1995_02 Insight February 1995

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FEBRUARY 15,1995
In Focus
Corporate funding
sought by CSUF
By Jefferson Beavers
Staff Writer
Administrators at CSUF have developed a new office to address the
financial needs of each of the
university's eight schools.
The office of Corporate and Foundation Relations has been created so
that the university can find alternative methods of funding programs,
both in the present and future.
Scott Warrington, assistant vice
president of university development, said the new department was
formed in order to counteract declining state funds available to CSU
schools.
Warrington said the new office
will gel a feeling for the short-term
and long-term goals of each school.
It will then try to match those needs
to potential donors from the corporate and private sectors of the community.
"We arc trying to take a sophisticated approach to the money problem." Warrington said. Through the
new office, Warrington hopes that
the special projects of the schools
can be looked inlo.
John Wetzel, who has spent the
last 16 years as the CSUF director
of housing, will direct the new department.
Wetzel has worked at CSUF for
22 years, spending his early career
in the grants and contracts office as
a special projects administrator.
His tenure in housing was brought
to a close when he was offered the
director post in Corporate and Foundation Relations.
Peter Smits, vice president for university advancement, first brought
the position to Wetzel's attention.
Wetzel has lived in Fresno for
my   ycai
He
bachelor's degree in political science in 1967 and a master's degree
biology in 1975, both from
CSUF. Wetzel went on to earn his
doctorate in 1990 from the Univcr-
ity of Lavcme in Southern Califor-
Simply put, Wetzel's job is to
make contact with representatives
of corporations and foundations. He     Relations office, i
John Wetzel
ordinating each school's developmental efforts, making sure that
each school has a specific plan before attempting to solicit funding.
He said that when specific goals
of the schools arc established beforehand, each proposal can be individually tailored to potential do-
With specific ideas as to what
each department would like to do
with incoming funds, general or
specific designations arc given, in
accordance with what the donor
Most corporations, Wetzel said,
have a general idea of how much
money they have to give and 10
what entities to give it to.
Donating money to CSUF becomes the responsible thing to do
for many area businesses, Wetzel
said. It gives them maximum input
in assuring they have the appropriate level of talent and skills arriving at their job sites.
"There arc ulterior motives in all
of this for corporations," Wetzel
said. "Our grads. looking down the
road, will be working for them. This
gives corporations a chance to ensure that students get the skills and
training they need."
Wetzel credits Smits and President John Welly with having the
vision to create long-term projects,
like the Corporaic and Foundation
effort-
then discovers ways in which to i
their donations to further the education of students on campus.
ipport of corporations and
other donors not only benefits the
school currently, but will eventually
serve the corporations themselves
when CSUF graduates hit the Valley job market, Wetzel said.
"The natural growth of the university is in corporations' best interests," Wetzel said. "We want to cast
a big net," he said, so that the possibilities arc wide open for any and
all possible donors.
Currently. Wetzel is visiting with
school deans and developmental officers from each of the schools 10
discover the needs of departments.
Wetzel and Smits arc forming
"what-for lists" for each department, which will eventually lead to
case statements from each school as
to what its priorities arc.
When the lists arc completed,
Wetzel will try to package the information inlo pamphlets and customized materials. These materials
will then be presented to potential
corporaic and individual donors.
Wetzel is also spending time co-
spond to the economic needs of the
university.
A major shift in viewing students
and the community as entities that
can equally benefit each other will
continue to be needed, he said, especially in light of the tight budgets across the country.
"In the past, if you were a corporation, there wasn't a real need to
be connected to ihc university community financially," Wetzel said.
The slate was viewed as the singular source of funding for the CSU
System.
"We need to turn the attitude
around," Wetzel said. "We need to
help corporations to understand the
value of donating to the university."
More resources lead to a greater
level of education, he said.
Wetzel added that the univcrsily
is an extremely important assei lo
ihc area. By actively working wilh
the school, donors can expect to gel
great returns over ihc long-term, he
said.
"It's easy to sell an idea when you
believe in it." Wetzel said. "And I
can really sec the value of this university for the entire Valley."
Blindness no hurdle for jogger
By Julia Dudley
Staff Writer
Around and around the track with
no end in sight—for blind runner
Marsha Martin, sight is only a matter
of the mind.
With a cap, dark glasses and a cane,
Martin can be spotted everyday at
about 7 a.m. beginning her day with
a 40-minutc stretch, then a 10-mile
run and finally a cool down and final
stretch.
"It doesn't have lo be a burden," said
Martin, a native of Fresno and a
CSUF '70s graduate, who has been
blind since-birth. "There'rc always
ways around something. It's really
interesting because some disabled
people think that everybody else's life
is so fine and easy."
Martin said she has never let her lack
of sight keep her from athletics. She
said her love of running began when
she was enlightened by her 61-year-
old research teacher during her senior
year of high school.
"She knew I loved the outdoors and
athletics." said Martin, who describes
her own age as "fourth generation."
"They really didn't know what lodo
wilh blind kids back then in PE. My
senior year she and I went running.
And I thought, man, it was crazy and
she was running beside me, and I
thought — at 61 and doing this. I
could do it, no problem."
With 18- to 20-hour days. Martin
said that running is simply a hobby
on the side from other jobs of teaching, taking care of the terminally ill.
cleaning and cooking for the disabled
and elderly.
When CSUF's Warmcrdam Field
was a ring of dirt during the '70s,
Martin managed to gather courage to
kick ihc dust that covered her beaten
"I went out there and I walked that
thing about 20 times and finally got
the nerve to run it." said Martin wilh
a smile of content.
Cautious but not fearful, Martin has
had to overcome quiet and deceptive
dangers barricading her running path.
"I started to run it and this guy was
yelling at me 'Stop! Stop," because I
had veered away from the track. I was
headed right for a stack of hurdles.
So 1 thought, let me try this again. I
walked a few more, and then I started
running again."
Martin said over a short sigh, "I cither have never allowed fear to be involved in my life or I just never developed it."
Martin, who said she had many i
juries as a child, never let a bad crash    day. I usually walk or jog really slow
stop her from running because she    the first lap in order to make sure that
Photo by Lilian Meza/lnslght
Marsha Martin, who Is blind, has been jogging at CSUF's Warmerdam Field for more than 15 years.
Peace Corps and be a missionary, and
she returned to find that all of the
people she used to run with had disappeared. This didn't stop Martin,
who now runs on her own.
"I run everyday but Sunday because
I have to be at church at 8 a.m.," said
Martin. "The buses don't run until
10 a.m. If I lived closer. I'd like to
get out around 5 a.m."
Martin keeps track of her laps by
touching a metal bar near the steeple
chase.
"I'm constantly thinking north,
south, cast and west to know which
way I'm going," Martin explained. "I
feel over the pipe and if I feel that
piece of the track then I know I'm up
at the north and I've gone one way
around."
With her long, blond hair dancing
with the breeze of her run, the tip-tap
of Martin's cane feels for dangers that
might cause her injury.
"Two summers ago somebody was
setting up and I came out on a Mon-
lanc's empty and I thought I had gone
all the way around," Martin said. "I
took off and was running and I hit
something somebody had left thcrc-
a cart or something — and nearly
broke my foot."
GE, from page 1
knew she would survive.
The transition in 1976 from dirt to
an all-weather track on the
Warmcrdam Field temporarily inhibited Martin, who was used to running
seven miles a day with her friends.
With help from
the eoordinaior of   asssssssssssssssssssssssssjsssssasassssssassi
^^fudcn,sa' "I either hav^never
CSUF, Martin con-
tinucd to run.        allowed fear to be
Somebody had involved in my life or
Fr!«o Jogged ? )ust never developed
and they wanted to   it.
be sighted guides Marsha Martin
for blind runners."
Martin said. "They ^"""""
asked him if he knew anyone. He out equal."
gave about five of them my name and Weather makes all of the difference
number so I started running with them for Martin, who has to make amends
off campus while ihcy were putting for her cane, especially on a cold day,
in the all-weather track." which can make for a chilling, slip-
Martin went overseas to join the   pcry grip with gloves.
__^——      The rain seems to suit her best.
"It's nice when it's raining because
the track is wet and the cane just kind
When counting over 50 laps,
many, then I've
improved," said
Martin. "If I've
miscounted too
few, then hopefully it'll come
Photo by Lilian Meza/lnslght
Martin regularly performs Shiatsu therapy on Margie Stephens.
The revised program would offer
only four philosophy courses.
In addition, the revised program re- program,
quires all freshmen to enroll in En- The focus here is on the students
glish I their first semester, rccotn- and trying to give coherence lo their
mends development of a university education," Amaral said,
orientation course called University "General Education is something
1 and creates a highly structured for- students think is a hoop thai they have
mat for entering freshmen. to jump through. What better indica-
Developed nearly 13 years ago, the tor do you have that it's not doing its
current GE program arose out of a job?"
stable economic climate, Gonzalez But change will come slow,
said. As the CSU System continues The task force, which began cxam-
of glides easilv." said Martin
viewing the existing GE package w,th   dcmonstraIcd wjlh hcr hands
a view towards identifying strengths
and weaknesses," Amaral said.
, she
to undergo restructuring through budget cuts, the time is right to revise the
program, he added.
"The number of courses in GE has
increased," he said. "Over time, it has
expanded to the point now where we
need to review it."
Pedro Amaral, philosophy professor
ining GE last fall, is reviewing
Gonzalez' proposal and will make
recommendations to the Academic
Senate in a few weeks.
The Senate will decide whether to
proceed with the proposal or adopt a
different course of action.
"We're in a stage where we're re-
Gonzalez hoped the proposal would
begin discussion on changing the program.
"It will be a gradual change over
time," he said.
The current program offers five
drama courses. The revised program
recommends one course be kept.
Miller has mixed feelings about the
revisions but says he hopes students
use GE to broaden their experience.
"The arts have a strong role in General Education," Miller said.
"This kind of streamlining of GE is
very difficult. My hope is that faculty
and students look at GE for what it
can offer the life of an educated per-
Training for a half-marathon meant
adding five more miles to hcr daily
training of 10 miles.
For four years Martin has run the
half-marathon. "The Midnight Run,"
usually pushing her friend up the hills
in a wheel chair. This year she'll be
pushing a friend who has bad knees
across the finish line.
Keeping the mind clear has been the
motto for Martin, who has to be aware
of not just herself when she's running,
but others around her.
"If I hear other people on the track,
then I'm trying to be aware so I can
stay out of their way."
Spiritual at heart, Martin also thinks
of her friends and family while she's
running.
"If friends are really hurting, I'll
pray for them," said Martin with a
wide grin. "Sometimes I'll think
about things I'm going lo do, when
I'm going to do them or how I'm going lodo them."
Single all of hcr life, Martin said she
knew since she was 12 that a mate
would only stand in the way of her
goals.
"I made goals for myself and I
wanted to reach them," Martin said.
"The Peace Corps was one of them,
and I knew that was going lo take me
out of the country. I just had things 1
wanted to do that didn't include a hus
band," she said blushing a little.
Martin, who obtained hcr
bachelor's degrees in home economics and physical education and also
is a certified Shiatsu technician, said
that receiving hcr education from
CSUF in the 1970s was more of a
hardship compared to ihc many services that disabled students now have.
"When I came here, teachers
wouldn't allow us in the classes: they
wouldn't allow us to use a recorder
for notes. I had lo hire people to read
for me," said Martin, still smiling. "I
was always two months behind by the
time I got someone to read for me."
But Martin explained that those minor setbacks didn't stop hcr from
achieving hcr goals. She said that disabled students can only blame themselves for making excuses when they
don'i succeed.
"If they tell themselves 'I can't,'
they won't," said Martin. "If they tell
themselves i want,' and find way to
do it. they'll do it. Life isn't going to
be easy. So, it's not easy for anyone
else cither."
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