1992_02 Insight February 1992

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International perspective of
American culture
By Takayo Kai
Staffwriter
Freedom. Money. George Michael. A
combination of all world cultures. These are
so meofthercsponsesof students fromothcr countries
when asked, "What is the American culture?"
They all seem to have different views on what
American culture is.
For example, Don Hoang, 20, who immigrated
to the United States from Vietnam when he was
three years old, said that creating a life style is
easy in America.
Looking up from the L.A. Times he was reading
Takahiro Nosaka of Japan said, "there is no
American culture. There are too many kinds of
people and a lot of varieties here." Nasako
plans to write his master's thesis about how
unfairly American correspondents are treated
in Japan.
He sipped his coffee and said, "I think
American culture is to absorb other countries'
cultures as it absorbed the American-Indian
culture."
Kelvin, a shy senior business major from
Malaysia said, "I don't like sports at all. All
my American friends love sports."
Chris Chin, a senior marketing major from
and touching an LA. Dodgere cap on his head, Singapore/ srniied and said, "fun-~loving. They
Hoang said, "Ifsnot as difficult to __£j_ knowhow to enjoy their life and
hve^hereas^toliveinotl^counrries^" have ,hc resou'r/es to do so."
Pearl Purpairo, of Thailand   „-,., .        difficult Chin PIans t0 8° home after he
who has been here for two and    Xl * nw «S uimtun mrmAjrtmm ,„ J^ lfcu uoar
half years, said, "equality is the     to live here 3S tO
live in other
countries."
— Don Hoang
first thing that comes to my
mind." Purpairoj was speaking
softly so that she didn't disturb
the other students studying in the
library.
"For me, American culture is
multi-cultures that come from     ~"~""—""™~
many other countries," Purpairoj said.
Long Her, who immigrated to the United
States from Laos in 1980, paused for a while and
said, "I don't know so much about it." He is
majoring in telecommunications and is dreaming of making his own movie someday.
Her said, "you can do whatever you want to do
here. I think ifs good. Ifs fair to everybody."
His friend Norma Guevara leaned over and
said, "You got me!" Guevara was born here, but
her parents are from Mexico. She speaks Spanish at home while she speaks English outside of
her home.
"My culture tends to be more strict and religious, and the American culture is more liberal.
Ifs fun," she said.
Chin,
graduates in May this year.
Responding to the diversity
of American culture. Chin said,
"American's think this is the
whole world. They think everything is here. They don't see the
outside world." He said that
people in his geography class
thought his country was part of
Some really have no idea about it.
Although some people have a poor grasp of
what comprises American culture, others can
define it clearly.
John Fu of Taiwan, who has been in United
States for 20 years and teaches a class called
Contemporary American Society said,
"American culture is an ongoing development
of modern experiences, which include many
human past experiences from many countries
in the world. Then at the same time, American
society creates its own style of modern human
behaviors and human actions — feeling,
thinking and values.
Screaming for help
but nobody heard her
By Qiristine Baker
Staffwriter
A terrified and confused child
runs home from school as fast
as she can.
She prays that she can make it
beforehergrandfatlierdrivesbyand
offers her a ride.
Most children adore their grandfather, but not Renee — her grandfather is a sexual molester.
Renee Tallmadgeisa 20-year-old
student at Fresno City College. She
was molested by her step-grandfather for five years, starting at age 6.
This man deprived her of innocent childhood memories, ripped
her up emotionally and stripped
away the chance for a "normal"
childhood and adulthood.
Although the physical abuse has
stopped, the mental abuse will linger for the rest of Renee's life.
The first time .the molester
touched Reneesexually.he changed
her life forever.
"It's a bad nightmare that will
never go away," Renee said.
Although she now has no contact
with him, he will always be a part of
her life.
"As a victim you have no self
worth, no self esteem, a nd you don't
believe you will ever amount to
anything," Renee said.
In Renee's adolescent years, she
had a hard time dealing with personal values.
She had her first voluntary sexual
experience in her eariy teens and
felt "sex was easy."
It was just a-physical act without
emotional strings.
But there was a problem.
In the summer of 1991, Renee
realized she needed professional
help.
She repressed her feelings for so
bng that tremendous rage and anger had built up inside.
"Pkm ty of times I've bea t the hell
out of a doll that I pretend is my
grandfather.
"I strangle,punch,and throw the
doll across the room. Beating the
doll is just one of the ways I release
my anger."
Susan F. Streeter, licensed clincal
psychologist, said, "A lot of times
victims of molestation do become
involved in physically or mentally
abusive relationships in their adult
lives."
Renee is involved in a non-abusive relationship that has lasted for
four years. She hopes therapy will
help her improve her sex life.
"If my lover touches me a certain
way, it sometimes triggers emotions
and reminds me of my molester.
"My body feels cold. My mind
focuses on something else and for
the rest of the act I think to myself,
*Just get it over with, just get it over
with.'"
Renee believes group therapy is
a positive step toward the healing
The first step is admitting to
yourself that it happened to you."
She also strongly recommends
therapy to other victims. "It can
drive you crazy if you try to deal
with it alone."
Streeter said, "Therapy can give
a victim a safe non-judgmental environment to discuss pain, anger
and confused feelings about what
happened to them."
Renee said the easiest part was
starting the therapy group and the
hardest part is going through it,
because all sorts of emotions arise
"It's like throwing your life out
on the table and ripping it to pieces
bit by bit."
Bemgaroundand talking toother
victims who have gone through the
same nighmare has allowed Renee
to gain a better understanding of
herself and others.
"Plenty of times I've
beat the hell out of a
doll that I pretended
is my grandfather."
—Renee Tallmadge
For those who can't afford
therapy, reading is another good
way to understand yourself and
others, Renee said.
There are plenty of books on the
subject at the local library.
Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, authors of "The Courage to H«l — a
Guide for Women SurvrvorsofChild
Sexual Abuse," said. Therapy can
be very expensive, but there b often
low-cost counseling available if
you're willing to look for it. Clinics,
women's health centers, and state
counseling agencies frequently have
sliding fee scales, so youarecharged
according to your income."
'It's up to the victim to make the
choice to stay a victim or to live as a
survivor. I'm a victim who is a
survivor." Renee said.
You cannot always rely on family support, she said. "Non-victims,
like family members, may have a
hard timeunderstanding the victim's
healing process.
"My family says they support
me, yet they don't understand why
I'm not better after six months of
therapy," Renee said.
"Forsupport in makinga change
in your family, encourage you parents to join Parents United, an organization of parents trying to over
come mis problem," siad Dianna
Booherauthorof "Rape what would
we do if."
Therapy will change and fan-
proved life for vou and your entire
family," Booher said.
Renee knows she is getting better, out it's a long process.
Therapy will not change a person
overnight, and noonecanputa time
limit on healing, she said.
"I have so much to give to others.
Once I realized this, I knew I was on
the way to getting better,"' Renee
said.
Renee believes ifs her responsibility as a victim to speak openly
about her past.
She wants to encourage other
victims to get help and warn the
public toobserv-echildren and watch
for signs of abuse.
Each year more than one million
children are abused or neglected by
their parents, according to the 1986
federal study of national incidence
and prevalence of child abuse and
neglect
About 300,000 are physically
abused, 140,000 are sexually abused
and 700,000 are neglected or otherwise maltreated.
Children need to be aware of the
dangers of some adults.
They need to be encouraged to
speak out to others and know they
will be supported, Renee said.
Educators should be supported
by pa rents when educating children
about sex, she stressed. Children
need to know what's right and
what's wrong, because if a child is
victimized and holds it in until he or
she is an adult, it may betoolateto
prosecute the criminal, she said.
"1 was a child screaming for help
and nobody head me," RMMW
Psychologist Streeter said chil-
dren that have been sexually abused
may change their eating and sleep
behavior patterns, they may be
frightened around certain individuals and they may act out sexual behavior patterns with other children
In 1986, professionals failed to
report half the maltreated children
they saw, according to the national
incidence study. Almost 40 percent
of sexually abused children were
not reported.
Douglas J. Besharov, author of
"Recognizing Child Abuse," said,
"The fearofgettmg procedures and
requirementsarethemajorobstacJes
to fuller reporting."
Renee will continue her therapy
and plans on being a good parent
someday. She will not let the cycle
of abuse continue.
"As a victim, you have to hold
your head up high and say, this is
what happened to me and I'm moving on/" she said.
Engineers week:
Turning ideas
into reality
Solar cars, operating robots
and floating magnets will
be part of theshow when theCSUF
School of Engineering displays
its best this weekend at Fresno's
Fashion Fair Mall.
Exhibits and competitions
for kindergarten through 8th
grade students are part of the
"Discovery 'E'" campaign in
celebration of National Engineers Week. The event is designed to introduce youngstu-
dents to science and tecnnol-
.ogy as exciting careers.
Rick Wilson, student coordinator, said this is the first
time the school has sponsored
:this type of event
I "A friend of mine talked me
iinto organizing this. Cal Poly
land a lot of other universities
Ihave been doing this for a
Iwhile," he said.
I A bridge-building contest,
a race against the clock with a
robotic arm and an electric circuit board competition will be
held. The winner of each contest will receive a T-shirt.
Comic books and certificates of
participation will also be
awarded to participating
youngsters. Bach child wilTre-
ceive an award.
Representatives from each of
the six departments within the
School of Engineering and the
professional chapter of the
American Society of Civil Engineers will have tables set up
in the area between JC Penney
Co. and Maey's Friday Feb. 21
through Sunday Feb. 23, during
regular mall hours.
National Engineers Week Is
held annually during the week
of George Washington's birthday because he helped establish
the first engineering school in
the United States at Valley
Forge, Penn.
Staff writers Jassn Chtmult and Susm Gcxrt contrived ta thm artido.
Feds eye Fresno's Fingerprints
By Scott Theodore Barnes
Staffwriter
In the past,pol ice used eariobes to identify
criminals. Required police readings were
such classics as "the Iannarelli System of Ear
Identification." Fortunately, police
methodology has improved, or we could be
maldngplasterearcaststogetdriverslicenses.
On Feb. 4, six members of the Fresno
Police Department received a wards from the
FresnoGty Council foroutstanding achievement in tfte lifting of latent prints. Latent
prints areoily fingerprints left when someone
touches an object.
Oneoftheoffkers who received anaward,
Mickey Smith, patrols the central beat for the
Fresno PD, between Olive and Van Ness
avenues. Smith described the area as being
"madeupofprostitutcs,alot of parolees, and
we're starting to see a lot more gangs, too."
Smith is a Gvil Service Officer. He lifts
prints at the scene of the crime, usually by
dusting them with a black powder and sticking them onto tape for analysis at headquarters.
Smith said that dusting for prints is something the FPD does on a regular basis. Prints
often aid in convictions.
Latent prints have been taken from tree
bark, paper and even from the inside of
gloves. Now they can lift them off just about
anything.
Heaanggluecausesgluevaporstostickto
moisture retained in the prints and makes it
possible to photograph them Iodine fuming
also creates vapors that stick to the oils in the
prints, making them clearly visible. Certain
other dyes can also be used.
In the frenquently used Henry system, developed in the 1860s by Sir Edward Henry of
Scotland Yard, the officer comes up with a
mathematical formula by analyzing the patterns — loops, whorls, arches, and composites
— in the priritTnis narrows down their identification search to a small number of similar
prints.
If retrieving the prints is exceptionally difficult, or if they do not match anything in the
Fresno police files, the printsare tumedover to
civilian investigators. 'We're called identification technicians," said Michael Hall. "1 think
crime scene janitor is more appropriate."
Hall uses glue and iodine vapors to highlight the prints. He also uses a computerized
fingerprint identification system called Cal-ID
to match the prints to police records throughout California. This system has in its files all the
fingerprints that have been taken in California
during arrests for the more serious crimes —
anything worse than drunken driving — as
well as the printsof anvone who hasapplied for
a government job and was fingerprinted. The
computer supplies a list of possible suspects
based on dose matches in its files-
Hall said, "Fresno PD has a real good percentage of crimes solved by chemical techniques." Identification technicians are often
called in as expert witnesses at criminal trials.
The Cal-ID system has been a great improvement for the police department, putting
the CalifoiTdapolice at the forefront of the new
technology. The FBI system is so outdated and
bad that they're trying to hookup tooursystem."
Hall said.
Speech: from
page one
''guidance of department faculty member. Dr.
Dave Natharius.
Cagle said. The whole idea of this paper
being selected for presentation is evidence of
the high qualityjjf our students.
The faculty and graduate students attending the conference will be paying their own
fees and airfare.
Cagle said the department has been devastated by the budget cuts, and they are doing
their best to encourage department participation in these types orconferences.
"The fact that these faculty members
are paying their own way is a tribute to
their dedication and character of the
profession," said Cagle.
The department has received requests
for $32,000 in travel reimbursements this
year. The department has only $2,400
budgeted.
Dr. Connie Conlee, acting director of
graduate studies, said the budget crisis
has put a damper on her profession
"It makes it very difficult to keep my responsibility as an effective instructor," said
Conlee.
She feels ifs important to keep up with her
program of research.
That means traveling to conferences, presenting papers and getting feedback from her
peers.
Conlee is an elected member of the executive board for the conference which oversees
two quarterly publications and the
organization's budget.