1996_03 Insight March 1966

              MARCH 20,1996
In Focus
Tune in
to classes
on TV
by Katy French
Staff Writer
Long distance commutes can
drive students crazy.
However, a new program may
be the route to sanity.
Classes by teleconference,
sometimes referred to as "distance
learning." limits thc geographic
barriers to education. It maximizes
students' contact with the university without leaving home.
Susan Vasquez. director of
teleconferencing at California
State University. Fresno, said the
program allows students enrolled
in community colleges around
the Valley to watch a lecture as it
happens at Fresno State.
The broadcast methods are
via-satellite. microwave technology and codek.
Via-satellitc is the oldest, most
basic form of teleconference. The
picture appears "under-water-
looking," Vasquez said.
Movemcntscomc before voices,
similar to a delayed reaction.
Microwave technology is a
wireless-cable service that uses
a low-level, straight line. A clear
picture is created, but thc time lag
still exists.
Codek is the newest and most
refined of the three. There are
fewer occasions of "behind
time," meaning voices and movements finally match-up.
With codek, Fresno State professors can communicate one-on-
one with students in community
college classrooms. This is called
two-way video, two-way audio.
Community colleges are looking into thc option of classes by
teleconference more frequently.
Visalia's College of the Sequoias has more than 250 Fresno
State students studying liberal
arts and education courses, enrolled in the program.
Twenty classes were offered
this spring. Vasquez said.
Additional classes will be offered in fall 1996.
Vasquez said students earn
higher grades and are generally
more motivated than those taking the classes at Fresno State.
Students at Fresno State disagree with this.
Brooke Nuttall. a student, said
there is no comparison to attending a lecture.
"Education is not thorough or
real without being one-on-onc
with the professor," she said.
Vasquez has facts that contradict this assumption.
"According to our records, thc
students doing classes by teleconference are doing much better, which proves that being in a
classroom without the professor
is not damaging to the students
education at all." Vasquez said.
She believes these students receive better grades because there
is less stress without the commute.
In the business world, teleconference methods are used to save
time and money on travel and
business trips.
Brent Koch, plant manager of
CONFAB Corporation in
Manteca, said some companies
can't afford to send employees to
New York every other week.
'Today, they don't have to do
that because we can now have
conferences and meetings over
the television, much like classes
by teleconference." he said.
Next fall, enrolling into classes
by teleconference will be done
through the Student Telephone Assisted Registration phone line.
Plant
manager
Insight photo by Apolinar Fonseca
The university greenhouse provides more than 400 plant species to biology and botany labs on
campus. The only full-time worker of five employees, John Stebbins checks the status of radish
and barley plants for a growth experiment.
Top-scoring teens
to learn in new
summer program
by Jerry Lowe
Staff Writer
Approximately 500 seventh graders
will spend part of their summer vacation living on campus and taking academic courses like agricultural business, engineering and animal science.
Students in regular summer session
courses may want to ask these seventh graders for a few studying tips
— each of the brainy youngsters has
taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT) and scored in the top 5 percent.
"You're talking about the brightest
of the bright." said Lea Ybarra. acting associate provost and campus coordinator of the program.
Ybarra said lhc SAT is the same test
that college-bound high school seniors take and that the 5 percent figure includes that pool.
The program is offered through
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and its Center for Academic
Advancement.
Johns Hopkins has other university
sites around the nation, but this is the
first year lhat a site in the Central Valley was selected.
"Thc majority of these programs
have always been held on the East
Coast." Ybarra said. "Now they're trying to reach California, which has always been under-served."
Charles Rowins. director of the program for Johns Hopkins, said California State University. Fresno, was
chosen because its facilities are excellent for the program.
"There was a very warm welcome
there." Rowins said of Fresno State.
"And a willingness of the professors
to help us design courses that would
help catch the regional strengths."
Rowins said a big regional strength
for Fresno State is agriculture, and the
program will highlight courses like
agricultural economics and animal
"At each of our sites, we try to have
■courses that highlight the uniqueness
of the site." Rowins said. "There are
a number of programs at Fresno State
that are unique, and if not unique, are
among the strongest in the country."
Thc sjrventh graders will live in the
dorms for three weeks and attend classes
for five hours a day. five days a week—a
total of 75 hours spent in class.
Rowins said it is the equivalent of
a regular semester course.
Two sessions will be held — one
from June 30 lo July 19. and the next
from July 21 to Aug. 9.
Cynthia Dondero. marketing coordinator for housing, said Johns
Hopkins has reserved 250 beds for
students in the residence halls this
summer.
"It makes fantastic use of the facilities wc have on campus that aren't
being used during the summer months
bv our regular students." Dondero
said.
Dondero said that the Johns
Hopkins program has not preempted any of the univ ersity's regular summer residence programs,
like the Summer Bridge program.
But Dondero said they have since
had to turn other off-campus groups
Kenneth Fugelsang. a Fresno State
professor of enology and food science, will teach a course on fermentation in food.
"I've never taught at any level besides thc university level, so it's going to be vers interesting to work with
these advanced younger students."
Fugelsang said.
Fugelsang said although the seventh graders have excelled at academics, they are still young.
"I will perhaps scale it down a bit
from the expectations of a university -
level class." Fugelsang said.
Ybarra said she was very proud of
the way the campus looked when she
brought Rowins here to try to sell the
university to him and his program.
"I was really proud of the fact that
every building we walked into was
clean." Ybarra said
Ybarra. who has been at Fresno
State for 22 years, said it hasn't always been that way
"Our campus grounds staff has really done a great job to make the campus look nice over thc last couple of
years." she said.
Janitors, from page 1
"I vvanl the custodians to receive all
the credit." said Phillips, who has
been with the department lor six
years.
"I think they do a vers good job lor
what they have to do."
liaeh custodian is responsible lor
about 48.000 square footage ol floor
space, an amount Phillips said lhat is
"much higher" than the national av-
"All of ihem are pushing themselves lo the limit. They do just about
everything lhat needs io be done."
Phillips said.
She said when budget cuts decreased stall several vears ago. the
cleaning schedule went from daily
office visits to once-a-week visits,
However, restrooms. classrooms
and lobbies are maintained daily.
Phillips said.
Serv ice Master, a private company,
provides maintenance for lhc North
and South gyms and the Duncan athletic building lo help support ihe custodial staff.
Meanwhile, the custodial dep;i
p.m. One supervisor is assigned lo
each shift.
Metal shelves are slocked vv ith hundreds of plastic bottles and buckets
filled with professional-strength
chemicals.
Bamboo Air Freshener. Write?
Away Ink & Graffiti Remover. Claire
Brand Gum Remover and a host of
lime and scale removers are just a few
of ihe toxic substances used on cam-
O   </)
pils.
Lead person Agusiin Bustil
said
"When il comes to cleaning the
rsiiy. we only buy the best." he
will, .,
of loi
"lead persons" and two supervisors.
A lead person oversees six to eight
workers.
Pan of a lead person's job requires
them to distribute supplies, such as
toilet tissue and seat covers, to each
custodian at the beginning of a shift
There are two shifts per day. one
starting at 4 a.m. and the other al 5
said.
Dragging heav y bags of garbage on
a daily basis is the worst pan of the
job. he said.
•There's a lot of heavy lilting when
you're cleaning, and people don't realize il." Buslin/a said.
There are positive aspects to the job
though.
"The hours are great, and 1 get
along with all the workers." said
Buslin/a.
He gets off work every morning at
1:30 a.m.
"I kick back for a vv hile. eal a snack
and watch a little TV." Bustin/a said.
Phillips said her department is
thankful they clean up after students,
faculty and visitors.
"Without them we'd be out of a
job." she said.
t uj
Born in East L.A.
Paul Rodriguez is a stand-up
comedian, actor, producer, film
director and national spokesperson. As the son of migrant farm
workers, he could never convince
his family "that being a comedian
or actor was an obtainable goal."
For four years, Mr. Rodriguez
hosted "El Show de Paul
Rodriguez," a ground-breaking
bilingual program with top stars
guesting from the film, television
and music industries reaching an
international audience throughout the United States and in 17
other countries in Central and
South America. Paul Rodriguez has costarred in several movies including "Quicksilver," "Born in East L.A.," and most recently "Made in
America." In the last year, he hosted two charity events to benefit the
National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, raising more than a quarter of a
million dollars. Mr. Rodriguez contributes to many charitable efforts,
including Comic Relief and Education First.
Paul Rodriguez
Rice, from page 1
Rice, professor of marketing and logistics in thc Sid Craig School of Business, was named thc Outstanding Professor at California State University.
Fresno for 19%.
Rice has been a faculty member
since 1983. He was nominated by his
colleagues and recommended to President John D. Welty by the Faculty
Awards Subcommittee .pjfeihe Academic Senate Personnel Committee.
Rice's office is filled with soda cans,
cereal boxes and candy bars that he uses
as examples in class discussions.
"Anything I can use to make a point.
I'll bring it," Rice said.
Rice said he invests anywhere from
$5,000 to $10,000 a year of his own
money, so he can bring a little of the
world into the classroom for students
to experience. He buys everything from
Tuesday, March 26,1996
North Gymnasium
8:00 p.m.
potato chips to South American cereal.
"If I can change someone to think
for himself. I feel it's worth the money."
Rice said .
Dr. Reza Motameni, professor of
marketing and logistics and Rice's colleague for eight years, said he has a
high regard for Rice's teaching abili-
"I think he introduces a great degree
of enthusiasm and excitement."
Motameni said. "Very few people arc
capable of doing that."
Rice's response is candid and
straightforward.
"I want to have that kind of excitement in the classroom, and now it's
paying off in dividends." he said.
Kim Hoff. a Fresno State graduate,
was a pre-pharmacy and computer science major before Rice recruited her
into the marketing field.
"When I look back, lie was really a
mentor for me and a lot of other students." Hoff said. "Everything he did
was memorable."
Hoff said his teaching style is hands-
on oriented and he doesn'l rely heavily
on the textbook.
Rice, a Fresno native, attended California State Univ ersity. Northridge. for
his bachelor's degree in accounting and
master's degree in computer science.
He earned his business administration
doctorate from the University of Colorado. Boulder:
"1 don't give grades. 1 give education," be said. "You've gotta feel things,
notjustknowit.
"I really do care if they |studcnts]
Icam. If 1 didn't. I could make a whole
lot more money elsewhere."
-   (/)
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