C A L I F O R N I A INDEX
C alendar & B riefs d e t o u r S ports
VOLUME 66, ISSUE 36
Titan
S T A T E
2 4 7
The
Daily
U N I V E R S I T Y ,
F U L L E R T O N INSIDE
ENTERTAINMENT: Reading Detour makes me want to dance! —See page 4.
T H U R S D AY
APRIL 23, 1998
One day down, one to go n CAMPAIGN: After the first day of the Spring 1998 elec-
n TURNOUT: CSU students
tions, reports from the booths indicate that turnout is normal, there aren’t enough candidate choices and students feel removed from student government.
consistently fail to vote in significant numbers, mirroring national election trends.
By MARYANNE WARDLAW Daily Titan Production Manager
By NICK BRENANN
Studying students were scarce in front of the Humanities Building on Wednesday, replaced by boxes of fliers and campaigning students kicking off the two-day AS elections. Presidential hopefuls Eric Pathe and Christian Tesoro braved the sun in long sleeves and ties as they handed out fliers and encouraged people to vote. Friends of the candidates and people running for Associated Students Board of Directors also waylayed students passing near the voting booth in front of the Humanities Building. Volunteers manning the booth said that through Wednesday afternoon the turnout had been pretty good. The most typical comment they heard as they passed students the ballot was: “There’s no one else running?”
Daily Titan Staff Writer
Voting and students get along like water and oil. Traditionally, students fail to participate in elections. Cal State Fullerton voters are no different. In the last Associated Students Board of Directors election, held in fall 1997, approximately six percent of the student population turned out to vote, said Ryan Alcantara, assistant director of Greek Life & Student Development. As for the spring 1997 semester, about 2,400 students decided to cast their votes, Alcantara said. In the past these figures have stayed about the same, he said. CSUF has approximately 24,000 students. But why is there constantly such a low turnout? “It is the nature of students,” Sandra Sutphen, political science professor, said. “They have families, lives and other things.” Sutphen said people between the ages of 18 to 24 are the least likely to vote in governmental elections. People tend to vote more as they get older, political science professor Phil Gianos said. Yet, students sometimes will vote, when it affects their wallets, Sutphen said. In the recent vote for the fitness center, which would have increased tuition by $300 a year, 2,435 students voted in one-day special election. That is just above 10 percent of the of the total population. CSUF turnout for the fitness center parallels government elections, Sutphen said. “It has to do with money,” she said.
see TURNOUT/
A perennial reason for low voter turnout: no formal competition existed for any position except the AS presidency and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics board seat. Two schools—Business Administration and Economics, and Human Development and Community Service—had no candidates. Business student Carissa Memovich paused as she looked over her ballot, then glanced up at the volunteers. “There’s no one running for this? OK, I’ll vote for myself,” she laughed. “I might get it.” Memovich, who said she helped a friend campaign for a board of directors position last year, said she was surprised at the lack of involvement in the annual event. “I’d hope that people would care about issues like parking,” she said. Along with the proposed fitness cen-
see CAMPAIGN/
RON SOLIMAN/Daily Titan
Communications major Romy Haas casts her vote in front of the Titan Student Union Wednesday.
Nicole Curran hands out campaign fliers to student Tara Zimmerman while broadcast major Anthony Couturie watches on Wednesday.
bers, giving students a voice by the votes they cast. Associated Students elections at CSUF have been just as eventful. But not every university campus goes through the process in quite the same way. Applicants for office must fill out candidate packets and attend orientation before campaigning starts. The candidates have two to three weeks to campaign before elections are held. San Jose State University and California State University Long Beach held their elections at the end of March, almost a month earlier than CSUF. Candidates at CSUF do not run on party tickets, as they do at San Jose State. Here they have the option of run-
ning independently. “Each party will have its own set of issues that they believe are important to the students,” said Maria Murphy, administrative assistant to Associated Students at SJSU. About 10 percent of SJSU’s 25,000 student body population votes in the elections. However, this semester the election process was interrupted by Spring Break the week of March 21, so candidates did not campaign as long as they might have, she said. On average, three students run for president and a minimum of two run for vice president or controller position, Murphy said. Voter turnout is about seven to 10
percent at each CSU campus, taking into account the time of year—spring or fall—and the reason for voting, whether for student government or special referendum elections. For instance, CSUF had a voter turnout of 2,435 for the student fitness complex special election, compared to a turnout of 1,333 in the fall 1997 for AS elections. One possible reason for the higher turnout, besides the proposed fee increase, may have been the higher visibility of polling places. Erecting canopies over voting tables—a student suggestion—made them easier to locate, said Rosa Aceves, the AS elections commissioner. CSULB tried a new approach this
semester to draw students into the election process. Election Commissioner Robert Perez said the university held its first Election Convention in the quad in front of the Student Union for an afternoon during campaigning. Each major candidate had a table where they were able to distribute literature and anything they thought would help in the election process. Candidates were able to address the students during a speakers platform and then answer questions from the audience. Music and free food were included in the event. “We had a great turnout because of the free food,” Perez said, but admitted that attendance thinned out once the free
On a typical weekday, communications major Cindy Jimenez gets out of bed at 6:50 a.m., wakes up her daughters and fixes breakfast. She drives them to school, leaving her an hourand-a-half to eat, shower and prepare for her own day. Driving from Long Beach, she arrives at CSUF at 10 a.m. After school, Jimenez picks up the kids, buys groceries and does laundry, cooks dinner for seven hungry people and help with homework before getting to her own. And 20-year-olds thought they had it rough deciding what to wear. People like Jimenez, who juggle
school with family and work responsibilities, often seek help from the Adult Re-entry program at CSUF. Marsha Daughetee, Adult Re-entry coordinator, defines re-entry students as those students who are 25 or older that have had at least a five-year break in their education. According to the Office of Analytical Studies, 29 percent of CSUF undergraduates and 81 percent of students in the graduate program last fall were 25 or older. Jeff Newell, 47, a junior human services major, manages the roles of full-time student, intern, employee and single father of a 16-year old.
“At the beginning of every semester, I use Microsoft Excel to complete a weekly schedule of all my classes, where they are and what time they are. It’s visual. I can see when my breaks are and when I have classes.” He said he sees himself as being more focused, with clearer educational goals and following more definite plans to achieve these goals than younger students may be. Newell said his personal life experience enhances his work at school. “I’ve had a wide range of experiences—I’ve had three kids, I’ve been
RON SOLIMAN/Daily Titan
CSU elections take various directions this spring n VOTING: CSUF and other
campuses have elections every semester, but not everyone does it the same way. By CINDY JIMENEZ Daily Titan Staff Writer
Since the beginning of March, students at Cal State Fullerton and campuses throughout the state have been involved in politics. Campus politics, that is. Student governments up and down the coast have been voting in new presidents, vice presidents and board mem-
My boss and family ate my homework n STUDENT LIFE: Many
CSUF students balance midterms with parenthood and a new mentor program helps adults who are coming back to school. By LAURIE SCHULTZ Daily Titan Staff Writer
Some Cal State Fullerton students feel like jugglers in a circus. But instead of flaming daggers, they are juggling different facets of their lives.
Copyright ©1998, Daily Titan
see RE-ENTRY/
food was gone. Last year candidates gave out free items like condoms and coupons for free food, Perez said. Heavy rains closed a few popular voting locations one of the three days, so it was not clear whether the convention had any effect on turnout, Perez said. However, Perez said banners and the availability of more information to students resulted in a higher turnout, despite the rain. CSUF elections end today. Polling places can be found under the blue canopies in front of various buildings and at the Titan Student Union.
JEFF CHONG/Daily Titan
Jeff Newell, a re-entry student, works in the computer assistance lab to help students with programming problems.