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MONDAY Issue January 30, 2012 FRESNO STATE
COLLEGIAN.CSUFRESNO.EDU
Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson/ University Communications
U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine visited Fresno State Saturday night to share his works in front of an audience of 200, which included President John Welty, Provost William Covino and Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.
U.S. Poet Laureate visits campus
Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing Program. “We have an MFA program here at Fresno State that rivals the best proOnc e a ye ar, t h e L i b r a r i a n o f gram anywhere that produces poets Congress picks an American poet and novelists and essayists with rich who will spend October through May and compelling voices and visions raising awareness and appreciation whose work has resonated throughout of poetry. This year’s United States the world,” said Covino. “This would Poet Laureate is Fresno State’s own not have been possible were we not all Philip Levine, who returned to campus standing on the sturdy shoulders of Saturday night to be honored and to Philip Levine, who is now our counhonor those who supported him during try’s Poet Laureate and who is indeed his long tenure at Fresno State. emblematic of an American experiFresno State President John Welty ence that calls to us, that makes us see and Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the life and lives in ways that transform College of Arts and Humanities, hosted our own.” the event that attracted more than 200 Covino related the story about his guests. Audience members were enterfirst experience of reading a Levine tained with readings and remarks by poem in 1975 when he was a master’s seven distinguished poets and closing student in English, during a break remarks by Provost William Covino. while playing a party with his When Levine took cover band. the stage, he had audiHe had read Levine’s ence members laugh“Animals are Passing from his would not have been possible were we not ing, and applauding our Lives,” saying he immedithroughout his 40-minall standing on the sturdy shoulders of Philip ately understood that the pig ute lecture, recital and Levine.” in Levine’s poem, who is being acceptance speech. — Dr. William Covino, driven to slaughter by a farm The longest laugh Fresno State Provost boy, “becomes an example for and applause Levine received was when he recounted his retireSee POET, Page 3 ment from New York University in 2008 at age 80. “They gave me a big reading, and at that reading, I did the formulary thing,” Levine said. “I thanked my wife, Fran, and I revealed something that almost no one knew: that in fact, she had written my poems.” After audience members settled down, Levine lauded his wife for the support she has given him and went on highlighting his modest beginnings. Levine has accumulated a long list of achievements over a lifetime — Professor at Fresno State from 1958 to 1992, chosen as Fresno State’s Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1970 and then for the entire CSU system in 1971, author of 20 collections of poetry, 1995 Pulitzer Prize, two National Book Awards and two National Book Critic Circle Awards. Levine went on to recite two of his Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson/ University Communications works, stating his initial intention was Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities announced Jan. 20, as Philip to read his very first poem, but ran into Levine Day in Fresno on behalf of Mayor Ashley Swearengin. By Stephen Keleher The Collegian
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a problem. “I couldn’t find it,” said Levine, which elicited laughter from those in attendance. Levine went on to explain an involved introduction to a poem he wrote in 1968 against capital punishment, “L’homme et la bête” (The Man and the Animal). Even at 84, Levine’s reading of his poem held the Music Building Concert Hall audience in thrall and elicited sustained applause. Levine finished his presentation with his poem, “Gospel,” an upbeat poem replete with images from the outdoors. When Levine finished reading, there was a sustained 60-second standing ovation. Covino praised Levine of his accomplishments and informed the crowd of the annual Levine Prize through the
SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922
Liberalism spreading among college freshmen, survey finds By Matt Krupnick McClatchy-Tribune Already inclined toward liberalism, college freshmen are leaning even farther left on key political issues, a nationwide survey of first-year students has found. An all-time high of 71.3 percent of the new students support same-sex marriage, 6.4 percentage points higher than in 2009, according to the annual survey of more than 200,000 freshmen conducted by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute. Nearly 43 percent of conservative freshmen said gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Opinions on abortion, marijuana legalization, immigration and affirmative action also grew more liberal in 2011, according to data released Wednesday. The 270-school survey — the country’s largest sampling of college students — was first used in 1966. “It’s not so much that liberal students are becoming more liberal,” said Linda DeAngelo, one of the report’s authors. “It’s that students who describe themselves as conservative are becoming more progressive.” A little more than 22 percent of respondents described themselves as conservative or “far right.” About 30 percent said they were liberal or “far left,” while 47.4 percent called themselves “middle of the road.” Despite the apparent liberalization, political advocates hoping to recruit students to their causes need to realize the survey is more reflective of young people’s tolerance on social issues, not enthusiasm, said AngeMarie Hancock, a political science professor at the University of Southern California. “They’re not like ATMs, where you can just withdraw their support,” she said. “You have to cultivate them as voters.” Conservative students in the Bay Area said they weren’t surprised by the shift to the left. In a region that gave birth to California’s gay-marriage push, political views are not always black and white, students said. “My time is spent more on fiscal issues,” said Mark Luluan, a 24-yearold Cal State East Bay graduate stuSee SURVEY, Page 3