1983_10 Insight October 1983

              I-
Library
Archieve Division
CAMPUS MAIL
Vol. 16 No. 5
California State University,
sight
iversity, Fresno  tiT   ™ October 19, 1983
Smog fog threatens valley
In 1952 a "killer" fog descended on
London. For five days. the British
capital was shrouded by tbe acid-laden
mist.
When tbe fog finally lifted, health
officials estimated 4,000 deaths more
than the statistical average had occurred. Most of the extra death* were attributed to various respiratory and
heart diseases. Tbe deaths, experts
concluded, probably would not have occurred had the fog not been so polluted.
"Tbe San Joaquin Valley has tbe
same potential for add fog," said Dr.
Ronald Morgan, CSUF professor of
geography. "But we are aware of tbe
problem and working to correct it."
Morgan said valley topography — a
low altitude basin encircled by mountains —and common local weather patterns make the San Joaquin the worst
potential pollution basin in the country.
"The valley is like a bathtub with a
lid on it," Morgan said. "In the winter,
when a high pressure system stalls off
of the coast, tbe air can not circulate.
Because of tbe many cars and trucks
driven here, pollution levels begin to
build up. If enough pollution gets in the
air, it can pose health problems for
children, older folks and people with
respiratory ailments."
The primary components of acid
rain are sulfur dioxide and various oxides of nitrogen produced by burning
fossil fuels, said Morgan.
"Both sulfur dioxide and various
nitrogen oxides can interact with
moisture tn the atmosphere, producing
liquid sulfuric and nitric acid," Morgan
said. "The acid then falls back to earth
as rain, sleet, fog mist or snow."
Sulfur compounds are generally
produced by coal and oil burning power
plants. Many eastern companies also
use oil and coal in their smelters. The
main source of nitrogen compounds are
car and truck exhaust. Automobiles
also release ozone, which can damage
trees and plants.
California Air Resources Board
member Dr. Douglas Lawson discussed
the acidity of several fogs measured in
the state in a panel discussion on acid
rain held at CSUF on October l.
"The acidity of precipitation (rain,
sleet, snow and fog mist) is measured
on the hydrogen ion (pH) scale,"
Lawson said. Tbe scale ranges from 0 to
14 — the scale's low range indicating increased acidity. Each number on the
scale represents a tenfold increase or
decrease in acid content. Unpolluted
water, with a pH of 7.0, is considered
neutral.
"Normal fog has a pH value of 5.6,"
Lawson said, explaining some natural
acidity is present in all precipitation
due to the presence of carbon dioxide in
the air. "Fogs with a pH value of 4.5,
ten times as acidic as unpolluted fog,
are common in the valley." He said a
fog measured near Bakersfield had a
value of 2.6 or 1,000 times more acidic
than normal.
"A fog measured over on the coast
had a value of 1.7." Lawson said. ''And
that fog was the most acidic ever found
by any researcher in tbe world."
Lawson said Fresno has 20 to 40 days a
year when tbe fog keeps visability to
less than a quarter-mile. He said add
fog and other types of acid precipitation
can cause human health complications,
crop damage and increased corrosion
on buildings and metals.
The problem is not restricted to the
valley, said National Park spokesman
David Graber, wbo also took part In the
acid rain conference.
"The natural ability of the Sierra
system to neutralize acidity is damned
close to zero," Graber said. But Graber
pointed out that so far there is no
evidence of damage in tbe Sierra
Nevada. j
Graber said the damage occurs
slowly and often the first visible signs of
acid contamination are found only after
plants, fish and other water-dwelling
creatures have become ill or die.
Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen compounds
and ozone rise into tbe Sierras by what
Morgan calls tbe "chimney effect"
The warmer air on the valley floor
rises, taking harmful pollutants with it
and winds carry the various compounds
into tbe mountains. Tbe pollution then
settles to earth or lands on Sierra plant 0
life in dry or wet forms.
Geography professor Dr. Roger Er-
win, discussing the problem with Insight, said tbe pollution seriously injures the mountain ecology.
"Tbe Ponderosa pines in Kings Canyon and Sequoia Parks have been
damaged. Ozone and acids cause older
needles to cast (fall off) prematurely.
The early shedding affects the pines
photosynthesis capabilities."
Photosynthesis is the chemical process by which plants use sunlight to produce food. Trees take in sunlight
through leaves,  pines, or  needles.
"Early casting results in a tree
having only the current year's needles,
rather than two or three years. This
weakens the tree, making it more sub
ject to natural diseases and harmful insects," Dr. Erwin said. The problem is
not as serious in California as it is in the
east, northeast and Canada, Erwin
said.
• Dr. Lawson said federal and state
funds have only recently been allocated
for researching acid rain and other
forms of acid precipitation. The field of
study is new, he said, but Gov. Jerry
Brown signed a bill authorizing an $18
million five-year study before leaving
office..
State money and federal funds will
be used to study acid precipitation and
dry pollution and their effects on people, animals, crops and wildlife environments, Lawson said.
Sin City:
Finding virtue at last?
By Ed Wiley III
Insight Reporter
Sin City — only the name is
the same.
Once a hangout for college
students in the late 1960s and 1970s
who wanted to escape the restrictions of dorm life, tbe small Fresno
community two blocks west of
Bulldog Stadium became known as
a dangerous slum in the late
1970s — a high-crime area strewn
with debris and abandoned cars.
Now Sin City is making a comeback. The streets are cleaner, the
crime rate is down and the
residents of the neighborhood are
finding — often to their surprise — that it is becoming a good
Bound by San Jose Avenue.
Sixth Street. San Ramon Avenue
and Fourth Street. "Sin City" is
populated by people of a variety of
ethnic and racial backgrounds
Fresno Police Lt. William
Dragoo describes the makeup of
the neighborhood as "blacks,
whites. Hlspanics and Orientals,
all possessing one common
denominator — poverty."
But the poverty has not
prevented the Fresno Police
Department and the residents of
the neighborhood from getting
together to make Sin City livable
again.
Stricter law enforcement and
community awareness programs.
(Continued on page 4)
Make way for latest additions
Mixed reviews for A /Vbooths
CSUF students in many classrooms
this year have had to make room for
Since 29 of the planned no booths
^bave been installed, countless equipment delivery and retrieval hassles
have been avoided by faculty and the
instructional media center, which
distributes the equipment, according to
a university spokesman. On the other
hand, some instructors are finding the
looming presence of the booths in the
classrooms annoying eyesores.
"After a semester or so, they
(faculty) don't even see it ( a booth in a
classroom)," said Dr. David Quadro,
director of professional services and instructional media., who initiated the
booth plan. "It's a matter of people getting used to it and I think tbey will."
not having to go through IMC to get a
machine. That's nice. What I-hate is'
that it's (the booth) obtrusive.
"It's too big and it breaks up the
classroom. I like to have class discussions, but they stick out so far in the
room, people on one side of the room
can't see people on the other side. That
just magnifies the crowding problem in
the classrooms."
But according to history professor
Dr. David Jones, "They've worked out
perfectly here. The sound system is
good, service is fast and prompt and
less of a hassle. I think it's great."
Dr. David Provost, political science
department chairman, said "I don i
find any objections to them at all."
Quadro said he needs more faculty
feedback concerning the booths«^___^   .
"In most classrooms, the seating
configuration can be adjusted Mr^there
will be no loss of seats. There are going
to be exceptions, and when there are, I
m
ii
It's too big and it breaks up
the classroom. **
—Dr. Fischer
Aside from eliminating equipment
deliveries, paperwork, etc., the booths
can help the expensive audiovisual
equipment inside last three times
longer than normal. "The equipment
will las^much longer, not moving it
around or hauling It in the back of a
truck moving it from class to class,"
said Quadro.
The unpainted. rough sawn wood
booths, produced on campus for approximately $150 per unit, are six feet
tall, two feet wide, and four leet long
As Quadro has admitted, the presence
of the 48 square foot box in classrooms
will take some getting used to.
"I haven't had any complaints
from the faculty." said Dr. William
Coe. chairman of the psychology
department; about the booths. "I
think they are a good idea. It used to be
so difficult, not knowing if your film
would show up."
Coe added that the booth's presence
"kind of breaks up the room the way it
sticks out. That's not desirable, but I
don't know what we could do about il."
Each booth houses a 16 millimeter
sound movie projector, a carousel slide
projector with remote control, and an
overhead projector.
"It definitely puts the equipment in
the classroom - the way it should be."
said Dr. Ron Adams of the Radio-TV
Department. Adams said the presence
of the booth knocks two chairs out of an
already crowded classroom. "The
room continues to be rated to hold 50
students although it now holds only 48."
Dr. Robert Fischer of tbe sociology
department said, "On one hand. I love
need to know about theht."
One solution to the classroom
crowding problem is to position the
booths and movie screens caddy corner.
Currently, 53 classrooms are equip-,-
ped witbthe audiovisual booths inHhe,
first two stages of the plan. About 55
booths remain unassembled and in
storage. "It appears that once we are in
full operation, 85 percent of (IMC)*
deliveries can be eliminated." said
Quadro.
The IMC's daily average of over 100
equipment deliveries dipped to about 55
after installing the first 29 booths last
spring, said Quadro
"My hope is within the next two
academic years, we'll be able to complete the project." Quadro added.
The booths have locking doors and
the projectors inside are also locked
down to prevent theft. A master key.
The IMC plans to unleash 110 of these A/V booths on campus. "Il looks like a
outhouse," said one professor.
available upon request to all full- and
part-time instructors, can open any
booth.
So far. there has been no stolen
audiovisual equipment from the boxes.
Before, Quadro said that projectors
were lost, but not in "significant
numbers."
Despite   the   IMC's   reduced
"No one's lost a job or been laid off
and I don't intend for that to occur. Instead, there will be a shift from five
delivery-maintenance-booking persons
to three and an addition of two people to
the production staff."
I                             a.........—^
sk..         .
| Touch of class See page 5 j
J^nsi
[^k
RolHiV along See page 7
■■
Unstable ground See page j$|