The S tate Hornet September 9, 2009
C alifornia S tate U niversity, S acramento
E st . 1949
O ne C opy F ree
HORNET INSIDE CREDIT CARDS BANNED
Credit card companies didn’t return this semester like the rest of us. Find out why they won’t be coming back.
Anne Morrison State Hornet
News A3 WHY BUY? RENT YOUR BOOKS
Comedian Arj Barker is playing a free comedy show at Sac State. What does a stand-up artist have to do in order to land shows around the world? Read Barker’s journey to success.
Features B1 FMYLIFE
Had a horrendous day at school? So have others. There is a website for you to vent your frustrations. You’re not alone in life’s daily struggle. Check out our column on the new website fmylife.com
Opinion A7 KICKING IT UP ON THE FIELD
Above left: Associated Students, Inc. President Roberto Torres, urges students to take action against recent fee increases in the Library quad last Wednesday. Bottom left: faculty members Peter Baird and Stan Oden sing “The Furlough Blues” with the crowd of faculty, staff and students. Right: Protest artwork made and handed out by Xico Gonzalez, a Barrio Art professor.
CFA, students protest By Blazej Bruzda bbruzda@statehornet.com
The California Faculty Association (CFA), along with many students, filled the Sacramento State quad with protests against increased student fees and furlough days. In addition, protests were held Monday and Tuesday morning last week in hope of raising public awareness about the fee increases. The 32 percent fee increase
Sports B5 HORNET ONLINE
voted on by the California State University Board of Trustees, along with a 10 percent cut in employees’ pay due to furloughs, and less time for students in class for more money are the reasons why CFA and Sac State students decided to protest. “We need public attention to let people understand the damages being done to the institution and how this is going to affect the entire state,” said Winston Lancaster, professor
Engineering lawsuit filed By Brittany bottini and Natalie Flynn bbottini@statehornet.com nflynn@statehornet.com
Soccer captain has won numerous awards and just got nominated again. Off the field she is just as impressive. How does she earn so many accolades? Check out her profile and video slideshow in sports section.
A lawsuit was filed on Aug. 7 against Sacramento State and recently retired engineering professor Miroslav Markovic on seven different accounts including retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Cici Mattiuzzi, a career counselor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, filed the suit after 18 years of filing complaints about Markovic to Sac State administration and maintaining files of complaints from students and other staff members.
The 200-page court case documents instances of Markovic making sexual advances towards a student, stalking a student at his home, assaulting a staff member and threatening to shoot an international student and two IT workers. Also, court documents state three police reports were filed against Markovic with Sac State police. Mattiuzzi’s case does not just deal with police reports. Mattiuzzi and her lawyer said they feel administrators within the College of Engineering and Computer Science ignored multiple complaints. see Lawsuit | page A5
Have you seen the new online teasers? Multimedia content related to our print stories can be found at statehornet.com Issue 2 | Volume 62| No. 2
of biological science. “We are here to tell them to chop from the top and stop balancing the budget on the backs of the faculty, students and staff,” said CFA President Kevin Wehr, professor of sociology. Administrators including Chancellor Charles B. Reed are also taking furloughs. Alma Lopez, senior biology major said she has to work three jobs in order to pay for her tuition this semester. Lopez
also has to take additional semesters before she graduates because of conflicts in her work schedule and the university’s cap on units. “Two semesters ago I was paying $389 per month to go to school here and now I’m paying more than $500,” said Corin Ramos, senior psychology major. “My mom wanted to come this semester to start on her degree; she can’t because we can afford only one of us to come to college.”
This semester, state university fees have been increased by $336 per semester for full-time undergraduate students and $414 for graduates. The total cost for students this fall fee is now $2,013 for full-time undergraduates. The university and CSU system has been working however to increase financial aid for those already receiving it. Students are not the only see Protest | page A6
Swine flu vaccines to come in October By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com With more cases of H1N1, also known as swine flu, expected this fall, Sacramento
Megan Harris State Hornet
State will offer free swine flu vaccines to students, faculty and staff members, along with seasonal flu vaccines given every year. Specific immunization schedules for the H1N1 vaccines are not yet determined, but the vaccines have already been pre-ordered and are expected to arrive in late October, said student health Services director Joy Stewart-James. Yearly vaccinations for the seasonal flu are scheduled during Phlagleblast from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the University Union and during the Natural High Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Library Quad. Seasonal flu shots,
which have to be purchased by the Student Health Center, are offered for free to students and are $15 to faculty and staff members. The swine flu’s higher-risk groups, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are pregnant women, caregivers of children age 6 months and younger, health care workers, persons between ages 6 months and 24 years and adults between ages 25 and 65 years with high-risk medical conditions, such as chronic health disorders and compromised immune systems. Lourdes Davila, undeclared see H1N1 | page A4
ASI searches for four new directors By Miyu Kataoka mkataoka@statehornet.com
The State Hornet
Courtesy of Xico Gonzalez
Carli Knickerbocker State Hornet
Manny Garcha
The Associated Students, Inc., board of directors started the fall semester without all of its directors present. After the disqualification of the director-designates of natural science and mathematics and of education, ASI is looking to fill those two positions this semester. The two candidates, Manny Garcha, 21, biology major and
Mary Cruz Troncoso, senior child development major, ran uncontested for the director positions and were disqualified after failing to submit a financial expenditure report, a form to indicate how much was spent on the election campaign. Garcha said he was shocked when he received the e-mail notice of his disqualification over the summer. “I had no idea I was supposed to hand one in,” Garcha said. “It completely slipped out of my
mind because I didn’t have any campaign expenses because I wasn’t running against anyone.” After receiving the notice, Garcha and Troncoso, who ran for director of education, filed a petition to the election complaint committee in order to be considered for reinstatement of the positions. Although the election complaint committee ruled in Garcha and Troncoso’s favor, see ASI | page A
Mary Cruz Troncoso
A2
Wednesday - September 9
News Section
NEWS ROUNDUP Sac State’s weekly news briefs and campus events New Chief of Police on campus Lt. Dan Davis has become Sacramento State’s new police chief, succeeding Ken Barnett who has retired. Davis has been part of Sac State’s police force since 2001 and spent 16 years working with San Francisco State’s police chief. Davis will be managing 30 community service officers, 21 sworn officers, eight office staff members, five dispatchers and student assistants. Five candidates had applied for the position and Davis was the only one who had worked at Sac State. Davis was also the only candidate who never held a position as chief of police until now. The other candidates were Reuben Meeks, Mark DeRosia, Steve Jaureguy and Gregory Harris. Meeks is the chief of police in Rancho Cordova and DeRosia is the chief of police in Delano. Jaureguy is the chief of police at California State University, Stanislaus, and Harris is the Chief of Police at South Carolina State University.
Tea Room ceremony Tea ceremonies will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. today in the Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room and Garden, located in the lower level of the University Library. The Tea Room showcases a collection of more than 100 donated pieces of bowls, cups, vases and other utensils to educate visitors about the history of Japanese tea culture. The Tea Room and Garden ceremonies are free to attend and last around an hour and 15 minutes. Today will be the last day for ceremonies this month but reservations can be made for future ceremonies. Those wishing to make a reservation should call Sally Hitchcock at 916-278-5954.
statehornet.com
The State Hornet | Staff Editor in Chief Todd Wilson
(916) 278-6584
Print Managing Editor
Photo Editor
(916) 278-7300
(916) 278-5500
nvega@statehornet.com
Online Managing Editor
Graphics Editor
(916) 278-5590
(916) 278-5590
News Editor
Anne Morrison
(916) 278-5148
Mitchell Wilson State Hornet
Please contact Natalie Flynn print managing editor, for corrections at (916) 278-7300 or nflynn@statehornet.com.
mharris@statehornet.com Video Editor
Edson Guillen
(916) 278-5590
news@statehornet.com Assistant News Editor
Copy Chief
Mitchell Wilson
Benjamin R. Schilter
mwilson@statehornet.com
bschilter@statehornet.com
Opinion Editor
Advertising Manager
(916) 278-7248
(916) 278-5585
David Loret De Mola
Diane Kauffman
opinion@statehornet.com
ads@statehornet.com
Sports Editor
Advertisment Designer
(916) 278-5145
(916) 278-6583
(916) 278-7567
Andrew Hazard
(916) 278-6583
Matt Erickson
sports@statehornet.com
ads@statehornet.com
Online Sports Editor
Professional Journalist in Residence & Adviser
(916) 278-4151
(916) 278-5612
Nick Hunte
nhunte@statehornet.com
Holly Heyser
hheyser@statehornet.com Contact Information
Christina Li
Main: (916) 278-6584
features@statehornet.com
The State Hornet 6000 J St. Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 278-4155
Sacramento State police and the building trades workers will not take scheduled furlough days for safety purposes. This information was incorrect in the Issue 1 story about furloughs. The State Hornet apologizes for the error.
Megan Harris
eguillen@statehornet.com
Features Editor
Correction
Nallelie Vega
nflynn@statehornet.com
a@statehornet.com
▶◀ ▶◀ ▶◀ Contact Mitchell Wilson in the News department at (916) 278-7248.
(916) 278-5567
ljohnson@statehornet.com
Adalto Nascimento
There will be technology training throughout the semester for faculty and students in the Academic Information Resource Center (AIRC). Some of the workshops will also be held online. Many of the workshops are for faculty only and designed to help professors become more familiar with the systems used online such as SacCT and iMEET. Workshops for students and faculty are designed to help out with the programs used in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat to create PDFs. To register for workshops and see which are for students and faculty, go to www.csus.edu/training.
Leidhra Johnson
editor@statehornet.com
Natalie Flynn
Technology workshops starting
Entertainment Editor
The first copy of this newspaper is free. Additional copies cost $1. All views expressed herein are the responsibility of The State Hornet and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sacramento State Journalism Program, the Communication Studies Department, administration, student body or ASI unless otherwise noted. The State Hornet is copyrighted, and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of The State Hornet. Signed articles, letters and artwork express the opinions of the authors and illustrators. Unsigned articles are the responsibility of The State Hornet. The State Hornet reserves the right to reject or edit all submissions. The appearance of an advertisement in The State Hornet does
Fax: (916) 278-5578
not constitute an endorsement by the newspaper of the goods and services advertised therein. The State Hornet reserves the right to reject any advertisements deemed inappropriate. An advertisement is not considered accepted until publication. Further, The State Hornet shall not be liable for any omission on an advertisement ordered to be published. By written request, The State Hornet will reschedule and run the advertisement at the advertiser’s cost. In no case shall The State Hornet be liable for any general, special or consequential damages. Claims for adjustments of any error must be made no later than three days after publication date upon which said error occurred.
Wednesday - September 9
News Section
statehornet.com
A3
New law boots credit card ads off campus By Angel McCullar amccullar@statehornet.com Credit card advertising targeting college students under 21 just got a little more complicated for American companies with the recent passage of federal legislation banning such ad campaigns from campuses across the nation. The Credit Card Act of 2009 is designed in part to protect young consumers and became a law in May. The bill will go into effect in February 2010. This new law will add protective measures for students and make it more difficult for credit card companies to issue cards to students under 21. Some of these measures include co-signing with someone over the age of 21 and banning advertisements from being on or around campuses. In the past, credit card companies have used tactics such as offering free items or incentives for students signing up, according to the website CreditCards. com. Kristin Van Gaasbeck, associate professor of economics said that it is easy for students to get
caught in a trap and never be able to pay off their debt. They start with good intentions but don’t realize the cost that the movie ticket they buy today will actually end up costing more than face value, she said. The use of credit cards and incurring of debt by students has been increasing. Ben Woolsey, the director of marketing and consumer research for CreditCards.com said it is estimated that 83 percent of undergraduates had credit cards in 2004 with an average debt of $2,300. This compares to an increase to $3,173 of average debt for 2008, Woolsey said. “The legislators’ hearts are in the right place,” Van Gaasbeck said. “This legislation is not designed to discriminate against young people.” Under the new law, a student under 21 will need a co-signer, a parent or other individual over 21, who is willing to be jointly responsible for the debt collected on the card by the student. To qualify without a co-signer, the student will have to submit financial information through an application process and prove that they have inde-
pendent means to repay any debt built up on the card. The law will also make it mandatory that institutions of higher education publicly disclose any contract or agreement made with a credit card issuer for the purpose of marketing a credit card to students. Incentives to sign up are no longer allowed if they are on or near a college campus or at a campus sponsored event. Van Gaasbeck said students’ money habits are generally learned from their families and that education could help them avoid debt and manage money better. “I think it’s amazing that a student will hand over their social security number in order to get free pizza,” Van Gaasbeck said. It is necessary to educate consumers so that they are aware of how much credit is costing them and how long it will take to pay it back, she said. Plugging the previously stated figure of average student debt of $3,173 into a credit card payoff calculator at 18 percent interest and paying the minimum payment of $78.85 per month, this
Megan Harris State Hornet
debt will not be paid off for 230 months and $4,241.45 will be paid in interest. If a payment is made late and the interest rate is increased to 34 percent, which is legal, this same debt would then take 263 months to pay off and the minimum payment would increase to $120.73 per month and $8,440.87 would be paid in
interest. The bill also recommends that colleges offer debt education and counseling sessions in their student orientations. There is a workshop available called “Money Matters Workshop,” said Mary Shepard, coordinator for the Sac State orientation center. The workshop is offered by the student
financial services at the orientation sessions. Van Gaasbeck said she thinks the law is necessary to “level the playing field” so that consumers get full and plain disclosure from the credit card companies. In the past, the disclosure language was too complicated for the consumer to understand. Van Gaasbeck said that credit card companies have very sophisticated ways to figure out how to hook people into the credit game. Their goal is to snag the student who is eager to establish credit and makes enough money to pay their minimum payment, but not enough to pay it off in full. Not everyone agrees that the law will only be beneficial “In aggregate, the new law should reduce the amount of student credit card debt, which is arguably a good thing,” Woolsey said. “However, responsible students under 21 that would have been capable of properly managing credit will be deprived of the privilege, utility, learning experience and credit building benefits of getting credit in their own name, which is unfortunate.
ASI yearly strategic plan makes promises By Kristine Guerra kguerra@statehornet.com
In one of the toughest fiscal school years in Sacramento State’s history, Associated Students, Inc. is pledging to make extensive efforts to help the university’s student body with various issues. “Where we may have been lacking is the awareness that they (students) have of us,” said ASI President Roberto Torres. Shawn Smith, ASI’s executive vice president said the board is developing an integrated marketing campaign to make students aware of ASI’s role at Sac State.” “I think the number one
problem with ASI is that people just don’t understand what we do or what we are,” Smith said. “We have some good programs, but people simply don’t know about them.” Jacob Phillips, a graduate student majoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESOL, said, “I know they charged me a chunk of money this semester.” He said he does note have any say in how his money is spend. Phillips said he expects ASI to focus on lobbying on issues about inefficient spending. Cameron Mosbarger, junior English literature major, said he knows “just about nothing” about ASI, and the student
government should focus on making itself known to the students. He also said his main concerns are the furloughs and that students are getting less while paying more. Wade said ASI should focus on “finding ways to help ease the financial burden” and “involving the student body more in the outside world.” Part of the marketing plan, Smith said, is to have the Student Relations Committee conduct more frequent surveys to find out students’ concerns and how well ASI addressed them. “Last year, we only did it once,” Smith said. “If we don’t go out and ask specifically and
actually get information, it’s kind of arbitrary.” It’s also a way for students to hold ASI accountable, Torres and Smith said. Torres said the strategic plan will be voted on by the board of directors sometime in late September or early October. As of now, nothing is final yet, Torres said. In order to accomplish their strategic plan, ASI will team up with different student organizations, such as the California State Student Association, CSSA, to mobilize students. “We cannot do this along,” Torres said. “We need all our students.” One proposal being consid-
ered is working with the Office of Government Affairs of ASI to create a lobbying core, a group of students recruited to advocate for student-related issues. “We’re paying more for larger class sizes, for furloughed teachers (and) for higher parking fees,” Torres said. “Our legislators have continually cut the CSU budget, and unfortunately, the answer has always been fee increases, layoffs and cuts.” “The fight isn’t with the administration, it’s with the Capitol,” Torres said. “They (legislators) have been able to turn us away because we don’t have a presence in the Capitol.” The board is also considering ideas such as increasing the
number of students who serve on ASI and other universitywide committees, having a rallying group of students at sporting events and creating pride competitions among clubs and organizations, Torres said. He said ASI will find ways to rely less on student fees. One proposal looks into asking local businesses for sponsorships of activities and events so that students will pay little to nothing for events and activities. “That’s what I have promised to do during the campaign, to get ASI moving in that direction.” “What is important throughout this year is that we remain positive,” Torres said.
A4
Wednesday - September 9
News Section
statehornet.com
Students receive Fulbrights H1N1: Flu shots By Nallelie Vega nvega@statehornet.com Two Sacramento State students have received the Fulbright Scholar Awards and will depart for Poland to teach English in mid-September. Leanne Cameron, a graduate student majoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESOL, and Jennifer Norton, a graduate student in modern European history, were both awarded in April with long-term scholarships for positions as teacher assistants for the 2009-10 school year. Cameron, of Davis, graduated from Sac State in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in English. Norton, who lives in Sutter
Nallelie Vega State Hornet
Leanne Cameron, English graduate student, will depart for Poland on Monday
Creek, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Both women come from two different walks of life and have never met, but now have three things in common: Sac State, Fulbright scholarships and Poland. According to the Institution of International Education, IIE, 2009-10 competition statistics, 31 students applied for teaching assistantships in Poland, but only 10 received grants. Cameron and Norton were two of the 10 grant recipients. “I expect a lot of great things from Jennifer,” said Katerina Lagos, professor of history. “Look out for her because one day she’s going to be someone important.” Going overseas to teach is one thing, but getting a Fulbright and going overseas to teach is an honor, said Jack Godwin, chief international officer and director of the office of education. Godwin is in charge of the committee that conducts the interviews for Fulbright at Sac State. The committee is composed of faculty who are experienced and knowledgeable about the Fulbright Program. He is also in charge of coaching the applicants and forwarding their materials to the Fulbright headquarters in New York. Godwin said the Fulbright application process is highly competitive. “Thirty-one American
students from around the U.S. applied (to Poland) and 10 got grants, so 20 percent came from Sac State. Not Bad,” Godwin said. “We couldn’t be more proud of both Leanne and Jennifer.” The Fulbright program is host to approximately 294,000 scholars, professionals and students around the world. 111,000 of the scholars being from America. The program was established in 1946 by Sen. J. William Fulbright and is sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Currently, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, CIES, and IIE are government subcontractors that manage different levels of the scholarships. According to the Fulbright Scholarship Program website, the goal of the program is to provide a better understanding between people in the U.S. and other countries. Cameron will be teaching at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland, and will be teaching American Literature along with English speaking and writing classes. Cameron has been interested in traveling for years. She studied abroad in London in 2004 and upon her return worked at the Sac State Office of Global Education for a year, where she found out about many opportunities including the Fulbright Scholarship Program.
to be offered at health center Continued | page A1
Nallelie Vega State Hornet
Jennifer Norton, history graduate student, will depart for Poland on Friday This past summer, she taught at music and language camps at high school campuses in Poland and Italy for four weeks. “I loved going overseas,” Cameron said. Norton has also done plenty of traveling of her own. During the summer of 2006, Norton received a scholarship from the National Endowment for Humanities program, where she traveled to England for a month to learn about World War I. Norton also received a scholarship to go to Oxford University during the summer of 2007. The two women are both scheduled to be in Warsaw on Tuesday and will be meeting first time as well as rooming together during their two-week orientation.
Vaccination Information Regular immunization hours are 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday and Tuesday, and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. H1N1 vaccinations are not yet available but should be beginning in October.
Flu Prevention
• Cover your cough with a tissue or cough into your elbow or sleeve • Wash your hands frequently, hand sanitizer is also good • Avoid contact with ill persons
• Get vaccinated as recommended
Source: Sac State Health Center http://www.csus.edu/hlth/
freshman, said she’ll probably take the swine flu vaccine as a precaution. “We can’t afford to get sick,” Davilla said. Stewart-James said two doses will likely be required, with the second dose given three weeks after the initial dose. In response to the onset of swine flu this summer, Sac State has taken the necessary steps to inform and prepare the campus community in case of an outbreak, said risk management and business continuity interim director for Sac State, Kirtland Stout. Faculty and staff that fall in the higher risk group will be vaccinated at no charge, Stewart-James said. Vaccinations for both swine flu and seasonal flu are voluntary, however people who fall under the swine flu high-risk categories are encouraged to get the vaccine, Stewart-James said. Unlike H5N1, or avian flu, that has a mortality rate of 60 percent, swine flu is a fairly mild flu with a mortality rate of less than tenth of a percent, Stout said. “I really don’t think it’s (swine flu) going to be as horrible as they portray in the news,” said Anna Brown-Dawson, junior criminal justice major. “I think vaccination is necessary to people who live in dorms because they live in close proximity with other students, but to others who commute it’s a personal choice.” The health center’s worst case so far has already recovered, Stewart-James said. “The university has been on top of this as we could possibly be,” Stout said. Stout said Sac State’s plan for this flu season has guidelines to keep people with flu-like
symptoms from spreading it to others. “One of the things that we’re really trying to stress is prevention,” Stewart-James said. Students, faculty and staff members who experience flulike symptoms are encouraged to stay at home or to self-isolate until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours, Stout said. Students should call the health center if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. The health center has set up a phone triage system that will enable a student to talk directly to a medical provider, who will then evaluate the severity of the case and determine if the student needs to be seen at the clinic, Stewart-James said. In most cases, students recover well on their own just by getting plenty of rest and keeping themselves hydrated, Stewart-James said. Students living in apartments and dorms are also encouraged to have “flu buddies” who will help and monitor them. That way, people experiencing the symptoms will not be spreading them to others and will not get very ill because no one is watching after them, Stout said. Stewart-James said they have done presentations at residence halls this summer to make students and staff more aware of preventive measures. In campus divisions, staff members are asked to have a “succession list” that will determine who will take over a job if a staff member gets sick, Stout said. Faculty members are asked to advise students who become infected to stay at home and to modify classroom guidelines as needed. More information about the swine flu is available at http:// www.csus.edu/hlth/.
Wednesday - September 9
News Section
“I can categorically deny that I ever, not once, said to anybody that they should drop their grievance or lawsuit.”
Emir Macari, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science
Lawsuit: Negligence and sexual harassment filed against professor, CSUS Continued | page A1 “The university has known that problems with Markovic have gone on for a long time,” said Susan Sheridan, Mattiuzzi’s attorney for the case. “They haven’t adequately done anything about it and they’ve retaliated against Cici for bringing the problems to their attention.” Emir Macari, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, disagreed. “I can categorically deny that I ever, not once, said to anybody that they should drop their grievance or lawsuit,” Macari said. “And furthermore that I didn’t ever discourage anyone from moving forward.” Mattiuzzi who began her career with Sac State in 1978 in the Career Center, said her persistence and frequency of complaints about Markovic caused administrators to deny her of a promotion during her nearly three decades at Sac State. “We hired an outside investigation and there was no evidence of unlawful retaliation,” said John Kepley, special assistant to Sac State’s president. Problems between Mattiuzzi and Markovic allegedly first began while she was working in the Career Center and Markovic went to her office to ask her to write his resume, Mattiuzzi said. She informed him that she does not write resumes for people, but rather helps them with edits and tips. Hearing this, Mattiuzzi said Markovic stormed out of the office in a fury. Since that occurrence in the early 1980s, incidents with Markovic became more frequent and severe. Mattiuzzi has filed many complaints herself and also has helped students and
staff with their efforts in pursuing help from administration. A graduate from the electrical engineering program, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of further damages to his career by Markovic, is mentioned often in Mattiuzzi’s case because of his problems with Markovic in the early 1990s. “My experience with Markovic was intensely disturbing and traumatic,” he said. “He acted with deliberate and malevolent intent, and the university had sufficient evidence and good reason to remove him from campus.” When in his early twenties, the student started the electrical engineering program at Sac State in 1991, and took one of Markovic’s courses in his second semester. Shortly after the start of the semester, Markovic offered to pay this student to help him grade papers. Eventually a strong professional and personal relationship developed. After grading his papers, Markovic would have the student drop off the graded work at his home, where the two would often share dinner and wine. The student said Markovic invited him to go on trips with him. They once traveled together on a personal vacation to Monterrey Bay, Calif. The former student also said Markovic made a direct sexual advance toward him. He says after denying him repeatedly, Markovic began stalking the student at his home and wrote threatening and inappropriate letters to the student’s friends. One such letter obtained by The State Hornet said, “I love him, and I do not know why he does not return my love. I helped him so much and he just
ignores me … I must get back at him.” Mattiuzzi said she was contacted by a company in Nevada that claimed Markovic had called its office 12 to 15 times and visited the company twice, urging them not to hire the particular student because he said the student cheated in class and would not be a good hire. The student received copies of letters that were sent by the dean to Markovic, and was under the impression that everything would be taken care of. He said, “The university convinced me that whatever legal action was necessary would be taken.” Students and staff filed complaints against the professor multiple times. The court case contains nearly 150 pages and seven years of documented complaints and letters about problems with Markovic. Markovic told The Sacramento Bee he planned to retire on Aug. 21 because of recent budget cuts and required furlough days. He was signed up to teach a full schedule of courses this semester and was among the list of professors expecting to receive grant money from the stimulus. Kepley confirmed Markovic’s retirement and said his classes would continue just taught by another professor. After seeing Markovic on campus on Aug. 26, Mattiuzzi took sick leave and is not sure when she will return. Neither Sac State nor Markovic have sent formal responses to the suit at the time of publication. Both parties have until later next week to submit a written response or request an extension.
statehornet.com
A5
State Hornet Classifieds
Help Wanted
Babysitter Needed 3 children, Thurs. & Fri. only. 8:45 am until 4:30 pm. $12.00 hour. Call Lora at 916-425-1552. Have fun working with adults with disabilities; promote independent, positive lifestyles. Email resume and cover letter to resumes@creativelivingoptions.com, note “PA Part Time” or “PA Full Time” in subject line. Auto required. $10.40/hr, minimum wage for sleeping hours. Sacramento/Davis. (916)372-2102 Mother’s Helper 10-20 hrs week. Excellent driver to pick up child from school, after school activities, light housekeeping. Organizational skills a plus! $8-10 hr. (916)947-8070 Nanny/Babysitter Looking for help afternoons/evenings 2-3 times per week for my 8 yr old daughter. School and home are very close to CSUS.. Must provide driving record and proof of insurance. $12.00p/h Please call Amanda (916)502-6416 P/T Sales position Curves West Sacramento is currently accepting applications from energetic, self-motivated, and enthusiastic individuals for all shifts. PE, Nutrition or Health majors are preferred, but not required. Please fax resume to 916-371-5220 or email to curveswestsac@ att.net. Work with Children Therapeutic PATHWAYS, Inc. Seeking energetic professionals to provide 1:1 behavior and language intervention to children diagnosed with autism. Training provided. 10-25hrs per week. Starting pay $11-14.50 per hour. Contact the Staff Development team at mmurphy@tpathways.org or (916)3831105
Apartments 2BD/2BA Condo Upstairs condo for rent. Gated Community, Pool/Spa, Fireplace, Washer/Dryer,1 covered parking space plus plenty of open parking. $1,050 per month. $500 deposit. Cats Okay (916)749-9719
Apts for Rent $699 - 2BD 1 BA Close to Light Rail, 5 Mins to CSUS. In 4-plexes with covered Garage. Office 2840 Norcade Circle #1 - Sacramento, CA 95826. Call 916-200-5430 TOWNHOUSE 2BR, 2 FULL BA WASHER/DRYER, FRIDGE. POOL/JACUZZI. GATED COMMUNITY. FREE UNDERGROUND PARKING. ARDEN ARCADE. $1100/MO. WATER/GARBAGE PAID. EMAIL tkuepfer@sbcglobal. net or call (831)759-8479
Homes for Rent REMODELED HOUSE FOR RENT Four large bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Two car garage. 322 Barrette Ave. Sacramento. $1650 per month. (925)2126643
Services Need an Attorney? Law Office of Gary A. Campi can help you in the following legal areas: Family Law (divorce, child custody, child support, etc.) and Personal Injury. Student discount available. (916) 446-0333 (916)446-0333
For Sale Sleeper Couch For Sale Sleeper couch for sale. Double matress size. microfiber. Tan color. great shape. I’ll email you pix. mpevny@comcast.net. $140 OBO (916)915-1150
Vehicles 1972 Dodge Challenger $5000, coupe, automatic,8 cylinder, interior black, exterior yellow, Title : Clear, Gasoline, air conditioning; email: elizabpilar@gmail. com (503)961-9608 1999 Mercedes 430E Nice car inside and out. Well maintained and runs excellent. Beautiful, solid, safe car that you will be able to drive for years to come. Priced below market to sell at $7500. You could be driving this car today! Penni (916) 835-6000
A6
Wednesday - September 9
News Section
ASI: Vacancies create gap in board’s representation Continued | page A1 the appeals committee overruled the verdict. Patricia Worley, ASI executive director, said the situation is sad, but the rules and policies were clear in the election code, which was handed to every candidate. “The consequence for failing to meet the requirement was very clear,” Worley said. “We have policies and procedures that are spelled out in our election code and we are obligated to follow our election code and that’s what happened.” The election code states under Article IV, “Failure to complete any filing requirement or eligibility requirement shall result in disqualification.” Garcha, after realizing that he needed the financial expenditure report, submitted the form a day late but was still disqualified. Because of the disqualifications, ASI President Roberto Torres said not all departments are well represented in ASI. “It’s unfortunate to have these vacancies,” Torres said. “As executives, we bring everyone’s voice to the table and it is beneficial to have people on for all the positions.” Torres is in charge of appointing the new directors; he said it is important that the positions are filled as soon as possible. ASI is still taking applications until there are at least two candidates for each position. The deadline is rolling, Torres said, but he would like to be
done by mid-September. What concerns Troncoso and Garcha the most is that no one is representing the departments that they were going to represent. “For the college, being that it’s child development, we are a very small section compared to others like Arts and Letters,” Troncoso said. “To have our little, little section not represented makes me very upset.” Garcha said he ran for the director’s position because he wanted to serve the campus community. “Right now there’s no one representing the college of natural science and mathematics,” Garcha said. “I think it’s important to have someone there. That was my whole plan, but now someone should step up to the plate if I’m not allowed to.” Garcha and Troncoso say they would like to have the election code revised and have more emphasis on the penalties of not submitting all the paperwork. “For future elections, they should really mention how severe the consequences for not turning in applications regardless of having expenditures and it would be nice if they are wiling to think it through and revise the rules a bit,” Garcha said. The rules were clear, Troncoso said, but there should be more reminders before the deadline. “I would definitely suggest a revision,” she said. “And an e-mail reminder or something so that they know exactly when
they need to submit everything.” While the two former candidates say they want a revision done on the election code to prevent future candidates from meeting the same fate, Worley said the rule was clear and carefully thought over. “When the version of the election code contained that specific language, there was a thoughtful discussion around this particular language in our election code,” Worley said. “There was a very clear determination and belief that if candidates can take the time and put in the effort to read and fully understand and hold themselves accountable to this regulating document, then that is an aspect of them showing evidence of their ability to hold responsibility of their office that they are seeking.” Garcha said he is disappointed that he was disqualified, but no one party should be blamed for this. “No, I don’t think it was a matter of faults,” he said. “It was just a matter of honest mistakes.” While the disqualified candidates are unable to serve in the director positions, they are allowed to work for ASI; Troncoso works at the Children’s Center. “I do believe it was harsh but it’s a situation I will never forget,” Troncoso said. “I am taking it as a learning experience and hope to work with ASI as a volunteer or just an employee.”
Director Positions open at ASI Director of Natural Science and Mathematics Director of Education Graduate Director Director of Engineering and Computer Science
Check out the ASI website: www.asi.csus.edu for applications and more information.
statehornet.com