1994_09 Insight September 1994

              Page 2
EDITORIAL
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
September 21,1994
INSIGHT
Guest Columnist
Major Gary Masters
What is the mission of Army
ROTC? Army ROTC, in conjunction with the military academies,
has the responsibility to commission 3.086 high quality, well educated individuals every year.
The Army is looking for a diversity of technical and administrative skills to fill jobs that range
from the physically demanding
(Infantry, Armor, Field Artillery
ahd-Air Defense) to technically
demanding (Military Intelligence,
Aviation, Signal Corps and Engineers) to administratively demanding (Finance, Military Police, Transportation Corps and
Quartermaster). There are also the
jobs that require specialty skills
such as lawyers, nurses and doctors.
In each case, the newly commissioned second lieutenant is taken
into the service and given a mid-
level management position. Currently, over 300 universities
across the country have ROTC
programs.
What is the mission of the
CSUF Army ROTC program?
First, our mission is to support the
overall Army ROTC mission. Our
specific mission is to commission
15 second lieutenants every year,
including a set number of nurses,
who are in high demand.
Second, our mission is to turn
college students into top-quality
Army officers. We do this through
elective military science classes in
which such basic skills as land navigation and survival techniques are
taught. These serve as an introduction to the Army ROTC program.
For the advanced courses, the skills
required to be a competent leader of
other men and women are examined.
We train in groups and individually
for situations that both military members and their civilian counterparts
will be facing.
Overall, ROTC classes normally
occupy about four hours a week,
leaving plenty of time for other
classes and an active social life. The
last mission is to hatPlun!
Why take officers from universities
instead of increasing the mission of
military academies? The Army needs
officers from a diverse background
with the range of skills already mentioned.
The Army is a microcosm of the
larger U.S. society. We have people
from all across the United Slates and
many walks of life. Because of thai
diversity, we need leaders wilh that
same diverse background. In addition, the Army needs specific skills
which can be best taught at the university level. Universities with highly
respected academic departments,
such as nursing, business and criminology, help to fill those needs.
The Army is reducing its numbers.
How does this affect new people
coming into the service? Currently,
there is a shortfall of 400-700 sec
ond lieutenants. This shortfall is
expected to continue for the next
four years.
The Army has started reducing
its population and, in particular,
has retired senior officers while
still maintaining the requirement
for junior officers.
What good does having served
in the Army provide to the individual? Whether the individual
serves for three years or 20, the
leadership skills that are gained
and exercised make him or her
much more competitive in the civilian market. A Forbes magazine
poll showed that 76 percent of all
chief executive officers in 1992
had served as commissioned officers in the military before entering ihe civilianjob market.
Nationwide, Army ROTC programs and universities work hand-
in-hand to provide the Army with
top-qualily commissioned officers and provide students with
skills lhat make them more marketable in the civilian world.
Through this collaboration, not
only docs the Army benefit, but
the students and universities benefit, also.
Major Gary Masters is the Professor of Military Science at
California State University,
Hold the veggies, please
Celeste Cox
Junk food is the cornerstone of
my being. I can't imagine what
life would be like without chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter
cookies and those runs for the border in the wee hours of the morning.
Life would get really ugly, really
quick.
Everyone is always reminding
me to watch what I eat. For instance, my best friend since the
sixth grade is constantly reminding me of how much fat any food
Of course, she tells me as I'm
about to shove whatever is in my
hand into my mouth. My answer
is usually, "Oh really?"
Munch, munch, munch. I can always work it off later. Or I could
just watch Oprah instead.
Last week my friend informed
me that the popcorn at movie theatres has right around a gazillion
calories and grams of fat per piece.
Yeah, that's really going to keep me
away from the snack bar.
The latest craze in nutrition has really got my taste budsVrying. There
are now nutrition labels\m every edible product in existance/\^^
No, I really don't care thaT><42
ounce can of Pepsi has 41 grams of
sugar.
Then, there are those foods that,
rather than eating, I should just sit
on them, because that's where they're
going anyway. Those are my favorite kinds.
This category would include cakes,
candies and anything that says "Hostess."
Spare me the sliced carrots and celery sticks as snacks. Carrots numb
my tongue and celery has that weird
texture that can't be described but is
easily recognized when I chew it.
As far as other veggie no-go's, tomatoes would have to be right behind
carrots and celery as the most useless vegetable.
At the very least, tomatoes do add
color and make salad pretty.
They also decorate the tables and
windows of fast food restaurants
well. When I say no
mean it.
Speaking of fast food restaurants,
one of my friends recently introduced me to a wonderfully fattening and tasty treat ... the bacon
cheeseburger.
It has all the fat of the regular
cheeseburger and some to spare.
These, also known as cholesterol
burgers, are especially tasty with
a side order of greasy, salty french
fries and a large chocolate
milkshake.
Last but not least, there is the ultimate sin... pizza.
I don't mean cheese pizza, either. I like the meat-lovers, extra
cheese and pepperoni style stuff.
This, I'm certain, could replace
gasoline as a source of energy.
Without the simple pleasures in
life, like food that tastes good but
is horrible for the body, life would
be too boring.
Sure, being healthy is nice, but
as my late father used to say, I
would much rather die because of
happy taste buds than live with
bored ones.
TOPTEN REASONS TO EAT JUNK FOOD
10. For the kooky side effects felt after downing four packages of Twinkies.
9. To feel the sensation of a rotting stomach after each tasty morsel.
8. Because there is no better way to start the day than a six-pack of Mountain Dew.'
7. Caffeine lessens the challenge of staying awake in those two hour classes.
6. There's nothing like crashing from a caffeine high.
5. For those attractive love handles.
4. It gives students a reason to hang out in The Pit. AtL*^a_iV^^£'!4
3. Junk food is cheaper than drugs and gives the same effect.
2. It gives students extra energy with which to annoy professors.
1. Because the taste now is worth the side effects later.
Students oblivious to life        Unwed couples deserve equal rights
Shahada Abdul-Karim
OPINION
A group of 100 California State University, Fresno
students were randomly selected and asked the question, "What is your opinion on the Population Control Summit, and whose view do you support?" Of
the one hundred students, only 31 of them even knew
what the Population Control Summit was. The most
common response was "The what?"
These stu-
When your high school teacher
encouraged you to write a report on current events,
he/she was getting at something.
dents represent the
population
of the CSUF
campus. If
this study
holds true,
then a little ■
more than a
quarter  of
the student population is aware of current events.
That's pathetic, considering the fact that the very reason schools of higher learning are established is to
expand the horizons of those attending.
If a student graduates from this institution without
the skills needed to keep abreast of the events that
could ultimately affect the future of their own generation, then it is inevitable that democracy will be
compromised. If these same students decide that the
events currently shaping their lives are not important,
they will pass the already singed flag of America on
to the next generation, who will have a difficult time
trying to clean up the mess that their "unconcerned"
parents left behind.
Take, for instance, the issue of environmental preservation. Because our parents decided that taking care
of their drug habit was more important than taking
care of the environment (unless hemp fields were considered   'the environment'), we have inherited a
wasteland that is on the verge of annihilation. Our generation is aimlessly groping in ihe dark for solutions to a
problem that could have been prevented if the students
of that time had taken responsibility for their actions.
Are the students of this generation up for the challenge
of following in the footsteps of the generation before
them? Are the 'learned" members of this institution just
as brain dead and oblivious to the rest of the world as
those who came before them'.'
When your high school teacher encouraged you to write
a report on
_—_—-—_———_—_—_.    current
events, he/she
was getting at
something.
They    were
developing a
skill      that
==^^^^^=^^^^^========    could become
a     lifetime
practice.
They were not simply leaching you something that should
be forgotten upon exit of the classroom.
The results of the survey arc in: This campus is housing a bunch of apaihetic>oblivious kids under the falsely
interpreted title 'student.'
The heads of nations arc currently meeting to discuss
the subject of population control. Abortion, infanticide
and the elimination of unproductive members of society
(i.e. homeless, prisoners, and welfare recipients) arc only
some of ihc platforms being discussed, and the average
student is oblivious.
The fate of the entire world is being debated. Are wc
going to allow the emergence of a Fourth Reich? The
Nazi mentality was to rid society of its "parasitic members." The Serb mentality was to "cleanse" its society of
an undesirable race. The heads of nations want to rid the
world of the economically underprivileged.
Someone else is debating whether or not you have the
right to live. What are you going to do about it?
Marlene Bryant
OPINION
Of the 10.4 million households in
California, nearly 500,000 consist of
unmarried couples, according to the
1990 census. Of those, more than 90
percent are heterosexual.
A significant amount of California's
population has been seriously affected by Wilson's latest decision to
veto a bill that would register domestic partners. He said that most provisions in the bill arc already in state
Why should those 500,000 unmarried couples want more when they
already have hospital visitation,
conservatorship, not to mention the
privilege of being named beneficiary
or receiving power of attorney?
How can anyone want more than
they already have? What do they
think this is, the land of milk and
honey where freedom can be found
around every corner?
Athletics overrated, overfunded
KenKoller
OPINION
Ahh, Fresno Sports ... err State
University. I don't know about you,
but I love going to a school that puts
the needs of 18 or so people, otherwise known as the softball team,
ahead of the other 19-some-odd
thousand other students.
The softball program cries and
whines that their facility isn't as glorious as it should be, while the physical education softball class has to
contend with gopher holes and
muddy outfields at what can only be
loosely defined as a "field." Boy,
wouldn't the alumni scream if
Maureen Brady twisted her ankle in
a gopher hole.
I'm not picking on the softball team
in particular. However, I fail to sec
any oorrrmirnw working the conten ts
of their athletic cops off to raise $2.7
million to help the mass communication and journalism department
buy new computers.
I know that sports are an important part of the university, but I always thought that the purpose of a
college was getting an education, not
to score touchdowns.
Another thing that I really don't understand is the way people and law
enforcement in Fresno treat Bulldog
athletes as gods. The hordes of fanatical Red Wavers that turn out to
gaze in awe at Fresno State athletes
at "meet the Bulldogs" events
boggles the mind.
Also, it seems that sports gods can
pretty much get away with anything
they want. "Well, you know, Mr.
football player, you really shouldn't
have massacred that busload of nuns,
just don't do it again. By the way,
can I have your autograph?"
I   One thing that the university says
in an attempt to justify the amount
of money it spends on athletics is that
athletic programs help promote the
university outside of Fresno.
I'm not arguing wilh the notion that
national exposure of the unversity at
events such as the Aloha and Freedom Bowls helps to lure potential
athletes, err. students to CSUF. But
I would like to see concrete numbers
from the sports brain trust on the
numbers of new pupils that choose
to attend our glorious university after seeing Trent Dilfer throw a touchdown on national TV.
So hey, lets just be fair here. IfX
percent of students participate in athletics, give them the same percent of
funds.
If the adminstration can make a justifiable argument for spending gobs
of money on sports, be my guest.
Until then, start cutting some checks
for my education.
Unmarried heterosexual couples
must conform to societal norms and
be joined in wedded bliss in order to
benefit from this bill.
On the other hand, let's consider the
lesbian or homosexual couples. They
will never reap the benefits of a married couple now that the bill has been
vetoed.
They cannot conform to societal
norms and still maintain their chosen lifestyle.
Face it, they are being discriminated against because of their sexual
preference.
They should not be punished because of who they arc nor should they
be expected to change.
To do this would violate their right
to happiness, which is guaranteed by
the 14th Amendment.
Let's wake up and smell the
espresso, people. It's 1994. We
openly discuss sex, condoms, virginity, abortion and AIDS.
In this enlightened age, let's ac
knowledge the rights of people who
differ from traditional, Christian
marital habits.
People are people no matter who
they have sex with. Their emotions
arc still genuine and should still be
acknowledged as such.
Denying rights to unmarried, homosexual and lesbian couples is just as
immoral as banning a woman from
flying an aircraft carrier because she
is female; banning homosexuals from
the military because they might tarnish the strict, prestigious stature of
the service; denying African-Americans the right to vote because of their
skin color or denying those who
didn't own property 200 years ago
the right to vote because they didn't
possess a distinguished social stature.
Use discrimination against one
group of people, and it will eventually get you back.
Societal taboos should not be used
as an excuse to deny freedoms to
anyone.
il:si
fi^SSY
Uatl
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
Department of Mass Communication and Journalism
CSUF, 2225 E. San Ramon Ave., Fresno, CA 93740-0010
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