1996_09 Insight September 1996

              SEPTEMBER 25, 1996
Opinion
Grade-school gangsterism plagues schools
I Quality of education
depends on
geographic location
by Ryan McKee
Staff Writer
It's thc second week of school for
six-year-old 'Tommy." He emerges
from the bathroom with a new look:
wet. slicked back hair, matted to his
head. He mutters a new term in Spanish teamed from the children in class.
Thc first grader proceeded to ask.
"mommy, what gang should I be in?"
Lasting impressions
Knowing that this was somehow
w rong. the youngster needed to further investigate the question posed
to him by his fellow classmates.
After being laughed at for receiving
high marks on his assignments.
Tommy's willingness to excel has
dropped. A once eager youngster,
willing to leam. was now being sent
to the principal's office for lack of
participation in thc classroom.
"Don't tell on others," a classroom
rule implemented by the teacher, came
into effect when he was choked by another student and had nowhere to go.
Tommy's young, naive mind was
slowly being molded.
A whole new game
Children today arc being faced with
more difficult issues than those who
came before. Those who grew up in
the 70s and 80s remember original
episodes of the Brady Bunch and trying to fit in with the 'new wave' trend
that swept the decade. The emphasis
of life was the family and moving
ahead 1h school.
Back then, youngsters' biggest concerns were if mom was going to cut
off the crusts of their peanut butter and
jelly sandwich. While children of lo-
day often wonder wher^ their next
meal is coming from.
In the past, games of kickball and
dodge ball were on the minds of children when they heard thc recess bell.
Maybe a child's biggest fear at recess
was avoiding thc school bully. Today
it seems that children arc dealing wiih
much more difficult issues.   Staying
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out of a particular area of the playground, or how to avoid the neighborhood drug dealer may be some of
the more recent problems youth face.
Children of the Reagan era were
very rarely forced to deal with the
uncertainty of gangs and rival territories that may be some ofthe problems
youth face today.
Children of today are killing classmates with no remorse or knowledge
of the severity of the acts committed.
What has caused lhc shift in the
lifestyles of our youth?
As society hurtles itself into lhc turn
ofthe century, we've managed to forget one ihing—the children. Thc emphasis in a child's life has moved
away from light family values to survival of the fittest.
Education or survival
In
class
olonger
cool to know thc right ans
untccr for extra-curricular activities.
The right gang, owning a gun or doing drugs have now become lhc requirements for some students to
receive respeel from peers. The emphasis on succeeding in ihe classroom
is no longer as important as everyday survival on the streets.
Granted, this situation isn't true of
public education. Unfortunately, it is
not so much what a child learns in
thc classroom that will make a difference, as much as what they leam
in the streets.
While learning may stop in the
classroom, children of inner-city areas may leam far more valuable lessons outside the school's
curriculum—a lesson of survival.
Public education is something our
country has worked hard to provide.
Unfortunately, that has not always
been enough to guarantee a successful future.
Location makes a difference
It is apparent that where a child is
raised can also be a very strong determining factor in their lifestyle.
While there are always stories of triumph, what about the kids who^don't
make it out of the perils of society?
The area in which a child goes to
school greatly affects the amount of
effort and desire that the child puis into
learning.
In the Clovis Unified School District, Jhe emphasis to leam is strongly
enforced in the classroom. In the past
few years, Clovis has managed to add
three new elementary schools to its impressive list of educational facilities.
While situations like young 'Tommy"
is faced with are more common in
Fresno County school districts.
Future generations
It's not so important to say that one
school is better than another, as it is to
look deeper into the underlying issues
or what youth face beyond the textbooks.
What are we, as a society, teaching
our youth? How is the fascination with
technology affecting the lifestyle of
America's children? And have we forgotten the everyday love and caring a
child needs to maintain a stable life?
These are some ofthe questions that
the parents of the future must begin to
look deeper into as our time comes to
bring a youngster into the world.
Opinion
Devouring morning newspaper
a hearty breakfast for the brain
■ Newspapers provide
more information
than radio and TV
by Leah Perich
Staff Writer
/
Waking up in thc morning is not always the easiest thing for me to do.
That's why I have a daily riiaal.
It doesn't involve drinking coffee or
eating breakfast. This rilual is reading
the daily newspaper. It's thc only thing
that 1 am excited about in the morning.
exciting. I read because I like to know
what's going on. in detail. I've also
found, though, that reading in the
morning gels the brain working.
World events and issues
There's something important about
know ing what's going on in the world
before 1 leave the house.
Whai l don't understand is why
oilier college siudenis like myself
don'l read ihe newspaper regularly,
l-'irst. let's clarify something. Reading ihe comics or horoscopes does nol
count as reading ihe paper.
Keeping this in mind, most students
I asked last week said they don't read
the paper on a regular basis. Why are
college-aged readers deserting the
newspaper? There seems to be scv-
TV to blame
The most obv i<
us. TV.
people think the
Vgv
I all Ihe n
need from ihe
teli
vision in
TV news storie
onds of inforr
\C'
nsisiofa
>n. Wha
learned in a lev
Television n
VVS
just can't
ihe delails that
ne*i
spapcrs i
total amount oi
ml
imiationj
even close. I've
heard lhal all
in a newscast would fit on the front
page of a newspaper.
Another problem with television
news is the anchors. It's not all of
them, but some anchors think adding personal comments to the news
is somehow entertaining. Personally. I think such comments take
away importance from the news. But
let's not pick on TV too much.
Busy schedules
Another reason college students
arc not reading the newspaper is
time. College students are busy.
They're working, going to class,
studying, going to the library and
working more. I understand that.
But there has to be some free time.
Thc great thing about a newspaper
is that you can pick and choose what
you read. Readers can read only
those stories that appeal to them, and
the good thing is there are no commercials to get in the way.
The newspaper doesn't have to be
read in the morning either. It's still
there when you get home.
Affordable and Informational
Cost seems to be another problem
with newspaper readers. I admit for
college students, it's not cheap, but the
Fresno Bee does offer discounts to students. It's well worth it. Think of it this
way, you're paying to save your brain
cells from watching too much TV.
TV or not, some still said reading the
Bee doesn't compare to reading other,
bigger newspapers. So it's not the New
York Times or San Francisco
Chronicle. The Bee still has well written stories and a nice look to it. But for
those who just can't stand the Bee, I
believe the New York Times can be delivered on Sundays.
Thc important thing here is getting
into the habit of reading a newspaper
everyday. I know as college students,
we have a lot to do. But we can't be so
busy that we don't care about what is
happening outside our own little world.
Opinion
Killer instincts, driving skill
helpful in campus parking lots
I Only those with
clever strategies
obtain a space
by Svea Petersen
Staff Writer
Welcome to open season at parking
lots all over Fresno State, where survival of the fittest determines who succeeds.
The hunter: a species better known
as auto-sapiens. The hunted: a parcel
of black asphalt between two white
lines that, while stationary, is deceivingly hard to find.
For those who art new to this sport
the rules ofthe huntrnay seem hard to'
decipher, yet there are predetermined
guidelines that govern every aspect.
The players
However, before one can fully understand the hunt, one must know the
participants. All are auto-sapiens, but
each is very different in his approach.
There arc thc Possessors, the Waiters and thc Silent Stalkers.
The Possessors are the auto-sapiens who have bagged their prey. They
are usually early risers and their au-
tos sit directly over their bagged prey
by 8 a.m. After departing for intellectual stimulation. Ihey return once
again to the auto plain to benevolently relinquish their rare find to
some new, and usually groveling,
auto-sapien.
Possession is power
The Possessors wield great power
over the Waiters and the Stalkers.
They are at the top of the food chain
for a time. But in the circle of life,
the Possessors must eventually relinquish their position and their trophy
to those who come after them.
The Waiter is the polite auto-
sapien. He rises later and usually sits
patiently at the entrance of the hunting grounds waiting for the returning Possessor.
The groveling that follows might
not sound desperate to a mere passerby, but the Possessors' reply to the
three words, "Are you leaving?" will
have great impact on the Waiter's success at the hunt. With a reply of "yes,"
success is almost guaranteed. That is,
if the Waiter can outwit the Silent
Stalker.
Circling the lots
The Silent Stalkers, like the cattle
rustlers of old, seek to devour meat
that is not their own. They are a nervous breed, constantly circling the
grounds.
Without a word of groveling, these
auto-sapiens follow at the heels ofthe
Possessor hoping to take advantage
of an inattentive Waiter who might
fall behind the Possessor. At certain
times of day a persistent Stalker may
happen upon unattended prey, and
their roaming is rewarded honestly.
For the most part, though, stealing is
their goal and they can be fierce.
The hunt begins at dawn and the
early bird gets the worm. The hunt
becomes more challenging as the
hour grows later and, almost methodically, before each hour there is
a surge of activity and competition
to see who will bag the prey.
Advice for newcomers
A few warnings for those brave
enough to venture into this challenging arena:
1) If you interrupt the ritual ofthe
Waiter's groveling, or attempt to steal
from the Stalker, hand gestures and
profanities will likely follow.
2) Once you have groveled with a
Possessor, stay close to him...thejS^
lent Stalker is always nearby.
3) Don't let the competition ruin
your day. After all, you have paid $54
for this privilege. Make the most of
it
There are those who say the hunt
is not worth the trouble. But from one
who has been a Waiter for three years,
I tell you that the thrill of victory still
excites me every time.
Buyers
respond to
recycling
effort
■ Recycling is
more than waste
management
by Janet Soules
Staff Writer
Some businesses today are
smart when it comes to choosing the right type of package
to promote their products.
This is not in reference to thc
aesthetics of the package, but
to what materials go into creating a container that is recyclable.
Some products are labeled
so that consumers know not in
put them in a trash can.These
items can be taken to a recycling center.
Recycling centers
There is a recycling center
located on the Fresno State
campus. The center is across
from O'Neill Park.
Accepted at the recycling
center are items like plastic
grocery bags, one-gallon plastic containers, Snapple iced tea
bottles and cardboards, like
Kleenex and cereal boxes.
Upon visiting the center, one
is likely to see Fresno State's
head track coach. Red Estes.
Everyday Estes checks to
make sure the materials are
placed in the correct bins.
Estes is the one responsible
for establishing the recycling
center at Fresno State more
than a decade ago.
Crowded landfills
The recycling center helps
to prevent items that can be
recycled from going into the
trash and ultimately land fills.
Estes said that he is proud of
those who.recycle.
I personally have been recycling for 10 years. It's part of
my life and for me, the responsible thing to do.
It is important to separate
trash from packages that are recyclable. That way the consumer can make sure
recyclable items do not go into
a crowded land fill.
Glass bottles, newspapers,
and other recyclables were
never meant to go into the
trash.
Some people don't think
about recycling. And they
don't care.
They may argue they don't
have time. Maybe it's just not
that important to them.
Recycling made easy
The companies that pick up
trash have made it easy for
many people who live in
Fresno and Clovis to separate
recycables by providing containers. And when the trash is
collected, so are the
recyclables.
Unfortunately, that service is
not available to all
neigborhoods in Fresno. However, there are locations where
concerned individuals and
families can take their recyclable items.
Consumers can help in thc
recycling effort by watching
for the recycling label on the
purchases made. The recycling
symbol is three inter-connected arrows and is usually
found on the back of packages.
Everyone needs to help
It can make a difference and
show companies that consumers are concerned if they
choose to purchase products
that are made from recycled
materials.
Not all companies recycle.
It is impressive to find companies that care about the environment. Yet it is up to all of
us, be it big business or a single
consumer, to do our part in
helping to preserve our resources. Recycling is convenient and can make a
difference in Fresno.