1998_03 Insight March 1998

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InSlde
Recycling needs more individuals' concerns
by Kim Airoso
Staff Writer
Plastic, forest-green recycling bins
sit at the end of driveways on Spruce
Avenue. Inside lie broken Budweiser
beer bottles, aluminum cans, heaps of
junk mail and old newspapers.
Fifty-nine percent of Fresno
residents recycle every month. Now
there is a state mandate to increase the
amount of recycling by 50 percent.
The amount of hazardous household waste Fresno produces every year
can fill a nine-foot deep football field.
Some people see recyclables as
garbage, but this garbage could be
someone else's value.
"From PET. the No. 1 plastic, you
can make cloths, boots and tennis
shoes." said Sally Lopez, recycling
coordinator lor the city of Fresno. "For
aluminum you can make chrome
bicycles, pots and pans, and many other
things front the recycled products."
Fresno was one of the first cities to
start a curbsidc pick-up program. It
began in the 1970s when volunteers put
recyclables on the curb.
Some people believe recycling is
motivated by money. Not so. Lopez
said.
The market for material fluctuates
so much that sometimes you lose
money." Lopez said. "It's not a moneymaker because manufactures find it
easier to use non-recycled material."
Aluminum. PET (a pure form of
petroleum from plastic bottles) and
cardboard arc big money-makers. Lopez
said. Junk mail and used telephone
books make less money.
Like the city, Fresno State isn't
making big bucks from its recyclings
program, which began in 1980 and is
headed by Red Estes, Fresno State track
"There are months that we don't
even break even, but when we do it goes
to truck team improvements," Estes said.
According to city officials, Fresno
State is one of the best recycling schools
but students aren't really concerned
about it.
The Ecology Club attempted to put
recycling bins out three times but
garbage ended up in the recycling
containers. Estes said.
"I feel guilty that I don't recycle, but
I don't want to take the time to do it."
said Jennifer Colla. an exercise physiology graduate student.
Another recycling problem is
scavengers, better known as trash
diggers.
"Scavengers go through the community and steal aluminum, and it is illegal,
but it's such a minor offense that police
don't have the time to do anything about
it." Lope/ said.
Estes said he is not bothered by
scavengers and some students find it
helpful.
"I would recycle but 1 know it
will be recycled anyway by someone
digging through the trash," said Derek
Boughner, political science major.
"It's too easy to throw it in the
dumpster. I don't want to take the
time."
The curbsidc bins are provided by
the city for free. BFI, a private
contractor, deals with all aspects of
the recycling process. Residents
paying a fee for garbage pick-up can
choose to use the recycling bins or
not.
The recycling process is a lengthy
one. After a truck picks it up,
recyclables are taken to a material
recovery facility. There it is bailed
into different commodities and sold (o
places all over the world.
Tid Bits
• According to the Department
of Conservation for the State of
California Division or Recovery, it
takes one million years for glass,
bottles, and jars to break down into
the soil. It takes aluminum 80 to 100
years to breakdown.
• Every day a forest the size of
Philadelphia is lost and every year
a forest the size of Pennsylvania is
ruined, all to create paper.
Buses show "Clovis way of life"
by Michelle Brown
Staff Writer
The "Clovis way of life" means that the
city still runs a stage line to pick up citizens
— and, presumably, cowpokes — going about
their business in the Western way.
Every day, the Clovis Stage Lines runs
its six mini-buses over four routes through
the city, including the Fresno State campus,
carrying an average of 4.700 passengers.
"It's not a money-making business," said
Shonna Haltermann, supervisor of the Clovis
Public Transit Division. Clovis Stagelines operates on a $452,127 annual budget, 80 percent of which comes from California's local
transportation fund. Fares generate another
20 percent annually.
The brown- and cream-colored buses
with a distinctive cowboy-on-a-bucking-
bronco signature run through the streets of
Clovis and Fresno. Route 10 is recognized as
the college route. The Stagelines. operating
on a fixed route system, covers 13 stops
around the Fresno State campus.
Clovis Stagelines originated in 1980.
With a growing demand, the state required
the city to have a fixed public transportation
system. In 1990, Clovis Stagelines changed
from picking residents up at their homes to
picking Clovis residents up at stops affiliated
with the Fresno Area Express bus system.
Once the state required the fixed-route
system in Clovis. it still required the city to
offer a service to pick up senior citizens and
disabled persons. It was named The Clovis
Roundup.
The Clovis Roundup, another public
transit service in Clovis, services 180 senior
citizens a day. For 75 cents, seniors 55-years-
old and older can be taken to their requested
destination.
By calling 24 hours in advance The
Clovis Roundup Transit Service will pick a
senior or disabled person up at their home
and take them to run errands.
"Most of the requests are for doctor's
appointments or the gfocery store," said bus
driver Sue Avila.
Avila has her daily regulars who quickly
fill the bus's 19 seats.. Along with six drivers, she picks up three to four passengers
every half hour to be taken to Clovis destinations. If a passengers destination is in
Fresno, the 75-cent fee rises to $2.50 and
three to four passengers are picked up every
hour.
"We wouldn't make any money if we
relied on people's fares, " Avila said.
Ten percent of the Clovis Roundup's
$369,000 yearly operation cost is from passenger fares, while 90 percent comes from
the state's local transportation fund.
"Maintenance and the purchasing of
busses takes up most of our funding."
Haltermann said. "The cost for one minibus is $80,000 to $100,000."
Another consideration is personnel salaries, which is approximately $155,000 annually.
"We're always needing more funding.
Working within our funds takes a lot of strategic planning to make it work. But. somehow we do it." Haltermann said.
photo by Christin Mlrlgian
Three times each school year, the Kennel Bookstore has a patio sale In which
leftover items are discounted. Lupe Guzman finds bargains at these events.
Cops constantly face stressors
COPS, continued from page 1
"There are several levels
of hazard, and they can all
affect you," Eaton said. "Yes,
there's the chance of getting
shot, but if I'm chasing a
crook, and I blow out my
knee, my career is just as over
as if I'd been shot."
What civilians don't
realize is the probability of an
officer getting shot isn't high.
In a report entitled "Law
Enforcement Officers Killed
and Assaulted," the FBI
reported that only 74 officers
were killed in the nation in
1995. That number went down
from 78 in 1994.
About 10:15 a.m.. Eaton
received a domestic violence
call. Another deputy was
already there, and Eaton
needed to help collect
statements and to keep
everyone under control should
things get out of hand.
Two ambulances were
called because the two men
involved injured each other.
One man had a laceration
above his eye and one on his
head. The other man had
trouble breathing because he
was choked by the first man.
After collecting statements and making conclusions from the evidence
gathered, Eaton and the
deputy he assisted determined
the two men would be charged
with domestic battery.
Then, while at the hospital, the deputies realized things
were going to change. The
man who was choked received
some oxygen and told his side
of the story. He seemed excited
about the event and said. "I got
him real good, didn't I?"
"You get some oxygen in
him and get that testosterone
going and the truth comes out,"
Eaton said, while leaving the
hospital.
The next few hours were
fairly uneventful. Eaton
responded to a 9-1-1 hang-up,
a petty theft and a vehicle
burglary. This gave him time to
talk about his family, friends
and growing up.
"I grew up in a pretty
rough part of Boston with
three brothers and two sisters,"
Eaton said. "My dad's best
friend was a cop", so I was
around them all of the time."
Hanging around with
police officers influenced
Eaton. He moved to Sacramento and went to school
there, then moved to Fresno
and went through the law
enforcement program at Fresno
City College.
"My brothers and sisters
tease me about being a cop all
the time. They always say, 'I
smell bacon!'." Eaton said.
Eaton is planning a family
of his own. He will be
married in April. His fiancee
isn't worried about what he
does for a living, Eaton said.
"She hasn't voiced any
concern yet." Eaton said.
"She's a pro-law enforcement person and that helps.
She understands that there
are things that I just have to
do."
Eaton said he has made
some good friends through
this job.
"Most of my friends are
cops because I know that I
can trust them," Eaton said.
"I know that they are
honorable people that work
hard and are family oriented."
Eaton also likes the
comedy behind the job.
"Being a cop. I can go
up and talk to anybody,"
Eaton said. "Most people
will ask why you are talking
to them but crooks are
dumb. They don't. They just
assume you are arresting
them."
There is also the
element of surprise that is
appealing.
"Anything can happen
out here," Eaton said.
"Nothing should surprise
me. but it still docs."
Welty answers questions about plans to fix university's reputation
WELTY, continued from page 1
don't know the university.
Q: If you had a chance to sit down with Mike Wallace today, what would you say to him?
A: I thought he failed to point out the code of conduct was
in place and being enforced. [Wallace] also failed to point out
the way in which coach Tarkanian has influenced, positively,
the lives of many student athletes. (Wallace] did not accurately
portray the situation.
Q: Mike Wallace wrote a letter saying that he had been vindicated because of the recent arrests of Jones and Brunner.
A: His comment about that was a very adroit use of words.
I was pleased that he did acknowledge that the story had not
identified the fact that the code-of conduct was in place.
Q: That was a pretty large omission.
A: Yes. It was a very significant omission in terms of meeting the test of balance and fairness.
Q: What do you want to tell the students today?
A: This university is a very good university. We have an
extraordinary faculty who I think are dedicated to teaching. I
would match the dedication of our faculty and the opportunity for students to learn here against almost any university
in the country. 1 certainly would put us in the top 10 percent
of all public universities in the country in that regard. So we
need to remember that we have a good university; one that
going to get better. Students also need to know that we're
not going to tolerate an athletics program that doesn't have
responsible student athletes...We will do whatever it takes
to make sure that's the case. It's important that we stay the
course in terms of setting in place the policies we've established. We need to keep our focus.
Q: How's Mrs. Welty doing through all of this?
A: (laugh) She doing pretty well...She has been very
supportive. I rely on her for advice.
Q: This week you met with the presidents of all the CSU
campuses. How did you feel when you walked into the room;
being the representative of Fresno State? Were you embarrassed?
A: I always have been and will continue to be proud to
represent Fresno State. We are among the best universities
in the system. I'm not ready yet to proclaim that we're the best,
but we are among the best. My colleagues understand my situation and have been very supportive.
Q: Do you foresee any changes in the recruiting code; recruiting athletes with criminal records?
A: The [new] recruitment code spells out that coaches would
not recruit a student athlete that had been convicted of a felony
unless there were extraordinary circumstances. If a student has
been convicted of a misdemeanor, that circumstance would be
reviewed before they were recruited.
Q: Where do we go from here; what programs do you want to
implement in the next couple of years?
A: We're at a very exciting time because we've just completed our "plan for excellence." That plan calls for the establishment of an honors college and for the completion of the revision
of the general education curriculum. We're really strengthening
our academic programs, providing more support for our faculty,
taking steps to increase our fund-raising and adding facilities to
the campus. It's going to be a very exciting time for the university.
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Humor,
laughter
help to
release
stress
by Suzanne Dieriex
Staff Writer
Nail biting is more than a
bad habit. Grinding teeth is more
than a dental problem. Both are
classic symptoms of stress, the
physical side of mental overload.
Loretta LaRoche, speaking
tonight at the Fresno State
Satellite Student Union, has a
different approach to handling
stress. She believes in the healing
power of humor to help relieve
LaRoche suggests keeping a
humor collection consisting of a
collection of jokes, funny videos
or newspaper columns. Looking
at this collection after a stress-
filled day could be uplifting.
LaRoche looks to the
research of William Fry from
Stanford University. Fry. an
expert on the "physiological
effects of humor." believes that
laughter provides health benefits,
like reducing heart rate and
blood pressure and clearing out
the lungs. He believes that
laughter leads to coughing and
coughing helps clear out the
lings.
Stresses college students
face include balancing classes,
jobs, family and outside activities.
Phyllis Redfield. a counselor
in the Office of Reentry Programs, offered a seminar entitled
"The Secrets of Passing Tests:
How to'Effectively Prepare for
Your Exams or Finals." Redfield
said being prepared for tests
relieves the stress associated with
studying and worrying about
getting good grades.
Maria Knizevski, a reentry
student balancing school with
household chores and caring for
her children, attended Redfield's
seminar. She said Redfield's
approach to dealing with stress is
to breathe deeply.
Knizevski said setting
priorities helps her prevent stress.
She doesn't let herself worry
about things that aren't at the top
of her list of priorities.
Another way students relieve
stress is with yoga. Luis
Mendoza, a resident adviser in
the dorms and a pre-med student,
organized yoga programs for
residents to relieve stress.
He doesn't just preach the
benefits of yoga, he uses it to
relieve his own stress. Mendoza
said he does yoga two to three
times a week, sometimes in place
of sleep.
Other stress reducers include
seeking support from friends and
family; eating properly; getting
an average of eight hours of
sleep a night without using
alcohol; getting involved in
physical activity; and being more
assertive.