1994_09 Insight September 1994

              Wednesday, September 21,1994
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
Volume 26, Issue 2
CSUF cadets pay homage to POW/MIAs
Ken KoUer/INSIGRT
Airforce ROTC Cadets Williams and Horn stand guard over a
POW/MIA memorial early Friday morning.
Ken Koller
INSIGHT
The early morning sun just begins
to rise over the deserted California
State University, Fresno campus as a
lone bugler plays the somber notes
of Taps.
Dressed in pressed blue uniforms,
the cadets of Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps Detachment 35
stand at attention in the crisp morning air.
Silently, a single cadet strides to a
small table draped in white cloth at
the base of the flagpole. To each side,
sentries in full regalia stand. With
military precision, she places a lone
cap upon the table and lights a candle
situated next to a solitary red rose.
The voice of a second cadet breaks
the early morning silence.
"The table of honor is small, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner,
alone in ihe face of oppression. The
tablecloth is white, symbolizing the
purity of intentions to respond to their
country's call to arms. The candle
will be a reminder that hope still
bums in our hearts for their full return or accounting."
In a ceremony in front of the North
Gym last Friday, the 74 cadets of the
CSUF Air Force ROTC program
honored the American servicemen
and servicewomen yet to return
home
"This day is designated to ensure
that American servicemen, who are
in prisoner of war or missing in action status, are not forgotten." said
Cadet Jeremy Schroeder in his address. "They are frequently called
POW/MIAs. We call them 'brothers
and sisters." They are unable to be
with us this morning. We remember
them in their incarceration."
That night, in a silent remembrance,
cadets marched through campus, every other one holding a candle lit
from the flame that burned throughout the day.
For CSUF AFROTC cadets.
Friday's observance is not about faceless names that appear on a black
granite wall. Each day that passes,
their ranks remain one short.
Among the 2,229 still missing in
Southeast Asia. Air Force Major Ivan
Dale Appleby who graduated from
CSUF in 1953, is one of their own.
While on a reconnaissance mission
over North Vietnam on Oct. 7,1967,
his plane was hit by enemy fire.
After the end of the war, with no
evidence suggesting he survived the
wreck of his fighter jet, Appleby was
officially pronounced dead.
"It brings it closer to home," said
Major Stephen Doak, Commandant
of Cadets. "When you realize it's
somebody who sat in these same
classrooms, walked these same halls
and is still unaccounted for, I think
that he's somebody we should try to
remember."
Each day the cadets of Detachment
35 pass by the photo of Major
Appleby, a reminder that the profession they have chosen is wrought
with danger. "It makes you realize,"
said Cadet Steve Cochran, "that it can
definitely happen to anybody who
comes out of here, or any ROTC cadet for that matter. We want to do
things that bring home to our cadets
how serious of a matter this is."
Although most people tend to associate POW/MlA's with the Vietnam War, Cochran quickly points out
that 79.000 U.S. servicemen are still
listed as missing from World War II.
This was the first POW/MIA ceremony held by the cadets. "We can
only do a project on POW/MIA day,"
said Cadet Janelle Senecal, "and we
wanted to do something big. We
think it is symbolic to do something
for them and let everybody know that
freedom isn't free."
'Closed gays no more
Terese Farmen
Under the sweet romance of
candlelight and mellow jazz emanating  from
"Jen." a lesbian student from CSUF,
said she regretted coming out of the
closet for the first time, because she
lost her "best friend."
"The first straight person I came out
Terese Farmen/INSIGHT
Kikos Palomino, 20, left, Marty Tamblyn, 19, prove that gays can
come out in public.
ing out" is more of a personal matter.
"If it [coming out) is not serving
a purpose, then they [homosexuals] won't come out. It comes
• down to wanting
to share wilh this
person and for
this person to
share with me."
Some heterosexual students
said that homosexuality in a
friendship would
not change a
close friendship.
"If he was one
of my best
friends," said liberal studies major
John Gomez,
"and he tells me
'I'm homosexual,' it would
be surprising to
me,    but    my
excitement as the two men began
to kiss passionately.
The evening was positively
magical.
The next day Jake went to class,
only to run into a group of friends
who were making jokes about
"fags and dykes."
"They're queers, man, freaks.
It's nasty what they do to each
other."
Jake looked down in shame and
went on his way. Steve would
have to be a secret. Jake would
have to be a secret.
Many homosexual students
from the Fresno area said they
have a lot in common with Jake.
They said they are afraid "to come
out" in Fresno for two reasons:
fear of losing a close friend and
fear of discrimination at school
and work.
friendship would
not end there heme again, or if she cause of his sexuality. He would
still be my friend. Everything
would be the same as long as we
both keep respect for each other."
Other students said they would
not be bothered by a close friend
"coming out" unless the gay person was attracted to them.
"If someone who I assumed was
straight was attracted to me, I
to never spoke
did, she acted like I had a disease.
Ecology major "Matthew" said that
although it is beneficial to "be out"
in the social light, there is a lot at
risk as far as friends are concerned.
He said, "Do I really want to blow
it all? If they're really your friends,
then they'll accept it. It has a lot to
do with my own insecurity. Some
times I just don't give my friends    might be uncomfortable, because
enough credit.
"Pete," also a CSUF student, said
he was afraid of losing face with his
friends. He is afraid "that people
won't accept you anymore; you've
always been friends with someone,
and they don't want to talk to you
anymore."
Russ Decker, an HIV-AIDS educator with the Central Valley AIDS
Team, also a representative of the
Gay United Service Line, said "com-
I wouldn't know how to handle
that," said psychology major
Cheryl Rupp.
Danny Morris, construction management major said if his best
friend "came out," "He'd still be
my best friend, but something
would always be in the back of my
mind when we were doing something. It wouldn't bother me until
he did something weird — made a
See GAYS, page 5
George FVyna/lNSIGHT
Victor Rosas and Maria Arias celebrate Mexican Independence Day in the Free Speech Area.
Lee inspires Hmong students
Ybarra breaks stereotype
Lucy Her
Maria Machuca
INSIGHT
Dr. Lea Ybarra, who was named
new acting associate provost for academic planning and student services
at California State University,
Fresno, would have a friend to share
experiences or go for a walk with, if
only more Chicana women were in
top mangement positions.
Ybarra expressed, "I hope I'm only
the first of many more Chicana
women to follow in similar or higher
positions."
Ybarra has previously held important positions1 at CSUF including
serving as assistant to President John
Wdty.
In her new role, she will work in
academic planning dealing with issues on general education, space uti
lization and curriculum.
She will also be working on special projects in the area of student services.
One of her tasks will be the implementation of Provost Gonzalez's
goal of providing students with the
best services possible between academic affairs and student affairs. It
will make it easier for students to
solve their academic problems.
After the annexation of Texas to the
United States in 1848, her ancestors
remained in the conquered territory.
Although she is the product of about
seven generations who have lived in
the United States, Ybarra strives hard
to keep the Mexican values and
strong cultural pride.
"I'm proud of being Mexican,
proud of my culture and proud of
being bilingual." Ybarra said. "We
have keep most of the Mexican val-
See YBARRA, page 8
INSIGHT
Anyone walking by the office of Dr.
Serge Lee can expect to find him talking with students. But they are not
necessarily students in the classes he
teaches.
INSIDE     INSIGHT
As the only Hmong professor on
campus, Lee is visited by many
Hmong students for encouragement,
for tutoring, for advice or just to sit
and talk about the latest news.
• Lee, an assistant professor in the
Social Work department, is the first
Hmong to get his doctorate in social
welfare in the United States.
He graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree at the University of Utah,
worked on his master's at California
State University, Sacramento and
obtained his Ph.D. at the University
of Washington.
Being Hmong wasn't always an advantage for Lee.
"One of the most problematic
things for me was the language barrier," Lee said.
"For the mainstream, they could
read something once and understand
it, but I had to read it over and over
to understand," he said.
Lee said another obstacle he faced
was prejudice,
"For example," be said, "one of my
graduate professors forced me to
drop his class, because be nought I
wasn't able to handle it and his demands. The course was Law and Social Work."
"Instead, I had to do a term paper
for the dean in order to graduate and
get my master's."
As a result, when Lee teaches or advises, he said he looks at the students
as human beings.
"I want to give them equal support
and help, so that they can survive,"
Lee said.
He said he feels that some professors expect too much from students
and forget that people learn oa different levels and at different paces.
. "Professors should judge students
as individuals, so that all students can
survive," Lee said.
Surviving outside of school is also
important, and with the support of his
wife. Kia Lee, 27. he was able to budget his lime.
Sea LEE, page 8