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ELECTION PREVIEW
Palomar College underground radio goes mod.
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Meet the candidates on page 9.
Feature, page 8
Monday,. Sept. 20,. 1999
Palornar College -
Drug users could lose financial aid
Candidates wrangle for • n1ne posts
' Adolfo Mendez College Press
On July 1, 2000 a federal law goes into effect that could strip students of their college financial aid for any drug conviction, no matter how minor. One conviction could mean a student would lose work-study and financial aid for a full school year. Congress approved the new provision, which is part of the Higher Education Act, and President Clinton signed it into law in October 1998. Drug policy reform advocates are mobilizing on college campuses across the country to overturn the provision. . "Twelve student governments have endorsed a resolution calling for the drug provision to be overturned," says 20-year-old Kris Lotlikar, campus coordinator for the Drug Reform Coordination Network, a ....., Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit • organization. The NAACP and- according to Lotlikar - students on 150 campuses support H.R. 1053, a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (DMass.), to repeal the drug conviction provision. , The Drug Reforem Coordination Network plans to host the "Sensible Drug Policy Convention" in November, said Lotlikar. Convention planners have the backing of NAACP's Youth and College Division, which will cosponsor the event, according to Hiewet Senghor, the organization's national college cooridinator. "This is a NAACP bread and bJtter issue. It's our mission to work against anything that works against the advancement of young people," Senghor says. The problem, says Senghor, is that the new federal aid restriction could ··worsen an existing imbalance in the justice system when it comes to blacks and whites in jail. Already, more whites are arrested for drugrelated offenses than blacks. But African Americans face convictions at higher rates than whites, she says. "You could be a high school senior and make a mistake [with drugs] and be hurt by this law," Senghor says, adding that the NAACP is going to take up the issue at its October board meeting, and prepare an official statement. "But you could be a rich, white kid can abuse drugs and not lose his financial aid under this law," Senghor says. Under the law, a student who is convicted of any drug offense would be suspended one year for the first offense, two years for the second offense and indefinitely for the third ,offense. Students can get their financial aid back before the suspension period only if they complete a rehabilitation program. The U.S. Department of Education is expected to acceptable terms for these programs by November l. The primary sponsor of the provision, U.S. Representative Mark Souder (R-Ind.), an evangelical Christian, has said that taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize the college education of students who use or sell drugs. , "Actions have consequences. If you receive taxpayer assistance to ,pursue your college education, you will be held accountable for investing it wisely," he said.
Volurne 53,. Nurnber 3
San Marcos,. CA
Michael Paisner News Editor
Palomar students will go to the polls this week to fill open seats on the Associated Student Government. Thirteen candidates will vie for ten open positions which include Executive Vice President, Treasurer, MEET THE Vice President of State Affairs, and Vice •,.CANDIDATES President of Social Events. There are no canCandidate didates running for Treasurer. Polls open at statements 8:30 a.m. and close at 8 and positions p.m. on Sept. 22 and 23. on page 9 Over the last several weeks, three ASG members vacated seats won in the spring election, mostly due to class and schedule conflicts . K.J. Tosaya resigned after being accepted to Cal State San Marcos. Moody Wasif felt that he could not ctdJ ASG re~punsibilities to his 23 unit schedule. Elaine James could not serve for personal reasons. Bridgette Ranconc, elected Senator in the election held last April; hopes to win the Vice President of State affairs seat while Israel Cervantes is running again after being turned away last spring.
Praying for Palomar
Student body flounders Patricia S. McAvoy
Yearly gathering draws more than 20 students
Opinion Editor
Tom Chambers Editor-in-Chief
More than 20 Palomar students gathered around the flag pole on Wednesday Sept. 15 to pray at the annual Sec You At The Pole event. "We are here to make this a day of prayer all around the country," said Walter Toronado, president of the Calvary Collegiate Fellowship, "Which this country really needs." See You At The Pole is a yearly event where students meet at the flag pole of their campuses to pray. It started in 1990 when more than 45,000 high school students from four states participated. More than 3 million high school and college students participate in all 50 states.
Photo' hy Senn C'olhurn I The Te/e.<cope
Palomar students gather to pray at "As Christians we believe there's no other solution to the problems in our country than supernatural intervention from God," said Charlie Campbell, a pastor at Calvary Chapel Vista who participated in Palomar's event. "Prayer is the only solution to bring healing in our nation. "
the flagpole last Wednesday Although Palomar's event went as planned, another rally held in Fort Worth, Texas was cut short when a gunman shot six people and then took his own life. See You At The Pole is held every year in September.
College administrators had right to censor yearbook, court rules Christine Tatum College Press
CINCINATTI, Ohio- College newspapers and yearbooks could be subject to the same content restrictions imposed on many high schools because of a federal appeals court's ruling backing a Kentucky State University administrator's decision to confiscate a campus yearbook. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday rejected the claims of two KSU students who accused the school of violating their First Amendment rights by censoring a yearbook and the campus
newspaper. The court also upheld the university's removal of the student newspaper's faculty adviser after she refused to censor content criticizing the university. The students, judges said, failed to show how the yearbook's censorship and their adviser's absence (She was reinstated after filing a grievance.) harmed their rights to free speech. The ruling has riled journalism professors and groups representing student journalists around the country. They worry that the case could become a precedent tli.at limits the scope and tone of student publications and reduces academic freedom for
faculty members, who have campus publications of their own. The students won combined support from 30 journalism schools and programs and collegiate and professional journalism advocacy groups, including the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. "In this country we don't - or at least we haven't until now - allowed govern-ment officials to confiscate thousands of copies of an otherwise lawful publication because its cover was purple or because it didn't sing the praises of a state institu-
Palomar College enrolled 22,225 students this fall, 1.6 percent less than this time last year. However, the Mt. Carmel Education Center reported an increase in registration, possibly a result of offering more classes said . Michael Norton, director of public information. Palomar's rolls hit an all time high in fall 1997 with 27,244 students. Jerry Patton, vice president of adminstrative services, said the college is not able to tell whether changes in the new registration system effected enrollment. "We had no choice but to move ahead (with the program)," Patton said. The college faced a deadline because the old
Enrollment 1994-98 PalOmar. College's Mrollment peaked In fall 1998 with 27,558_students.
Fall
Enrollment
% change
1994
23,621,
-1%
23,910
+ 1%
25,937
+ 8%
27,244
+ 5%
27,553 *
+ 1%
-
'XS
see CENSOR, page 9
computer system was not year 2000 compatible. "We accomplished our goal in 13 months. We did it so fast." Patton said. Not al l students were as optimistic. Many people that tried to register using Palomar's automated Phone And Register (PAR) system complained of a slow system, discon-nections, and closed classes due to software glitches (The Telescope, Aug. 23, 1999). In-person registration IS no longer done. Patton cited other reasons. He says a strong economy could also adversely affect community college enrollment. Norton says it is too early to determine Palomar's total enrollment. "Actually, peak enrollment is in the middle of November," Norton said.
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