1995_12 Insight December 1995

              DECEMBER 13, 1995
INSIGHT
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
VOL. 27, NO. 12
Mile-high
classroom
Insight photo by Apolinar Fonseca
In the shadow of a Cessna 182s wings. Jump Master Rusty
Ryan double checks Scott Chiverton's straps.
Student skydivers
♦ Skydivers freef all
at a dizzying 125 mph
from 10,000 feet high
by Matt Lloyd
Steff Writer
Soaring above the smog line blanketing the San Joaquin Valley in a
single-engine Cessna 182. lhe pilot shuts the engine down.
The passenger side door is shoved
open. A hlast of wind tears inlo the
cockpit at 120 mph.
Two miles above Ihc reassuring
surface below, there's no turning
back now. It's time to jump.
The rush of adrenaline is like the
posver Popcye drains from a can of
spinach.
"The first split second. I thought
I was falling, really falling." said
California Stale University, Fresno
junior Scon Chiserton. 21. of his first
skydiving experience. "But after the
initial moment of fear. I svas flying.
It's the most intense thing I've ever
done in my life."
During the freefall. parachutists
plummet downward at 125 mph. The
feeling is unnatural, even frightful.
A thrill lhat Chiserton said "didn'l
last long enough."
After the freefall. 35 to 40 seconds
from a height of 10.000 feet, a mile
abosc the earth, the parachute unfolds
and Ihe difference is phenomenal.
Parachute deployed, all noise
ceases sase the slight ruffling of lhc
nylon sheet above. The violent
change in speed, a decrease from 125
lo 20 mph. is evident in the new
sound lhat invades the ears.
No more air crashing against the
face. arms, and ears. Nothing is so
quiet as floating effortlessly one
See JUMP, page 9
p$m$zmmmz&g^:
Insight photo by Apolinar Fonseca
Skydiving tandem, Rusty Ryan and Scott Chiverton float onto a Madera field.
Build first,
OK later
Insight photo by Paul Martinez
Choosing toppings at Round Table Pizza, Phillip
Weathers places an order from Regina Greene.
+Association investigates $1.28
million in unbudgeted costs for
campus renovations, remodeling
by Jerry Lowe
AssiK
i. lhc u
corporation that ossns and operates Hou-inc
and Food Services
Thc costs ssere incurred bs ihe Association under past Executive Director Jon Shaver. ssh.> is noss ssith thc
California Student Aid C4.mr
in Sacramento.
The unbudgeted expenditun
questions of hoss the C4>si (4\
ssere approsed ssithout lhe OK 4>t ih<
Association's b,4.ird ot directors    -
The expendi
n-deli
the   !
tidcnci
Jon Shaver
"Lodge" i since renamed The Atnum i
and the construction of the Round Table Pi/ai and Monterey
Pasta franchises
"Hon did ihis happen '" reads ihe minutes of the Sept. 29
board meeting
Tlie hoard did noi learn 4<l the expenditures until the Sept.
2l» meeting — after Shaver had already left in June for Sacramento.
Costs ssere alsi> incurred for repairs to he.
Jim Prince
. directo
Of food
sers
ces and
ding
direcior
f housing.
said as f.
r as he kr
t the tim
. the (
xpendi-
urcs ssere approsed
Prince res
ewedthe
projects
beto
e an ads
son
ommii-
•e and then
lixik it i
Jon Sha
vei t
tf appro
al.
'We discu
ssed u ss
th Jon."
Prin
re said.
the c
mcepts.
ndsshaiss
• ssould
ke u> se
. an4.
he said
'eel
t done.'
Hase it do
K bs the
time the
stud
■nts com
e back in Au-
"I didn'l know ii ssasn't approsed bs the board until later.
I reported to Jon Shaver,*' Prince said ssith a shrug.
The directors ss ill discuss a report this sseek that is compiled by present Interim Director Lynn Hemink.
The Association and its board are hesitant to release any
See PASTA, page 8
Dorm resident advisers resign en masse
•f Director of housing is
criticized on his leadership
during past semester
by Brian R. Fisher
Staff Writer
Sesen California Slate University, iresno. resi
dent ads isers have, or will resign by lhe end of the
semester, citing lhe managerial style of acting Director ol Housing Jim Prince.
Resident ads isers Kerri Aller. Nikki Ebensticner.
Chris Homing and Jon Reid. and senior resident
advisers Rob Gaertig and Shelly Wiltle have
handed in lelters oi resignation or plan lo do so
within lhe next sseek
"He [Prince] doesn't come to any
meetings and he doesn't take
time to get to know any of us."
— Kerri Aller,
resident adviser
Resident Ads iser Mary Kubo lefl campus tsvo weeks
ago. according lo Aller.
i Slate's Housing Area Coordinator Sara
l comment on or confirm any of the
acobj s
"lie i\ not a good man to be in his position." said
Reid. ss ho ssorks on the first floor of Sequoia Hall. "He
s good in business, but he'
sludent development.''
But Prince disputed lhe claims.
"1 probably care as much for employees as
I do for the residents." he said.
According to While, there ssas general optimism in the air sshen Prince mei ssith the
SRAs during lhe summer To prepare for the
fall semester. They were told thai the staff had
been cut from 28 to 22.
Noss ihc SRAs supervise the RAs — who
counsel about 30 persons each — plus perform
their own duties/Before ihe SRAs onlv supervised the RAs.
Wittle said lhat even ss ith the extra work, the
SRAs pay was cut from $450 to S350 per
See PRINCE, page 8
Fresno State stops sharing parking cash
♦ Policy change allows
spending $750,000
from parking funds
by Candace Cline
StaffWriler
California Stale University, Fresno,
collects more than $750,000 in parking fees each semester, but until now.
the university has been unable to ac-
Previously. ihe money raised by the
20 campuses in the CSU system was
put into an account controlled bs the
Office of ihc Chancellor.
The individual universities then petitioned lhe Chancellor's Office for
Used to get only half
According lo Rick Finden, Ihe administrator of parking and alternative
transportation at Fresno State, the
university was noi at the lop of the
pecking order.
Finden said lhat Fresno Slate received approximately 51 percent of
its funds back each year.
This year will be different- The park-
ing lees system has been decentralized.
This means that, for the first time,
Fresno Stale will be able to keep the
funds it raises through parking fines.
Only $70,000 will go to the Office of
the Chancellor.
Parking cash thousands
"It means money — that's what it
means." said Finden. "We didn't gel
all of our contributions back before;
now w:e get almost 100 percent."
Plans are already being made to
spend the money.
Spending plans
According to Finden. the first application of the funds will be to install
closed-circuit TV cameras in the lots
on campus. The estimated cost to install the cameras is $150,000.
Another safety consideration is the
upgrading of the emergency phones
on campus. Approximately $60,000
will be sjseni to make them larger and
more visibje.
See PARKING, page 9
Up, up and away
Insight photo by Paul Martins*
Mechanical engineering students attach a carriage to a
16-foot blimp for a class project See related story on page 9.