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FRIDAY Issue NOVEMBER 2, 2012 FRESNO STATE
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Jazz-O-Ween players dress up and get down
SERVING CAMPUS SINCE 1922
Honoring the dead though tradition
Bulldog Pantry trick-or-treat for a cause
By Alan Wileman The Collegian
By Rachel Waldron The Collegian
Fresno State Colle ge of Arts and Humanities and the Department of Music hosted the annual Jazz-O-Ween Wednesday. The concert was performed in the concert hall at Fresno State and featured both the Fresno State Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble. Directed and hosted by Alan Durst since 2008, the concert included a mixture of inspirational vocal and instrumental jazz music. To keep with the Halloween spirit, the audience was encouraged to wear costumes to the performance as well as the band members. Some band members took full advantage of this and took a more laidback approach to an otherwise reserved atmosphere. Durst thinks everyone in the community could benefit from attending performances like this to expose themselves to a great genre of music. “I recommend these types of events to all of the greater Fresno community— students and non-students,” Durst said. “Jazz is one of America’s only true original art forms— bred and matured in the United States. It is a conglomeration of African rhythm and western— European harmony.” Durst also discussed the importance of these performances and jazz music that
On Wednesday night while local neighborhood kids traveled door-todoor in search of Halloween treats, Fresno State student organizations did the same, but for canned food items for the Bulldog Pantry. This is the third year that the Bulldog Pantry has coordinated and worked with student organizations to put on “Trick-or-Treating” for canned foods. With the help of volunteers and student organizations the Bulldog Pantry brings in more than 1,000 cans each year during the Halloween drive. Esmit Gamboa, Bulldog Pantry student coordinator, hoped that with outside help from student organizations this year would be just as successful. Though this year’s drive did not quite exceed that of previous years, the students were still able to bring in about 1,000 cans for the Bulldog Pantry. “It is great, I think this is an activity that takes a lot of time and effort and it is great that people are willing help, especially groups like ASI,” Gamboa said. Student organizations like Associated Students, Inc. participated this year by getting several other clubs and organizations on campus to help trick or treat.
See JAZZ, Page 3
Roe Borunda / The Collegian
A performer at the Dia de los Muertos event in the Free Speech Area, Cindy Hua-Garcia prepares the alter before dancing with the Aztec Dance Club and community group Yoztatepetl. Dia de los Muertos will conclude today with a flute performance at 4 p.m. in the Free Speech Area.
See PANTRY, Page 3
The Collegian talks Prop. 30 with Welty By Ricardo Cano The Collegian
“It’s my intent – and I’ll be here until next summer – that by the time I finish up we will get to as stable a fiscal situation as we possibly can,” said Fresno State President John Welty. Roe Borunda / The Collegian
Fresno State president John Welty sat down and talked with The Collegian on Wednesday to discuss Proposition 30 – introduced on the Nov. 6 ballot by Gov. Jerry Brown. The tax initiative proposed would increase the state sales tax by a quarter of a cent and levy an income tax increase on wealthy taxpayers who make more than $250,000 annually in the hopes of
stabilizing future funds to public education. If the tax measure fails to pass, the California State University system stands to lose $250 million to budget cuts. For Fresno State, it would equate to about an $8 million base budget reduction, Welty said. The threat of another budget reduction would contribute to “what’s been almost a $1 billion See WELTY, Page 3
Photo courtesy of Bulldog Pantry
Bulldog Pantry, with the help of student organizations, collected canned food on Halloween night. Students were able to bring in about 1,000 cans this year.
Suggested improvements from local community leaders By Haley Lambet The Collegian “Why are we so poor and what can we do about it?” That was the title question of the town hall meeting held Thursday evening at the Satellite Student Union. The answers given by the four speakers focused on the latter half of the question. The meeting was moderated by Bill McEwen, a columnist for The Fresno Bee. In his opening statement, he mentioned that Fresno’s current unemployment is 13.1 percent. In 2002, the national unemRogue Morales / The Collegian ployment rate was 5.8 percent, in Former state Assemblyman and owner of a government consult- Fresno it was 14.4 percent. In other ing group, Mike Villines speaks about the need for infrastruc- words, the problem was not caused ture funding and private investment in the Valley. by the 2008 recession.
Dora Westerlund was the first s peaker. As th e ch ie f e xe cu t ive o f f i c e r o f t h e F re s n o Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Westerlund advocates for and advises Hispanic business leaders. Westerlund spoke of the need for investment in Fresno. “80 percent of the deposits in Fresno county go to national accounts,” Westerlund said. Her presentation focused on the need for investment into the city and county. Mike Villines is a for mer state Asemblyman and owner of a gover nment consulting g roup. He said Fresno needs infrastructure jobs like those possibly provided by high speed rail. Infrastructure improvements, Villines said, not
only provide jobs, but also improve the resources in the region. This helps establish Fresno as a place where business should invest. “High speed rail is going to create a lot of jobs… That’s a significant benefit to the Central Valley,” Villines said. Villines also spoke of the need for more technology companies. He suggested technology fir ms could piggy-back off of agriculture, developing improvements for water and solar energy. Chief executive officer of Economic Development Corporation serving Fresno County, Lee Ann Eager spoke after Villines. In her presentation, Eager also listSee LEADERS, Page 3