Opinion
Sports
Womenʼs soccer kicks its way into a share of the Big West title 6
Prop. 66: fixing the problem of the nationʼs largest prison system 4
C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, F u l l e r t o n
M o n d a y, N o v e m b e r 1 , 2 0 0 4
Greeks boost safety on row
Daily Titan w w w. d a i l y t i t a n . c o m
Board OKs fee hikes
Pumpkin patch kid
Students can expect an 8 percent increase in the 2005-06 year By ALI DORRI Daily Titan Staff
Fraternitiesʼ social activities are suspended after Oct. 16 shooting By ANDREW STRETCH Daily Titan Staff
The crowds of costume-wearing partygoers that usually consume Fraternity Row on Halloween weekend were absent this year, as Greeks moved festivities off the row in accordance with university sanctions imposed on fraternities and sororities following the shooting of a Sigma Phi Epsilon member on Oct. 16. “Our priority is safety,” said Juanita Razo, assistant dean of students and acting Greek adviser. “Thatʼs the main priority of the university – making sure that our students are safe and that we have environments on our campus that are free of violence. Safety and violence is of the utmost priority to us.” As a result of the shooting, all Greek organizations under the Interfraternal Council and Pan Hellenic board have been stripped of all social privileges until Dec. 31, 2004. “We had a Greek community meeting last week, where about 100 people showed up,” Razo said. “We talked about security, we talked about increased police patrol and we talked about additional training. We need to talk about those ideas further.” Razo also said a “Greek row community task force” will be set up to further discuss these issues and attempt to develop concrete measures so these types of incidents do not occur in the future. Members of these task forces will include Greek leaders, Razo and members of the Associated Students Inc. “Right now, a decision was made to put parties at a moratorium until Dec. 31. Thereʼs kind of three reasons for FRATERNITY 3
Vo l u m e 7 9 , I s s u e 3 4
SEAN ANGLADO/Daily Titan
One-year old Jacey Piacenza searches for the right pumpkin on Halloween at a local Placentia pumpkin patch on Yorba Linda Boulevard.
Female issues forgotten Class research project shows Bush fails to hear womenʼs voices By SHANNON ANCHALEECHAMAIKORN Daily Titan Staff
National security, terrorism and the war in Iraq dominate the candidates’ campaigns this November, leaving little room for either to address women’s issues. Because of complicated international problems now facing the nation, women voters now have to decide whether Sen. John Kerry’s emphasis on creating and improving social programs, which directly affects them here at home, is more important than President Bush’s emphasis on national security, morality and fighting terrorism. In response to the lack of attention women are receiving in this election, Helen Mugambi, a Cal State Fullerton professor of women’s studies, had her Feminist Research, Methodology and Writing class research over a threeweek period each of the candidate’s
Catch me if you can
stances on abortion, education, health care and minimum wage. According to its findings, Bush’s policies failed to acknowledge women’s issues in many areas of concern. The class found that during the past four years, there has been an increase of 2.2 million women who have lost their health care coverage. The research also concluded that the “No Child Left Behind” program is under-funded by $27 billion, despite Republican claims that the program is working. Conversely, Kerry’s positions seemed to address more women’s issues. The fact that Kerry wants insurance plans to be required to cover contraception seemed to gain a lot of support among the women in the class. In a nation where 10.4 million women use contraception, only 15 percent of insurance plans presently cover it. Also, with Kerry’s proposed minimum wage increase, the class found that of 9.2 million low-wage female workers, 4.5 million would directly benefit. In regards to the current level of equality women encounter today, women’s studies major Toni Balik
By LINDA HO Daily Titan Staff
GABRIEL FENOY/For the Daily Titan
WOMEN 3
Panel debates U.S. security, civil liberties Students, staff weigh in on the importance of individual rights
Raymond Fero takes advantage of the clear mid-day skies above the CSUF campus to practice his four-ball routine. Fero is a junior majoring in art animation and a member of the juggling club.
said she would like gender equality to materialize more rapidly. “The public is basically uninformed, we’ve gained a lot in the sense that women now make up to 76 percent to the dollar of which men make, but people still think that that’s OK,” Balik said. After sharing its findings, Mugambi’s class agreed that the Bush administration had not made any policies in the last four years that directly helped U.S. women. Brateil Aghasi, a women’s studies and sociology major, said that doing the research for this assignment forced her to look at the facts, and that the decreases in numbers spoke for themselves. “When you look at the numbers, you can’t say that the ‘W’ in George W. Bush stands for women,” Aghasi said. While some are upset about how women’s issues are being handled by the current administration, many are still standing strong behind the Republican Party and the president. Rusty Feddersen, operations
The question of whether national security justified the violation of the rights of American citizens was contested last Thursday at the third annual panel discussion hosted by the Beta chapter of Phi Beta Delta, an honor society for international scholars. Cal State Fullerton staff, faculty and honor society students delved into a topic that concerns every American. The discussion, an event coordinated in association with Honors Week, was titled “Civil Liberties or Security Concerns?” and featured six panelists who were each allowed approximately five to six minutes to make their case. An open forum followed to allow for questions and
responses to the presentations. The panelists agreed that the events of Sept. 11 and the government reaction to the attacks have drastically changed American views of freedom and individual rights. They also agreed that a balance between the protection of American rights and the protection of American lives is needed for the sake of the values of democracy. However, that balance is a challenge in itself, they said. Brenda Gonzalez, a political science graduate student, argued in her presentation that the Patriot Act eliminated the rights of citizens. Vague terminology makes it easy to label anyone as a domestic terrorist, she said, and the burden of proof often falls onto the person accused. Brandon Reilly, a history graduate student and Phi Beta Delta member, discredited the arguments of an Asian-American author who defends World War II Japanese internment LIBERTIES 3
The California State University Board of Trustees voted 15 to 3 Thursday to approve a 2005-06 budget that includes an 8 percent tuition increase. The yearly undergraduate cost for two full-time semesters, counting as 6.1 units and higher in the fall and spring semesters, will go from $2,334 to $2,520. This is the fourth increase since 2001-02 when the cost was $1,428. The increase is part of the 2005-06 budget package that the board expects the state Legislature to raise from $2.5 billion to $2.6 billion. The general sentiment of supporting board members was that of opposition to the concept of constant increases, but also one that sees no other alternative to fixing leaks created by the downpour of state financial problems onto the CSU system. Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon said that it is unfair to students but is a necessary burden. “I have been going through [tuition increases] for 14 years,” he said. “I hate to do this. Itʼs the most painful thing. If we donʼt have the increase, we will have to turn away more and more students. Itʼs a forced necessity.” California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante
voted against the budget and said there are alternatives to burdening students; itʼs just that those in power donʼt want to search for them. “California has a $1.4 trillion economy,” he said during intermission. “Do we have the will? There are lots of alternatives.” Throughout the meeting, Bustamanteʼs facial expressions signaled a less than happy feeling for an increase that many in the state figured would pass. “I have not been happy about raising student fees for the past four years,” he said. While asking the board not to approve the budget, Cal State Long Beach senior Hector Flores told trustees they are failing students. Bustamante agrees. “They are failing,” Bustamante said. “The system and the state are failing. Itʼs incredible, the lack of vision in this state. All we are doing is hurting ourselves and our future.” Despite increases, the Cal State University system will retain its ranking as one of the least expensive higher education institutes in the country. The budget presentation included cost comparisons to other “bargain-rated” universities. Proponents of the increase are quick to point out the good sticker price, just as those in opposition are fast to say the numbers donʼt factor Californiaʼs higher than national average cost of living and the mission statement of TUITION 3
CSUF student pens proposition
Author pushes to pass Prop. 66, amend three-strikes law By RYAN TOWNSEND Daily Titan Asst. News Editor
Sam Clauder, a Cal State Fullerton communications graduate student, is the original author of Proposition 66. The initiative seeks to amend Californiaʼs three-strikes law that was initially passed by voters in 1994. Clauder worked to get the original law, Proposition 184, passed and supported the implementation until 1996, when he said he “realized it was going horribly wrong.” Determined to overturn provisions in the law that were putting non-violent offenders away for life, Clauder set out to fix the existing law with a new proposition. Several years of strategizing led to his authoring the bill during a 10-week period in 1999. The initiative was filed in 2000, but Clauderʼs political action group didnʼt have the funding to collect the signatures necessary to get it on the ballot until this year. Clauder worked as a ballot access consultant from 1990 to 2000 in Orange County before coming to CSUF as a graduate student in 2001 to pursue a masterʼs degree in communications with a specialty in political communications. With Novemberʼs election looming, Clauder spoke with the Titan on Tuesday. He said he considers himself a citizen layman, very unlike a lawyer, and said he loathes the term political consultant, preferring to be known as a political advocate and consultant because political activists and consultants are all whores and prostitutes,
Clauder said. Q: What goes into the writing of a proposition and how does one get it on the ballot? A: In August of 1999, Jim Benson (colleague) and I made a commitment to each other to start. So I wrote the initiative over a 10-week period, working 40 hours a week. I used three sources. I had a committee of about 20 people with a dozen legal advisers and eight laymen. I also used anecdotal evidence from right-wing
“
Prop. 66 is only going to affect the sentence enhancement... Sam Clauder Fullerton Graduate Student
”
Republicans in Orange County to see how theyʼd respond to amending the law. And then I had this huge poll out of UC Riverside. So, between those three sources, we drafted an initiative that we knew voters would be likely to approve of. We filed the initiative in 2000 but did not circulate the petitions because we couldnʼt raise the money. In 2002, we did circulate petitions even though we couldnʼt raise the money, but because we did that we were the most viable campaign out there. In December of 2003, I took a leave of absence to concentrate on my M.A. because all the work was distracting my attention. While I was gone, the Keenan family weighed in with a million dollars to place it on PROP 66 3
2 Monday, November 1, 2004
News IN RIEF
NEWS
www.dailytitan.com
news@dailytitan.com • (714) 278-4415
Today
Hot wheels
N OV. 1, 2004
B
World
ASI presents the 13th annual Student Art Show. The TSU will host the show in the Center Gallery and the new Plaza Gallery until Nov. 12, open to currently enrolled CSUF undergraduate and graduate students of all majors. Submissions are no longer being accepted, but those who didnʼt dilly-dally have a chance to win cash prizes if their work is in the top three. For more information, contact Greg Hansen in TSU Graphic Services at (714) 278-3915.
Allawi warns patience low on Fallujah BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqʼs interim prime minister on Sunday warned that efforts to resolve the standoff in Fallujah peacefully have entered their “final phase” and said he will not hesitate to launch “a military solution” to end Sunni insurgentsʼ hold over the city. In another city of Iraqʼs stormy Sunni Triangle, a rocket slammed into the Sunubar Hotel in Tikrit late Sunday, killing 15 Iraqis and wounding eight others, hospital officials said. Insurgents may have been aiming at an American position, which was targeted by a second rocket. U.S. officials said no American casualties were reported.
The CSUF Campus Greens are presenting a free movie event today from noon to 4 p.m. in the TSU Theatre. The event is titled “Decisive Movies for Electile Dysfunction ʻ04.” The films being shown are “Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War,” “Bush Family Fortune” and “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdochʼs War on Journalism.”
Captives in Afghanistan plead for release KABUL, Afghanistan — Militants released a video Sunday showing three frightened foreign U.N. hostages pleading for their release and threatened to kill them unless U.N. and British troops leave Afghanistan and Muslim prisoners are freed from U.S. jails. In the tape, the hostages — Annetta Flanigan of Northern Ireland, Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan and Shqipe Habibi of Kosovo — are shown sitting hunched together against the bare wall of a room in an undisclosed location. The three answered questions from someone speaking to them in broken English from off camera.
Nation Security dominates last-minute stumping MIAMI — In the closing hours of their bitter campaign, President Bush and challenger Sen. John Kerry charged through the critical battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio on Sunday, going from hushed church services to raucous campaign rallies with promises to keep America safe. Kerry said that if elected he would undertake an unprecedented “flurry of activity” to protect national security that would include quick Cabinet appointments. “Iʼm going to make America safer and I have some very strong and real steps to take quite immediately to make that happen,” Kerry said in an interview with The Associated Press.
U.S. short at least 500,000 poll workers A shortage of at least 500,000 poll workers nationwide means many voters could face long lines, cranky volunteers, polling places that donʼt open or close on schedule and the chance that results wonʼt be known until long after the polls are closed. Roughly 1.4 million people have been trained to serve as poll workers on Tuesday, about the same as four years ago, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. But nearly 2 million will be needed to deal with expected heavy turnout, huge numbers of first-time voters and unfamiliar touch-screen machines in hundreds of counties.
Local Chimp births continue, despite vasectomies LOS ANGELES — Another chimpanzee was born at the Wildlife Waystation in the Angeles National Forest, despite vasectomies used at the animal refuge to control chimp births. Ten-year-old Ernesta gave birth to a 4-pound chimp on Oct. 22, said the sanctuaryʼs founder and director, Martine Colette. Colette said another chimpanzee, 9-year-old Shake, was expected to give birth in December. Vanilla, 10, gave birth to a stillborn on Oct. 19. Two male chimps at the station had vasectomies in 2000 and 2003 as staffers attempted to curb the birth rate. But itʼs unclear which operation — or perhaps both — had failed. Reports compiled from The Associated Press
DAILY TITAN EDITORIAL
Executive Editor Managing Editor News Editor Asst. News Editor Asst. News Editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Opinion Editor Photo Editor Asst. Photo Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Asst. Copy Editor Internet Editor Production Editor Production Editor Elections Coordinator Adviser Main Line (714) 278-3373 Executive Editor (714) 278-5815 News Line (714) 278-4415
Marti Longworth Lynn Penkingcarn Sarah Maxwell Ryan McKay Ryan Townsend Khanh Vu Josh Diggs Melissa Bobbitt Robert Rogers Oana Purcar Francis Szyskowski Jorge Arredondo Laura Gordon David Barry Brian Ramuno Manuel Irigoyen Theresa Vergara Rudy Gharib Tom Clanin Editorial Fax (714) 278-4473 Managing Editor (714) 278-5693 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com
ADVERTISING Advertising Sales Director Entertainment Sales Manager Classified Manager Ad Production Manager National Advertising Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Distribution Distribution Business Manager/Adviser Main Line (714) 278-3373 Advertising (714) 278-4411
Kevin Cook Erik Alden Emily Alford Thomas Sullens Maria Petersson Can Sengezer Jessica Leventhal Courtney Mues Brenden Sparks Kimberly Orr Isidore Gregorio Santana Ramos Daniel Lines Robert Sage Advertising Fax (714) 278-2702 E-mail: ads@dailytitan.com
The Daily Titan is a student publication, printed every Monday through Thursday. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students, College of Communications, CSUF administration and the CSUF System. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises. The Daily Titan allocates one issue to each student for free. Copyright ©2004 Daily Titan
Jim’s Specialties, owned by Jim and Ursula Naus, moved from Buena Park to Fullerton less than a year ago. The 9-foot Diamond Special (pictured at right) is one of their latest creations.
Family Bowling Nights every Monday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., kids 6 years old and younger bowl free with a paying adult. Kids 7 to 16 bowl one game, and get the second free with a paying adult.
JAMES TU/Daily Titan
Cop
BLOTTER
10/24 22:47
Police responded to reports of a homeless man bleeding from the head on Chapman Avenue and State College Boulevard. Medics transported the man to St. Jude Hospital.
10/25 09:45
A verbal dispute broke out in the Pollak Library between a man and a staff member. The man was apparently moving furniture after being asked not to. Police responded, but were unable to locate the man.
10/26 16:42
Reports of property vandalism were reported from the Kinesiology and Health Science Building after feces were found smeared in the menʼs bathroom. No action was taken.
University Police log for the week of Oct. 24-30 10/26 21:40
A black Honda Civic was reported stolen from the dorm parking structure. The Chino Police Department later found the vehicle stripped. A report was taken.
10/27 21:32
Police arrested a woman in Lot K after she allegedly spit on a manʼs car and proceeded to hit him.
10/28 10:34
Reports of a suspicious woman beeping her horn, yelling and driving recklessly were received from Lot A. Police were unable to locate the woman.
10/28 11:15
An Arboretum employee called police after discovering several
empty shotgun shells on the ground. Police assisted the employee.
10/28 13:57
A woman reported a gas leak in the Sports Complex. Apparently the woman had called two days before, but no one responded.
10/30 13:50
A window was smashed out of a Toyota Sequoia in Lot G. A report was taken.
10/30 14:33
A wallet was stolen and a window was smashed out of a Toyota Camry in Lot A. While police were taking a report, they discovered a silver Ford Expedition, which had been broken into as well.
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Ceramics Showcase 2004 runs until Nov. 28 in the Grand Central Art Center: Rental and Sales Gallery. The sixth annual event is held at 125 N. Broadway in Santa Ana. Reception is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 6. Showcase hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturday. For more information, call (714) 567-7233. Bryan Andrews, the animator/ story board artist for the hit cartoon series “Samurai Jackʼʼ and the “Star Wars” series will speak in the Wushu class in the Kinesiology and Health Science Building, Room 202 from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. He will be giving a presentation on martial arts in the entertainment industry. His endeavors in the industry recently led to winning an Emmy. Aside from being a storyboard artist for the Cartoon Network, he has also been a Wushu athlete for a decade. He often incorporates his knowledge of martial arts into his work. All events are free and on campus unless otherwise indicated. If you would like to have a specific entry put in the calendar section, please send an e-mail to news@dailytitan. com.
Weather
FORECAST
Stem cell research ballot measure explored. Read up on Proposition 71 at www.dailytitan.com.
Monday, Nov. 1 Sunny Low 51°
81°
Correction:
Tuesday, Nov. 2 Sunny Low 52°
82°
Wednesday, Nov. 3 Sunny Low 55°
78°
In the Oct. 26 issue, it was incorrectly reported that the Health Center offers free individual nutrition counseling; the service costs $5.
Compiled from The Weather Channel
NEWS
Daily Titan
PROP 66
news@dailytitan.com • (714) 278-4415 from page 1
the ballot. Q: Who are the Keenans? A: Jerry and Cynthia Keenan have a son, Richard, who had an auto accident in 1999 that killed a couple of his friends. He accepted a plea bargain in 2000 that sentenced him to 8 years for two counts of voluntary manslaughter and one count of great bodily injury. The manslaughter charges were not strikes but the great bodily injury was. A passenger in the front bruised his ankle and asked that Richard not be punished for it. The DA in Sacramento however, did [use the charge]. Because of that one strike, he has to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he qualifies for parole. They originally supported the threestrikes law, but then they found out personally, through their sonʼs case, how unjust the law is and then they decided to see what they could do about it. In 2002, they began a relationship with us. They paid for all the signatures to be collected. Q: How many signatures are necessary? A: The way it works, itʼs about 340,000 and you count on a certain percentage being invalid so the target is to collect about 500,000. The campaign actually got about 700,000 signatures. Q: What about the strain on the local court system with your lawʼs provision that allows non-violent strikers to be sent back for resentencing? A: The first impact on the courts is going to be to clear the backlog of criminal cases that exist now because tens of thousands of criminal cases are under trial now because the defendants will not plea bargain as long as their petty crimes are going to count as a strike. Theyʼll drag the state though a futile trial, knowing theyʼll be convicted, just to have a couple more years of freedom. As soon as this initiative passes, that entire backlog will be cleared because petty criminals will plea bargain within 30 to 60 days and serve their jail time. By the time itʼs alleviated, they can begin the resentencing hearings. The procedures
were primarily developed by Judge Jim Gray, a juvenile court judge here in Orange County. He was adamant about the fact that the legal system could easily handle 26,000 hearings within five months. I was against putting a time limit at all, but he said “just bite the bullet and get it over with.” I trust his opinion and I believe that it can easily be handled. Q: Part of the campaign against the initiative has included information about certain notorious individuals and claimed that these dangerous criminals will be released. In fact, the opposition claims that 26,000 criminals will be let out onto the streets. Is this true? A: Letʼs follow it step by step: the only truth to that is the number 26,000. Nobody is going to be released by Prop. 66, if anyone gets released it will be because the DA and judge determine they are not a threat to public safety. Number one, Prop. 66 is only going to affect the sentence enhancement, not the primary sentence. When a strike is deleted then a prisoner is given the option of a resentencing hearing and that requires them to drop double jeopardy requirements. It allows the DA to start over from the gate. Secondly, the criminal goes back to the court of origin where the judge and DA knows them and their case. Additionally, there are major forms of sentence enhancement that can continue to be used … to keep dangerous guys in prison. For instance, sexually violent predators can be committed to a mental institution in the prison for renewable two-year terms. This can go on forever and they can never get out of jail. Q: So, notorious kidnapper and molester Kenneth Parnell and Aryan Brotherhood murderer Steven Matthews will not be released? This is just disinformation? A: Yes, it is. First of all, nobody is going to be released. Second, these guys donʼt even qualify for a resentencing hearing. Thirdly, if they do, I will personally walk into that court and speak as a friend of the court that these guys have no business being out there and we never intended resentencing hearings to apply to these fellows.
LIBERTIES
establishing its empire,” Emery said. from page 1 He also said that what the American foreign policy has done to the world, camps and emphasized how racism it has done for cheap oil. “How many were actual threats still exists in todayʼs society. He cited a personal experience where a to the U.S.?” Emery asked, referclose acquaintance of Indian nation- ring to the Japanese Americans in ality was stared at while shopping in World War II. “But, nevertheless, a Wal-Mart store after Sept. 11. He they were systematically put into argued that inequalities still exist. camps.” Hundreds and thousands of “It is a step in the wrong direc- people have been killed as a result of tion for our democracy,” Reilly said, Sept. 11 and the current occupation referring to the injustices inflicted of Iraq by the U.S., he said. upon individuals because of race or “There are threats, but I think they ethnicity. need to be put into perspective,” Sociology Professor Alan Emery Emery said. “There was no evidence said the current construction of the that suggested Saddam Hussein was Bush administration for security and a credible threat; that decision will civil liberties is “problematic and have a major consequence on all cannot have a favorable outcome.” of us.” “To increase security is to decrease Charlene Sue Mathe, a Student liberty at home,” Emery said. Affairs and Phi Beta Delta member, Many view the United States as offered a suggestion to the U.S. “a colonizing power expanding and dependency on cheap oil.
FRATERNITY
from page 1
that,” Razo said. “One, because the task force needs to meet and talk about all these things. Second, in respect for the incident that just happened and to the person and the people that were involved in that incident. And three, is just to communicate to outsiders that they cannot come to the row anymore.” Razo added that “thereʼs going to be two months where there is not going to be any parties so hopefully theyʼll catch onto that message and will not want to come to our campus community. I think for the most part the students in the Greek community agree that there should be a moratorium on social events.”
TUITION
from page 1
the 1960 Donahoe Higher Education Act, also known as the Master Plan, which ensures the affordability and accessibility of higher education to all those eligible. Long Beach State Professor Lillian Tiaz, who is a member of the California Faculty Association, addressed the board on this logic.
Monday, November 1, 2004 3 “I would be willing to walk [or] ride my bike, but how many others would?” said Mathe, who took the minority opinion favoring security over individual rights. “We need to shift the balance more toward security concerns.” She also said that America is too compassionate and that stricter immigration laws are needed. The United States is a dynamic magnet drawing immigrants who come for freedom and economic opportunities, she said. “The balance must shift to security even when accused of discrimination, racial profiling or our own conscience,” said Mathe, as she stressed the need to sacrifice personal liberties for the whole of society. “We are moving into a world where our futures are more connected to one another,” said Emery in a discussion involving the role of
the United Nations. “We require the support of other states.” Panelists also touched upon the topic of political apathy. “Itʼs so difficult to get my peers active,” said Sue Fisher, a radiation and biosafety officer. “There are so many other things to do that occupy their time.” Many people have to fulfill their roles as fathers, mothers, employees and students, Fisher said, and so political activity is at the bottom of their priorities. Gonzalez said that most people are more concerned about their cell phones and are too absorbed in the cycle of producing and consuming. Education and a “docile media” support this insular mindset, Reilly said. “There needs to be a conscious effort to have dialogue,” Mathe said.
Gamma Phi Beta member Jennifer Bellendir holds a different opinion. “Itʼs irritating because it makes it really difficult for us all to get together and hang out. The houses were a place for us all to come together,” Bellendir said. “Itʼs frustrating that people that arenʼt even a part of the Greek system messed it up for everyone, and our Greek system isnʼt that strong as it is. Now itʼs going to be a lot harder to get people excited about it.” Similar concerns are shared among other Greek members. “Itʼs unfortunate that all social events are canceled for the semester,” said Julian Cheng, Pi Kappa Phi president. “But thereʼs more to the Greek system than just partying. Instead of complaining about the sanctions, we should just learn from the situation
and think ahead and plan social events more responsibly in the future.” Besides parties, other events hosted by fraternities and sororities are being affected by the sanctions. The annual “Gammies in Jammies” philanthropy event hosted by the Gamma Phi Beta sorority was scheduled one week after the shooting. “We had to hire security for the first time and it was really stressful on us,” Bellendir said. “Itʼs a philanthropy event; we shouldnʼt have to worry about security and unwelcome people coming in.” The Phi Kappa Tau fraternityʼs annual “Red and Gold Week” in which sororities compete against one another in the name of charity was cancelled as well. In the meanwhile, Razo, along with
the Greek row community task force, said she will continue to brainstorm solutions to prevent future situations. “[The Greek system] can take this time to reflect and develop new measures so when it comes to the new year, weʼll have some new and improved measures to ensure that we can continue to have a lively, but safe environment on the row,” Razo said. While fraternities and sororities remain dormant for the remaining semester, investigators will continue to actively search for the suspects involved in the Oct. 16 shooting. “Our biggest concern is with [the victim] and his family, and the Sig Ep fraternity,” Cheng said. “The big issue here is that no one was killed. We all just want him to regain his health and get back to school.”
“To say itʼs a bargain compared to other states, ask yourself: Should we aspire to be like other states?” she said. “We made a commitment not to be. We are making college education an impossible dream.” The CFA is against the tuition increase, but the student cause was not the only battle they fought. John Travis, CFA president and Humboldt State University political science professor, said the budget is
inadequate for students and faculty, and that the trustees should be negotiating for more. “Student learning conditions are faculty working conditions,” Travis said. The budget is made to complement Gov. Schwarzeneggerʼs higher education compact, a verbal agreement with the CSU and UC officials that calls for give and take co-operation between universities and the state to
cure state budget ills. The compact calls for the state-funded systems to increase tuition to where students will eventually cover an average 33 percent, in exchange for extra state funding. The board is to vote again next year on another 8 percent increase. Clara Potes-Fellow, of CSU Public Relations, said that all following plans, including a long-term plan proposed in September, have been put aside. Before voting in favor of the budget, Trustee Melinda Guzman Moore said that postponement of any future hikes is a good thing. “No one is happy about a fee increase,” she said. “This is a practical reality that we are facing. I donʼt support the increase, but itʼs already been negotiated. I am glad we are entertaining a long-term fee policy today.”
WOMEN
from page 1
volunteer manager at the Regional Republican Center in West Covina, said her No. 1 concern is national security and without security first, the nation would not be able to address domestic issues. Though national security seems to be the main concern for many Republican women, morality is also a key issue. Kym Wechsler, president of her own corporation and volunteer at the Republican Center, said she believes in the Republican Party’s philosophy. “They offer a strong sense of values and morality,” Wechsler said. “It’s much more important to me to have a safe country than one that is liked.”