1995_03 Insight March 1995

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MARCH 15, 1995
INSIGHT
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
VOL. 26, NO. 16
Just another night in the city
About 30 officers patrol Fresno's streets on the midnight shift.
Rebecca Tromborg is one of them ....
By Manny Fernandez
Staff Writer
Thc streets are wet and it is still raining.
That's good news for Fresno Police
Officer Rebecca Tromborg. Another
quiet night. There's not as much crime
on rainy nights. The rain keeps people
indoors. ,
; night the rain kept things quiet,
kepi the bad guys inside. The rain
might keep things under control tonight. Saturday. March 4. Maybe.
It's another night in the city for
Rebecca. It's only her third day working the central area of Fresno on the
midnight shift. About 30 officers patrol Fresno's streets on the shift. 8:30
(o 6:30 a.m. Five or six officers
work in each area of town — central,
southwest, southeast, northwest,
northeast.
Tonight will not be as quiet as last
night for Rebecca. She can tell. Right
now the guy staring at her doesn't care
about the rain. The rain doesn't bother
him at all.
This is her first call of the nighl. about
9 p.m.. and he doesn't want lo leave
the backyard. He's standing outside a
house on Second Street, near a cracked
backyard gate. He doesn't live here. His
ex-wife, children and ex-in-laws live
here, but no! him — not ,in\ more.
University
HOPE
Campus organization provides
low-income families with hope
through housing opportunities
Photos by Christine Mlrlglan/lnalght
University HOPE members Matthew Romsa and Doug VanDiepen help
in the construction of the Barnes' house.
By Rachel Rosemire
Staff Writer
Hope means something different to many people, but
for the Barnes family il
means owning their home.
Ben and Alvina Barnes, both 23. and
their three daughters, Bridget. 6;
Brcana, 14 months; and Brooke. 2
months, are ihe lucky family who will
own a home in Clovis sometime in late
spring, thanks to efforts by Ihc campus
organization University HOPE.
Thc couple has been together for eight
years.
"It shows you how well we've kept
things, and stayed together for a long
time," Ben Bamcs said. "This opportunity to have a home is really great."
University HOPE, an acronym for
Housing Opportunities through Education, began almost two years ago when
thc organization was part of Fresno's
Habitat for Humanity.
Don Romsa. a University HOPE
board member, was involved with Habitat for Humanity on another campus in
the Midwest. Hc said that when he
came to Fresno, he made contact with
the local representatives, and they mentioned wanting to get a chapter started
on campus.
"So that's what we started two years
ago, a Habitat for Humanity chapter
here at thc university, and we functioned
lhat way last year." hc said.
Over the summer, the students concluded
that they wanted more independence.
According to Romsa, they did not
want to be so closely tied to Habitat
Fresno, because that meant thc students
were not as free to make decisions they
felt were important for this campus.
They developed University HOPE, to
reflect the needs of the university, although it is still affiliated with Habitat
for Humanity.
The primary goal of HOPE is lo provide adequate housing for low-income
families by building at least one house
each year.
"For those who are familiar with what it
takes to build a house, it's a major accomplishment." Romsa said, "especially given
the kinds of schedules that siudents already have, apart from other things."
University HOPE is organized at two
levels: as a student club and as a non-profit
corporation.
Al ihis point, the most significani departments involved are construction management, interior design and engineering.
However, the organization is quick to
point out that its members try to attract
students from all departments on campus.
"Some of our most active students have
come from places like criminology or the
sciences," Romsa said. "Wc want to make
sure that it's not perceived as a place
where just construction types gel out and
hammer nails."
University HOPE is required to operate as a non-profit organization because
it has to enier into formal contracts and
agreement with the city in which the construction is taking place.
"A student club cannot legally do that,
so another group has to be able to make
those agreements," Romsa said.
Construction of the Barnes' house was
supposed to start in September, but production was delayed for two and a half
months for legal reasons.
"Because we became an independent organization, the city ordinances in Clovis
say you can't just go out and build a house.
You have to have a contractor's license to
do thiu, and the insurance that goes with
it," Romsa said.
Eventually the group found a local contractor. Gary Mason, who signed the license and
provided them with the necessary insurance.
"Just out of the goodness of his heart he
Photos by Christine Mlrlglan/lnslght
COOKIE BREAK: Rob Cantu grabs a quick snack while working.
signed, and there is a lot of risk lo that,
because if this goes bad. he's responsible,"
Romsa said.
He added lhat the city of Clovis has donated the land at no cost to the organi/a-
tion and has also offered up to $55,000.
The cost of the Barnes' house is estimated
in the $80,000 range, so to make up for
thc other $25,000 or so, the organization
will seek donations.
"Our goal is to build this house for as
little a cost as we can, because every
penny that we don't spend from thc
$55,000 is deducted from the cost of the
house, so it doesn't cost the family as
much," Romsa said.
The organization poured concrete in the
middle of January and is now working on
the roof.
Romsa said that donations go far beyond
materials and supplies; the most significant donation is that of student time.
"The labor lhat it would cost us. if wc
were doing this as a typical construction
job. would double the cost of thc house
easily," he said.
Photo by Manny Fernandez/Insight
See CITY, page 4    Rebecca Tromborg finishes her 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. shift.
Irish flings make
locals spring on
St. Paddy's Day
By Laurie O'Gibson
Staff Writer
Top of thc momin'! Friday's March 17. and you know
what that means: Get out your green and head for the
nearest St. Patrick's Day party.
Even if you don't have a drop of Irish blood, you're still
in luck. There'll be enough celebrations around town to
make anyone Irish for a day.
Here are a few to keep in mind while you're looking for
that pot of gold (fun) at the end of the rainbow:
You can kickoff the weekend by kicking up your heels
at the Celtic Cultural Society of Central California's Irish
social dance at Smuggler's Inn March 17.
Two Celtic .bands arc slated to provide thc Irish gigs
and reels, organization spokesman Sean Henry said. Irish
and Scottish dancers will perform, as well as a harpist
and pipe band. There will also be audience-participation
dancing. Thc show begins at 8:30 p.m. and costs $10. A
traditional Irish dinner of corned beef and cabbage will
be served at 7:30 p.m. for an
additional $10. Give Sean
Henry a call at 435-3384
for more information.
For those in any shape
to move thc morning after y
St. Patrick's Day. the
American Lung Association is sponsoring its 10th
annual "St. Paddy's Day
Dash" in North Fresnt
There'll be three races:
"Leprechaun Run." (a
kids' run of less than a
mile), a 3-mile run/walk
and a 6-mile run. Show up in creaiive St. Paddy's Day
attire for some fun. All races start in the morning, with
the wee ones going first at 7:30. On-site registration begins at 6:45. For more information, call thc Lung Association at 266-5864.
If you really want to keep the party going, the Folklore
Society will be hosting a vintage American music and
dance concert from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March
19, at thc Hilton Hotel's Sky Room. Irish musicians Kenny
and Maria Hall and Terry Barmen will perform, in addition to several ragtime bands. Tickets are $7 at the door.
Call Pat Wolk. president of the society, at 431-3653 for
more information.
And if none o' these festivities tickles your fancy, you
can trot on down to your local pub with your mates and
enjoy the celebration with a pint of Guinness stout (or
maybe a glass of green beer). Most bars have St. Patrick's
Day promotions, and they're sure to be doing brisk business Friday. (By the way, the first record of St. Paddy's
Day drunkenness was made in 1681).
A celebration oflrishness
Even if Fresno doesn't have a St. Patrick's Day parade,
other American cities are picking up the slack.
New York hosted the first St. Patrick's Day parade in
America in 1762; Boston followed in 1812. Both cities
have kept this tradition going over lhc years.
Other major U.S. cities with bashes honoring Ireland's
patron saint are Chicago (where the river is dyed green),
San Francisco and Phoenix. March 17 is also celebrated
in Canada Australia, Europe and South Africa.
There are lots of Irish descendants in thc United States.
More than 3.5 million Irish immigrated to America between
1846 and 1891, largely due to the Great Famine of the mid-
1800s, euphemistically called "agricultural distress." „
St. PatricksLegends History
According to author Alannah Hopkin in "The Living
Legend of St. Patrick," Patrick was bom in Britain in
about A.D. 389 and lived until A.D. 461. Captured by
Irish raiders at 16, he was made a slave. He herded sheep
and pigs in Ireland for six years and had a religious conversion during that time.
Patrick escaped captivity, left Ireland and was later ordained in the Catholic church. He relumed to Ireland in
about A.D. 430 as a missionary bishop and began convening the Irish, who were pagans, to Christianity.
Patrick was canonized (made a saint) by the consensus
of the Irish people in the last half of the fifth century.
Ireland made St. Patrick's Day an official holiday in
1903.
Kathy Roth, construction coordinator
for University HOPE and secretary of the
student organization, said helping families is what makes her want to be part of
the organization.
"Last weekend we were able to meet
the [Barnes) family, and they are such
an incredible couple," she said.
"Now it's switched from the theory of
helping someone, to actually. "This is
Ben and Alvina's house we're building,'
and it's really neat."
Thc family selection process includes a
number of stages. First, University HOPE
members distribute fliers announcing that
they are accepting applications. Second,
the group gathers thc applications and a
seven-member family selection committee narrows it to five families, based on
the application information.
Next, thc committee breaks into two subcommittees and interviews each family.
Each subcommittee further narrows its
choice, and two families become finalists.
See HOPE, page 3