1996_03 Insight March 1966

              MARCH 13, 1996
Insight
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
VOL. 27, NO. 17
ASI: Students' voice in campus affairs
■ $620,000. budget
funds variety of
campus activities
by Jennifer Franklin
Staff Writer
Tammi Martinez pounded the gavel
solidly on the table.
The flurry of conversation gave
way to silence.
. All eyes focused on Martinez, a
junior at California State University.
Fresno.
Al precisely 3:37 p.m. on Thursday. Feb. 29. Martinez, called the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) meeting
to order.
Itilll
. representing the student
. Ihe job of ASI to provide
its with a voice in campus
ihe
in moments, the 19 students in
n were transformed into sena-
officers. For one hour, exams
n papers are forgotten as mo-
.- passed and reports are given,
is formed of students elected
ASI works to benefit students; vet
few students are fluent in the func
lions of its administration.
Each student at Fresno State pay
ihe $38 in association fees every SC
blester. ASI uses the funds to sup
port campus programs
University Lecture Series and intramural sports. Funds are also distributed to campus-based clubs and organizations.
ASI ultimately decides how the association funds are distributed aftei
disbursing officer salaries and oper-
See ASI, page 3
Voting not a priority in campus races
■ 13 percent of
student body
bothers to vote
by Rob Morgan
Staff Writer
Voting in Associated Student Inc.
(ASI) elections parallels the turnout in local elections throughout
the United States.
Voter turnout in the last three
California Stale I 'niversiiv. Fresno
student elections have produced dismal percentages.
"Voter turnout is so low because
most students don*t realize what ASI
is. whal the student government is."
said senior Kimberly Daniels. ASI
President. "They don't realize they
pay money — a mandatory fee."
From 1993 to 1995. ASI tallied
5.888 votes in the presidential races,
approximately 13 percent of the student population.
Tom Boyle, director of student life
and development, said numbers will
vary depending on thc issues on thc
ballot.
"A number of years ago. fee increases system-wide were a big issue, and there was an opportunity
for students to voice their opinion
on the ballot." said Boyle from his
office in Room 306 of the University Student Union. "That added a
few more [votes], not a lot. about
a percentage point-and-a-half."
Junior Tammi Martinez, ASI legislative vice president, said voter
turnout is minimal because of an
See VOTING, page 3
This place is a
by Israel Carrasco
Staff Writer
It was afternoon at the Chaffee Zoological Gardens, representatives of the
animal kingdom grunted, barked.
tweeted and squawked.
But underneath thc sounds of roaring
grizzly bears and trumpeting elephants,
a heated legal debate rages.
The controversy began with Measure
F. a. I percent sales tax approved by local voters in March 1993. Measure F was
designed to finance arts and cultural programs in the Fresno area, including the
zoo.
But critics of thc tax. including John
Santoya, president of the Fresno Taxpayers Association, have blasted the measure, claiming it's flawed on two key
points.
The first point: The tax violates the
state's constitution that prohibits any private agency from having authority over
public funds. The agency in question is
the Fresno Metropolitan Projects Authority, a 13-mcmber board of community representatives responsible for distributing money to arts projects.
Secondly, state law under Proposition
13 requires tJjat special taxes, including
the Arts to Zoo tax, gain approval by a
two-thirds majority: The tax passed by
a simple majority.
"Fifty-seven percent of Fresno voters
agreed to impose a tax upon themselves
to improve the quality of life in scientific and cultural endeavors." said Dave
Kyle, administrator of the Fresno Zoological Society, a non-profit agency that
supports thc zoo.
Insight photos by ApoHnar Fooseca
Zelou cattle gathered to be fed by Lisa Ferrari at the Small Wonders section of the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno
(above). Families took in the sights at the hippo pond at the Chaffee Zoo.
"The tax is still being collected. No one
is saying that the tax is improper. What
[critics] are saying is that the way [the
tax law] was written is not composed of
elected officials," Kyle said.
Kyle said that because of pending litigation and appeals, the funds — now totaling more than $5 million — have been
temporarily frozen in an escrow account
until certain conditions are met.
Zoo supporters say that without these
funds, their programs are in jeopardy.
Kyle says there's no reason to object to
the tax because it only amounts to one
penny per $10 purchase.
"It is unfortunate that money cannot be
distributed to non-profit organizations in
the Fresno metropolitan area, which
would enhance the quality of life for all
citizens. And it is being tied up by one
group of citizens," said Kyle.
The issue is currently under review by
the California Supreme Court Kyle said.
Santoya and his association arc spearheading the local effort to get the tax overturned. Other groups, including the
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association,
have mounted repeal efforts from Sacra-
Mcanwhile. life goes on at the zoo.
Situated on 18 acres of landscaping, the
See ZOO, page 3
Academic Senate center of faculty power on campus
I More responsibility than joy, says
Executive Committee member
by Melyssa Springmeyer
Staff Writer
On thc California State University. Fresno campus there
is a select group of faculty members who give up their
lime and energy to be part of a largely unknown governing body, called the Academic Senate.
The Academic Senate is made up mostly of elected faculty members. It deals with issues ranging from the university budget to the controversial general education revamping.
Becky L. Youngs, staff director of the Academic Senate, is known to be its resident expert.
The Senate is part of a larger whole, the Academic Assembly, which includes every teacher, professor and nearly
every employee on campus. Youngs said.
She said that each department elects one or two representatives based on its number of faculty
In a department of 25 or fewer, one faculty member is
elected to the Senate to represent their department. If there
are more than 25. the department gets two representatives.
Once elected, the senators become an integral part of
thc decision-making process for the university.
"Anything and everything that has to do with [students]
or the faculty must come through here," Youngs said.
Through the Senate, decisions are made concerning the
issues that face the university and the members of the assembly.
The constitution of the Academic Assembly of Fresno
State was recently ratified after three years of discussion
and alterations. To many, that seems seems like a lol of
discussion. Members of ihe Senate say thai it's necessary.
"Thoughtful discussion and considered deliberation are
just a part of the process," said W. Ronald Perry, counselor al the Student Health Center. "We have to do it."
Academic Senate members form committees thai target specific problems the university faces. These committees hold separate meetings to deal with everything
from budget (Executive Committee) io faculty (Personnel Committee) to student concerns (Student Affairs Corn-
Perry, a member of the Executive Committee, works
with President John Welly and Provost Alex Gonzalez.
"Any issue lhal deals w ith curriculum goes through us,"
said Perry.
After a committee looks at all aspects of a policy, il is
presented to the entire Senate and voted on.
From there, many things can happen.
Proposals can made into university policy, if signed by
Welty, or it is sent back to'committee for revision.
The Academic Senate is based largely on a system of
checks and balances, similar to lhat of the U.S. government, to make the decisions.
Another function of ihe Academic Senate is to provide
fair and accurate guidelines for the Academic Assembly
and ihe entire student population.
"The Academic Senate is an important part of academic
life. Without it. faculty and students wouldn't get a say in
issues that directly affect them." Youngs said.
Members acknowledged thc importance of the Academic Senate bul also note lhat they do not get paid for
Ihe extra work.
"1 feel it's more of a responsibility than a great joy, but
it is part of thc responsibility as a faculty member." said
Perry.
Dr. Chandra Brahma, of the civil and surveying engineering and construction department, believes that there
is a lot of work but finds it enjoyable.
"I always enjoy anything that I can do to improve the
university's surroundings,** said Brahma.
Ill-gotten box
no bargain for
cable viewers
by Douglas Stolhand
Staff Writer
She purchased a cable box from a group that claimed
it was completely legal and that the woman had nothing
to worry about.
The woman was able to receive all premium channels
as well as all pay-per-view channels. She hoped to see a
World Wrestling Federation event, but she missed it. The
woman called the cable company and demanded to know-
when it would be replayed.
The woman was shocked to find out that she would not
be able to see lhc wTestiing event and that the cable box she
bought was illegal. She could be subjected to heavy fines.
Bob Hargrove, general manager of Continental
Cablevision. said the preceding story actually happened
in Fresno to Continental Cablevision.
See CABLE, page 6
School agenda:
gangs, guns,
AIDS, poverty
by Manny Fernandez
Staff Writer
When John Marinovich w as a high school student nearly
30 years ago. he never worried about kids carrying guns
to school.
High school was a lol easier back then. Marinovich
remembered.
There was plenty of money to go around for lextbooks
and desks. Class sizes were not ov erwhelming and teachers, no matter how underpaid and Overworked, were role
models for the community.
Marinovich. principal at Fresno High School, looked
upon the past with quiet envy.
Large urban schools like Fresno and McLane High deal
with gangs, guns, single-parent families, poverty and
AIDS. Teachers must leam how to treat social ills that
were once the concern of police officers and counselors.
"Teaching is much more difficult today than it was 20
See TEACHERS, page 3
Hot competition
for booth spaces
in Free Speech area
by Angela Elliott
Staff Writer
Coffee and conversation fills Ihe air as students walk
through the Free Speech area.
People slop and crowd together to listen as activist
groups argue a point or check out a local band playing in
the Pit
The reason campus-registered organizations establish
a booth in the Free Speech area is because it's where the
action is.
"It's here to promote the fraternity and to expand its
members." Nu Alpha Kappa member Juan Chaidez said.
There are 22 spots for booths on campus in the Free
Speech area, which extends from the end of the fountain
west toward the University Student Union and Food Court.
The area continues to where the concrete ends by the library and goes north to where the USU stairs begin.
Space"is limited. Booth requests must be cleared by
program adviser Gary Nelson.
"The way the policy is set up, there is a first come, first
See BOOTHS, page 3