1998_04 Insight April 1998

              4
April 1, 1998
InStep
Insight
by Monica Hurtado
Staff Writer
The "Cat Lady" has disappeared. Consenting t<
only if promised anonymity, "Ann,"
a former Fresno State employee,
was dubbed the "Cat Lady"
because she fed and cared for cats
that were dumped on campus.
Ann was forced to end her
mission last month after 18 years of
service.
After numerous complaints by
faculty, staff and students, the
Environmental Health and Safety
Department, along with Plant
Operations, began trapping cats and
transferring them to the SPCA.
"It hurt me that we couldn't
save more of them," Ann said.
"These cats were taken to the
SPCA and more than likely
gassed."
People in Ihe community have
been dumping cats on campus for
years. Ann said that from the lime
she began working at Fresno State,
she saw legions of deserted cats on
campus.
Ann, along with some faculty
and staff members, designated
feeding areas for the cats. Ann
covered San Ramon 3. Agriculture
and West Engineering buildings.
"Ann would take the cats, get
them spayed, neutered and then
bring them back to campus," said
Jill Plaunt of the mathematics
department.
Many of the dumped cats were
pregnant, wild and some were
diseased. People are required by the
SPCA to have names for their
animals for record purposes. Each
of the campus cats had a name of
Despite her retirement in 1985,
Ann kept her promise to the
campus cats throughout the years.
"Cats are God's creatures,"
Ann said. "The Almighty has been
good to us and this is my way to
say thank you."
Diane Hazeltine. secretary in
the foreign language department,
adopted three campus cats over the
years.
"People don't appreciate cats,"
Ha/.eltine said.
Hazeltine said that the campus
cats are no more a health problem
at Fresno State than they would be
in a home.
However on March 15 and
again on March 17, two different
students were treated at the Health
Center because of feral cat
scratches, said Lisa Daughtry of the
Environmental HcalthuSafety
Office.
Daughtry said the campus cats
have been a problem for more than
five years now. Faculty and staff in
the Conlcy Arts Building complained about cat droppings and the
mess they make.
Daughtry said that in March
1997, they received a memo from
Pat Hanning", the previous chair of
the art and design department. The
memo read: "The Feline Society
has come by and reported the bad
state of diseased cats."
• In May 1997, Ann met with
Environmental Health Safety
officials and Joyce Weber, chair of
the Fresno State Safety Committee,
.to discuss the cat problem.
Ann told officials about the
care of the cats by her and other
faculty and staff. According to Ann.
the officials agreed not to "touch"
the feeding areas.
Yet on Feb. 12, 1998. Ann
received a phone call from the
secretary in the environmental
office telling her that it was going
to begin trapping all campus cats
and transferring them to the SPCA.
Daughtry said Ann was given
(he opportunity to take the cats she
was caring for before the trappings
bejran. That's exactly what Ann did.
Ann took 13 cats to the Feline
Foundation and found homes for
two others. The California Feline
Foundation requires a $100
surrender fee.
"We owe $800 to the Feline
Foundation," Ann said. "A lot of
people would offer us money, but
we'd rather have your moral
support than your financial sup- *
port."
Maureen Withrow of the
California Feline Foundation said
that most of the cats were manageable and extremely tamed. The cats
that were not spayed or neutered
were taken to a veterinarian where
they received a combination test,
which tests for the Feline Leukemia
Virus and the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). The FIV is
similar to the human aids virus in
that it attacks the immune system.
The FIV is not transferable to
humans, Withrow said. Ann hasn't
returned to Fresno State to feed cats
since the first week of March when
she picked up the last group.
Ecology Club hopes to spread Earth Day awareness
Students offer lessons
and tips to make
people more earth-
friendly
by Teri Fernandez
Staff Writer
"A time to be born, a lime to die." And
so were the lyrics sung by the Byrds, describing the 1970s.
Long hair, tie-dyed clothing and torn
jeans symbolized the carefree spirits of
people who fought for change. These so-
called radicals wanted to make people aware
of their responsibility to the planet. The environmental movement inceptioned Earth
Day on April 22. 1970. It was recognized by
the Department of Environment Conserva
tionists (DEC).
At Fresno State, the Environmentally
Conscious Organization's (ECO) System will
help students become aware of Earth Day and
its history. Robin Niemi. president of ECO
System and a 21 -year-old ecology senior, was
not aware of its history. Niemi's club will,
however, take advantage of Earth Day lo educate students and teachers on environmental
issues.
One of these issues is recycling. Niemi
gave credit to the track team for starting a
recycling program on campus. There are recycling bins across from O'Neill Park on
Barstow Avenue and more bins will be added
on Barstow and Chestnut avenues. One of the
organization's goals is to help the track team's
efforts to collect paper to be recycled from
department offices on campus. Recycling also
needs to be more economical and efficient.
Recycling isn't the only concern ECO
System has. Committee chair for field trips
Rodney Olson, a 24-year-old biology student, said there is a problem with "pests"
on campus. Olson said pests include pigeons, squirrels and gophers. ECO System
plans to find "environmentally friendly solutions."
Another issue is water purity. The runoff from pesticides, waste and other pollutants, including acid rain, affect water quality.
The group's goal is to spread awareness of society's wasteful and polluting
practices and to provide alternative solutions.
Niemi said she hopes people will not
only think of the environment on this one
day but will become environmentally conscious every day.
The following are tips on everyday
ways to help the planet.
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In the kitchen:
•set refrigerator between 38 F and 42 F
•set freezer between 0 F and 5 F
•microwave meals whenever you can
•don't wash dishes with running water
In the dining room:
•use cloth napkins instead of paper
•set table with washable silverware
In the laundry room:
•use warm instead of hot water
•rinse with cold instead of warm water
•hang wash out to dry
In the bathroom:
•shut off water while brushing teeth or
shaving
•nstall low-flow shower heads
•shut off water while latheriiig
In the living room:
•switch off unnecessary lights
•dress warm instead of turning up heat
•dress cool instead of turning down air
conditioner
•raise window shades in winter, lower
them in summer
In yard:
•avoid pesticides; use non-toxic deterrents
compost leaves and grass
•apply only as much fertilizer as the soil
needs
•water grass in the morning and only when
necessary
Cat Lady rescues cats that Fresno has forgotten
Ex-Fresno State faculty
member cared for cats
that were abandoned,
forgotten
Calendar
April
Putt'm' on the Rhz
Kennel Bookstore's
28th Anniversary
celebration
April 1 & 2 Wed.-
Thurs.
7:45 a.m.-7:15 p.m.
Main level Patio
Peach Blossom
Festival
40th Annual Peach
Blossom Festival of
Oral Interpretation
Wed., April 1:
10 a.m.; 11 a.m.;
12 p.m.; 1 p.m.
Thurs. April 2:
9:45 a.m.; 11
a.m.;
& 12:45 p.m.
Sponsored by the
Speech Communication department.
Self-Directed
Search Workshop
Begin the career
process by identifying and relating your
interests to potential
careers. Pre-registra-
tion required, Joyal
256.
Wed., April 8. 10-
11 a.m.
p|
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an
State
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Phone Number!     1—
Mail to: Pigott and Associates
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!___
Invites You To
™ Come Have A m
B . L . A . S . T
'lie Tart ofyfiston,/. Take 'Pari in trie 'Btrlh of a INew
■Tradition. '.Help 'fromo State to Tstabl'isfi its Very Own
Student/JACumni CounciC
'Please, join us at our reception to find out more about
this fun, educationaC, and exciting opportunity!
•Date: Tuesday, JKprdi^th, 1998
'PCace:        The 'Renaissance 'Room (just west of CarCs Jr.)
Time: 5:00 pm-7:oopm
""Refreshments "WitTSe Served*"