Insight Feb 16 1983 p 2 |
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February 16, 1983 OPINION Insight Insight kiwi*** ,s ptihlishfd tm IVcdbcndayt tkinrijj tht> .u.iijfm, yisjr hv Iht' l>fs.irlmtni tit kttimtlism. (.ililomi.i Half Univrfsity. Irfsnti UrtMiinttl txtttiiruih n-prinmr thr- maturity uptnum til Iht' ldittui.il Board. Alltxhrrttilumns. Huts jndartwork on this pw rcpti'^rnl the ttpirmins til Ihttr rt<sptt list- authors and nut nvirw.mrs- th,it til tnsisthl's. PETER SCOn, rxJtor+wrm-t ROBERT GAUTHIER. mMugmg cd*or JEFF KRAUSE. photo rrtfor MICHAEL TODD. 4>«« iale cdittu-uptnitm CYNDI GUERRA, .itt<Ku»r'<s*t*-<«jf>y BARBARA HAMBY. awxMfc ,<<*i<»-nfws * fcsifurrs KATHRYN KARIE. .,th.-,i,s,nK rrunagt* LETTERS A call to action Please learn to count, AS In the 1950s, Fresno State College students paid $10 in Associated Student fees each semester. Amazingly, that amount remains the same at CSUF in 1963. Insight salutes the fact that in today's ultra- inflationary economy an antiquated price The praise due to the Associated Students Senate, however, was nearly erased last week when a careless error in calculation of available funds forced tbe AS Senate to announce that it was nearly penniless. Those who were most severely affected by the miscalculation were not the AS Senate' members, but were the students who rely on AS funding as a means of operating. Of major concern was the temporary situation in which the campus' only daily student newspaper faced the possibility of having to fend entirely for itself for the remainder of the semester. The AS Senate had been gracious in its Finance and Budget Committee's approval of the Daily Collegian's request for $7,000. Soon after that approval, /however, it was realized mat the. request could not be put to a senate vote. The AS Senate arrived at that situation when it falsely (but accidently) believed it had. ,-$38,000 to allocate. A simple, but detrimental error in fund calculations led to that assumption. The actual figure was lower — much lower. The correct sum was $2,546. The AS Senate quickly realized the hazardous potential of its error and awarded the Daily Collegian a precious $3,676 from over-enrollment fees. That award was a relief but was far below what was earlier expected. In addition to tbe Daily Collegian's scare, another funding request, one from the University Lecture Series, was also approved by the Finance and Budget Committee, only to be almost immediately thrown out of senate approval contention because of the error. In that instance, CSUF students were falsely given . the hope that important speakers would be added to the sphere of learning at CSUF. In the aftermath of all that has taken place, the University Lecture Series organizers never returned to the AS Senate to ask for lower funding amounts. The AS Senate should be commended for its attempt to correct it's error, but Insight also hopes that it has learned the danger of miscalculating available funds. -It is not important to point an accusing finger at the party or parties responsible for last week's confusion. It should be observed, however, that a crucial error was made. If similar errors were to become common, student government at CSUF would be in jeopardy, insight urges that the AS Senate be more carenfl in its management of the students' money^ and there only cut entertainment and a tew essential books from tbe average student budget. A further increase (aad possibly tuition) would grieviousry threaten tbe education of many and tbe ftrture of this state. The Voting smong students la virtually a rarity. Now, perceiving no threat from this quarter, our representatives see* to bail out the budget using student fees as the bucket. Tbe students of CSUF who cannot afford the increase will have to face tbe deflated job market with a high school education. The state economy will only be burdened further by those who are cast out. Tax revenues will forth Ideas, volunteer time and decline. Those who cannot find Jobs energy and belp I will go on welfare or urjempjoyment. Contacts * Low Income families will be frozen Into a vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance. Those of us who succeed in CSUF: balls or books? Can this university have "quality" scholastic - and sports programs simultaneously; or must one be sacrificed at tbe expense of the other? And speaking of expenses, can quality academic and athletic programs even exist when educational monies are nearing their extinction? As higher education sustains cut after cut, CSUF major sports seem to flourish while quality education seems to diminish. Thanks to 'Big Brother' Bulldog Foundation — they always seem to be looking out for the university — athletics seem to have overcome these "educational" cuts. By supporting over half of CSUF's athletic program, the foundation has enabled major sports to become nationally recognized, not to mention over 95 percent of athletic scholarships, as well as 100 percent of recruiting costs are also covered by the foundation. A $7.2 million stadium and a $1.4 million shower and locker room were also constructed with foundation monies.which are raised through an annual Fund Drive. Last year's Fund Drive raised about $2.4 million. Isn't it nice knowing someone's looking out for the future of CSUF sports? But who's looking out for academics? Obviously Gov. Deukemejian and President Reagan aren't. What about Fresno's community people? _ Although not highly publicized, a number of people contribute, sometimes regularly, to i- uauun r otjA •.' value t 11 pay tbe price aad payrttarly T"thf HmI s^rjnrls, uri'Sg Interested students may contact the ttattam as a scapegoat is a ten- notion coordinators ot: 292-7873. porary solution which would put us in ' a more precarious position down the ^/fNdeoare^tedto wrftetofrrvght. We ro*~, .. . , ., aj»a/uf your letters oe oriel a5r>w«Ne, avid —1 m T^i ^aW-fflSJaS ffiff! *eyrn>y be shortened still. Please induce i"r? 'SS- 5WWn?S „ "■" V™' n»ne. signature, and phone number. rai*fSrrlt^!ra^^ i^'^ rnust be lepble. Drop them oH In the pose a fight against this and any fur- ^ ^ ^ ther Increase. Let all groups, ,JZ~ *,*»+** rjrgarnzatioMar^indivichialsoncam- ££^0 pus Join hands and forcefully oppose - .'.. - in.—^-, this action. We offer ourselves as ^^n7\\T^ coordinators and Invito you to put •*■ this campus. Contributions to this year's university Annual Fund, as of Jan. 31, 1983, total about $11,900. Donors earmark their contributions to various areas within the university. Such areas include: engineering, graduate school and research, natural sciences, scholarships, loans and grants. So, academics aren't overlooked by donors in the sense that money is flowing into the university from the community. >* But, when comparing the Bulldog Foundation's annual Fund Drive figures with those r*f tints university's, one may question the this community places on academics. Non-athletic students may feel a little discouraged knowing that while he or she must put up with buildings like those in San Ramon, athletes don't, as is evident by the construction of the stadium, shower and locker rooms, and the soon-to-be expanded Selland Arena, not to mention the possibility of a new basketball arena here on campus. The increase in student-professor ratio (the increase being in the number of students each professor has); the decrease in grant, scholarship and financial aid monies; and the lack of computer facilities are but a few of the badly needed things at CSUF. Quality scholastic and sports programs are possible at a university such as this one, yet community people, administrators, professors, and students must set some priorities and find a realistic balance between the two. The New SEAN CANFIELD SCOTT HATFIELD Federalist Papers —Malcolm X Tbe great dvil rights leader may sound less than profound here, but the greatest truths are inevitably couched In banality. There is no truer statement concerning the reality or quota systems and affirmative-action programs. What is "affirmative-action''? This little neologism has become identified with a fad in government that pursues goals of racial and sexual equality by bearing economic and political pressure upon violators of civil-rights legislation. The most typical violations concern employment:-' employee discrimination and hiring discrimination. An example of the former would be the woman whose peers at work expect her to bring the coffee like a good little wench. An example of the latter would be tbe highly-qualified non- white whose Job application is passed over in favor of a semi-literate The authors are uncomfortable with some aspects of affirmative- action, particularly quota systems which set hiring goals: "three blacks, two Chicanos, two Orientals, etc." We will attempt to critique quota systems, and explore alternatives to their arbitrary numerology. To begin, we first question the concept of "discrimination." Discrimination, as a word, has only recently taken on the unsavory implication of bias. Tbe word originally implied discernment and an ability to make intelligent choices. Does a Jewish manager of a series of kosher delis in New York City discriminate in hiring Jewish kids. Would you want a Catholic to make bagels? (Which is not to say a good Papist couldn't make a great bagel — we Just want to show that "discrimination" is not inherently racist or sexist) Keeping in mind that discrimination means making intelligent choices, we could correctly say that when an employer hires tbe person best able to perform a given task, be has correctly discriminated. If, on the other hand, be has hired an incompetent because of their race or sex, be has Incorrectly discriminated — indeed, he is not discriminating. Of course, one cannot discriminate if one is obliged by law lo fulfill a quota system. Or, to put it a different way, quota systems frustrate the employers' ability to make intelligent choices. _ We feel that the best-intentioned quota system can be unjust because it is by necessity purely arbitrary. What we see, then, is a classic confrontation between the twin notions of freedom and equity. Equity is browbeaten by employers who are racist or sexist and will not give suitably-qualified representatives of a race or sex a chance to prove themselves. Freedom is browbeaten when governments issue guidelines to employers. The more freedom some people are allowed, the less equity some others will receive, and vice-versa. Some people will undoubtedly feel that quota systems are temporary solutions to redress past inequities in American society. We feel that these ideas have outlived their usefulness, and now serve only those interest groups which through no fault of ours are intellectually disenfranchised. Imagine a world where it will be impossible to remove an employee from their Job because their grandmother refused to vacate a seat on a bus. Ridiculous! If we begin to guarantee employment by legislation, then many of these people-will have no incentive to deliver quality work. By way of proof, we refer to the numerous professors at our school whose tenure combined with an indifferent approach to education insures their low-quality of instruction. Furthermore. <**"<>"» systems can (and will) hurt the minorities they are designed Jo promote. If 10 academically-superior blacks apply for 10 positions, and five of these positions must by law be filled with non- blacks, who- in truth is being discriminated against? Which is more racist, a department that hires on tbe basis of performance or the department which assumes that only so many of a given minority group will be able to peifotm a given Job? We favor, therefore, an immediate repeal of all "affirmative- action" programs at the state level and a gradual de-emphasis in federal funding for institutions supporting these -inherently racist programs Corollary: Federal funding for institutions which establish their own "in-house" quota system should not be subject of federal approval of their activities. Only by Judging each human being on his or her own respective merits can we abolish tbe spectre of racism. True equity will never be achieved by any group that takes basic freedoms away from other groups. , "The/New Federalist Papers" Is an Interminable epic dealing with current political and socio-economic issues. We welcome your response and will attempt to answer all pertinent correspondence In the succeeding week's column. (Please, no letters In Crayola or blood;. Be with us next week when we perform gymnastics with our nation's budget S.C. andS.H. 5> Monopoly money & us It has been said that if California was an independent nation it would be the fifth richest country in tbe world. That can't be true. If California was such a rich state it would be able to give us our tax returns in the form of a check, not an "IOU." California is broke and does not have the funds to give us back the dollars we so generously overpaid in 1962. It is such a ludicrous situation that some people find it hard to believe. You will believe it when you receive your letter from Ken Cory. Don't worry, you will receive your refund, someday. The state will notify you when it has the fundi to pay you. That truly ia an interesting System the state hat adopted. We here at the Insight would like to operate under just such a principle: "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to pay our printing bill. We win pay you as soon as we have enough money. Much of this economic turmoil comes to us courtesy of our two term governor, Jerry Brown. It was a going away present in bad taste. The bitter taste that Brown left in the mouths of most Californians will not soon diminish. The debt and the IOUs are both realities we will have to face. Problems are always easier to introduce then are solutions, so it may be quite some time before we can realize a recovery. It is plain to see that Gov. Dukemejian will have to increase revenues, cut spending, or both. None of the answers will be as pleasant as they art necessary. The point is this should not be necessary; our elected officials in Sacramento should have been responsible enough with our tax dollars to prevent this. Maybe if our politicians next paycheck came in the form of an IOU we might not have to worry about history repeating itself. fttxprt
Object Description
Title | 1983_02 Insight February 1983 |
Alternative Title | Insight (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Dept. of Journalism, California State University, Fresno. |
Publication Date | 1983 |
Description | Weekly during the school year. Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 8, 1969)-v. 29, no. 23 (May 13, 1998). Ceased with May 13, 1998, issue. Title from masthead. Merged with Daily collegian. |
Subject | California State University, Fresno Periodicals |
Contributors | California State University, Fresno Dept. of Journalism |
Coverage | October 8, 1969 – May 13, 1998 |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35mm |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 “E-image data” |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | Insight Feb 16 1983 p 2 |
Alternative Title | Insight (California State University, Fresno) |
Publication Date | 1983 |
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February 16, 1983
OPINION
Insight
Insight
kiwi*** ,s ptihlishfd tm IVcdbcndayt tkinrijj tht> .u.iijfm, yisjr
hv Iht' l>fs.irlmtni tit kttimtlism. (.ililomi.i Half Univrfsity.
Irfsnti UrtMiinttl txtttiiruih n-prinmr thr- maturity uptnum til Iht'
ldittui.il Board. Alltxhrrttilumns. Huts jndartwork on this pw
rcpti'^rnl the ttpirmins til Ihttr rt |