having her booth al Fresno State.
she'll gel as little as 100 applications and as
see CREDIT, page 3
Gangs conjure up images of young men committing drive-by shootings, young men
stealing cars and brawling. But teen-age women are equally involved in Fresno
gangs. And their numbers are steadily increasing.
The changing face of gangs
Irw.ght photot by Ryan McKm
As the hands of this 19-year-old former Fresno gang member show, young men
and women often carry the markings of their troubled past for life.
by Elaina Conroy
Staff Writer
She started hanging oul wiih friends
and going to panics while at McLane
High, just like any other teen-age girl.
But one thing led to another and al age
14. she got "jumped" — or violently
initiated — into a gang.
"Four girls jumped me for 14
seconds," she remembers. "If you can
go for more than 14 second- ihan lhai
proves that you're down. I got a black
eye. but that's all. Vou have a choice lo
either fight back or cover yourself and
I just covered myself."
Now she is one of the young female
members of the East Side Iresno
Bulldogs, who wishes to be known
only as "Bulldog." She has. like other
troubled teen-agers her age. found a
family in the gang.
Two years after hcr initiation. 16-'
year-old Bulldog is a little under four
months pregnant. Sitting on a weight
bench in the recreation room of the
House Of Hope For Youths, a gang
intervention center, she twiddles her
fingers in her lap and looks down at the
needle tattoos on bolh of her forearms.
Her lough face seems to soften and hcr
blue eyes sharpen.
"I'm going to get rid of my tattoos
because I have to straighten up and gel
a job lo support my baby." she said.
The word "gang" conjures up
images of young men committing
drive-by shootings, young men stealing
cars, young men brawling. Bul young
women are equally involved in gang
activity in California.
And their numbers are increasing.
The Juvenile Drug-Fniorcement
Agency in San Diego Couniy estimates
Susan Bechara, House of Hope
founder, has been helping female
gang members for 10 years.
gang activity. They^re up and coming. A
lot of ihcir crimes are going unnoticed
because of a lack of media attention.
Most drive-by shootings are male-
orienied and they get ihe most atten-
Like male gang members, girls also
join gangs io become part of the gang
"family." Experts say they want to fit in
and be accepted, but most of all to be
needed. Many girls gel involved with
gangs through iheir boyfriends, family
members or friends. Many seem to
follow a cycle of getting pregnant and
running away from home.
Bulldog has run away from home
several limes, lived with her older sister,
who was also in a gang, and now lives
with her ll'-year-old boyfriend and
rather of her child. Hcr boyfriend, she
said, is also affiliated with lhc Bulldogs
gang. Shc explained thai lhe couple are
ii.. longer as heav ily involved in gang
aeiiv u\ because of the responsibility of
raising a child.
"I wanl mj kid to be something other
than what I was." Bulldog said. "I got
kicked out of school my freshman year
lor lighting. Now I'm a junior at the
I louse 4.1 Hope. 1 wani to get my GED
and go further in life so I can show my
baby thai there's more lo life than the
The House of Hope For Youth, a nonprofit organization which provides
scivices for troubled youth and their
families, has given Bulldog the chance
to make some changes in her life. Al the
House ..I Hope. Bulldog can receive her
education in a gang-free zone.
Susan Bechara. lhe founder of the
see GANGS, page 8
Got questions? Library's reference desk has answers
knight photo by Svoa Pttenon
Reference desk veteran Bill Heinlen assists student Mia Giacomazzi.
■ Reference desk
answers 90,000
questions a year
by Ee-Yen Phun
Staff Writer
"What floor is the elevator?"
"Do you know anything about this .
drug my doctor has prescribed?"
"Can you help me find a job?"
Such is life at the Henry Madden
Library reference desk. The questions
arc endless and sometimes a bit silly.
Ross LaBough has been a librarian
for 22 years at the University of Massachusetts. He joined the staff at
Fresno State as the Library Instruction Coordinator in July.
"If people want something quick
and f;i
they
tor guidance
lop at the r
etc i
LaBoi
He sees the reference desk as a 7-
11 store, the library itself as .1 super
market.
And the questions never stop
The last lime the library counted.
90.(X)<> questions were answered al
lhe reference desk over a year's pe-
• ribd. LaBough said.'
'Today's librarian is an information
counselor. We guide people just as a
counselor would." I.aBotigh s.ml
"1 get a Un of students »ha ask
about computers." said thc reference
desk's Kathie Lewis.
She answers about 10 to 12 questions on computers each das Answ er-
ing questions is no problem for her.
"Students normally ask questions
like. 'What does this mean''' 'What
1 do I find lhe period i-
s said. Studenls as well
come with questions on
: siock exchange listing*
■4  4.IUCS
V|VIM-I
1 Irustrates^the
People come w iih a specific ques-
1, but most of ihem don't. They
c this undefined need to know
lething and Ihe librarian is like a
mselor lo help them." LaBough
"In order to do that, we have to be
computer specialists, trained educators, because everyone's learning
style is different We have to be advocates, politicians and even fundraisers." he added.
LaBough coordinates the library's
instruction program.
The program helps leach people
how to use the library and how to find
library materials.
LaBough sees his job as getting
people to the source to satisfy their
information needs.
Il could be about books, journals,
government publications, films, web-
pages. audio-recordings, regardless of
format.
"I like questions that help people
see REFERENCE, page 3