1996_02 Insight February 1996

              FEBRUARY 14,1996
Insight
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
VOL. 27, NO. 13
The
Parts of Speech
\ethme - aperiun. place or thine.
\mple: Bill tailed Sue on the phone
gf Prepotilion — ilioui relation) in time
and space. Example  Ihey talked on tht
mode of'being Example. Ihey eloped
to Ims Vegai
Union fee
pays for
amenities
■ Food Services,
Kennel profits
bankroll Association
by Draeger Martinez
Staff Writer
Thirty-eight dollars is nothing to
sneeze at in most students' budgets.
-... Each semester, every California State
Oniversity. Fresno student pays that S38
w ith their registration fees, yet few have
any idea how the "University Student
Union fee" benefits them.
The answer comes from a little-known
agency at Shaw and Chestnut avenues.
The CSUF Association. It plays a big
role in what students eat, w here they relax and which books they read.
CSUF Association duties
The Association runs the
university's commercial concerns
and is a reeogni/ed auxiliary. Auxiliary corporations are commonly used
to handle public collegiate businesses.
There are 65 such corporations in
operation, sen icing the 22 campuses
within the CSU system alone, according to Association Controller Peter
Prestegard.
The Kennel Bookstore, University
Courtyard dormitories. University
Student Union and the Satellite Student Union all fall under Association
control. The gamut of Food Services
are also in the jurisdiction of the As-
Each division of the Association
strives to remain profitable— or at
least break even. State law mandates
that commercial enterprises on state
campuses be self-supporting.
When something isn't self-supporting,
the Association finds an alternative.
Association at work
A good example of the Association
at work is the replacing of The Country Store, a franchise that was not
self-supporting, with Round Table
Pizza and Monterey Pasta Company
franchises.
Companies under the Association umbrella also share common accounting,
information systems and management
personnel. This cuts down costs.
Other non-profit corporations and
entities on campus use the
Association's management and financial services to keep their costs down.
The Association must be self-sufficient without state tax funding. Together, they stand to yield a surplus
of more than SI million for 1995-96,
if budget figures prove.
Where does the money go?
So what happens to that million-
dollar profit?
"We use the surplus as capital for
things like purchasing supplies and
books," Prestegard said. Funds arc
also used for renovation costs for the
CSUF Association office at 2771 E.
Shaw Ave.
Prestegard also noted the
Association's donations to assorted
campus groups: a swimming pool for the
See ASSOCIATION, page 3
English 1 students clamor for grammar
I Quiz on parts of
speech stumps
most takers
by Jerry Lowe
Staff Writer
A pojiqui/ given d>an up|vi div im<mi
writing class al California State I nivci
sity. Fresno, found Uiat only five out of 16
students knew all eight |\irts ol speech
Two sections of Fnglish 1 taking
the same quiz did even worse. Onlj
four out of 44 students were able lo
identity all eight.
The most frequent incorrect answer
on the qui/ was "subject" in the place
of noun.
ing classes unprepared grammatically." said Radkc. 21. who teaches
English I
Radkc asked Ins students lo choose
helvvc
WIlKkl
Othei
guesse
icludd
.■cm of the student
high school." Radkc said.
Radke said high schools refuse"to
teach traditional standard English.
methods.
One method thai has rcccntlv come
under attack is the -whole language"
approach l<> leaching leading   ;
The method gcncraled headlines in
Sept IW5. "Stale reading expchmcnl
called failure" Inmi The Fresno Bee and
"ITk" wicked whole laneuage'is dead"
I nun IV Sun Franc-iso. (tin wide.
The whole language theory maintains thai it students are turned on lo
greal literature, then a natural process
ol learning to read will follow.
Hut. critics so) the method focuses
loo much on literature, and not
enough on mechanics like spelling
Whole language came out of a I9H7
state framework which called for "a
literature-based program."
Hut a report b\ the California Reading
Task Force, released Sept 13.1995. said
die eight-year-old framework "gave insufficient attention to a systematic skills
ami director ol the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, disagrees with
Ihe Fresno Bee article that called
whole language a failure.
Tompkinvsaid she could only find
Ihe word "failure" once in the lask
forte report.
"I don'i think [the task force| sailed
it a latlure." Tompkins said. "They
said let's do some line tuning."
Tompkins said thai the 1987 framework did awa) with ihe old classroom
readers, familiar to many
Included in these readers were the
characters Dick. Jane and Spot
The readers used repetition to enhance reading skills. But. Tompkins
said. "See Spot run. run Spot run.' is
wh)
Tompkins said anothe
Dick. Jane and Spot were done away
with was because ihe) depicted a
typical white, middle-class lamily.
"I think we have to locus on the
idea that school is notjusl a preparation lor real life, but real life itself."
Tompkins said "Not to do lhal is to
suggest lhat the Anglo-Saxon heritage
is the besi.
K.Klke said ihat m English classrooms
acn >ss ihe natii m. students are being conditioned to he tolerant <>| one another.
"There's no problem with that."
Radke >.nJ "hut conditioning comes
at the sacrifice ol fundamental Ian-
Radke said most siudenls want to
Ighl i:
Tompki
iisiruciioiiproiiraiii'
Gail Tompkins, a Fres
tessoi ol reading and II
• Slat
[un
said teachers need to lig-
s to work grammar and
inio the lesson plan.
have 10 get the skills into the
e." Tompkins said
I he'
that they're passionate
their cultures, hut it thev are nol
:e and able lo express these leel-
ihen nobody is going to take
seriously. "Radkc* said.
Hoop-de-doo!
Photo courtesy Sports Information
Despite off-court troubles, Red Wave fans have stayed true to the Fresno State Men's Basketball
team and Rahsaan Smith (right). While the 'Dogs have hit their playing stride, they have been
mired in controversy off the court. Should the 'Dogs be held up to public scrutiny for their off-
court behavior? Have their shenanigans hurt ticket sales? See related stories on pages 2 & 6.
Engi
ineers
hired
to improve
campus parking
I Revamping Lots D
and E under study
by parking chief
by Kelly Hansen
Staff Writer
It is IO:fW a.m. and raining. Alic
Hippen has been circling Lol Q. nori
of Barstow Avenue, for the last 1
minutes. She has s,v minutes to g
to her English class
Finding a parking place seen
about as likel) as striking gold
For manv students, the I;
space
An area of particular concern to students are the lots near the librarv
Aside from the metered stalls, the re'st
ot the lot is for faculty,
"The parking is inadequate." said
senior Sarah Wj att. 22. a business major. "What it' vou have to eo to the
library or the'bookstore'"There's
nothing there, it's all faculls and stall
parking "
Lot D. west of the amphitheater, and
Lot h. between the health center and
the library
Lot D is oi particular importance
because it has ,i high volume of traf-
campus parking can be one of the     fie to and from the Disabled Student
more frustrating aspects of this uni-     Services oifwe. Finden said
How ev er. the future of student parking is not w ithout hope. Several plans
for renovation are in the works.
Campus planners realize the need
for additional and improved student
parking, according 10 Rick Finden.
campus administrator of parking and
alternative transportation
Finden oversees which situations
need immediate attention, and then
meets with administrators from Facilities Planning and Plant Operations to
make decision/*.
The main interest is in student parking, said Finden. who has hired a "top-
notch engineering firm" lo make use
of some of the campus' available
can make room for an additional 40-
50 stalls ,n lots D and E.
Other possibilities include removal
of the planting strips, which. Finden
said are now onlv ""collecting mud."
and squaring off some ^( the aw kw ard
sidewalk areas in lol E.
The result could be an additional
25(1 stalls
Another area of frustration to students is the northwest end of campus
w here Lot 0 seems to be the onlv outlet for students w ith classes in this area.
"The onlv parking bv mv classes is
See PARKING, page 3
Health Center prescription drug prices lowest
I Wal Mart remains
competitive with
over-counter cures
by Rob Morgan
Sfaff Writer
With stormy, flu-ridden weather
nearing its end. allergies and hay fever will be soon upon us.
In the upcoming months, hundreds
of students vv ill be lining up in the Student Health Center lor medications
such as ibuprol'en. cough syrup and
decongestants.
But does the health center offer the
best value on medication for students.'
Cost comparisons with Wal Marl.
Longs Drugs and the California Sale
University Fresno health center reveal
that Wal Marl has the best value oil
seven out of 10 over-the-counter,
name-brand products.
The health center oilers greater discounts on the compared prescription
drugs such as Tylenol with codeine
and penicillin.
Each pharmacy's prescription
medications are generic versions, except the health center's name-brand
Tylenol with codeine.
Longs Drugs, located at Cedar and
Hcmdon avenues in northeast Fresno,
was the'highest-priced pharmacy.
Pat, a pharmacist at Longs, refused to
give her last name. She said lhat Longs
offers some prescription drugs at lower
I) Im
■ impres
lhal serves all state institutions.
The state's contract runs through
September and is renewed even two
prices |o giv
.. S.ik.it
said
ITcred on all prescriptions. P.
Virginia Siull. pharmaev in.
al ihe'Wal Mart al Peach "and
avenues, said ordering thru
wholesaler in bulk allows t
it Gitchel. campus health edu-
said lhal ihe health center does
v lo compete with retail phar-
s like Wal Mart
! don't look at costs. We're not
ompetii
count on
dard wl
sale pric
stail-
probahh jusi
order for ihe
small papula-
(Jur goal is to provide
convenient
pharmaceuticals,
prescription and nonprescription, to
students..."
— Sam Gitchel, CSUF
Health Educator
population of     	
the    United
Stales."
Stull said the Clov is Wal Mart buy s
over-the counter drugs nol readily
available al their ow n distribution center through McKesson Drug Company, located at 1931 G Street.
Pat said Longs' primary distributor is Bergen Brunsw ig Corp.. located
al 4586 E . Commerce Ave., with
McKesson as their secondary source.
Joan Sakata. the health center's chief
pharmacist, said the university gels its
drugs from McKesson through a
ii game." Gitchel
keep  ihe  phar-
ing pharmacy that
meets the needs of
dard fee lhal applies lo all prescription medica-
Retail.pharmacies use a "sliding"
fee thai vanes depending on the cost
of the drug. Wal Mart has other w ay I
of keeping costs low. sajd Siull.
"We employ our own drivers who
drive our truck fleets nationwide."
said Stull. wearing a white smock denoting her as the chief pharmacist.
Although Wal Mart prices average
SO cents less than the health center's.
Gitchel said health center prices have
sales tax and an accounting fee already figured in.
The Comparison
ALEVE PAIN RELIEF
24 tablets
50 tablets
CSUF
HEALTH
CENTER
S3.30
$5.5*1
LONG'S
w \I.M\RT  DRUGS
$297        S2.99
$4.36        S5.99
ACTIFED DAY & NIGHT. 24 tablets
$4.95
$4.47
$6.49
ADVIL COLD & SINUS
M lahk'ls
$4.25
$3.76
$5.79
DIMETAPP 12 HOUR EXTENDATABS
$2.60
$7.26
$10.49
VICKS VAPORUB
$2.95
$2.46
$2.99
ROBTTUSSIN DM. 4 n.../.
$2.30
$2.97
$3.99
CARMEX LI8 BALM
$.75
S.7X
$1.19
LUBRIDERM LOTION. 6 n. ox.
SUM
$2.97
$3.99
TAGAMET H8 ANTACID. 16 tablets
$3.40
$2.63
$3.49
PEPCID AC ANTACID. 6 tablets
$-'.05
$2.47
$2.99
TYLENOL W/CODEINE. 30 mg/30 tablets
$4.15
$5.62
$11.10
PENICILLIN-VK (generic)
500 mg/40 tablets
"S4..15
$7.54
$13.00
Without the sales tax. the health center prices are quite comparable to those
at Wal Man. Sakata said. Gitchel also
said the limited brands the health center offers are beneficial to the students.
'Wal Mart and most commereial pharmacies may have a dozen products that
do the same thing." Gitchel said from his
office in Area E of the health center. "1
don't think that's necessarily in the consumers best interest.
"A lot of people don't quite understand
w hat they're getting and it's hard to go in
and nuke a truly informed decision."
Gitchel said the health center is
v aluable to the students because of its
convenience.
"Our goal is to provide convenient
pharmaceuticals, prescription and
non-prescription, to students." Gitchel
said "so that the student who comes
in for health services can pick up their
prescription on the way out and be on
their way."