1993_11 Insight November 1993

              Page 2
Insight/California State University, Fresno
November 17,1993
Letters to the editor
Angered over lack of U.S. military support in Angola
Dear editor
The attention oflhc media is totally focused
on Bosnia. However, there arc events that have
occurred and arc occurring in the souihem pan
of Africa lhal arc every bit as bad, if not worse,
than those in Bosnia.
The death tol I in Angola and Mozambique is
estimated al between one to iwo million peopic
— much greater than ihc death toll in Bosnia.
There have been torture, mutilations and gross
violations of human rights in both countries.
Whydon't wc sec heart-rending scenes on TV
every nighl from Angola or Mozambique as wc
do from Bosnia?
Is it because these people arc Black? Is it
because the United States government and die
CIA played a major role in the carnage and
destruction in both countries?
The U.S. financed Jonas Savimbi in his
attempted overthrow of ihc socialist government in Angola. Savimbi lost a U.N. supervised election in Angola thai the UN said was
fair. He refused to accept ihc election results
and is continuing the war and destruction.
Suppose a leftist guerrilla leader lost an
election and refused to accept the rcsulL The
United Slates would intervene militarily in a
minute. Not, however, if it is a right-winger like
Savimbi.
So much for the oftcn-siaicd belief that die
United States intervenes in foreign countries to
preserve democracy and freedom. It intervenes
to establish fascist governments dial will allow
multinational corporations to exploit the cheap
labor and natural resources.
People arc tortured and killed, and children
starve so oiher people living in mansions thousands of miles away can increase their wealth
and play international money and powcrgames.
And the corporate-owned media keep the
American people in total ignorance and feed
them a steady diet of sii-coms and tabloid TV
shows. Small wonder the world is in such sad
shape!
—Gary Sudborough
Reader touched
by 'Cancer' story
Dear editor
1 just warned to comment on one of your articles
from the Nov. 10.1993. Issue.
The article on "Cancer Victims Hopeful Despite
Odds" by Davin Hutchins was really good and well-
written.
Certain sections of il left a lump in my throai! Ii
reminded mc not lo take life for granted.
I hope you let Davin know what a good job he did
on the article.
—Carla Torres
Hush falls over once-roaring Free Speech area
By Chris Branam
StaffWriter
In the area on campus where Cesar
Chavez onccsioodforhis First Amendment rights to speak freely, students
congregate only lo cat their lunch before they're off io class.
CSUF's Free Speech Area, for a
variety of reasons, has become increasingly litilc-uscd for organized formsof
argumentation and debate.
In ihc past five years, there have
been only three organized protests or
discussions in die T-shaped area thai
starts between the Madden Library and
Ihc Ed-Psych Building, continues
ihrough ihe main walkway between
the cafeteria building and ihciopof the
pit area, and ends al ihe fountain.
"People get shocked when wc have
rallies there," ASI President Siacey
Green said, "bul having rallies is in ihc
tradition of this school."
The last demonstration that involved
violence was in 1979. when students
clashed over ihc revolution in Iran.
CSUF Professor of sociology Rob-
en Fischer, who once succcssfu lly sued
ihc university over die right to pass out
a petition, said he sees two things contributing to die decline of demonstrations in ihc Free Speech Area.
"Firsl.studcniorganizationsarcjusi
a shadow of what ihcy once were."
Fischer said, "and 1 think ihe rock
music bands arc so loud, you can 'I hear
or speak lo one another. I don't think
that's an accident. 1 ihink someone
figured oul those bands could drown
the place oul."
Green said she felt the decision to
move food tables into die area has
helped discourage, either accidentally
or intentionally, die amount of speech.
"1 think il cuts down on the amount
of congregating." she said.
Tom Boyle, director of siudcni life
ami development who has been at CSUF
since 1972, feels siu-lcnts haven't become more apathciic; issues have
changed. "There will be oiher issues
lhal will be just as lively," he said.
Over the years, ihc Free Speech
Area has been the site of many campus
demonstrations and events thai symbolized die issues of the day.
• In November 1969, students and
teachers rallied against CSUF President Dr. Karl L. Falk's decision to
reassign some of the administration's
top positions. The following March,
four students and one professor were
subsequendy arrested on the grounds
of disturbing the peace in relation to ihc
firing of a professor. They were pul on
school probation for five years.
•InOctobcr 1976.hccklcrs drowned
out Chavez for 15 minutes, who was
speaking al the Siudcni Union lounge.
The crowd quieted down when Chavez
noicd ihat he had never been unable to
speak because of hecklers in more lhan
1.000 speeches around the world.
• In November 1979. students held
anti-Iranian rallies in ihc Free Speech
Area. The demonstrations reached fever pilch when iwo opposing Iranian
groups, one pro-Shah and one anti-
Shah, started pushing and shoving.
Fischer has been at CSUF since
1972 and has vivid memories of the
participants in ihc Iranian rallies.
"A lot of those
students, both
pro-Shah and
not, went back to
Iran and were
executed. It
seemed that every day we would
hear about another former student being
killed."
—Robert Fischer
When ihc pro-Shah protesters atmc
to counter the anti-Shah demonstration, they were going to heal people
up." Fischer said. "The campus police
and students formed a skimush line
and slopped ihc fighting."
Fischer said there was a gnm epilogue io ihc demonstrations.
"A lot of those students, boih pro-
Shah and not. weni back lo Iran and
were executed. Ii seemed thai every
day wc would hcarabixiianoiher former
student being killed."
Even though the Free Speech Area
is designated, this docs not imply lack
of free speech outside ihc zone.
Since the Firsi Amendment was
wriucn. die U.S. Supreme Court has
bccninicrpreungihc issucof free speech
and assembly. Some rules that have
come out of ihc court's decision arc
called lime, place, and manner resinc-
Thcse restrictions put an emphasis
on when, where and how ihc expression is io be maitc public. According to
Boyle, classroom situations fall under
these restrictions.
"There is a significant body of law
behind thai issue," he said. "Essen
tially colleges have designated areas
where activity is totally unregulated. A
classroom docs not fall under that"
Gary Nelson, Student Life's program adviser, said the Free Speech
Area is intended to give students the
right 10 demonstration without hampering the learning process.
"It helps the university to let students know there is no opposition to
free speech," Nelson said. "In order io
maintain the educational process, it
helps to have not as much disruption in
ihc academic areas."
The USU has had io skirt around the
issue of free speech concerning ihc
area of musical expression. "There is
no amplified music allowed in the free
speech area, only in ihc 'pit area,'"
Nelson said. "If the university police
department could determine there was
going io be a band thai could create a
situation thai could be explosive, then
lhan band would have lo pay for additional security."
CSUF police spokesperson Lt.
Steven King said that his office receives every permit filled out by campus organ izationstoconduciactivity in
the Free Speech Area.
"If you're going to sell hamburg-
ers,"Kingsaid,"we're notified. If something comes across our desk that wc
say 'uh-oh, there's going to be another
side lo ihis issue,' then we'll make sure
someone is there."
Nelson said ihc USU has no control
over people handing oul pamphlets or
other paraphernalia. The right to hand
oul materials is protected in die time,
manner, and place restrictions. *"
The designation of a free speech arc
has sparked interest in public expression al some universities, while al others none al all.
• CSU Norihndgc docs nol have a
free speech area, bul is in die process of
establishing one, according io Tom
Pirenik, director of campas activities.
"The students want one," Pirenik
said. "Wc arc in the process simply
because the students have indicated
thai they want one."
• CSU Long Beach has had controversy since ihc plaiform lhal has been
die traditional medium of free expression on campus was removed recently
to make room for ihc construction trailers which arc building an annex to the
university's book store.
"It's kind of controversial,'' Scott
Enckscn, cily cdiior al ihc Daily 49cr
siudent newspaper. "There was a always quite a bii of debate going on
there. There was argumentation and
debate; free speech in its truest form.
"Our cam pus is becoming commercialized," Enckscn said, "and the ad-
minisiration is patronizing our free
speech rights."
• Washington State doesn't have a
designated free speech area, bul expression is encouraged throughout the
campus, according io Dave Field, editor or The Daily Evergreen at WSU.
"I'm confused aboul what function
a free speech zone would serve," Field
said. "Il's a pretty much open campus.
This is a fairly conservative campus,
and there isn't a lot of studeni activism."
Nelson said,"I'm apcrson whofccls
that if somebody is deliberately bashing or trying locrca tea hostile environment, I'm not in favor of it. Bul you
have io respect that person's right to
speak."
See CONTROVERSY SIDEBAR,
Page 10
SlcuK. KujiniLlWIVSICHI
Linda Chavez, a proponent ol Hispanic assimilation, visited
CSUF last Tuesday to promote her book "Out of the Barrio."
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