1997_09 Insight September 1997

              □ Sept 17.1997
Viewpoint & News
Insight
editorial
Apologies can not make up
for the actions of athletes
shaving points in basketball games
had already been levelled.
True or not, the accusations made
headlines and contributed to Fresno
State's poor reputation across the
country and a sense of embarrassment across campus.
Many departments, including
the athletic department, will
justifiably defend themselves,
pointing to successful alumni all
over the world. It would be wrong
to judge all athletes by the actions
of a few.
The harsh truth is that sports
The harsh truth is that sports news
is more widespread, especially
when well-known figures don't use
proper judgment.
by Kelly Jones
Saying "I'm sorry" for
shattering your mother's
favorite crystal vase when you
were 9 years old didn't make it
spring back to its original form.
Saying "I'm sorry" now for
hitting people and generally
disgracing your school doesn't
help the bruises heal faster or
make the national media
attention go away.
In the past few weeks, two
Fresno State athletes have made
headlines for abusing
iheir ex-girlfriends. A
third potential Bulldog
has been jailed for abusing his fiancee.
• Aug. 29: Football
player Michael Pittman
is suspended from the
team for one game. The
suspension came after
an investigation of allegedly "be-    news is more widespread, especially
ing rough" with an ex-girlfriend    when well-known figures don't use
proper judgment. Unfortunately, the
media don't have to go looking for
wrong-doing — Fresno State has
regularly delivered it.
For every athlete who makes
news by breaking the law, there are
a dozen dedicated scholar-athletes
who quietly do what everyone is
supposed to do. They draw attention
to themselves through diligence and
hard work in an honorable manner.
But it is the few who make a name
for the masses while representing
Bulldog teams.
Athletes arc naturally under more
intense scrutiny and thus represent
not only themselves, but the school
and the community. It is a responsibility they take on when they accept
a role on a team.
There is no excuse, ever, for
abuse. Physical violence doesn't
solve anything i
outside her apartment complex
when he was supposed to be attending a team meeting.
• Sept. 10: News spreads tha*
Virginia basketball recruit
Courtney Alexander, who spent
four days behind bars for
beating up his fiancee, will join
the Bulldogs.
• Sept. 12: Basketball player
Rafer Alston is suspended
indefinitely for getting into a
"wrestling match" with his ex-
girlfriend outside the new
weight room.
The incidents are just the
latest in a string of activities that
allegedly involved Fresno State
athletes in the last two years.
Charges including fighting in a
local pub. destroying a hotel
room, breaking a student's jaw
in a parking lot altercation and
and has obviously only gotten
these athletes in trouble.
What can be said to the
women who suffered abuse at
the hands of bigger, stronger
men?
How can the university
expect donors and fans to
continue to support misfits?
Why do they? The answer is
loyalty. Luckily there are
enough athletes doing their job
that can be held up as role
models for the commuity to
applaud. _.
Despite the increased
_____    number of scholar-
athlete awards earned
each semester, it is .
ironic that certain
notable athletes aren't
learning from the
examples of their peers.
When it comes to
common sense, fighting
in public with a weaker person
is only the beginning of the
problem.
Everyone makes mistakes.
And it is noble and fair to give
people a second chance.
But how many chances arc
used before the support wanes?
How many people will be hurt
in the meantime? How many
quality recruits will be intimidated by Fresno Stale's negative
image? And is it only a matter
of lime before the only athletes
attracted to Fresno State arc
those whose actions wouldn't
be tolerated by other schools?
No amount of apologies
remove bad publicity.
It just makes Fresno State a
sorry school in the eyes of the
nation.
Kelly Jones is the managing
editor of Insight.
PARKING:
Events center
may lead to
campus garage
Continued from page 1
by students.
If plans to build the events center
arc approved, lot C and lot V along
Woodrow Avenue may both receive
renovation. Also, the events center
may make it possible to build an on-
campus parking garage that would occupy about 10 acres of land.
Parking permits and parking areas
are also different this semester. The
lines separating the parking spaces are
no longer color-coded to match the
parking area permit. "It has presented
some confusion," Finden said.
New temporary signs are posted at
each of the lots indicating either
green, yellow, blue, or gold parking
areas. Green areas are for visitors and
students, yellow areas are restricted
to faculty and staff use, blue areas for
the disabled, and gold areas are for
special use only.
New signs will be posted by the end
of fall indicating which restricted yellow lots arcavailable for green permit holders after 3:30 p.m.
Insight photo by Christine Mirigian
Cars circle campus lots throughout the day searching for spaces.
JOBS: Improved economy brings back recruiters
Continued from page 1
said. Now Pelco wants to recruit with Fresno State and its
students, and the company's business has recently picked
up, she said.
"We want to get our name out there as a local employer,"
Suslita said.
Energetic entrepreneur-types of any major can check
out opportunities at Enterprise rent-a-car. company re-
crfifter Jackie Kennedy-Harris said.
AH entry-level positions at Enterprise for college graduates are trie same: manager-in-training at a starting salary
of $24,600.
It takes about two years to reach manager. Kennedy-
Harris said, and managers are allowed a high degree of
autonomy.
"We tell (managers] to look at it as their own business."
she said.
With 24 Central Valley branches — up from nine in
1995 — the company has hired 16 Fresno State graduates
in 1997 alone, up from two hires in 1996.
"We will always continue to hire at this rate," Kennedy-
Harris said. "In terms of growth, it will only go up."
Pin Chanhthavong, manager-in-training at Enterprise's
airport branch, graduated earlier this year with a 1997
Fresno State business administration degree. She researched Enterprise and decided its offer was the best avail
able if she stayed in Fresno, she said.
"I have asked some of my fellow May grads, and they
are making about the same or less." Chanhthavong said.
Teachers in high demand
Another hot career area is elementary education, Williams said.
Recent legislation limiting elementary school class size
has increased demand for teachers in state school districts, she said. In !996-'97, Fresno State held three education fairs, one more than usual, to meet that demand.
The greatest demand is for bilingual teachers, especially those who can speak Spanish or Hmong, Williams
said. Teachers who can teach math, science or children
with special needs are also highly sought.
It is not unusual for graduates to receive multiple job
offers, Williams said.
Students who are flexible about relocating or who are
seeking jobs both related and unrelated to their major
usually have the most successful job searcHes, she said.
Andersen recruiter Dawn Howard is even more enthusiastic about opportunities for new graduates.
"I wish I was just coming out of school right now,"
Howard said. "It is a great time. It wasn't like that four
years ago."
opinion
No place for Dick and Jane
in university classrooms
by Tricia Smith
Welcome to another year
of early-morning
classes, all-night study
groups and circling the parking lots
for unavailable spaces. In addition
to those inevitable facts of life at
Fresno State, another not-so-new
trend is invading campuses statewide.
In August, I was flipping through
the fall semester's course schedule
and I noticed the number of classes
that feature basic writing and math
skills. This semester, the course
schedule lists 22 sections of English
A and 13 sections of basic math,
counting Math AR, ILR and 4R
classes.
For background information on
some of thdie classes, here's their
catalog descriptions:
English A (Basic Writing Skills)
— Instruction and supervised
practice in fundamental problems of
writing. For students who need
more elementary composition work
before attempting English 1 or more
advanced courses.
Math ILR/AR — two-semester
course reviewing arithmetic,
elementary algebra and geometry.
The words "elementary" and
"fundamental" caught my eye as I
checked through the catalog. The
Mcrriam-Webster dictionary defines
"elementary" as either "simple" or
"relating to basic subjects of
education." "Fundamental" means
"easy" or "of central importance or
necessity."
Actually, those definitions are an
insult to today's educational affairs.
Something is definitely wrong if a
college catalog contains words like
elementary and fundamental.
This pertains to the entire
educational system, from toy-
linered kindergarten classrooms to
research labs of doctoral programs.
I remember the shock I felt when I
took the math and English placement exams when I started junior
college. Both showed how relatively little I learned by the time I
started my higher education.
The math exam in particular
contained seemingly obscure
calculus problems I had never
encountered during high school. It
was a rude awakening for me and
the thousands of other students
subjected to these exams.
A host of reasons came to
mind as 1 pondered the
general state of education
in California and other states.
First, it seems that state lawmakers are making other important
issues, such as crime and punishment, a priority over education.
Second, taxpayers show scant
interest in footing the bill for ballot
measures like Fresno's Measure A,
which seeks to provide more money
for Fresno Unified School District's
elementary and secondary schools.
Also, studies show that a lack of
education can contribute to higher
crime rates because of lower
incomes and few opportunities to
escape paycheck-to-paychcck
financial problems.
The minute young children go to
class for the first time, they should
see incentives toward a lifetime of
learning. Teachers at all levels
should have the freedom to create
their own lesson plans rather than
administrators forcing them to
follow a set curriculum.
If elementary and secondary
teachers were allowed to be more
creative and adaptable in their
lesson plans, students would find
learning an adventure rather than a
chore to be endured.
Unfortunately, there are
no easy solutions to the,
education issue at the
collage level.
One is to limit^remedial classes to
community colleges, where students
can play the catch-up game at an
estimated $ 13 per unit rather than
the $900-plus semester fees charged
by Fresno State.
Professors should not be paid to
teach the basics that students should
have learned at earlier educational
levels. Professors should be free to
teach college-level courses students
need to earn their degrees.
Also, curricula should be tailored
to students' individual learning
styles. A student's potential is often
wasted because of differences in
learning styles.
If state lawmakers continue the
campaign for better educational
opportunities, and if teachers and
professors at all levels create their
own plans, that could make the
educational experience more fun
and tailored to a student's individual
style
This concept of education will
live up to Merriam-Webster's
second definition of "fundamental,"
being of central importance or
necessity.
Tricia Smith is an Insight staff writer.
CRIMINOLOGY: Top law
enforcement agencies seeking.
Fresno State graduates for jobs
Continued from page 1
The criminology department has
professors with noted professional
Backgrounds, such as professor Eric
Hickey.
Hickey specializes in serial killer
profiles, and helped FBI agents profile the Unabomer, Wallace said.
Professor Arthur Wint is a specialist on victims' rights issues who has
worked with the National Assistance
Academy.
Wint has also served as site coordinator for special events involving
the criminology department. He
teaches courses in juvenile delinquency, criminal law, and victims'
rights.
Ruth Master, another Fresno State
criminology professor, is a licensed
forensic criminologist with local and
national connections in the field,
Wint said.
Criminology junior Cathy Whinn
said the department contains many
diverse and interesting professionals
in the criminology field.
"[The faculty] are well rounded in.
their fields and have authored their
own books," she said.
Whinn said she chose Fresno
State's criminology department for
its reputation after switching from
nursing.
She said the department has a job
placement program and internships
available for students.
Whinn plans to specialize as a federal pre-trial officer. She said the
program is very informative and
"hands-on."
May criminology graduate Greg
Dolliver said the department placed
him into a year-long internship as a
Fresno County reserve sheriff's
deputy.
Dolliver learned about the department at his previous college. Long
Beach State, and came to Fresno
State because of the department's
high profile.
Dolliver said he and other criminology majors get support outside of
class in the professional fraternity
Phi Omega Alpha.
Fresno police Captain Lynn Button called the department "well
structured" and one of the top programs in the nation.
"The criminology department is
known for the excellent professors
and the part-time pool which is big
enough to bring in" active law en
forcement professionals. Button said.
"These include the Fresno County
District Attorney, and police captains
and sergeants with a world of experience in which students benefit from
the live experience, not just text
books," Button said.
He said many Fresno State criminology graduates currently work for
the Fresno Police Department.
Thomas Phelps, chair for Sacramento Stale's criminal justice department, said Fresno State is one of the
two most-talked-about criminology
programs of in the California State
University system.
"Recruitment of [Fresno State] faculty is excellent for the criminology
department," Phelps said.
LECTURES: New
speaker schedule
set through spring
Continued from page 1
David Harris, a Stanford student body president who was
jailed as a Vietnam draft resister,
is slated to speak Feb. 18 on
"The Legacy of the Vietnam
War." Harris has also written
"Our War What We Did in Vietnam and What it Did to Us."
Patricia Ann Palmieri earned
a doctorate in education from
Harvard, and she wrote "In
Adamless Eden: The Community of Women Faculty at
Wellesley." Palmieri is scheduled to speak March 18 on
"Women: A Powerful Force in
History."
The last Town Hall speaker,
Vladimir Sakharov, was once
called "the most knowledgeable
defector on record" by CIA officials. Author of the best-selling "High Treason," Sakharov
is slated to speak April 15 on
"Russia: What's Next."
Admission for students is 50
cents per lecture, and groups
containing more than 10 students must make reservations at
least 10 days in advance.
Regular Town Hall membership entitles the member to attend all six lectures for $30 and
includes one free guest ticket
good at any one lecture.
Insight
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