1996_12 Insight December 1996

              In Focus
DECEMBER 11, 1996 I
Freshmen city council moves in
■ New city council
members look to
create partnerships
by Janet Soules
Staff Writer
No one felt safe in the neighborhood
near Shields and Maple avenues any
longer. Business in the community
started to reach a lull. One hundred
times a month the manager of an apartment complex would call the police,
then neighbors would watch police officers making arrests outside the
kitchen or living room windows.
Valley Christian Center located
across the street from the complex had
heard and seen enough to know something had to change. The church got
involved by teaming up with the apartment manager to clean up the area. The
calls io the police have dropped down
to about one call a month, said elected
city councilman Ken Steitz.
"1 think a city council person helps
the people in the neighborhoods solve
problems. I don't think the councilman
is especially anointed to go in there and
solve every problem. They just can't.
My role is bringing parties together to
solve a problem," Sleitz said.
Involvement, coalitions, and focus
arc more than just words that four
newly elected Fresno City Council
members will bring to the council
chamber starting Jan. 7. 1997. Steitz.
Garry Bredefeld, Henry Perca and
Chris Mathys are the city's freshman
council members.
Creating an alliance between pastors,
business leaders, apartment managers,
mini-mart owners and neighborhood
watch groups is pan of what the new
council members hope to achieve.
A native of Fresno, Steitz works as a
senior loan officer for National Pacific
Mortgage Corporation. Over the next
four years Fresnans will see a different
type of strong council wilh a new form
of government. Steitz asserts.
Fresno native Henry Perea, a senior
staff analyst for thc city of Fresno, said
responsibility must be put back into
neighborhoods.
During precinct walks throughout
Perca's campaign, he learned that
people want to be involved in taking
care of their neighborhoods. But when
faced with a problem like a clogged
sewer drain, a cracked sidewalk or a
tree on city property hitting a house,
they don't know who or where to call
to get the job done.
Perea said lhat residents should only
have to make one call instead of calling three different departments in the
city. r
Partnerships need lo be created with
the county, city, civic organizations, and
neighborhoods, Perea said.
"I will be a part of a leadership team
that will set a new vision for Fresno."
Perca stated.
Chris Mathys is concerned about
high-rise buildings that block thc view
for people who live in homes on Regency and Gates in Fig Garden.
More than seven years ago, Mathys
started from scratch a real estate loan
company in Fresno called Oro Finan-
bitigttt photo by Mohoammed El Sharif
City council member Henry Perea said he wants to set a
"new vision" for Fresno.
cial. As a business owner, Mathys is on specific parenting skills. Bredefeld
concerned about bringing jobs and knows just how effective coalitions are
businesses into Fresno. because he see them being established
College students are an untapped all the time in his profession,
resource, said Garry Bredefeld. He       Bredefeld will be the first clinical
believes that all college students need psychologist to hold a seat on the city
to be given the opportunity to get in- council. In his profession he has had
volved and they will attain that goal. to leam how lo come up with (
Bredefeld would like to sec college
students volunteer their time to help
high-risk kids in the classroom, maybe
through a three units class. It wouldn't
much money, he said.
.olutions to difficult problems.
"My opinion is lhat it is critical that
a councilman be involved wiih commerce, be involved with day-to-day life
like every one else, so that they can
I think thc city and thc school dis- make quality decisions in that office. I
like to look at myself as a citizen legis-
tricts and the university can have a collaborate relationship where everyone lator. not a professional politi
can benefit," said Bredefeld. Sleitz said.
These kids need to be given extra "I think when somebody runs for
attention by establishing a relationship office their whole experience up to
between a kid and a college student. A that point prepares them for it," he
parent could be given some direction said.
ASIf from page 1
executives, which Monreal has
been fighting to restore.
Funding for joint councils, organizations affiliated wilh one of
the university's eight schools, was
cut by 525,549 in this year's budget, from S54.549 to $29,000.
Cultural events were cut from
$39,640 to $4,500. Cultural clubs
were allocated $19,100 last year,
bul cut out of the 1996-97 budget
completely.
Rizzotti said the cuts were a result of a student referendum on the
Spring 1996 election ballot to reduce student fees to $8 from S16
a semester, which decreased the
ASI's income by half.
"Let it be known thai the students voted for that fee decrease
and that's why it passed," he said.
"We knew exactly what was going to happen with the repercussions, but every body sees a fee cut
and ihey don't want to pay enough
money. But when they see their
club get cut. who arc they going
to yell at? Us."
The referendum was placed on
the ballot by last year's senate,
which was also controlled by Reality.
One of Reality's major platform
planks is that ASI money should
be dispersed to the areas that assist the greatest number of students.
Last year's senate used this philosophy to explain why it cut funding to the University Lecture
Series out completely.
Reality said it felt the ASI was
subsidizing an event that catered
to the community and not students, especially since students
still have lo pay to attend the lectures.
Approximately $15,000 has
since been added to the budget for
the ULS after University President
John Welty returned the budget to
ASI and requested that the extra
$132,000 from the failed $8 fee
decrease be allocated in some way.
In addition to funding for the
lecture series, the senate also
agreed to give the Henry Madden
Library $20,000 for endowments.
John Rizzotti and ASI members object to comments made
during last week's meeting.
$ 10.200 for four Internet-accessible
computers and $9,800 for periodicals and books.
The '97 Health Fair was given
$1,000 and $7,000 went towards
educational grants.
The remaining $69,000 was
placed in reserve accounts where it
now sits and collects interest.
Rizzotti and other Reality members point to the library donation as
a positive example of spending
money to benefit the greatest number and greatest cross-section of
students.
Rizzotti said this philosophy also
guided the decision to cut several
programs, both cultural and joint
council, lhat had low memberships.
Rizzotti said several of the groups
requesting money last year had very
few members. He said clubs
needed to have 10 members in order to qualify for funding.
No minimum requirement is
listed in the Fall 1996-97 ASI Budget Orientation Handbook.
Rizzotti also said thai several
groups failed to follow the proper
procedure for requesting ASI funding.
Defending the budget
To receive funding from ASI.
clubs must apply during the prior
Spring semester's budget process.
Applications must list planned ex
penditures including names and
dates of speakers and entertainers.
In the midst of last Thursday's melee, which got the attention of The
Fresno Bee, KMPH Newsradio and
KMJ's Ray Appleton talk-show. Reality members tried to defend this
year's budget proposal by pointing
out that even though cultural clubs
were cut, the remaining money was
diverted to areas on campus with
high minority enrollment.
Senator Brant Enoch cited the
School of Agriculture, the school he
represents, as being one of those areas with a high minority population.
Groups affiliated with the School
of Health and Social Work, which
has a 60 percent minority enrollment, saw a $5,150 decrease over
last year from $ 10,550 to $5,400.
The budget is still unapproved,
and the 56 clubs and organizations
that arc listed in the budget proposal
remain unfunded until the budget is
officially approved by the senate.
ASI president and university president.
Following last week's raucous
meeting. Rizzotti said Reality members have vowed to not meet next semester until Monreal agrees to
accept their budget and honor their
senate and committee appointees.
Rizzotti also said hc received a
death threat last Friday, and announced he would be resigning his
seat on the senate, effective this
week.
Future
uncertain
for ASI
by Jim Ward
Staff Writer
When John Rizzotti decided to take
part in student government, he thought
it would be a nice resume builder. Instead. Rizzotti found himself in the
middle of a healed race melee and thc
object of death threats.
Rizzotti. who recently resigned his Associated Student Inc. senate seat, is the
de-facto leader of the Reality party, the
economically conservative political organization that controls the ASI senate.
After last Thursday's ASI meeting,
which erupted into a pushing and
screaming match between the senate and
members of the gallery, Rizzotti received
death threats on his answering machine.
. The next.day he found a note on his car
thai read "Die." "1 know great leaders
make enemies." Rizzotti said "But this
is scary. ASI is noi worth risking your
life over. I'm going to take myself out of
the public eye and work behind the
scenes."
Rizzotti said that ASI president
Tommy Monrcal tried in intimidaie senators by stacking the senate gallety with
political supporters, which led to last
Thursday's near riot Rizzotti said as far
as he was concerned ASI was "shut
down" after last Thursday's melee.
Monreal said that thc AS I would con-
- tinue "business as usual" and called
Rizzotti's charges "crazy."
Those people [Reality senators] arc
off in their own little world. They don't
really know how to communicate with
anyone outside iheir little circle."
Monreal said.
Monrcal said thai he has been frustrated by thc lack of legislative progress
by this semester's ASI senate, but said
hc refused to waver on his principles.
"My goal is to keep community life on
campus." Monrcal said. "I think cultural
clubs arc an important part of this com-
of Reality are already making plans to
run "a strong" campaign in the spring
ASI elections to recapture the three executive posts and maintain senate control.
CAMPUS LIFE, from page 5
of advantages to living on campus,
but the most important one is the
people. "I thought that it would be a
great way to meet people and it is."
said the 21 -year-old business administration major.
She said that living on campus is
a great experience for students because of the interaction wilh other
students.
Part of an R.A.'s job is to further
that personal interaction by planning
programs for the residents.
According to the demographics
collected by the University Courtyard, most of the students who live
it the residence halls come to Fresno
State from 200 to 500 miles away and
arc between 18 and 19 years old.
In fact, almost 100 of the
Courtyard's current residents are foreign students from countries such as
Japan, Germany. Norway, Kenya, and
Sri Lanka.
Because of their distance? from
home, most students don't know anyone in Fresno when they arrive. The
programs help residents get involved
in campus life and meet new people.
Each R.A. is expected to conduct
at least four educational programs and
four social programs each semester
for their floor or section.
They also participate in the plan
ning and institution of programs for
thc entire Courtyard.
Social programs include movie
nights, dances, karaoke, sports, games
and barbecues
The educational programs include
lectures, culture nights and presentations by peer educators on topics such
as sex education and alcohol awareness.
Karen L. Johnson, assistant director of housing, said the hall's programs are well attended by the
residents and that, not only has occupancy increased, but more students
are staying in the halls past their freshman year.
The retention rate is higher,"
Johnson said. "It's a more positive
environment."
Jacoby attributes that positive environment, in part, to the resident
staff.
"Their whole purpose is to create
a belter atmosphere," she said. "An
environment that says safety, security."
But, she said (hat as much as the
staff gives to the residents, they also
leam a lot from their experiences in
the positions.
"Whether you love this job or hate
it," she said. "I promise you will
leam more than you ever thought.
More than you wanted to. I wish everybody could be an R.A."
Journal gives
voice to
student writers
■ San Joaquin Review
, publishes works by
student authors,
poets
by Irene R. Marin
Staff Writer
The San Joaquin Review may be
a tiny, paperback publication, but
for Cynthia Elliott it's the Pulitzer
Prize for aspiring Fresno State authors.
Although the deadline was Dec.
2, current and former Fresno State
students can polish up their best
work and cross their fingers for selection and publication for the 1997
San Joaquin Review, a literary journal staffed by graduate students and
published every spring.
"It's the voice of thc Masters and
Fine Arts program," said Elliott, the
journal's non-fiction editor. "One
special thing about the 1997 San
Joaquin Review is that it's thc first
year the English Department has
had an MFA program and the first
representation product."
Elliott's "Squeezing sugar...," a
fictional story, and "you are standing ...," a poem, were two pieces selected last year. Because of
Elliott's fine work she was asked to
join the staff team by this year's
editor-in-chief, Debra Deakin.
"Generally seven out of 35 submissions go to print," Elliott said.
According to Elliott, writers who
submit their work will get an acceptance or rejection notice before
February 1997.
Elliott said when something is rejected, it's because of the content.
"Sometimes submissions lack focus
or they're too erotic," she said.
"Then there are those who are accepted, but must be willing to make
changes."
Last year Elliott was asked to
make content changes with her
poem to meet the requirements of
the journal.
"The San Joaquin Review gives
students an opportunity to write and
it's also gratifying. It's been student-operated for as long as I can
remember." said 43-year-old
Deakin.
The publication isn't limited to
only English majors.
"We encourage anyone to submit
a piece of their writing," shc said.
Deakin. a former UC Berkeley
graduate, was chosen to take on the
most prestigious title of the San
Joaquin Review by last year's editor. Chuck Radke. "It's a nice experience and it's all volunteer work.
There's no charge," said Deakin.
Last spring Deakin had four poems selected for print. Because
editors felt "Kings Canyon" symbolized the nature of the Valley,
they allowed it to grace last year's
cover.
Although she isn't sure of its first
publication date, Deakin said thai
for the past 10 or 15 years, shc recalls it as an "ongoing publication."
The San Joaquin Review was
founded by the English Department. The current faculty advisor
is Charles Hanzlicek. director of
creative writing and a professional
members depend on allocated funds
from the Associated Student s. Inc.,
it varies as to how much they can
spend or how long the publication
will be.
"Last year ASI rewarded us with
$4,500 dollars," said Deakin. Staff
members arc currently waiting for
this year's fund.
The 1997 San Joaquin Review is
expected to be out by mid- April. It
can be found in areas such as the
English Department. Barnes and
Noble Bookstores and other local
book stores.
GANGS, from page 1
House of Hope, has been working
with youths involved in gangs for the
past 10 years. Bechara and her staff
have dedicated themselves to the prevention and intervention of gang activity.
"I feel very close to the kids because I don't find their genuine honest nature in adults," Bechara said.
"I've found lhat they're like rough
diamonds. And I learn a lot from
them. I'm trying to help these kids,
and I've found more doors are closed
on me. It's so difficult to get help —
most people refuse to work with gang
members — even if they are kids."
Bechara explained that gang involvement is on the rise, especially
for younger children. She said that
one problem is that there are too many
young parents who are not good parents themselves. And when kids grow
up surrounded by gangs in their
neighborhoods, older kids in gangs
become their role models.
"My mom was disappointed in me
because she wanted me to do more in
life," Bulldog said. "My sister was
in a gang just like me, but she's got
kids now and she straightened out.
My mom and sister both got pregnant
when they were 16 years old."
This trend of younger generations
following in their elders' footsteps is
a common occurrence in gang participation. "Scrappy Doggy Dogg" is a
19-year-old reformed gang member
who now works as a counselor at the
House of Hope. He got involved in
the Tiny Rascal Gang (TRG) when he
was 10 years old. It was easy for him
to get in because his older brother was
already a member.
Jim Henry of the Central Valley
Parole Board, who deals with kids
involved in gangs every day, explained how deep-seeded the gang
problem is. "We're talking about second and third generation gangs,"
Henry.said. "When a kid grows up
around gang members—that's all the
child sees — they don't know any
other way of life. Sometimes they
don't even have a chance."
Scrappy, who did not want to be
identified for this story, has turned his
life around. He used to steal cars, beat
up rival gang enemies and participate
in drive-by shootings. He served time
in juvenile hall and in the California
Youth Authority (CYA) for his
crimes. And he still has the tattoos on
his arms that mark him as a gang
member. But now Scrappy is trying
to discourage young people from going down thc same path he went
down.
"I got homeboys who got killed and
some are locked up doing life,"
Scrappy said. "I got shot a couple
times in drive-by shootings-. They
said I almost died because the bullet
was so close to my spinal chord. I
tell the younger kids that they don't
want to go through what I went
through."
The most important thing that the
House of Hope provides is a safe haven for kids to get off the streets.
Bechara said. If a young gang member like Bulldog wants to change her
situation, the House of Hope can help.
But Bechara and her staff realize
that the process of rehabilitation is
long and slow.
"We are living in a microwave society," Bechara said. "Everything has
to be fast. Everything has to be easy.
And now it's affecting human life.
Things take time. But our society
thinks that if something is no good,
we should just throw it away like old
furniture."
Chu Moua is a former Skyline San
Diego gang member who has turned
his life around and is now a House of
Hope outreach specialist. He tells the
kids lhat only they can make the decision to change their lives.
"I tell them they can either get an
education and build a life or they can
end up in juvenile hall or in jail for
the rest of their lives," Moua said. "Or
they can end up dead. Those are the
options. Once they see that they'll
make a change, because that,says it
all. And if they're willing to change,
I'll give them support."
Bechara also stressed the importance of family and community support in the rehabilitation of gang
members. Parents and communities
canoofceontinue to overlook the problem and think that it will go away on
its own, she added. She said that
gangs are everybody's problem.
"As soon as graffiti or car theft affects the other side of town, then it
becomes an issue," Bechara said.
"People have the mentality that if it's
not my neighborhood, it's not my
problem. If it's not my kid, it's not
my problem. We need to work with
the kids. We just can't put them
aside."